An upper blepharoplasty or eyelid lift is a wonderful procedure that shapes the upper eyelid.  The result will frequently give you a more youthful, less tired appearance, brightening up the entire face.  The cosmetic upper eyelid lift does involve an incision, created with a laser, radiofrequency device, or scalpel.  But the scars almost completely disappear with time.  How does that occur?

The upper eyelid has a natural crease, usually 6-11 millimeters above the eyelashes, following a smooth arc.  The upper eyelid lift scar can be placed so that it coincides with your pre-existing crease.  In the photo below, the dotted red line shows the position of the eyelid crease, and the right side demonstrates an eyelid that already had a blepharoplasty, with a barely detectable scar.  

If you are considering aesthetic blepharoplasty, ask your surgeon if he or she plans to place the scar within the eyelid crease.  There are techniques that facilitate the scar/crease alignment.

Dr. Brett Kotlus is a cosmetic eyelid specialist that offers free consultations in the Detroit Metro area in Michigan. To learn more about cosmetic eyelid procedures, visit his website, EyeliftCenter.com. 

We all know that sun isn't good for your skin, but how bad is it?  This photo of a set of twins gives a dramatic impression of how severe the sun can be.  One twin was a sun worshipper while the other stayed out of the sun and was diligent with her sunscreen.  Can you tell which is the sun worshipper?

It is never too late to begin a skin care regimen that starts with sunblock, every day.  A broad-spectrum product (both UV-A and UV-B) with an SPF of 30 or greater is ideal.  Physical blocks that use zinc oxide or titanium oxide are excellent.  Products with oxybenzone should be avoided as it has been linked to free radical damage which may promote skin cancer.  

At Allure Medical Spa we can suggest some excellent medical-grade skin care products.  You'll need them to protect yourself from the Michigan sun!  A sunblock with a tinted cream will help you avoid the pasty look.  

If you are looking to reverse the sun damage and brown spots from the summer months, consider a laser resurfacing procedure such as Fraxel or ActiveFX.

(thanks to Dr. Martin Braun of Vancouver Laser for the link to this amazing photo)

In this video, Dr. Kotlus describes Thermage and Ulthera, two non-surgical facial procedures that firm the face.  Thermage is a radiofrequency device and Ulthera delivers focused ultrasound. Both of these procedures are available at Allure Medical Spa in Michigan.  

Dr. Kotlus discusses the 3 options for nonsurgical fat reduction including Zerona, Liposonix, and Coolsculpting. These are offered at Allure Medical Spa in Michigan and one of the doctors can discuss these with you during a consultation to determine if you are a candidate.

You can read more about these procedures here. 

Non-surgical nose shaping generally refers to filler injections that reshape the nose.  Fillers add volume underneath the skin and are most commonly used to treat wrinkles, but can also be used to inflate the lips or to change the appearance of the nose.  

Fillers to the nose can not actually make the nose smaller, but they can make the nose appear more narrow in cases where there is a flat bridge.  Fillers are also useful in certain cases to disguise a hump by filling around the hump, making it less obvious.  Irregularities or asymmetries after previous surgical rhinoplasty can also often be improved with non-surgical fillers.

There are several options when it comes to fillers that are used for nose shaping.  The most popular are made of gel consisting of hyaluronic acid, a substance that is naturally found in our skin.  These usually last about a year when injected around the nose, and they are fully reversible and non-permanent.  Restylane, Perlane, and Juvederm are all hyaluronic acid gel fillers and are the most frequently used dermal fillers in our cosmetic practice here in Michigan.  Other fillers including Artefill and Radiesse have also been used as non-surgical nose shaping methods.  

The treatment usually takes about 15 minutes and there is often zero downtime. To see if you are a candidate, call us for a free consultation. You can read more about non-surgical nose shaping on our website, here.