A popular trend among teens and twenty-somethings is the gauged earlobe piercings.  These are cylindrical earrings that stretch the piercing hole, sometimes to an extreme amount.  If an individual wants to remove the gauge at some point, the lobe is left stretched and saggy.  This is where gauged earlobe repairs can work wonders. A surgical procedure eliminates the extra lobe skin and the area is stitched back together.  

The photos above show a patient who underwent gauged earlobe repair with Dr. Brett Kotlus at Allure Medical Spa in Michigan.  The after photo is one week after the procedure that was performed in the office with local anesthetic.  This particular patient stated that she didn't have a hanging earlobe before the gauges were put in so she didn't want the repair to create a hanging lobe. In other cases, a full hanging lobe can be recreated. The procedure is peformed on its own, or with other procedures.  The lobes can be re-pierced after the area has healed in about 6 weeks. 

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. 

Nonsurgical fat reduction is all the rage this year because of the 2 major players on the market, CoolSculpting and now Liposonix.  What's the difference between the 2?

CoolSculpting reduces fat by freezing the fat cells.  It uses a vacuum to pull skin and fat between two cooling plates that carefully control the temperature to a point that injures the fat cells.  On average, a 25% reduction in fat layer thickness is seen in that area after a 1 hour treatment. It requires that the treatment area has some flexibility so the cooling plates have access to the fat cells.

Liposonix uses ultrasound energy to injure fat cells in a precise manner.  The focused ultrasound beams can zap the cells and a consistent layer of fat is reduced (not a percentage of the fat).  It does not require the skin to be flexible.  

Both procedures have no significant downtime and the best results are usually seen in about 8-12 weeks. They don't quite compare with liposuction for body shaping, but the results are dramatic and without any surgery. 

You can read more about Liposonix on the Allure website here, or call if you want a one-on-one, free consultation. 

You can now download a free iPhone app from Allure Medical Spa on iTunes by clicking here or searching Allure Medical Spa on the App Store. This groundbreaking app will educate you on cosmetic enhancements with instructional slideshows on various topics, before and after photos, and a special tool that allows you to upload your own photo and see what you might look like after a procedure! Best of all, it's free!