Urban Suburban Mommy

Tag Archives: plastic surgery

A nip here, a tuck there – which procedures are *worth it*?

Posted on by Posted in The Struggle is Real .

I recently went on a bit of a rant about the Mom Bod – That we should be proud of our mama bodies, embrace our battle scars but be free to – how did I put it – “Raise ’em and tuck ’em, if you got ’em.” But why is there a stigma about wanting plastic surgery? Why isn’t there just support. If you want to nip and tuck, go for it, but don’t feel that you *have to* nip and tuck, your mom bod is an amazing thing.

It’s about choice.

So, of course, the next thing that I did was to go digging around for more deets on cosmetic procedures. Some are seriously invasive – hello lipo! – while others are non-surgical or superficial. From chemical solutions to transformative surgery, and everything in between, we caught up with the pros to give us some straight up advice on some of the more common procedures. It’s kind of interesting to note, some procedures have a higher level of satisfation than others – which begs the question – which procedures are really *worth it*? 

Worth it: Breast Reduction

“By far, breast reductions produce the happiest post-op patients,” says New Bern, North Carolina board certified plastic surgeon and best selling author Dr. John Zannis, “The women (and sometimes men) that come to me for this procedure have usually been uncomfortable with the size of their breasts for years, in many cases since early puberty. You can really see an immediate boost to their confidence.” Overly large breasts have uncomfortable physical effects like chronic back pain and bad posture, but they can also become a huge self-esteem complex, especially for girls. Breast reduction surgeries report an extremely high satisfaction rate of almost 90% according to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Magazine. 

Skip: Lip Fillers

Lip fillers can work wonders but they’re tricky. They don’t look the same on everyone; your end result could be Kylie Jenner’s lipstick-empire-building pout or Donatella Versace’s trout mouth. They’re more of a toss up and depend on too many variables, from the natural curve of your lips to the skill of your doctor to the type of filler used.

Worth it: Non-Invasive Face Lifts

“Off the top of my head some of my happiest clients are non-invasive face lift patients,” says Dr. Kally Papantoniou, a board certified dermatologist who specializes in surgical and medical skin procedures at her New York office. “The skin on the neck and chin get a substantial lift and smooth with no cutting or general anesthetics, patients report not only looking younger but constantly say they feel better about themselves. Which is the key word I look for when gauging post-recovery satisfaction!”

Worth it: Rhinoplasty

“A rhinoplasty from a skilled plastic surgeon can completely change a face,” says Zannis. He adds, “The nose is the most protruding facial feature and sits right in the center; any sort of change alters how you look from different angles, how light and shadows hit you and can make the face look more symmetrical.” To become a full believer in the power of rhinoplasty just search “Bella Hadid before and after nose job” on Google. Literally a different person.  

Skip: Cheek Implants

Cheeks have a very prominent position in your face. Like tweaking your nose, tweaking the shape and size of your cheeks changes your whole look, but like any other facial implant or filler; they are not one size fits all. In older individuals cheek implants are just as likely to drag your skin down as smooth it. Good results depend on implant type, technique, original face shape, and considering the natural effects of aging in the future.   

Worth it: Body Contouring

“Body contouring is easily one of my top three highest patient satisfaction procedures” says Dr. Papantoniou who provides the procedure at her practice. “These are non-invasive fat loss techniques and they give truly amazing results after about 3 months of treatments. There is no downtime, no pain. Some patients come in for them during long lunch breaks! Patients lose whole inches. Again, the most telling sign is how they stress feeling good after the procedure.”

Of course, I’m not advocating that you *have to* do something, or even *should* do something, but I am saying that it’s not wrong if you want to. It feels like women are shamed a bit too much. On one hand, that super-fierce HD TV you have is zooming in down to the micro-pore and we’re seeing celebs and TV personalities losing their jobs because the soft and fuzzy days of old used to hide the wrinkles and imperfections better. Yet we’re also being told to grow old gracefully. So what is it? Are we too old for TV or are we not graceful if we chase the assets of our youths?

What’s wrong with vanity? Nothing. We dye our hair – or not. We do our nails – or not. We wear make-up, control-top panties, push-up and padded bras, tummy trainers and high heels that make our legs look hella-sexy, so we’re not vehemently opposed to modification and putting our best selves forward. If you feel better making a cosmetic change, whether through surgery or a trip to the drugstore, it’s your decision to make.

Frankly, I’m tired of being limited to bathingsuits lined with body armour and having clothing choices limited by the type of undergarment it can conceal. Having my babies didn’t do my already-larger-than-comfortable boobs any favours! I don’t see the harm in having a doctor put them back to a place and a size that makes my back feel better and gives me more options to enjoy life. (Perky. I want perky, okay? lol). And there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t understand the stigma – so I suggest we disregard it altogether!

Be Well, Look Well – Tips to combat wrinkles and keep that face

Posted on by Posted in The Best You .

We’re “Advanced Maternal Age”. Does that mean we’re old?

When I was in my teens and 20’s I looked young. I actually looked like a kid until my early 30’s. And then, suddenly, I see lines and wrinkles and signs of aging.

What the what is that all about.

I thought I’d be carded forever, turns out nobody needs to see my ID any more. So, why???? You know you want to know a bit about this danged aging business a bit more, so we caught up with Dr. John Zannis. He’s a New Bern, North Carolina board certified Plastic Surgeon, to break it down for us. 

Many aspects of facial and body aging are inevitable and a fact of life, explains Dr. Zannis. However, there are daily habits, motions and actions that we do that unnecessarily accelerate the aging process. While we are very fortunate to have so many non invasive advances in plastic surgery, many of them would not be necessary at younger ages if we negated some of the behaviors that cause wrinkles to appear prematurely.

Tanning Beds 

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Yes, guilty. Not excessively – but hey, it was the 90s)

Despite skin cancer warning labels and common sense, 45 percent of young women surveyed in a February 2014 study revealed they still use tanning beds. Here’s your wakeup call: Tanning beds blast you with 12- to 15-times more ultraviolet radiation than the sun, which means you’re that much more likely to get wrinkles, dark spots, thick leathery skin and cancer. And that cancer could be the deadly kind: Melanoma is one of the most common cancers diagnosed among young women, with more than 32,000 women expected to be diagnosed in the coming years.

Alcohol

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Yes, guilty. I bartended in my younger years. It was, at times, much like professional alcoholism)

Alcohol is a natural diuretic, so the more you drink, the more dehydrated you become. Dr. Zannis states that, “besides sapping the natural moisture from your skin, excessive alcohol also triggers rosacea outbreaks and exacerbates fine lines, acne, and wrinkles, all of which instantly make you look older. You don’t have to swear off the bottle altogether, but by drinking less, your liver doesn’t have to work as hard to flush out toxins and impurities from your body, and when it works more efficiently, you’ll see the results in your skin.”

Smoking

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Off and on. And I was goooood at it. But not in the last 15 years)

It’s certainly no secret that smoking is bad for your health. But did you know it’s bad for your looks, too? Dr. Zannis says that, “studies show that in addition to shortening your life by increasing your risk for heart and lung disease, smoking can activate enzymes that break down the elasticity of your skin. Even if you’re a closet smoker, the fine wrinkles and pallor that cigarettes cause can give you away — just one more reason to snuff out those smokes.”

You sleep with your face in the pillow

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Really? I sleep face down *when my kids let me sleep*)

Sleeping on your stomach or on your side with your face smashed into the pillow can create wrinkles and accelerate aging. “The connective tissue and collagen in your face becomes weaker and less supportive with age,” says Dr. Zannis. “So when you sleep on the same side of your face night after night, your skin won’t smooth out or spring back as quickly as it did when you were young.” Those crease lines from your pillow can become permanent. Sleep on your back or invest in a satin pillowcase to keep skin smooth.

 Cleaning facial skin too thoroughly.

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Love that squeaky clean feel)

After a long day, you want to get all the dirt, grease, and grime out of your pores by any means necessary, but this is a mistake that could cost your skin its youthful suppleness and glow. “When people use harsh soap in order to get a squeaky clean feel, they strip their skin of its natural oils and accentuate fine lines,” says Dr. Zannis. Stick to a gentle cleanser and don’t scrub, your skin will thank you later.

Aggressively removing your eye makeup.

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Like I have time to put eye make-up on, never mind take it off. But when I do, I love removing my eye makeup with coconut oil, it works and smells good too)

Taking off your makeup at night is important, but you should do it gently. The last thing you want to do is rub, tug, or scrap the skin around your eyes to get that last little bit of mascara off. “You can cause broken blood vessels and puffiness,” warns Dr. Zannis.

Sipping Through A Straw

(Urban Mommy Elisa: Yes, guilty. Not excessively – but hey, it was the 90s)

“Yes, repeated straw drinking causes people to purse their lips and can create wrinkles from the repetitive muscle motion,” says Dr. Zannis. He adds, “Much like repeated frowning causes wrinkles on the upper face.”

 

Dr. John Zannis

 Dr. Zannis

 John Zannis MD

 

www.Zannisplasticsurgery.com

Dr. John Zannis – New Bern, NC Plastic Surgeon, is married with three children. He has a passion for travel, languages, painting, and guitars.

Dr. Zannis is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. From Cincinnati, Ohio, he studied Human Biology and Studio Art at Stanford University prior to entering Medical School. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree (M.D.) from the University of Cincinnati College Of Medicine.

His studies in art and art history in Florence, Italy cultivated a passion for the Renaissance and geniuses of that time such as Leonardo DaVinci. Dr. Zannis instills artistry and perfectionism into his practice of surgery. His keen interest in procedures like rhinoplasty stem from their sculptural nature and the challenge they pose: “Rhinoplasty is considered one of the most difficult surgeries to master.