Your Guide to Face by Nova
Table of Contents Chapter One: What Causes Aging? 3 Chapter Two: What Solutions Are There? 6 Chapter Three: Face By Nova Packages 12
CHAPTER ONE What Causes Aging?
Combatting aging is one of the biggest concerns people have when they visit a cosmetic surgeon. Aging shows up on our faces in a number of ways, including wrinkles, sunken cheeks or eyes, drooping or sagging skin, changes in our skin texture, and more. But what actually causes those things to happen? What makes us look older? There are three main categories of visible signs of aging: Volume Loss Why do people in their 20 s look so young? They don t have wrinkles, sure, but what else is it? It s their chubby cheeks! Young people still carry fatty tissue in their faces, making their skin look firm, plump, and full. As we age, we lose fat in various areas of the face, making our faces look more sunken, haggard, or tired. We can go from having pronounced cheekbones to looking like our grandmothers because of simple, natural volume loss that happens over time. Naturally thin people might show signs of aging faster because they re starting out with minimal fat volume to begin with, so when they lose it, the results are more noticeable. Texture Changes Run your fingers over your face- what you feel is your skin s texture. Is it dry or moist? Do you feel wrinkles or roughness? Is it tight, smooth, scarred or blemished? Changes in our skin s texture are another cause of visible signs of aging. As we get older, common texture changes include wrinkles, sun damage, dryness, and acne scarring (or any other scarring). (continued)
Exposure to the sun is a major cause of texture changes in the skin. The radiation given off by the sun causes dryness and sun damage. Sun damage can manifest in a number of ways, but age spots and freckles are most common. Along with sun exposure, smoking can cause major changes to our skin s texture. It causes dryness, as well as wrinkles around the mouth and eyes (from squinting against the smoke). It also decreases oxygen levels in the blood, preventing the blood from bringing oxygen to the skin cells when they need it, so skin can t heal itself properly. It can also cause yellowing of the skin tone. Skin Droopiness Elastin and collagen are the proteins in our skin that give it elasticity and firmness. As we age, our body s ability to produce those proteins declines, so our skin doesn t bounce back from making expressions as well as it did when we were young. A lifetime of sun exposure will make this problem worse, since radiation from the sun causes a breakdown of collagen and elastin. This breakdown in the firmness and elasticity of the skin leads to droopiness, most noticeably in the eyelids, neck, and cheeks (which can form jowls). Volume loss, skin texture changes, and droopiness: these are the three visible signs of aging that make you look older than you are, and older than you feel. I m hooked! When you look better, you feel better - Face by NOVA patient
CHAPTER two What Solutions Are There?
Experiencing visible signs of aging before you want to can be frustrating, especially if they are making you look older than you actually are, or older than you feel. There are cosmetic options out there for combatting the visible signs of aging. We offer these solutions in tiered packages, which we ll talk about in the next chapter. Let s look at each solution in detail now: BBL (Broadband Light) Therapy BBL is also known as a photofacial, photo-rejuvenation, and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). Broadband light therapy utilizes light energy to create minor, intentional damage to the dermis and epidermis. This mild damage removes damaged skin, and encourages the skin to generate new, healthier skin. It also encourages collagen production. The surgeon simply selects the wavelength that corresponds to the issue you want to correct, and the pulsed light does the rest. BBL Therapy can be used to treat a number of cosmetic skin complaints, including: fine lines age spots sun spots/sun damage small blood vessels in the face acne freckles rosacea and other vascular lesions Almost any area of the body can be treated with BBL. The results after about five sessions is smoother, tighter skin with a more even skin tone and less visible blemishes and spots. BBL can be done in-office, and you can generally return to your normal activity immediately.
Botox Botox is an injection used to treat deep wrinkles, usually around the forehead and around the eyes. As we make the same expressions day after day, the muscles and skin above them begin to wrinkle from use. Botox causes the targeted muscles to relax, which in turn relaxes the skin above it. This softens the appearance of the wrinkles, and since the muscle is relaxed, prevents the muscles from deepening the wrinkle further. Botox is most commonly administered in the furrows between the eyes and the horizontal wrinkles on the brow, and in crow s feet. Botox isn t effective on wrinkles that are caused by gravity, so be sure you re selecting it for use in wrinkles that have formed because of facial expressions. Botox is performed in-office, and you can go back to your normal activities immediately after. Some clients experience bruising or slight swelling at the injection site, but those will diminish after a few days. You can wear makeup to conceal any bruising you experience. Laser Resurfacing Laser resurfacing, also known as a laser peel or laser facial, uses laser energy to burn away the top layer of damaged skin to reveal younger, newer, healthier skin underneath. It also stimulates collagen growth. Laser resurfacing can be used to treat the following skin complaints: fine lines sun damage scars acne scarring uneven skin tone improve complexion if you have yellowish skin tones on the nose enlarged pores some warts and birthmarks After a laser resurfacing, the skin will be red or pink for several weeks, and you might experience some peeling. Most clients can return to their normal activities after six weeks, but you ll need to be very careful about sun exposure and always wear an SPF when you go outside.
Facial Fat Grafting Loss of fat in the face can create sunken cheeks and hollow-looking eyes. Facial fat grafting takes fat from one area of the body and transfers it to the places in the face where it is needed, giving your face a younger, plumper look. You can also use facial fat grafting to fill in deep wrinkles, like the ones that run from nose to mouth, or mouth to chin. Popular areas for facial fat grafting include: temples eyebrow furrows along the jaw the cheeks Popular areas for removing donor fat include the love handles and thighs, though you ll discuss this in more detail with your doctor. Facial fat grafting is a simple and easy way to give yourself a plumper, more dewy, more youthful face without a getting a facelift. An added benefit is that since the fat comes from your own body, your tissues won t reject it. Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) Drooping upper eyelids are the result of gravity and the breakdown of elastin in the skin from sun exposure. Drooping upper eyelids aren t just a sign of aging- they can also being to obscure vision. Gravity and aging can also lead to the muscles in the lower eyelids becoming lax, which in turn leads to the migration of fat around the eye. The result is bags of fat under the eye, puffiness, and bulging. The sagging skin and fat of the lower eyelids can become so severe that it exposes the pink membrane of the lower eyelid, which can be painful. In upper eyelid surgery, the incision is concealed within the contours of your eye. The surgeon removes excess skin and muscle, re-drapes the skin, and closes the incision. In the lower eyelids, the incision is at the lash line. The surgeon removes excess fat, skin, and muscle tissue, and closes the incision. (continued)
Any sutures are removed after seven days, and you ll be back to your normal activities in about ten days to two weeks. In our Face by Nova packages that include blepharoplasty, both upper and lower eyelids are treated. Neck Lift Our necks are one of the first places to show signs of aging; after all, it s easy to forget to apply sunscreen to the neck, and not everyone applies anti-aging skin care to their neck. Aging in the neck shows up as banding as the muscles become looser due to gravity. We can also develop cording and the skin in the neck sags, or even turkey neck, where excess sagging skin moves when you turn your head. A neck lift involves the removal of excess skin, tightening of loose muscles, and the removal of any excess fat that is gathering in the turkey neck area. After surgery, the neck is smooth, without any cording or banding. Most patients can return to normal activity four to six weeks after a neck lift. Like any surgery, a neck lift comes with risks such as bleeding and infection. Dr. Nukta will discuss the risks in depth at your consultation, and will give you specific post-operative instructions that will lessen any complications that may arise. Mini FaceLift A mini facelift addresses sagging skin in the lower face, such as sagging lower cheeks, jowl formation, sagging skin along the jawline, and deep wrinkles that run from the nose to the corners of the mouth or the corners of the mouth to the chin. A mini facelift is less invasive than a traditional full facelift, and has a shorter recovery time. (continued)
The incision for a mini facelift runs behind the ear, following the natural contours of the face so it won t be visible once it heals. The surgeon will use the incisions to lift sagging skin, tighten the muscles, and remove excess fat (like any that is causing jowls ). The newly tightened skin will be re-draped, and the incisions closed. You can return to your normal routine after about two weeks. Your tissues will continue to settle after that, but your final results will be visible within about four months. There it is: the list of our favorite solutions to the visible signs of aging! My daughter, who is 22, said Mom your skin looks better than mine! - Face by NOVA patient
CHAPTER three Face by Nova Packages
We offer a series of progressively more intense packages for reversing the visible signs of aging. These Face by Nova Packages are customizable so you can treat the exact issues that bother you. Whether you simply want to tighten up your skin a bit and lessen a few wrinkles, or you want a complete makeover, there is a Face by Nova Package to fit your needs. Forever Young BBL Therapy The Weekender BBL Therapy The Refresher Laser Resurfacing One area of Botox treatment The Advanced Blepharoplasty (upper and lower) Laser resurfacing The Complete Necklift Blepharoplasty (upper and lower) Mini Facelift One area of Botox treatment Laser Resurfacing Facial Fat Grafting Facial Fat Grafting One area of Botox treatment Laser resurfacing Facial Fat Grafting One area of Botox treatment
You can see a few examples of happy patients who have experienced a Face by NOVA makeover in the gallery portion of our website: /photo-gallery/face-by-nova-packages OMG! I can t believe the difference. I really did need help!!!! I am so happy with the results! And I m looking forward to the next treatment. To all of you a big thank you! - Advanced Face by NOVA Patient Call our office today at 703.574.2588 to with any questions, or to schedule your free Face by NOVA Package consultation today. Dr. Nukta, our Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, will address all your concerns and help you select the package that will give you the best results.