Best Friend Handbook: Latest & Greatest in Plastic Surgery

I recently got back from New Orleans as part of my job with the Plastic Surgery Channel. It was the annual meeting of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) where the top plastic surgeons in the country discuss new and better ways to treat their patients. Since I’m a best friend, I am here to share what I learned in terms of the latest & greatest in plastic surgery.

But first, a word… Very few topics are as polarizing among my friends as plastic surgery. It is amazing how pissed off women get at the idea of other women having “work.” To me, it is a personal choice. One that I decided to make. After getting incredibly tired of looking tired no matter how much I slept, I finally decided to have lower eyelid surgery in 2017. I spent a lot of time making my decision (over a year between my initial consultation and pulling the trigger), and I went to someone who I knew would not change the shape of my eyes. I still look like me, crow’s feet and all. Just more like me after 10 hours of sleep.

Plastic surgery is not a panacea, but it can change lives. So, if you are curious about what procedures plastic surgeons are excited about, read on….

Stem Cells = Fountain of Youth

We tend to think of fat as the enemy. But it’s time to flip that thought on its head. Fat, when placed in the right spots via fat grafting, can:

• restore volume to breasts that have deflated with age, pregnancy, menopause
• be a natural alternative to a breast implant
• fill in fine lines & wrinkles on the face
• lift a buttock that has flattened with time
• rejuvenate aging hands by camouflaging bulging veins

But the really exciting thing about fat is that it is one of the richest sources of stem cells. And these babies, with their ability to re-generate any cell in the body, are literally the fountain of youth. The procedure that got me excited is using dispersed fat throughout the breast to heal skin and tissue that has undergone radiation. If stem cells can bring radiated skin back to life, imagine what they can do for the crepey looking skin on your face. Plastic surgeons have just begun to scratch the surface of the healing and anti-aging benefits of the stem cells in fat, but all agree that this is the future.

BodyTite™ & FaceTite™

Non-surgical skin tightening has always been a bit of a unicorn. There are procedures such as lasers and micro needling that can deliver some lift. But none are great for addressing skin that has really begun to droop. Until now. BodyTite™ and FaceTite™ can actually deliver a pretty significant improvement. Neither is the same as surgery. However, this minimally invasive procedure is a nice alternative for patients who want a little skin tightening in the arms, for example. In the past, the only option for this problem area for so many women was an arm lift which leaves a really vicious scar.