Ask Santa Barbara Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Perkins – Eyelid Lift Surgery

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Dr. Terry Perkins, a Santa Barbara cosmetic surgeon, answers your questions and addresses your concerns about body shaping through liposuction, facial rejuvenation including face lifts and non-surgical procedures such as wrinkle reduction through BOTOX Cosmetic or Dysport. Email your cosmetic surgery questions to Dr. Perkins and look for his reply soon!

Q. Hi Dr. Perkins. I am a 65 year old woman who has never had plastic surgery. I am very interested in an eye lift to make my face look more “refreshed” and would like to know more about the procedure and the anesthesia part of it.

 

A. Eyelid surgery – medically known as blepharoplasty – can significantly rejuvenate your appearance. Sagging skin above the eye or fat bulges (“bags”) under the eye can make one look tired or unhappy. To treat the fat bulges beneath the eye we usually make incisions in one of two locations: inside the eyelid or just below the lashes so the incision hides in the normal creases. Fat is removed and heavy muscle can be “thinned”. The fat can be transplanted into “hollows” or to the lid to be tightened.
For the upper eye, there are several options – and the first thing we do is determine if it is the brow or the eye that is sagging. Examining your brow in relation to your brow bone can help to determine if you will need an eye lift or brow lift. Upper eyelid lifts may involve removal of excess skin, muscle or fat bulges near the nose. However one must consider whether the problem is confined to the eyelid or if the forehead tissue is sagging and causing the false appearance of excess upper lid skin. By raising the brow to its normal position, one can see if the issue is primarily the upper eyelid, forehead relaxation or both.

 

Moving on to address your question about anesthesia – we can often do the surgeries discussed above using local sedation, which is a combination of local anesthesia and oral sedation. In my thirty years of practice, I have found using local sedation instead of general anesthesia makes a much easier recovery for the patient immediately after surgery and in the days following they tend to use less post-operative medication.

The down time for eyelid surgery is usually about one week.

I treat each patient on an individualized basis and will be able to know what option is best for you after discussing your concerns and an examination. Please call my office if you’d like to schedule an appointment.
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Visit Cosmetic Surgery Center’s website to view Santa Barbara eyelid surgery “before” and “after” pictures. If you’d like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, please call Cosmetic Surgery Center at 805.563.0000 or 805.988.1000. Dr. Perkins is a cosmetic surgeon in Santa Barbara and has been serving the tri-counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo for over thirty years.

Learn All About Dysport – an Alternative to Botox – This Wednesday at Evolutions Medical Spa

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Dr. Perkins, owner of Evolutions Medical Spa in Santa Barbara, is hosting an evening of education this Wednesday, July 15th.

Dysport is a highly effective wrinkle treatment and an alternative to Botox, is now FDA approved and available at Cosmetic Surgery Center and Evolutions!

Dysport Education at Evolutions Medical Spa Event
Wednesday July 15th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Please call to RSVP 687.0212.
Evolutions Medical Spa is located at 1309 State Street in Santa Barbara

At the Dysport education event, you will:
  • Learn all about the first true competitor to Botox

  • Discover the similarities between Dysport and Botox

  • See a live demonstration performed by Dr. Perkins

  • Enter for a chance to win a free Dysport treatment
  • Enjoy a pre-purchase special exclusively for attendees
Event includes refreshments, raffles and a great Special!

Santa Barbara Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Terry J. Perkins voted Best Cosmetic Surgeon

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Dr. Terry J. Perkins, who was raised in Santa Barbara, is honored to have this title bestowed on him by his hometown clients.

Dr. Terry J. Perkins, Santa Barbara-based cosmetic surgeon, who has been serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties for over thirty years, has been voted Best Cosmetic Surgeon in the Santa Barbara News Press Readers Choice Awards 2009.

“To be recognized as the Best Cosmetic Surgeon by my patients, friends, and peers is a great honor, especially in Santa Barbara, where many other talented plastic and cosmetic surgeons practice,” commented Dr. Perkins from his Cosmetic Surgery practice in Santa Barbara.

Dr. Perkins began practicing in 1978 and opened the Cosmetic Surgery Center Medical Group in 1983 specifically to give his patients access to the safest and most advanced technology and surgical techniques available anywhere. At the Cosmetic Surgery Center he specializes in facial cosmetic surgery, skin rejuvenation, and body contouring. What makes Dr. Perkins standout is that he is at the forefront of aesthetic technology – he was one of 16 doctors in the United States selected to conduct a study leading to the FDA approval of Botox – and he continues to research and acquire new, safe and effective devices and treatments to benefit his patients. In 2005 he founded Evolutions Medical Spa in Santa Barbara where clients can receive medically supervised non-invasive treatments that are safely administered in a pampered atmosphere.

Along with being an excellent technical doctor, Dr. Perkins always makes it a point to put his patients first. After sharing his comments about the award, Dr. Perkins demonstrated this by saying “I would like to thank all of my patients over the past three decades who have supported me, for without them I wouldn’t be able to make a living doing something that I truly love.” Clearly Santa Barbara residents have made a great choice for “Best Cosmetic Surgeon.”

Santa Barbara Cosmetic Surgery Center Introduces Dysport – an Alternative to Botox – Available Now!

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Dr. Perkins is excited to introdue Dysport – a real alternative to Botox®! Dysport is another effective treatment to smoothing lines between your brows and reducting wrinkles in your forehead and around the eyes. Dysport is a better value per unit than Botox – it works faster and is a smaller molecule so 20 units of Botox equals 50 units of Dysport.

Here are some other similarities and differences between Dysport and Botox®:

    • Both Dysport and Botox are forms of Botulinum Toxin Type A.

 

    • Both products have been used in Europe for almost 20 years to treat certain types of muscle disorders.

 

    • Botox received FDA approval for cosmetic use in the U.S. in 2002. Dysport recently received FDA approval.

 

    • Both products are safe and effective in the treatment of wrinkles on the face (“frown lines”).

 

  • Dysport works faster (1-3 days vs. 4-7 days for Botox) and has FDA approval for a four month duraction (vs. 3-4 months for Botox).

>> Call Cosmetic Surgery Center (805.563.0000) today for your Dysport treatment! <<

Ask Dr. Perkins – Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures Reviewed: Botox & Fillers

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Q. Hi Dr. Perkins! I have a wedding that I am going to be in next month and I want to know if there are any options that provide fast results for me to look “refreshed” and more youthful? And if so, how permanent are they?

 

A. There are! While next month is too soon for any surgical options, we offer alternatives such as Botox and fillers for your lines and wrinkles. Often people think Botox and fillers (such as Restylane) are interchangeable and I want to clarify that they are different.

 

Botox treats the muscle and the effect that the muscle has on the skin. It is usually used on moderate to severe frown lines and works by reducing the contractions of the muscles that cause persistent frown lines. It is injectable by a physician and you results can be seen within a few days after treatment. Botox lasts up to four months and if use is discontinued the frown lines will gradually look as they appeared before.

 

A filler, Restylane – one that we use – is an injectable gel used to restore your skin’s volume, revitalizing your appearance and creating softness. The most common areas treated with a filler are the nasolabial folds (from the nose to the angle of the mouth), lips for enhancement, cheeks and chins, back of the hands, décolletage, and between the eyebrows (the glabellar lines). Depending on skin type, lifestyle and age, the filler may last up to six months.

 

It is recommended that a medically qualified practitioner inject these.

 

Schedule a consultation appointment to discuss all your options. Perhaps Botox or Restylane is what we can do for you in the short term and in the long term we offer more permanent solutions such as facial cosmetic surgery. Contact us for more information!