Silky Skin, Stat!

Which is why those who insist upon fitting "looking good" into a hectic schedule will be delighted with recent plastic surgery innovations that can have you in and out and on your way-looking better than ever-in about a lunch hour.

A Quick Nix on Wrinkles

Recent innovations in technology have created the ThermaCool, a machine that uses radio-frequency energy to encourage the body to create new collagen. The technique allows those who might not yet be ready for a traditional full face-lift to see some improvement in skin that is beginning to sag and lose elasticity.

Dr. Kent Hasen, of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery of Naples, was the first in Southwest Florida to begin using the machine, and has performed the procedure-seen in the pages of Vogue and Allure, and on CNN and Good Morning America-on his own mother.

"Eighty percent [of patients] have good results, with at least moderate tightening of jowling and neck-skin laxity," he says. He also touts the ThermaCool system with lessening some hooding of the eyes and achieving a certain amount of brow lifting.

The machine, a non-laser, non-ablative, non-invasive source of uniform heat, cools the surface of the skin while simultaneously sending deep heat in the form of radio frequency waves into the dermis, or deeper layers of skin. The heat breaks down the body's natural proteins, and over the next few months the body starts rebuilding the protein in the form of collagen fibers, leading to tighter skin.

The procedure can be performed in an hour or less, depending on how much of the face is treated, and is "much cheaper" than traditional face-lifts, notes Hasen. And while there may be some initial swelling and slight rosiness to the skin, most patients can go right back to their normal activities. Results may last two to five years, though the technology is new enough that extended tests have not yet been performed.

A Cuter Kisser

While collagen treatments of old were quick and effective, results lasted only a few months, until the body recognized the bovine-derived substance as foreign and expelled it.

New injectables have not only improved results but can last up to five years. A substance called Radiance, a manmade filler of calcium and hydroxyapitate crystals, has been used in other types of surgeries for over 20 years, but has only recently been approved by the FDA for use in the lips and nasal-labial folds.

"It's a good building block, and it's not treated as a foreign object," says Dr. Elizabeth Fox of Fox Plastic Surgery in Naples. That means the body doesn't have an allergic reaction to it, so it's unlikely to be rejected.

"It's very effective in treating some of the deeper lines and wrinkles, and in adding some lip fullness," says Dr. Ralph Garramone, a Fort Myers-based plastic surgeon.

The result can be even better than with collagen. "It's very smooth and clear-it gives you a very natural feel," says Dr. Patrick Flaharty of the Facial Aesthetic Centre in Fort Myers.

The procedure takes only about 15 minutes in the surgeon's office, and while it may cost more than collagen treatments, the longer-lasting results make it a bargain in the long run.

Other substances are being used in the same areas with differing results: Restylane is a denser, thicker filler that lasts from three to six months, about twice as long as collagen. A material called Artecoll, still pending approval, is touted by its manufacturer as having possibly permanent results.

Smoother Skin

Garramone is one of a growing number of doctors using Intense Pulse Light Therapy-in the form of the EsteLux system-to help patients remove unwanted hair, get rid of age spots and birthmarks, and even reduce the appearance of the ruptured veins of rosacea.

The system uses a series of filters and light at several different wavelengths, as opposed to the single wavelength of traditional laser treatments. The procedure takes anywhere from two to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the area treated, and causes no pain or swelling, according to Garramone. There may be a little redness afterward, but it usually subsides within an hour or two.

"The major improvement over the laser we used to use is that it left big purple blotches for about two weeks-you couldn't even cover it with make-up," Garramone reports.

For hair removal, a few treatments two or three times a year offer the same results of older procedures that have to be repeated more often. With pigmented spots, like age spots and birthmarks, after a couple of weeks, the areas simply flake off and are gone forever.

Best Face Forward

Flaharty is excited about new endoscopic facial rejuvenation treatments that allow surgeons to "lift the upper third of the face through a couple of tiny incisions in the hairline," he says. Underneath the incisions, the doctor frees the tissue from the bone and suspends it in the new position using sutures.

"The results are much better because you're getting a total rejuvenation of the upper face," Flaharty comments.

Because of endoscopic advances, scars are smaller and nearly invisible, and there is very little swelling and bruising. The procedure takes only about an hour, and patients may experience some soreness for a few days-but that's about it. "Post-ops come in looking great a week out," says Flaharty.

The procedure can also be performed on the middle of the face, and is often combined with other procedures, such as blepharoplasty, or surgery on the eyelids. Prices are generally comparable to traditional brow-lifts, but the trade-off of a greatly reduced recovery period and diminished scarring makes it an appealing option.

Flatter Abs

While many busy people still find time to exercise, there are trouble spots that even someone with the workout regimen of Madonna can't touch, like postpregnancy belly flab that won't disappear no matter how many crunches you crank out.

Conventional abdomenoplasties are major surgeries, and come complete with long, uncomfortable recovery times. That's why Dr. Larry Lickstein of the Cleveland Clinic Florida, Naples, touts marriage abdomenoplasty as "ideal" for "the kind of tummy that's very difficult to address with diet, exercise, et cetera."

In this procedure, a mini tummy tuck is married to liposuction to improve muscle laxity and get rid of excess skin and fat. It's less painful, with less risk of complications and a reduced recovery time compared to traditional tummy tucks. And Lickstein can even perform the procedure through a C-section scar to minimize additional scarring.

Although this one takes a little more than a lunch hour, patients go home the same day after a several-hour procedure. There may be some muscle soreness for a few weeks, but nothing like full abdomenoplasties, and patients can be back to their regular activities within seven to 10 days. In addition, the cost is "significantly less," according to Lickstein.