Dr. Edwin Williams

Treatments for Smile Lines

Smile lines, also known as crow’s feet, are the pesky lines that appear at the sides of your eyes when you smile or squint. It’s impossible to avoid them completely because they are a natural process of aging. As your skin loses fat and elasticity, the loosening skin leads to these creases. There are, however, non-surgical cosmetic solutions that make them go away.

Botox Cosmetic

Botox Cosmetic is a non-surgical solution that takes little time to administer and lasts for up to four months. The injectable works by relaxing the nerves that control the muscles. As the muscle relaxes, the skin smoothes out and reduces the appearance of crow’s feet.

Botox Cosmetic does not require any recovery time, so you don’t have to take time off from work or social activities. It’s a safe, FDA-approved treatment with very few side effects. The biggest concerns are pain at the injection site, bruising, and swelling. Your facial plastic surgeon may apply ice prior to the injections of Botox in order to help alleviate some of the discomfort.

Perlane

Hyaluronic acid fillers are a popular choice because they contain no animal products and occur naturally within the human body. Perlane is a hyaluronic acid filler that is safe and effective at adding volume. It’s useful in correcting crow’s feet and other lines and wrinkles.

With Perlane, the benefits last anywhere from six months to a year. Perlane is naturally absorbed by the body, so period touch-ups are necessary if you want to maintain volume. Most people go in for twice yearly or yearly treatments. If you decide not to go for touch-ups, your skin simply returns to its pre-Perlane appearance.

Restylane

Restylane is another hyaluronic filler that adds volume to the tissue under the skin, but is less concentrated than Perlane. It’s useful in reducing the appearance of crow’s feet, lip lines, marionette lines, nasolabial folds, and worry lines. The injections take little time to complete, about 30 minutes, and have few side effects. Bruising and pain at the injection site are the most common complaints.

Following Restylane injections, you get back to normal routines immediately. Improvements last for six months or longer. Over time, the body naturally absorbs Restylane, so your skin will revert back to how it looked before the treatments.

Save time before your appointment by printing out and completing Williams Center Plastic Surgery Specialists patient forms in advance. Dr. Edwin Williams, board certified in facial plastic surgery and otolaryngology, is conveniently located thanks to offices in both Manhattan and Albany, New York. To schedule a consultation with the New York facial plastic surgeon call (518) 786-7000 in Albany or (212) 799-2100 in Manhattan.

Fat Transfer: Five Need-to-Know Facts

Fat transfers add volume to the face in both men and women. This helps smooth the appearance of wrinkles and fills in hollows that appear with aging. A fat transfer is a long-lasting procedure, but the final results and longevity do rely on your habits. If you’re considering the procedure, here are five things you need to know about fat transfers.

There are Two Areas of Focus for Harvesting the Fat

In order to perform a fat transfer to your face, the fat needs to be harvested from another area of the body. The two key sites are the abdomen and the thighs. During the fat harvesting, local anesthesia is used to help alleviate any discomfort. A cannula is inserted into the donor site and then suction draws the fat out. This fat is then prepared for the fat transfer.

Fat is Injected into the Muscle

With a fat transfer, the facial plastic surgeon injects the prepared fat into your muscle. The entire procedure takes approximately one hour.

Allergic Reactions Are Extremely Rare

Collagen is another kind of injectable treatment, but it is one that requires allergy tests to prevent a reaction after the injection. Because the fat being injected into your face came from your body, it is very rare to have any kind of an allergic reaction with autologous fat injections.

You May Look Swollen for a Few Weeks

Following a fat transfer, the area that received the fat may form bruises and swell up. The swelling can last a few weeks. You should be physically ready to return to work within a day or two after the procedure, but you may find that the swelling makes it harder to want to be around people. For that reason, you may want to time a fat transfer with a vacation.

Your Lifestyle Impacts the Longevity of a Fat Transfer

After a fat transfer, the longevity of the procedure is highly dependent on your lifestyle choices. While fat transfers can help fill in hollows and add volume, it cannot stop the signs of aging completely. Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Plastic Surgery monitored 79 sets of twins to see how smoking affects aging and the results clearly showed that people who smoke age far more quickly than non-smokers. Not only does smoking lead to an earlier appearance of lip wrinkles, but it also led to the earlier development of lower eyelid bags and jowls. Other lifestyle choices that speed up aging are stress and consumption of alcohol.

Before making any decision, it’s in your best interest to check out before and after pictures of fat transfers. Dr. Edwin Williams offers a good selection of fat transfer pictures on his website. After earning his medical degree, Dr. Williams completed residency training in Syracuse, New York. He then entered into an American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship at the University of Illinois. Following that specialized training, he opened Williams Center Plastic Surgery Specialists in New York. To schedule a consultation with the New York facial plastic surgeon, call (518) 786-7000 in Albany or (212) 799-2100 in Manhattan.

How much skin tightening occurs with laser liposuction

How much skin tightening occurs with laser liposuction?

I have lost over 70 pounds and I have a lot of loose sagging skin

I have lost over 70 pounds and I have a lot of loose sagging skin. I have heard a body lift can fix this but are there any less invasive alternatives?

Who is a candidate for breast reduction using the lollipop incision

Who is a candidate for breast reduction using the lollipop incision?

How visible is the scarring after a breast lift

How visible is the scarring after a breast lift?

I have heard that when you are considering breast implants

I have heard that when you are considering breast implants you should go one size larger. Is this good advice and why?

I am 19 from Albany, New York, and I am interested in breast implants

I am 19 from Albany, New York, and I am interested in breast implants. My mother wants me to wait because she thinks my breasts are still changing. What is the best time to get implants?

Regain Gorgeous Skin with Safe, Effective Rosacea Treatments

In excess of 16 million people in the U.S. suffer from rosacea, a common skin condition with no cure. The National Rosacea Society also states that recent polls suggest nearly 8 out of 10 people have no idea what rosacea looks like or what to do if they have it.

Starting with the presentation of rosacea, the actual symptoms depend on the type of rosacea. Symptoms can be as mild as just a permanent blush on the skin, or as great has having thickened skin that leads to excess tissue growing on the nose. Most people do not see the symptoms developing until they reach their 30s.

The Subtypes of Rosacea
There are four subtypes of rosacea. The first, erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, makes your skin look red and sunburned. Blood vessels may or may not appear in conjunction with the redness. Next is papulopustular rosacea. This subtype looks like acne and you develop bumps and pimples on the reddened skin.

Phymatous rosacea (rhinophyma) is the form of rosacea that leads to thickened skin on the nose. Many people recognize this form because the late comedian W.C. Fields had it. The final subtype is ocular rosacea. This subtype causes the eyes to be bloodshot and watery and irritations like styes may appear.

Causes of Rosacea
One of the trickiest things about rosacea is that there is no known cause. There is a belief that your heritage and genetics play a role in the skin condition. Many cases of rosacea appear in people of European descent, especially people with pale skin. The National Rosacea Society surveyed a number of rosacea patients and found that 33 percent had a parent of Irish descent, and 26 percent had a parent of English descent.

There is also a link between Demodex mites and rosacea. A bacteria commonly found on the mites seems to trigger an inflammatory immune response.

Popular Treatments
Many dermatologists prescribe topical or oral medications to patients seeking relief from rosacea. This is the most common line of treatment, but it doesn’t always offer the improvements that patients desire. In addition, some medications have side effects that are not desirable, or patients don’t want to prolong use of medications like antibiotics.

Changing your lifestyle is also advised. Switching to mild facial products, mineral cosmetics, and perfume-free facial creams is ideal. Certain foods and beverages, such as spicy foods and alcohol, are also triggers that people with rosacea need to avoid.

Pulse Dye Laser Treatments
The redness within the skin in rosacea patients is ideal for the Pulse Dye Laser as it targets this redness and destroys the blood vessels that cause the redness. The National Institutes of Health released the results of a study on rosacea and Pulse Dye Laser and found that out of 22 patients, all showed improvement after just three treatments.

The facial plastic surgeon can use the Pulse Dye Laser at a low or high setting. At a higher setting, you may end up with some bruising and discoloration for up to 10 days. Improvements appear within 30 days, and the results last for up to 18 months. We offer packages for the Pulse Dye Laser. Often patients would require more than one treatment to help keep rosacea under control. We also recommend skin care products that are formulated to benefit patients with Rosacea. Some of the more common ones are Retin-A, sunblock (Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46) and other products containing green tea and caffeine.

Resurfacing Techniques
For people with rhinophyma, the use of a CO2 laser for skin resurfacing is used to reduce patches of thick skin. The laser travels over the thick skin, removing the dead layers, and tightening the skin. The skin affected by the CO2 laser falls off, leaving the new skin in its place and collagen production increases. Following this resurfacing technique, it is important to keep the skin moist while the treated area heals. It takes about a week for the skin to heal.

Can you identify the symptoms of rosacea? View the National Rosacea Society’s Faces of Rosacea to see what the skin condition looks like. If you believe you have rosacea, talk to Dr. Edwin Williams of the Williams Center Plastic Surgery Specialists to discuss long-term treatments. The New York facial plastic surgeon is board certified in both facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and otolaryngology. Call 800-742-2797 to schedule a consultation in either the Albany of Manhattan office.

Marilyn Monroe: Her Secret to a Beautiful Chin

Did she or didn’t she? That has been the question circulating around Marilyn Monroe’s possible dabble in plastic surgery, at least until recently when it was announced that her surgical records would be up for auction in November by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills. A set of six X-rays and a series of doctor’s notes reveal that she did indeed undergo cosmetic surgery.

Norman Leaf, a Southern California plastic surgeon who provided the auction house with the documents, states that Monroe had a chin implant placed that was carved out of bovine cartilage in 1950, before silicone chin implants were available. In 1958 she complained of a chin deformity, which indicates the implant may have absorbed. X-rays also show images of her nose, for which she underwent a procedure on the tip, as well as her chest.

Marilyn Monroe is considered one of the great American icons, making it difficult for some to come to terms with the fact that her undeniable beauty may not have been as natural as was previously thought. However, this emergence of Monroe’s medical history is a testimony to the incredible effects cosmetic surgery can have on enhancing a person’s natural appearance. Marilyn Monroe was by no means unattractive prior to her chin implant procedure in 1950, and that there was so much doubt about whether she did have surgery or not only supports the fact that her surgeries were natural looking – even in the mid-1900’s before advanced plastic surgery techniques had been developed.

Chin Augmentation Today

Today’s leading plastic surgeons strive to maintain a person’s natural beauty while offering improvements for truly stunning results. Chin augmentation is more popular today than in Monroe’s time and helps to enhance a person’s facial balance through minimally invasive techniques. Individuals who believe the size of their nose is the problem are often surprised when they learn a chin augmentation could significantly improve the aesthetic appearance and proportion of their face.

There are several implant options available that can add prominence to a receding or small chin. Dr. Williams often uses the Gore-Tex chin implant. Implants are chosen based on the size and shape that best complements the patient’s other facial features.

Men and women who have realistic expectations and are physically healthy may be eligible for chin augmentation. The procedure takes approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete with local or general anesthesia. A small incision will be made just under the chin, through which a pocket is created over the front of the jawbone. Once the implant is inserted and positioned, the incision is closed with sutures.

Dr. Williams specializes in surgical facial rejuvenation procedures and is experienced in chin augmentation. View before and after pictures of some of his chin augmentation patients. If you are interested in consulting with Dr. Williams, call 800-742-2797 to schedule an appointment with him at his Albany or Manhattan office.