May 19th, 2010 Dr. Pearlman
Beautiful Lips: Bigger is not better, it’s all about shape – the Cupid’s Bow
New York, NY. I have been fortunate to be featured in the media for two of the most expressive features on the face over the past 2 weeks: lips and eyebrows. This week I will discuss what makes lips beautiful and what doesn’t. On May 4th, Hollywood Life revealed Megan Fox’s new lips. Way overdone, as are a number of other celebrities. While some may look good, most unfortunately don’t; such as Melanie Griffith, Elizabeth Hurley, Priscilla Presley and a host of others. When it comes to lips, bigger is not necessarily better. I was quoted about classic beauty when natural lips ruled. Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson and Carol Lombard all demonstrated well formed upper lips with a cupid’s bow, the true power of beauty. Their lower lips were an appropriate 1 ½ to 2 times the size of their upper lips as it still should be for celebs and patients alike.
As we age, a number of things occur to the lips. They deflate; the cupid’s bow of the upper lip flattens and the lip loses the nice bow shape. The border of the lip loses the nice ridge that defines the lips. To properly restore lip shape, only a half cc of hyaluronic acid filler is necessary, either Restylane or Juvederm. I place the filler just like you do your lipstick. First the lip liner: filler is injected along the border of the lips to re-define the rim and restore Cupid ’s bow. Next the lipstick to fill in the lips: the rest of the filler is placed within the substance of the lips to create fullness to create a soft, subtle pillow. For younger patients seeking bigger lips, I go up to 1 cc. This can be done tastefully for small lips and still look beautiful. The “Cupid’s Bow Lip” technique of mine for lip enhancement was featured in Vogue August 2008.
Actual Before and after lips I enhanced using Restylane, this is what lips should look like:
Tip of the week: lips can be enhanced using the “Cupid’s Bow Technique” yet still look natural, unlike too many celebrities out there.
Steven J. Pearlman, MD, FACS
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May 11th, 2010 Dr. Pearlman
It’s wedding season, why not get freshened up.
New York, NY:
The goal of pre-wedding aesthetic enhancement is to achieve the ultimate “look” on the day of the wedding. There are a number of treatments we can offer ranging from minimally invasive to aesthetic surgery. This applies to the bride as well as the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom. As I say to all “mothers” the most important individual at the wedding is the bride. Next is the mother of the bride. Third is the mother of the groom and 4th but not least, is the groom.
For surgical enhancement, I often see brides-to-be right after they get engaged for rhinoplasty consultation. Wedding photos will be a keepsake for the rest of their lives and if they haven’t been happy with the way their noses photograph this is a great time. I typically have half a dozen weddings that I am helping to “prepare” brides’ noses for each summer season. Since the bride is the center of attention. I like to have at least 4 months or more between surgery and the wedding for adequate swelling to go down. It really takes a year to see close to the final “nose” but by 4 months the nose should already look better than pre-op.
The same guideline applies to mothers of the bride (or groom) seeking a facelift for the upcoming wedding. I think we can shorten this to 3 months, minimum. Most patients will look better at a month, but just in case healing is a little slower, I don’t want to take any chances. Other than the “mothers” we can go down to a little over a month healing. For example, recently I had the mother of the bride and her sister, the aunt, come in for facelift consultations 2 months before the wedding. With creative scheduling I could get 1 ½ months of healing before the wedding but no way would I operate on the mother of the bride with this short period. The aunt had her facelift and looked great by the wedding.
For blepharoplasty and browlift, the healing is faster. 1 ½ to 2 months is adequate healing time before a wedding, although healing still improves the result for 6 months.
Many brides are no longer in their 20’s and want the makeup to glide on for their wedding. When it comes to minimally invasive “tune-up,” we have a number of treatments to erase wrinkles and get a stress free appearing bride. Botox smoothes frown lines, crows’ feet and forehead lines. For Botox regulars, I suggest the last treatment 3 to 4 weeks prior to the wedding, just in case they get a rare black-and-blue mark. The same holds for facial fillers to enhance nasolabial folds and cheek enhancement. Expertly performed Botox can smooth wrinkles yet maintain some facial expression, brides do not want to look flat (or like too many Hollywood actresses) for their photos either.
For Botox and filler rookies, I don’t like treating brides less than 4 months before the wedding. This way there is a trial period to make sure they like the results. If so, a booster 2 to 3 weeks before will restore their look. For the rare few who are not happy with the results, Botox will have worn off and a reasonable amount of filler will have dissipated.
The last category is skin care. Everyone should be on a good skin care regimen, with properly selected skin products by a skin care expert, and I don’t mean the counter girl who at a department store who has limited training. For older brides, a series of light office peels can smooth out wrinkles. For any bride, an exfoliating facial with light peel using an alpha hydroxy acid or similar product two weeks before the wedding will leave the best palate for the makeup artist of choice.
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