spamedica's posterous

First there was Nosferatu, then the Twilight saga and now......there's a new name in town.....known as the...*lighting strikes, thunder claps*....... “The Vampire Facelift!!!!!”.....

Well.....not exactly....first, you need to know a few things about it. the main one being, it is not a bona fide face lift, this is because it's not a surgical procedure - it cannot sculpt the lower face, neck and jaw-line, as does the standard and face and neck lift.

The catchy title is just a simple play on words. You need to remove any ties you may have mentally with Team Edward or Jacob or.....if you're more inclined to traditional movies, the famous actor, Bela Lugosi - I'm sure in you head, your visualising Dracula horror movies, where the main villain sucks blood from your neck and then with a swoop of his cape, changes into a bat and flies out your window.........well, it's not like that.... 

The Vampire Facelift is getting a lot of media attention simply because of its name, and not because of it's spectacular results.

It did not originate in Transylvania; maybe not even Pennsylvania.  But this is the essence of the process, as I understand it: using the patient’s own blood, a mixture is prepared that is injected under the skin, which ostensibly will do some plumping and filling of the tissue under the skin.  Should the plumping be successful, then presumably, some of the signs of aging would be diminished. The proponents are hoping that such “self-filling” will be more permanent than the current crop of fillers.

I’m familiar with the basic science and technology of this variety of natural filler. The Vampire Facelift uses “platelet-rich plasma” as the filler. Platelets, very small fragments and a normal component of blood, are very valuable in healing. Their main function is to promote blood clotting when clotting is necessary, such as after an injury or surgery. They literally plug the holes in blood injured and leaking blood vessels.  Platelets are also rich in growth factor, and other chemicals and hormones that stimulate the body to generate healing tissue.

All surgeons are familiar with the non-cosmetic uses of platelet-rich plasma. In the universe of all surgical specialties, platelet-rich plasma has had a long and successful run. Reconstructive plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons adopted it from those worlds of other surgical specialties including chest surgery where the plasma is sprayed over the stitch lines to promote rapid healing and reduce leakage from reunited blood vessels

So to conclude. Here at SpaMedica, we're not team Edward, Jacob or even Bella - we're just really good at our job!! For more information on us, you can visit our website here

Many people use the words “plastic surgery” and “cosmetic surgery” interchangeably that they are sometimes thought to be the same. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While it may not seem like a big deal, for people looking to get one of these procedures done, the last thing needed is confusion.

If you are thinking about having plastic or cosmetic surgery done, it helps to know what you’re talking about. By knowing which procedures fall under which categories, you can keep yourself safe from gross mistakes or confusion.

Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is also known as reconstructive surgery. This type of surgery involves fixing a body part or facial feature that is abnormal and reconstructing it to appear normal. Often a person seeks reconstructive surgery due to a malformation that they would like to have corrected. Others need plastic surgery because of health complications due to the abnormal body part of facial feature.

Repairing a cleft lip, broken nose or birth defect falls under the category of plastic surgery. Breast augmentation is usually put under the category of cosmetic surgery, but when it comes to breast cancer, this particular procedure is more accurately placed under the plastic surgery category. Unlike cosmetic surgery, breast augmentation is needed to reconstruct the shape of the breast, nipple or areole after the cancer has been removed, effectively turning an abnormal structure of the body into a normal looking structure.

Rhinoplasty is one of the surgeries than can be labeled either plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery, depending on the reason for the operation.

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery differs from plastic/reconstructive surgery because the purpose of this procedure is to take a normal body structure and improve it to make it look better and improve the person’s self-esteem. Cosmetic surgery is not needed due to a deformity or health issue - the person simply wants to appear more attractive in most cases. Breast implants and breast reductions are seen as a cosmetic surgery procedure because the surgeon is enhancing the already normal body structure. Anti-aging procedures such as facelifts, tummy tucks, and hair replacement treatments are also common cosmetic procedures.

When choosing a plastic surgeon for either reconstructive or cosmetic surgery, make sure he/she is licensed and qualified. Only work with a surgeon who specializes in the particular type of surgery you’re hoping to get. Always ask plenty of questions and check the surgeon’s references. Ask for before and after pictures of past clients. If you aren’t comfortable with the surgeon for any reason or are not happy with the before and after photos, move on to the next person. Never settle for just anyone when it comes to getting reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. Always put your safety first.