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injectable fillers for men

Injectable Fillers for Men

Non-Surgical

The de-facto standard for beauty for men has long been the Clint Eastwood-esque rugged look. Sun-weathered faces and wrinkled age lines combined to make most men look like extras in a 1960’s western movie.

Not so much anymore. As more and more men reach age 30-40, they start to realize that proper diet and exercise are not enough to stave off the effects of aging. They are turning to injectable fillers to help retain (or recapture) their youthful looks. More commonly known as “Brotox”, the injectable filler for men craze is just taking off.

In this day and age, society places a higher than ever value on youth and beauty. Especially in such subcultures as tech, IT and finance. If you’re older than “29” you’re considered a dinosaur in these industries. It’s no surprise why more and more men are opting for injectable fillers to help remain competitive. Not only for women and love, but for their careers as well.

30 going on 50

One of the most noticeable signs of aging is the human face. As men get older, we tend to get wrinkles in places where there were no wrinkles prior.

  • Forehead
  • Sides of eyes (aka “crow’s feet”)
  • Jowl area
  • Chin and cheekbones

They say that the face is one of the first things we notice about someone new we meet, and within a matter of seconds our brains pick up subtle visual cues about that person. Wrinkles on the forehead, slightly greying hair, crow’s feet around the eyes are all signs that you’re not in your prime anymore.

While genetics and healthy living habits contribute greatly to how gracefully we do (or don’t) age, fillers can temporarily help thwart the signs of aging.

Women have been the biggest consumers of injectable filler products. In fact, it’s been reported that only 10% of men have gotten an injectable filler over the past 15 years. This is probably due in part to a cultural and social stigma regarding men who are would seem overly concerned about their looks.

Celebrities/Culture

Over the past 100 or so years, Hollywood has been a driving force in the cultural and fashion traditions of Americans. If you ask most people what they think is “manly”, the start to conjure up images of the rugged cowboy throwing bales of hay into the back of a Dodge RAM pickup truck. Or maybe such celebrities as Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood with their wrinkled foreheads and faces. Someone like Barry Manilow would never be thought of as a “manly” kind of man.

But times are changing. You’d might be surprised to learn that Clint Eastwood has lost the wrinkles on his forehead as have many other male celebrities. It seems as if the societal standard for beauty for men has gone from the rugged Marlboro Man to the guy who uses facial creams to keep his skin looking silky smooth.

A major part of men wanting to stay young looking is so that they can retain upward mobility in their careers. Especially in such industries as IT and tech, a high value is placed on youth because they are considered to be the innovators and the driving forces of change. Long gone are the wrinkled 60-year-old CEO’s and execs.

If you work in an industry that places a heavy value upon youth and looks, perhaps it’s time to start looking into injectable fillers to help remain competitive?

Injectable Fillers F.A.Q.’s

If you’re a guy and you’re considering (or at the very least researching) injectable fillers, there are a few things you should be aware of.

For example, injectable fillers are only temporary. It’s been said that the first application will last anywhere from 3-5 months, and then you’ll need to get them again every 3 months thereafter if you want to keep the wrinkles at bay.

The cost for injectable fillers for men is slightly higher than it is for women. This is because men tend to have more wrinkles on their faces than do women. You’re usually charged by the amount of filler that’s used on your face.

There will be somewhat of a small sting when the doctor injects the needle. The overall pain level has been described as a “small pinch”. Nowhere near enough to make you cry out in pain or wince, but enough to let you know it’s there.

It may take several days to several weeks for the injectable fillers to do their job (by completely ironing out the winkles in your face). You may notice some tightening of the skin depending on where it was injected.

It should also be noted that not all doctors are the same. Injecting fillers into the human face can carry a small risk, but more importantly, if not done properly it can make you look like a circus clown.

“Trout pout”, “Chipmunk cheeks”, and “Pillow Face” are all names given to people who have had poor quality work done to their faces. The best way to prevent this is to avoid doctors and “skin clinics” who offer discount injectables. Sometimes called “Groupon Botox”, these businesses only care about getting people in and out of the office…just like cattle. If they have to resort to offering a coupon to get people to visit them, chances are they’re not very good at what they do.

“Brotox”: Fad or Here to Stay?

Hollywood is no longer the primary driving force that dictates what we should look like. It can be said that the tech industry and the subcultures that spring up around it are influencing more and more people as the years go by. These kinds of subcultures place a heavy value and emphasis on staying and looking young. After all, the companies these subcultures come from were built on innovation created by the youth…not stuffy old men in 3-piece suits sitting in the board room.

Injectable fillers for men is exponentially growing in popularity, now that the stigma of vanity for males is gone. Age lines and wrinkles on a man’s face no longer symbolize manliness – it’s more of a sign that they’re beyond their prime and out of the proverbial game. Injectable fillers can help shave at least 10 years off of your face. If performed by a qualified and competent doctor, only you and your doctor will know that you’ve had work done.

If you’re a man and considering injectable fillers, contact Dr. Adams in Dallas, TX to set up an appointment. Having 10 years proverbially shaved off your face can do wonders for your career, love life and most importantly your self-esteem.

breast implant stops bullets

Can a Breast Implant Stop a Bullet

Chest Questions

Every so often a news story comes to light about how a woman was shot in the chest by a handgun and her life was saved by her breast implants. The stories all have a similar theme: woman gets shot, breast implants prevent bullet from hitting vital organs.

You can chalk this story up to being “mostly untrue”. While breast implants can impede the forward momentum and progress of a bullet, it’s not enough to save your life in most scenarios.

The Experiment

Christopher Pannucci, a plastic surgeon out of Utah performed an experiment. He and his colleagues analyzed bullets that were shot through breast implants into ballistics gel – which is a gelatinous substance that is designed to mimic human tissue.

The handgun they used fired bullets at 300 meters per second into blocks of ballistics gel 2.5 meters away. They then measured how deep the bullet penetrated. Afterwards, they added a few large saline breast implants in front of the gel and shot it again. They found that the implant reduced the average distance the bullet traveled into the gel by about 20%.

Let’s say that the average human chest cavity is 6” deep. This means if you had breast implants and were shot with a handgun, the bullet would only go 5” deep into your chest cavity. That’s still a mortal wound no matter which way you look at it.

Pannucci performed the experiment after he treated a woman who survived a close-range gunshot. The bullet entered her body around the nipple area, went through the implant and exited her armpit. Seeing that the entrance and exit wounds were not in a straight line, he surmised that the implant played some role in at least slowing down the bullet.

There are a few caveats to this story and experiment. The woman who was shot had 390 cubic centimeter (volume) implants. The large implants that were used in the experiment had a volume of 750cc’s. The “20% reduction rate” of bullet travel that the experiment found is most likely due to the large size of the implant that was used. In other words, if your implants are smaller than 750cc’s, there is a good chance the penetration stoppage power of the implant will be less than 20%.

Medical Complications

If you have implants and are currently in the process of applying to be a body guard, you might want to hold off on the job application. Breast implants were not intended to stop projectiles such as bullets and knives. A knife and/or bullet can easily penetrate through an implant.

Simply put: if you have implants and work in a job where getting shot or stabbed is a potential job hazard, you should probably wear a bullet or stab-proof vest while at work. Having your implants get ruptured can lead to serious medical complications as the gel can literally go everywhere inside your chest cavity.

Can Implants Help?

So far, we’ve learned that implants cannot stop a bullet and there could be potentially life or limb threatening emergencies if they are ruptured while inside your body cavity.

But can implants help prevent a bullet from mortally injuring you – even a little bit?

There have been some reports in the media in which a woman’s life was saved by her implants. In 2010 a California woman was shot and wounded when a gunman opened fire in a dental office. A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon was quoted as saying “The bullet fragments were millimeters from her heart and her vital organs. Had she not had the implant, she might not be alive today.”

As with any news story, we need to dig deeper for the facts of the situation. The woman who was shot had size-D breast implants. The story does not say how many cc’s they were, but the fact that the implants were larger than normal seemed to agree with the results of the study performed by Dr. Pannucci.

Conclusion

It’s safe to say that breast implants cannot stop a bullet. If you have implants and get shot or stabbed, there is a very minute chance they could marginally protect you. However, bullets and knives are designed to destroy whatever they come in contact with. This means the implant in your breast will most likely rupture and can spill the contents inside your body cavity, which will result in severe medical complications.

Simply put: If you have implants and find yourself in a life-threatening situation, you shouldn’t stick your chest out like Superman and attempt to stop the bad guy.

If you’re looking to get breast augmentation surgery in Dallas, Texas, give Dr. Adams a call at 214-965-9885 or schedule a consultation online. The office of Dr. Adams is conveniently located 30 minutes from DFW airport and 15 minutes from Love Field Airport.

perfect female body type

​What is the Perfect Female Body Type/Shape?

Plastic Surgery

Throughout the centuries civilizations have had different ideas regarding what constitutes the perfect female body shape. For example, in today’s society large breasts, straight hair down to your shoulders, a big butt and full lips are considered the ideal standards of female beauty.

But if we were to put that same woman in a time machine and send her to the 1920’s, she wouldn’t be considered very attractive. In the 20’s men tended to favor women with a boyish type of body, flat breasts and a short curly hairdo.

It’s interesting to see what people considered to be the ideal standards for the female body type and shape since the dawn of civilized society. Here is a brief history on what was considered beautiful throughout the years.

Some of the beauty standards might lead you to believe that things haven’t changed that much throughout the millennia.

Ancient Egypt – Women who were slender were considered the ideal standard of beauty amongst the ancient Egyptians. Their society placed a heavy value on a high waist and symmetrical face as well. Not unlike today’s society, the Egyptian people have been described as being “extremely vain”. Body hair was considered to be a sign of impurity and uncleanliness amongst women.

Rome – The Romans took their standards of beauty to an all new level never seen before in history. If plastic surgery were a thing in Roman times, the surgeons would probably be wealthier than the emperor himself.

For the average Roman woman to be considered beautiful, she had to have:

  • Small, sharp nose
  • Pretty feet
  • Pale white skin (only the slaves worked under the hot sun in the fields)
  • Wide thighs
  • Small breasts
  • Lack of body hair
  • Large almond-shaped eyes, oval cheeks and chins.

The ideal of beauty for women was small, thin but robust constitution, narrow shoulders, pronounced hips, wide thighs and small breasts. Considering that there was no such thing as rhinoplasty in Roman times, women had to work with what they were given.

Greece – In ancient Greece, women were considered disfigured versions of men. Society placed a higher value on the male physique than the female physique. Women who were plump and full bodied were deemed the most attractive in this historical timeperiod. As with the Egyptians and Romans, fair pale skin was most desirable amongst fashionable women.

Italian Renaissance – This was the golden age for women who were “plump and voluptuous”. The Italian standard of female beauty placed a heavy focus on women who by today’s standards would be considered “overweight”.

It’s interesting to note that Roman women did not use a lot of cosmetics. They placed a heavy value on women whose bodies were completely natural -as given to her by God. The Italian Renaissance would probably be one of the last places a time-travelling plastic surgeon would want to set up shop and offer liposuction services.

Victorian England – As with the Italian Renaissance, Victorian English society placed high value on women who were “desirably plump” and full-figured. However, it wasn’t an all-you-can-eat buffet in terms of beauty standards. A cinched waist was considered to be very sexy and in order for most women to achieve this look, they had to wear an uncomfortable corset most of the time.

Pale white skin was also in fashion and to achieve this look women used a variety of cosmetic products that contained such toxins as lead and arsenic.

Roaring 20’s – Flash forward 90 or so years and the 1920’s version of female beauty is the exact opposite of what it was in Victorian England times. As with the Flappers, women who were flat-chested with a downplayed waist, boyish figure and short bob hairstyle were considered the ideal standard of beauty.

Golden age of Hollywood (30’s-50’s) – Marilyn Monroe gave rise to the popular curvy, hourglass figure of the 1930’s-1950’s. Women wanted large, pointy breasts and used a wide variety of bra contraptions to achieve this look. As with Victorian women, a slim waist was also valued.

1960’s – The ideal standard for attractiveness in women was slenderness. A British model by the name of Twiggy became very popular in America and many women tried to emulate her look. She had a skinny frame and boyish look to her. At this time Americans were gaining weight faster than ever and Twiggy gave birth to the “skinny is better” mantra that most fashion magazines still promote today.

1990’s –The 90’s were unique in that they had two main beauty ideals. Women like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford gave rise to the athetic-but-curvaceous body figures. On the other hand, such models as Kate Moss gave rise to the popularity of “heroin chic” in which it was fashionable to look as skinny as a drug addict. It’s interesting to note that having a big butt or a large thigh gap was considered to be overweight.

2000’s – Present day – Nowadays women are looking to have large breasts and butts. This is due in part to the rise in popularity of various “reality t.v. shows” where the stars have big breasts and posteriors. Women nowadays also want to look “healthy skinny”, not the “heroin chic” that was so popular in the 1990’s.

A thigh gap is also seen as attractive. More so than any other time in history, women nowadays regularly get plastic surgery to achieve the look they desire. When supplemented with regular exercise and a healthy diet, it’s relatively easy to obtain a healthy and athletic look.

Over the history of mankind, the standards for beauty have changed considerably. Considering plastic surgery did not exist until recently, women were stuck with what they were born with. They couldn’t change the size of their breasts or shape of their nose as medical science was in its infancy.

Nowadays, women are fortunate in that plastic surgery is a safe, routine and reliable way of changing and improving their body and looks. At Dr. Adams plastic surgery, we have helped countless women get the look that they desire. Give us a call to schedule an appointment.

blindness injectable fillers

​Can Injectable Fillers Cause Blindness?

Non-Surgical

By now you’ve probably read in the news or heard from a friend that injectable fillers can potentially cause blindness. Several news stories and a few medical journals have told the story of someone going to get fillers injected into their face and within a few hours they go blind. While these stories are well-documented, the chances of them happening are extremely rare.

99.99% of injectable filler procedures go off without a hitch. The patient is happy with the end result and the doctor chalks up yet another successful procedure.

So how and why do problems arise?

As with all plastic surgery procedures there is some risk involved. You could have an adverse allergic reaction, the doctor could not have his/her head in the proverbial game for that day (and wind up making a mistake), or any number of complications could happen.

Blindness happens when the injectable fillers get into blood vessels. The filler material is then transported to the eye nerve where it can cause blindness in 60-90 minutes if not treated immediately.

What to look for in a doctor?

If you visit a qualified, competent doctor, there should be a very minimal risk when you get your injectable fillers done. Problems, complications, and issues tend to arise with the so called “Groupon doctors”. Those doctors who offer a coupon code that takes the normal price of fillers and drops it drastically.

Good doctors with years of experience have no reason to go on Groupon or other coupon code websites and offer cut-rate services. They have built up a reputation over the years as being a competent doctor with an excellent track record. As such, they can command a fair market value for their services. They’re not hurting for business like the “coupon code doctors” are because they have spent years building up a great reputation among their clients.

When it comes to getting work done to your body, and considering as with all plastic surgery there is a very slight risk factor, do you really want to take your chances with the doctor in a clown suit who’s honking an over-sized horn while offering a Groupon discount?

Or would you feel safer with a competent doctor who’s had years of experience and performed tens of thousands of procedures?

What can be done to prevent issues from occurring?

Several medical journals have come up with a list of safety procedures when getting injectables. Here are just a few of the suggested practices for safely getting injectables done:

  • Avoid using sharp needles in high risk areas. Instead use cannulas .
  • Use smaller syringes, .5 to 1cc is recommended so that the plunger will require less pressure.
  • Slowly, gently inject and do so in small portions.
  • Inject to the correct plane and depth. This is why you need to find a doctor who has intimate knowledge of facial anatomy.
  • Do you have a risk mitigation plan? If there is a complication it has been said that there is a 60-90 minute window to reverse the damage before you permanently go blind.
  • Do you have an intimate knowledge of the anatomy of the human face?

There are several other suggested “best practices” laid out in that medical journal that any competent doctor will be aware of (and probably a few more).

You should also look for a doctor who has in-depth knowledge of the anatomy of the human face. Some doctors will even allow their assistants to perform the injections. While the assistant can be a resident doctor in training (and be perfectly safe to give you your injections), there is always a chance they are a non-medically trained employee. This is especially common in cut-rate doctors who offer discounts for fillers.

Some unqualified doctors may use fillers for purposes not intended nor approved by the FDA. While 99.99% of procedures may go off without a hitch, there’s always a chance that something can go wrong if the filler is not being used in the way it was authorized by the FDA.

To stay on the safe side, steer clear of cut-rate medical offices that offer discounted fillers.

Questions to ask your doctor

While the majority of filler procedures go off without a hitch, there is always the risk that a complication can happen. Here are a few questions you can ask your doctor so you can rest assured that you’re in good hands:

  • Do you have a risk mitigation plan? If there is a complication it has been said that there is a 60-90 minute window to reverse the damage before you permanently go blind.
  • Do you use blunt tip cannulas?
  • How will you inject the fillers into my face? (it should be slow, deliberate and in small portions)
  • Do you have an intimate knowledge of the anatomy of the human face?

All qualified doctors will be able to answer those questions with the greatest of ease. Generally speaking, answers might differ slightly from doctor to doctor, but overall they should have a mitigation plan in place, they should be aware of the risks involved and will be able to clearly explain to you those risks and how the practices they use mitigate the chances of any complications.

Follow Up Questions

If you still have questions about injectable fillers or the safety of them, give us a call at (214) 965-9885 or email us for more info. Dr. Adams is a board qualified surgeon with years of experience. Dr. Adams also offers a virtual consultation for patients who reside out of town, and would like an opinion prior to traveling to Texas.

The Park Cities Surgery Center where Dr. Adams works is conveniently located within 15 minutes of Love Field Airport and 30 minutes from Dallas Fort-Worth airport.

breast implants how big too big

​Large Breast Implants: When Are They Too Big?

Chest Questions

When most women get breast implants, they tend to go up a size or two. Generally speaking, they want their breasts to be noticeable, but not noticeable to the point where every man’s jaw drops to the ground like some sort of cartoon character.

There are a select group of women who (for multiple reasons) want to have massive breast implants. Instead of going up one or two sizes, they ask their doctor to give them breasts that are unnaturally and freakishly large. There are many reasons why some women opt for extra-large breast implants:

  • Psychological reasons
  • Career (eg: actress, Hollywood)
  • Model
  • Already had implant surgery and are very comfortable with the large breasts and want to go even bigger

Most doctors agree that having extra-large breast implants is the wrong thing to do. One of the biggest concerns amongst surgeons is “what will they look like in 10 years from now?”. As women age, things naturally tend to sag and the end result is a complete and total mess that’s going to require extra surgery to fix as time goes by.

Negative Health Risks

Extra-large breasts can also negatively impact your health. Here are just some of the health risks extra-large implants can cause:

  • Back and neck pain due to the added weight of the implants
  • Your bra strap could cut “grooves” into your shoulders as most standard bras are not built to support the extra weight of large implants
  • Difficulty walking or jogging
  • As implants get larger, the more the tissue has to stretch in order to accommodate. This might allow wrinkles/ripples to be seen or felt.
  • Implants are not designed to last for more than 10-15 years. This means another surgery (to remove/replace) at some point in time. “How long” depends entirely upon your body and how it reacts to the implants over time.

Breast Implants – How Big is Too Big?

This question depends entirely upon your body. An implant over a certain size may look freakishly large on a woman who is 5’2” tall and 98 lbs., yet it may look really small for a woman who is 6’2” and 190 lbs. A general rule of thumb is that you should choose an implant size that is proportionate to your body.

This rule tends to lead to some confusion as what may be proportionate to one person, is not proportionate to another. It is generally thought that anything over 700cc’s is considered “extra-large” when it comes to breast implants.

Another thing you need to take into consideration is the amount of extra attention your extra-large breast implants will get you. If you’re the type of woman who hasn’t gotten much attention from many men in her life, the temptation to get extra-large implants can be very strong. While this may seem like the right thing to do….it gets old after a while. In fact, it could get downright annoying when you come to realize they’re only talking to you because of the size of your breasts.

Botched – The Biggest Breasts in Europe

“Botched” is a reality t.v. show that features Dr. Paul Nassif and Dr. Terry Dubrow (of “Real Housewives of Orange County” fame). In this E! television series, the doctors try to reverse the damages that patients have suffered from prior plastic surgery procedures. The recovery process is generally protracted and painful, and at the end of the program it shows the successfully completed transformation.

Botched recently featured a German citizen named Martina Big. She claims to have the largest breasts in Europe. She has 3,700cc’s in each breast, which translates to a 32 S bra size. Her extra-large breast implants are so big that they require “tissue expanders”. The problem with this is that they are only supposed to be inside the human body for a short period of time. She’s gambling with her health in order to achieve a certain look.

5 Warnings From Plastic Surgeons

There are 5 general warnings that most plastic surgeons give when it comes to oversized breast implants. These 5 warnings all stem from various complications that can occur when going above and beyond a normal implant size that is proportionate to your body

1. Back & Neck Pain – 454 cc’s of implants equates to about 1 lb. of weight. Two 700cc implants is roughly 3 lbs. of extra weight on your back and neck. Take a backpack and go find a 3 lb. barbell weight or something similar. Put the backpack on backwards, so that the actual backpack part is in the front of your body. Now go for a walk around the block, or try to walk up the stairs. 3 lbs. may not seem like much, but it feels like a ton when your neck and back have to carry the weight.

2. Firmer Breasts – One of the more common complaints from women who have had extra large implant surgery is that their breasts no longer feel natural. They have an extremely firm feel to them. Go to your local toy store and buy two volleyballs. Take them home and put them under a baggy shirt. That’s pretty much what they’re going to look and feel like.

3. Numbness in Nipples – Due to how the large implants protrude, there is a good chance that there will be a lot of pressure put on the nerves of the nipple, and the nipples themselves will become completely numb, thereby losing sensation.

4. Droopiness & Thinning Skin – Human skin is not meant to be stretched for a long period of time. When it does (especially in cases of extra large implants), the skin can become translucent and veins in your breasts can be readily and easily seen. Not to mention the implants themselves can sometimes be seen as well.

As you get older there is a good chance your breasts will droop. This means another trip to the plastic surgeon to get a breast lift. In some instances, if there is too much droop-age, the doctors might find it challenging if not impossible to reverse it.

5. Irreversible Stretch Marks – While the human skin is somewhat elastic, it’s not meant to be stretched very quickly over a short period of time. If it does (in cases of large implants), then stretch marks that are irreversible can occur. This is why doctors recommend you “stage” your implants by going to one size, then allowing your body time to readjust, then in a few weeks to a few months going up to another size.

If you’re thinking about getting extra-large breast implants, please do yourself a favor and think long and hard about the stress you are going to be putting on your body. If you have questions or concerns regarding breast implants or the size of your breast implants, feel free to contact us to setup a consultation to discuss your thoughts on your breast size. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the procedure and quality of life after breast augmentation surgery.