It would be great if a single facelift after years of sun exposure, casual or in-attentive skin care and beauty regimens would turn back the clock and halt the aging process. Unfortunately, like my mother always warned me: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Aging is dynamic and continues on.

So many patients neglect themselves, waiting for an artificial number age to have their plastic surgery. Then, they want to be finished with the issue and not have to deal with any maintenance to protect that investment. A little maintenance can preserve or even enhance that result.

I had a browlift over 20 years ago, and because of regular wrinkle relaxer treatments with Botox in the meantime, my browlift has held up extremely well, and looks as good today as it did when I first had it done. Botox injections kept my facial expressions from tugging down on my brow and causing them to sag again.

When aging and sun damage cause sagging from the effects of gravity and the stretch of facial expressions, your face begins to look worn and tired. Maintaining the youthful quality of the skin with regular medical skin care and/or laser resurfacing (or wrinkle relaxer or collagen enhancing treatment…) can let you delay your first Plastic Surgery procedure a bit longer, and also help the fresh look of your facelift last a lot longer.

We all accept that maintenance is a fact of life in the care of our teeth. Dentists say take care of them or lose them. Any woman will agree that hair requires regular conditioning, trimming, styling and even color. It is a rare woman who is as cavalier about her hair as many would like to be about their skin and beauty routines.

It is essential to take care of your skin and face as early as possible, with regular, even small interventions, so that you can stay fresh and youthful looking so much longer. And then when it is time to consider Plastic Surgery procedures, you will need less and your results will be much more long lasting!

Thanks for stopping by!
Dr. H

For more information on aesthetic maintenance treatments or for scheduling, contact me at the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery or call 702. 732. 9600.

Dr. Mary C. Herte is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is Medical Director of the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery.

I just got my reminder notice from West Valley Imaging to schedule my annual mammogram and I thought it would be really good timing (October!) to write about how important mammograms are to breast cancer early detection.

While our practice does not provide primary care or treat breast cancer, we feel it is very important for all of our patients to do all that they can to prevent breast cancer and detect it as early as possible. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime (with a higher likelihood in those women with a positive family history or genetic pre-disposition) and with those odds we want it to be the earliest and most treatable form possible!

Our patients with whom we discuss breast issues are primarily cosmetic surgery patients who have either had a breast lift or reduction or have breast implants. Patients with breast implants, especially, tend to think of their breasts as “all implant” and forget that the implant is covered over with the “real thing”. And it is really, really important to examine that “real breast tissue” regularly to make sure that there is no sign of breast cancer.

When we plan cosmetic breast surgery, we advise all of our patients 35 and over to have a pre-operative mammogram to rule out any surprises and to serve as a baseline. Then we recommend an annual mammogram at 40 and every year thereafter. It is surprising how many women do not have this simple, routine, but so very important, test. Early detection is the most important factor in surviving breast cancer. While self breast exam and finding a lump as early as possible is also important, most lumps found by the patient that turn out to be cancer are already quite large. Your best defense is to find it before you can even feel it! (Just so you know: over 80% of all breast biopsies performed show no evidence of cancer!)

For all of our readers who see this blog, I urge you to schedule your annual mammogram if you are not already “on schedule”. Even if you do not currently have health insurance, mammograms are affordable and available. And if any of my current patients are in need of a prescription and referral for your regular mammogram, please call the office and we will help you get back on schedule! (702-732-9600)

As the P&G ad campaign says: “Do it for ‘the girls’!”

Wishing you the best of health!
Dr. H

For more information on this blog topic or for scheduling, contact me at the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery or call 702. 732. 9600.

Dr. Mary C. Herte is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is Medical Director of the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery.

The recent Las Vegas death of a woman who had buttocks enlargement with an un-named and likely illegal injectable was shocking and hit the news everywhere. She was treated by an unlicensed “doctor” and when things went wrong, she was abandoned to die. Her case underlines the importance of good basic medical training and safety standards, protocols and emergency equipment being available “just in case”.
Aesthetic judgment and experience (gained through full residency plastic surgery training, continued annual continuing education as well as years of surgical experience doing all kinds of cosmetic surgery), while less critical to surviving the surgery (though experience can = better safety) is really essential to getting reliable results.

I recently saw a patient for consultation (not the first and unfortunately not the last) who trusted her doctor who was not a plastic surgeon to do a “simple” and “easy” cosmetic procedure in the office (not a surgery center or operating room) and ended up with much more recovery than “advertised” and when her swelling and bruising resolved a lot more liposuction in some areas than others resulting in the appearing as though large chunks of her thigh had been scooped out, and unsightly scars placed in very visible places.

She is now looking at a lot more expense to repair the damage and she knows she will never be the same! It looked cheap and easy, but the convenience did not make up for the results (lack of results). There is a saying that I always think of when doing surgery: “always time to do it over, never time to do it right!” It takes a lot more skill, time and cost to try to repair a bad result than the investment in a good and experienced surgeon doing it the first time.

Impulsiveness when it comes to your body and your safety and your beauty, while tempting, is never a good thing. Most patients take more time and do more research in choosing a hairdresser than their plastic surgeon. Cosmetic surgery results are a lot more permanent. One of my friends always says: “Don’t be “cheap” if you are going to wear it forever”! Do your research, check training and experience. A weekend course for someone who does not know the context and basics of cosmetic and plastic surgery is just simply not enough.

Here is the link to the USA Today article: Click to view the accompanying video: “September 14: Lack of training can be deadly in cosmetic surgery”

Thanks for stopping by!
Dr. H

For more information on this blog topic or for scheduling, contact us at the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery or call 702. 732. 9600.

Dr. Mary C. Herte is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is Medical Director of the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery.

While no one is saying that looks are the only criteria that companies are considering in hiring practices, a fresh and attractive appearance will give a certain edge in candidate comparisons. Physical attractiveness has always been of particular value in our Las Vegas work environment. In our practice, we are certainly seeing many patients, men and women, week this “beauty premium” with consideration of cosmetic surgery or non-surgical cosmetic procedures during their job hunt.

Some people plastic surgery procedures for improving competitiveness with younger-looking candidates include: Eyelid Lift (for a more alert and refreshed look and Facelift or Necklift (to reduce the appearance of wear ad shave years off your visible age). In addition to cosmetic surgery, effective nonsurgical cosmetic procedures include Botox to reduce frowning (decreasing the appearance of worry or irritation) or fillers to soften lines (to give a softer, more approachable look).

When the goal of your plastic surgery consultation is enhanced competitiveness and a youthful freshness, the goal can be achieved with a focused cosmetic consultation and the selection of plastic surgery procedures specifically designed to address your personal concerns and enhanced your overall look. Natural and fresh is a winning combination for anyone, but especially for today’s job-seekers.

Thanks for stopping by!
Dr. H

For more information on this blog topic or for scheduling, contact me at the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery or call 702. 732. 9600.

Dr. Mary C. Herte is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is Medical Director of the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery.

Sun protection is, however, one of the least understood principles in beauty care and I am always shocked at how casual even highly beauty-aware women are about sun protection. (and most men don’t even want to hear about it!).

First of all, sun exposure causes 90% of all of the skin changes that we label aging. That includes patchy pigmentation, skin looseness, crepey texture and wrinkling! Use of proper sunscreen protection is (as I have said so many times…) the least expensive and most effective anti-aging cream available!

Everyone needs to wear a sunscreen when spending any time at all outdoors during the day (even in the car!). For anyone with beginning or advancing skin changes, consider at least 25-35 SPF daily under your foundation makeup (if you wear it). Some of the new tinted sunscreens can even out your skin tone a bit and you may not need that foundation for casual daily wear. (I love the weightless “serum” texture of SkinCeuticals® Physical Fusion UV Defense 50 SPF in universal tint…and it is “chemical free”-great for sensitive skin like mine). Most foundation has SPF of 7 or 8 (not quite enough protection) but if you think about it…is your makeup still in place all day?

A little known problem with Sunscreens is that they lose their effectiveness after being on your skin for several hours especially if they are exposed to sun and have to “do their job”. Sun breaks down the chemicals so that they are no longer a reliable and effective block. Even if you can still feel the sunscreen on your face (for example) it may no longer be protecting you. Blot and RE-APPLY every couple of hours especially if you are engaging in outdoor activities.

And if you are going to be outdoors: keeping cool in the pool, boating on Lake Mead or just strolling around an outdoor shopping center, consider the extra protection of 50-70 SPF for that little extra edge of security.

Remember one important fact: if you tan or your skin tone darkens, you have gotten enough sun damage to cause your skin to “turn on” its protective darkening mechanism to try to prevent additional damage. Whether outdoors in the sun or indoors in a tanning bed, tanning is evidence that you have damaged your skin! (!!!!)

That’s the 411 on sunscreens in a nutshell…

If you would like to know more facts on keeping your skin safe or what you can do to help your skin back to its original state please feel free to contact out office!

Keep cool and protected!
Dr. H

Dr. Mary C. Herte is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is Medical Director of the Herte Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Las Vegas.