Dr. Alan Serure performed ‘skinny girl lipo’ on Martica Canizares. [Photo: Daniel Portnoy] |
Miami recovery room nurse Martica Canizares describes herself as a thin woman who eats healthy and stays active. But she just wasn’t satisfied anymore with the way her body looked in her clothes or a bikini.
She didn’t want to change her whole body image — she just wanted to get rid of a little bit of fat from her waist. So she opted for what’s known in cosmetic circles as “skinny girl lipo,” a procedure that costs $2,000 to $5,000.
Men vs. Women
Men make up less than
10% of plastic surgery patients, says Miami plastic surgeon Alan Serure. They come in for droopy eyelids, sagging necks or liposuction on the “love handles” at their waist. With them, it’s all business. After surgery and recovery, the doctor never sees them again.
Women, on the other hand, tend to develop a working relationship with their plastic surgeon, coming back for different procedures and bringing their friends.
Serure attributes that to a double standard in society. People think men look handsome with age lines but that women just look old. |
The liposuction surgery took an hour and a half; Canizares was sedated to relax her muscles. She left with two tiny incisions at her waist where the doctor had inserted a suction tool to eliminate the fat. The surgery was on a Wednesday, and she went back to work the following Monday without ever taking a pain pill. She wore an elastic abdominal binder for about two weeks to hold the skin in place.
“This is something I’d wanted to do for two years,” Canizares, 40, says. “It’s just a little improvement, but it makes a big difference. ... If I’d known it was not a big deal, I would have had it done three years ago.”
Her doctor, Miami plastic surgeon Alan Serure, says people are taking a more proactive role today in fighting the effects of aging. Instead of waiting until they develop full-blown wrinkles and jowls, they’re popping in for mini-facelifts — what the industry is calling “the new new face.”
Serure cautions people about thinking that surgery is as easy as it looks on television — people can’t really get a brand new face in an hour, although recovery times get shorter as technology gets better.
Popular Procedures
» Liposuction — Eliminates the “muffin top” caused by low-waisted pants and a little extra weight at the hips
» Facelifts and mini-facelifts — Give
a more natural, fuller look instead of the tight, pulled appearance of the past. More people in their mid-40s to mid-50s are using Restylane and Botox before deciding to have surgery.
» Breast implants — About 80% of Serure’s patients are going back to silicone gel implants, which were restricted in years past because of health concerns. Saline implants, which replaced them, cost less but don’t look and feel as natural, he says.
» Thermage — An FDA-approved machine that tightens the skin without bruising it and is used by people whose faces aren’t quite ready for a full lift |
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