Just recently, Good Morning America has reported that liposuction and breast lift are just some of the popular pre-wedding day surgeries for brides who want to look ravishing in their most special moment.

However, non-invasive procedures such as Botox injection, soft tissue fillers, and laser skin resurfacing are also popular among brides-to-be.  The advantage of such treatments is that they no longer have to allot some time for their recovery, which is the tradeoff in cosmetic plastic surgery.

Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. Tarick Smaili believes that bridalplasty will continue its popularity for the next coming years.  Nonetheless, he said that the patient asking for such procedure should be doing this for the right reasons.

“Cosmetic surgeries, which are elective procedures, should only be given to physically and emotionally healthy patients who want to improve the way they look.  By contrast, those who want to change their appearance just because someone else told them to do so are bad candidates from the very beginning,” Smaili said.

Smaili said that most brides-to-be who are asking for cosmetic plastic surgery view it as a good way to start their married life.

While there is nothing wrong with such belief, the leading cosmetic surgeon has warned people that plastic surgery is not a “quick fix to everything and every physical flaw.”

“A good example is liposuction, a procedure that can permanently remove the excess fats in your abdomen, hips, or any problem area.  However, it doesn’t automatically mean that you will not gain weight.  Yes, its result is permanent—unless you will manage your weight through regular exercise and of course healthy diet,” Smaili said.

Meanwhile, the plastic surgeon highlighted the importance of allotting enough time to rest during recovery.  It simply means that patients have to undergo a cosmetic surgery well in advance of their wedding day to avoid the stress and other factors that may compromise their healing.

“Just to be on the safe side, a patient should ask her doctor on how long it will take before she can resume her daily activities.  The rule of thumb is quite simple, never rush your recovery as it may increase the risk of complications,” he added.

As people age, they lose a significant amount of fats in their face that leads to a tired, old appearance.  During the previous years, the loss of facial volume was only treated with soft-tissue fillers which are relatively safe, although some patients may develop allergic reaction.

Meanwhile, this is not a concern in using fat transfer since no synthetic material is introduced in the body.  For this reason, many patients are choosing this treatment over alternative fat injections such as Radiesse, Juvederm, Restylane, and Sculptra.

However, fat transfer is not just about collecting fatty tissues and then transferring these to another body part.  To increase the survival rate of the fats, plastic surgeons perform purification method in which they separate and remove the blood, tissues, and other impurities.

By employing the proper purification treatment, doctors can increase the survival rate of the fats to 65 to 85 percent which means the result can be long lasting (or even permanent) and also noticeable.

After removing the impurities, the fats are injected to a new area at a varying level in order to encourage better absorption and achieve a more symmetrical and natural appearance.

The good thing about this procedure is that patients enjoy two benefits: they can remove the excess fats from their abdomen and areas where these accumulate, and they can augment the parts which need to be more prominent such as the buttocks, cheeks, and breasts.

For treating larger areas such as buttocks and breasts, patients should have enough fats especially in their abdomen to achieve a drastic change in size.  With this consideration, thin or petite individuals may not have the same noticeable result compared to those with a good amount of fatty tissues in their body.

In case that fat transfer is not ideal or even impossible to perform, patients may choose biocompatible implants to augment and/or improve their breasts, buttocks, chest, cheeks, calves, and other deflated-looking areas which are supposed to be prominent.

As with any plastic surgery, facelift requires recovery that will largely depend on the number and depth of the incisions used, and a person’s healing ability.  For this reason, individuals suffering from serious health conditions such as diabetes, excretory disorder, heart problem, delayed healing, and high blood pressure are typically considered as a bad candidate for the said procedure.

While facelift provides a satisfying result to the right patients, they should realize that this plastic surgery procedure will not change their fundamental appearance and will not stop the aging process, although it can make them look five to 10 years younger.  In general, the surgical approach provides a more dramatic outcome compared to non-invasive procedures such as botox injection, facial fillers, and laser treatment.

If needed, plastic surgeons recommend non-surgical procedures to complement facelift surgery.  Examples of these treatments include chemical peels to improve the skin texture; botox to relax the muscles and prevent wrinkles due to excessive facial movements; facial fillers or volumizers to plump up the skin and “fill in” the small crevices and hollowed areas of the face; and laser treatments to treat photo damage manifested by sun spots, freckles, and other discolorations.

Because every person has a varying degree of skin sagginess and has different locations of lines and wrinkles, plastic surgeons have developed several “isolated” techniques to remove the effects of aging.  And by specifically targeting the “problem area,” there is almost no risk of having a “windswept appearance” caused by overcorrection.

For patients aged 30 to 50, the most popular “isolated” facelift technique targets the mid face, the first area to manifest the signs of aging.  Through this approach, plastic surgeons can remove the mouth-and-nose lines, correct the downturned lips, eliminate the under-eye bags, and lift the sagging cheeks through shorter incisions made discreetly behind the hairline, along the lower lash line, or inside the mouth.

These are the other examples of “isolated” facelift surgeries: brow or forehead lift, neck lift, lower facelift, and eyelid lift.  These procedures may be combined together to create the most desired result.

However, it is important to note that most minimally invasive facelift techniques, especially if performed as a stand alone procedure, are not ideal for patients 50 years and older who will benefit more with a complete facelift.

There are two ways to perform buttock enhancement surgery: through the use of butt implants made of a solid silicone material, and via fat grafting in which plastic surgeons use a patient’s own fats and transfer these to her buttocks.

For patients who want to significantly increase their butt size, the most recommended approach is buttock implant surgery which is typically performed as an outpatient procedure.  In this surgery, plastic surgeons create incisions in the buttock crease or in the area where the cheek meets the back of the thigh; through these incisions, they can create a pocket where they can place the synthetic materials.  (See picture below.)

To reduce the risk of shifting and rupture caused by a patient’s own weight, plastic surgeons place the implants above the “sitting area.”  With this, only the upper poles of the buttocks can appear fuller and not the lower region.

Meanwhile, the implants can be placed either above or under the muscles, although most doctors in LA plastic surgery prefer placing the biocompatible materials below the muscles so that more tissues and skin can serve as a “natural” padding.  However, patients should expect that this implant placement involves longer recovery and more post-operative pain and discomfort.

Patients can expect swelling, pain, and discomfort during the first few days of their recovery.  But after a week or so, most of them can perform “light” activities and return to their work, although full recovery may take three months or even longer.

While butt implants are safe and effective to a significant number of patients, these synthetic materials still involve potential risks such as adverse immune reaction.  With this concern, some people prefer fat grafting over buttock implant surgery, albeit that this approach does not significantly increase the butt size.

Doctors in LA plastic surgery perform butt augmentation through fat grafting by collecting fats to the abdomen, thigh, back, arm, or area where the fatty deposits tend to accumulate.  After this, the collected fats will undergo a purification method to remove impurities such as tissues and blood.

If the purification method is done properly, the transferred fats can have a survivability rate of more than 50 percent (or even higher) and they can last a lifetime or at least for several decades.

Nowadays, botox injection and facelift surgery are the most commonly performed facial rejuvenation procedures in the US.  But to fully enjoy the benefits of these treatments, certain factors must be considered, including the goals and expectations of patients.

For patients aged 60 years and older, traditional facelift surgery is often the best treatment to remove the deep facial lines, excessive sagging, hollowness especially in the cheek area, and widespread wrinkles.  But more often than not, this procedure involves extensive and deeper incisions which can lead to prolonged recovery and more risk of complications such as nerve damage, scarring, and excessive bleeding.

Because of the risks associated with facelift surgery, a patient should only consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in this field.

But with the advances in plastic surgery, facelift is no longer an exclusive procedure for patients aged 60 years and above as doctors have developed less invasive approach to treat individuals with minimal sagging and wrinkles.  For instance, mid-facelift involves a few shorter excisions often hidden behind the hairline (near the temple) and/or along the nasolabial fold which is the line between the mouth and nose.

However, some patients may still find the mid-facelift surgery too invasive for their minimal sagging.  With this consideration, botox injection is a great alternative in which they will not experience recovery and risk of scarring, nerve damage, and other surgery-related complications.

Botox works by preventing the underlying muscle from contracting, preventing the formation of facial lines.  But still, not all types of wrinkles respond to this treatment, particularly those which are caused by gravity and sun damage.

For the first day or two, it is not uncommon to experience bruising and mild headaches which will resolve on their own.  In general, the treatment is safe for a significant number of patients although allergic reactions and temporary nerve paralysis may still happen.

To minimize the risk of nerve paralysis, a patient should never lie down immediately after the procedure or rub the injected site to prevent botox from migrating beyond the treated areas.

Unlike facelift surgery, botox injection does not involve recovery which means that a patient can immediately resume her normal activities.  However, one downside is that the result only lasts four to six months and should be repeated if one wishes to maintain a youthful appearance.

Vanity? No, most people – celebrities notwithstanding — are not vain.

The desire to be the most beautiful or most handsome? No, most just want to look like a rested, refreshed version of themselves.

Over and over, plastic surgeons hear: “Doctor, people always ask me why I’m so angry; but I’m hardly ever angry!”

Or, “Friends always ask why I’m so sad or if I got enough sleep last night. Actually, I sleep just fine and I’m rarely sad or depressed.”

By now you get our drift:  facial expressions cause many to see cosmetic plastic surgeons.

It’s because some of the natural effects of aging quickly mark our key facial expressions to various negative moods that aren’t really there at all.

For instance, when the deep lines at the sides of the mouth, the marionette lines, start pointing south, many may assume you are sad.

When bags form under your eyes, others think you’re tired. Add drooping upper eyelids to the picture  and people assume you are so worn out you’re likely to drop in your tracks.

That’s not good for job interviews or even keeping the job you’ve got.

Wrinkles on the forehead and between the eyebrows can indicate anger and disgust.

Writing in this month’s Aesthetic Surgery Journal, board-certified Virginia plastic surgeon George Weston, MD, and colleagues, tell how Dr. Weston has preformed about 3,000 surgical lip lifts since 1980.

Writes Dr. Weston: “The mouth ages along with the face, but is frequently ignored when performing facial rejuvenation.”

In the procedure, the right and left edges and middle of the lips are lifted. The surgeons may also excise, or remove, some excess skin at the corners of the lips.

While tons of information is available about lip augmentation via Restylane or other hyaluronic acid fillers, you rarely hear about lip or mouth surgery.

But it may be worthwhile. Hyaluronic acid fillers dissolve and other materials inserted into the lips almost always cause future problems.

The surgery does leave a faint facial scar. However, Dr. Weston writes the mark can barely be discerned from inches away.

Other expression surgery includes upper and lower eyelid lifts, along with the removal of heavy wrinkles and lines on the forehead.

View lip and mouth surgery before and after pictures.

Already, athletes at all levels are looking forward to the release of the new substance to treat the Achilles heel of sport injuries, torn cartilage.

In plastic surgery, experts predict the substance will be used as an all-purpose clay to mold new cartilage outside the body for use in building new ears and noses through injections.

Here’s how it works, according to researchers at MIT and Harvard Universities: physicians extract the patient’s own cartilage-producing cells and mix them into a newly developed and patented gel which is based on hyaluronic acid. Then, they inject the mixture into an injury site or wherever it’s needed for plastic surgery.

Hyaluronic acid is the prime ingredient in Juvederm and Restylane.

So far, the engineered cartilage injectable has been tested on animals.

In one experiment, cells from cartilage structures inside the human nose were mixed with other types of growth cells and then injected into mice.

The researchers then harvested the injected areas at various times from 14 to 38 weeks and studied the samples, using several types of biochemical analysis. Results? 93 percent resembled natural cartilage.

Printed in the January-February 2008 issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, a professional journal for plastic surgeons, the researchers concluded: “Injected, autologous cartilage may be the answer to the long search for the ideal implant in facial plastic surgery.”

“Autologous” means the donor tissue comes from the patient’s own body. Read more about the research for this possible facial injectable.)

Michael Jackson, are you paying attention? Can you hang on just a couple more years until this marvelous substance is widely available?

Back then, there were many movie stars who complained about shaving behind their ears – because so much beard-bearing skin had been moved higher.

And many starlet face lift patients – who found themselves in middle age – had such tight facial skin, they sported a windblown or surprised look. Some had faces so tight they just no longer looked their former selves.

But as more thinking, discussion and research went into the mix, the next wave in surgical facelifts became replacing lost volume. Because, as aging progresses, the face loses collagen and some facial muscles shrink, leading to sagging skin and other marks of advancing age.

The slogan became, “To duplicate the look of youth, restore the fullness of youth.”

Hence, the popularity of facial fillers like Juvederm and Restylane. But, alas, those substances are temporary so the rejuvenated look must be maintained by repeat visits to the plastic surgeon.

Now, rising higher on the radar is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces – for the long term — lost facial volume with your own donated fat. But it’s not just fat injections; the substance doing the work is rich in adult stem cells.

Widely known as Fat Augtograft Muscle Injection, just FAMI or the “stem cell face lift,” the procedure takes some of your own fat and connective tissue, prepares it and then injects a stem-cell rich substance into the main facial muscles.

Stem cells are so named because they are the body’s basic building block; everything else can grow from stem cells.

Results?  Badly wrinkled foreheads, sagging cheeks, hollow places under eyes, thinned lips and drooping jaw lines are rejuvenated.

Some patients, like those with sagging jowls and neck, may need a facelift to remove excess skin. (A basic facelift treats the area of the face from just below the eyes to the jaw and neck.)

The benefit of a FAMI  facial procedure includes:

• No risk of damaging facial nerves, arteries or veins
• No allergies in your own donated fat
• Less recovery time
• Also being available to rejuvenate for bony, aged hands

View a before and after picture of a FAMI procedure.

Only, nobody has fully defined “stress.”

Now, scientists have closely studied at least one form of stress — divorce. And to quote the late George Carlin, “it ain’t good for ya!” Ditto, use of too many anti-depressants and being too fat.

Here’s how the survey was done:

Using pictures of 186 identical female twins, researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio asked an independent panel to study the pictures and affix an age to each.

The study used identical twins because twins are genetically exactly the same; given all other things being equal, twins should age at the same rate.

When the results were tabulated, researchers found that a twin who had been divorced looked two years older than her sibling who may have been married, single or even widowed. They also found that twins who used mood elevators looked older.

For subjects under age 40, overweight twins looked older than their sibling, too. But in twins over 40, the heavier twin looked younger.

The many rigors of divorce (sleeplessness, arguments, constant anger and worry along with financial woe) often lead to:

• Crow’s feet near the eyes
• Bags under the eyes
• Fine “smoker’s” lines around the mouth
• Sagging facial skin

One plastic surgeon researcher reckons that continued relaxation of the facial muscles due to antidepressant use can account for the sagging facial flesh.

The study did not include any male twins. (Read more about the research on divorce.)

So, who are you going to call when you are over 40, divorced and looking older than your true age?

That’s right, a board-certified plastic surgeon! Possible procedures that can turn back the clock a little include:

• Face lift
• Microdermabrasion
• Chemical and laser peel
• Facial fillers

The lead researcher, Bahaman Guyuron, M.D., professor and chairman, department of plastic surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center observed the findings have put some science behind the idea that volume replacement (using Juvederm, Restylane and other hyaluronic acid fillers) rejuvenates the face.

Have you ever been divorced? Did you see extra wrinkles?

If you didn’t already know, Cindy holds the record for most cosmetic surgeries in the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records.

Among other procedures, she’s already had:

• Breast augmentation
• Face lift
• Rhinoplasty
• Liposuction
• Cheek implants

CSI: Cindy, we must ask about Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). As you know, these people seek endless plastic surgery.

Cindy: BDD sufferers are normally obsessed with one particular feature they change constantly. And they shun attention, are suicidal recluses and really believe they are ugly. And that ain’t me, Hoss!

CSI: The 2009 Guinness Book says your record is spending $100,000 on more than 50 minor procedures, including 9 full scale operations since 1988. Is that complete?

Cindy: The total is now 13 major procedures under general anesthetic and hundreds of minor procedures. But, looking back with 20-20 hindsight, I should have not done three of them and two were revisions. So I could have been in the same place with eight! I’ve held the record since 2000.

CSI: And the minor procedures?

Cindy: Hundreds! That includes tooth bleaching, filler injections, vein removal, face peels and microdermabrasion repeated over and over during 20 years. If you’re really curious about how a girl from Ohio came to be me, get Living Doll, my autobiography or Image and Cosmetic Surgery Secrets, available at the Cindy Jackson website.

CSI: How do you make a living in London?

Cindy: I have appeared in films. I’m a musician and model and do some writing and television appearances here.

I also do in-person consultations with people who are looking for cosmetic plastic surgery and surgeons. I also offer face and body microdermabrasion and moisturizer products on my website.

CSI: What is your current top goal?

I’m going for a total Brigitte Bardot look. Some think I’m already there!

To see the changes cosmetic plastic surgery can make, just visit my website where you can see my before and after plastic surgery pictures since 1988.

CSI: Thank you, Cindy.

NEXT: Cindy tells how to find bargain beauty and cosmetic rejuvenations treatments during hard times.