Breast Aumentation from cover
"Sometimes an event triggers action — a divorce, a reunion, a wedding, or the birth of the last child.
    "For others, it's simply a desire to do something nice for herself, to look and feel better in clothes, to stop wearing a bra, to have the cleavage she always wanted, to generally look more fit and attractive."
    She says breast implant patients all have one thing in common: "They are always glad they had it done."

Facelift, continued from cover
Choosing Procedures
    Besides desiring a fresher, more youthful look, Marcy hoped for improvement in the shape of her upper lip, which did not produce an attractive smile. She also wanted to correct uneven skin on her chin.
    Dr. Levens advised the best way to achieve her multiple goals would be a customized combination of facelift, eyelid surgery, a lifting and reshaping of the upper lip, and dermabrasion on the chin.
    Recalls Dr. Levens: "We discussed brow lift but decided against it. I felt eyelid surgery would achieve her current goal. Also, Marcy was concerned a brow lift might accentuate her high forehead. If she decides later to have a brow lift I will not make incisions above the hairline, which is the traditional approach. I will make incisions right at the hairline, which will actually shorten the forehead slightly while achieving the lift."
The Surgery
    Incisions for Marcy's facelift were located in front of the ear, under the earlobe and behind the ear in the hairline. Besides tightening the loose skin at the jaw line, Dr. Levens achieved the effect of a necklift by drawing and redraping excess neck skin without making another incision.
    To lift and reduce volume in the upper eyelids, Dr. Levens removed fat and skin. He also tightened the ligaments which support the corners of the lower lids to smooth the under-eye area.
    He chose dermabrasion over laser to smooth the skin on the chin. Both are good tools, he says, but dermabrasion was most appropriate in this case.
    To reshape the upper lip, Dr. Levens made a tiny incision at the base of Marcy's nose, removed skin to draw the lip upwards, and used grafted tissue from the lip to enhance lip volume.
Post-Op
    Marcy recalls there was some discomfort after the surgery but it was definitely manageable.
    "Dr. Levens told me exactly what to expect and he prescribed pain medication. Initially, my husband hadn't loved the idea of cosmetic surgery because he was concerned about me being in pain. But after seeing how smoothly the post-op went, he's as pleased as I am."
The Results
    "Ten days after my facelift, I went to the beauty shop and the pedicurist took one look at me and said, 'Okay, what did you have done?' Even though I wasn't fully recovered, the improvement was obvious. Others in the shop that day also came over and remarked how great my face looked.
    "I've had nothing but positive comments — and people no longer tell me I look tired. I'm very happy with the results and glad I finally decided to have the procedures."
Before/after photos of typical results from a breast augmentation.


Beyond Botox:
One Patient's Perspective

    Wendy Seigel, 47, of Boca Raton, began getting Botox treatments for frown lines about 8 years ago, long before they were approved for cosmetic use by the FDA.
    "I lived in Los Angeles where Botox was very popular, and I continued to get the treatments after moving to Florida," she explains.
    Earlier this year, she opted for a more aggressive step.
    "Botox worked, but I needed to have the injections every 4-6 months which was costly, and I wanted a more permanent solution. I had also developed fullness in the upper eyelids and thought I might need upper lid surgery. My dermatologist referred me to Dr. Levens whom he called young, innovative and totally trustworthy.
    "I told Dr. Levens I wanted to correct the problem areas but definitely wanted a natural look. The approach he selected was ideal for me.
    "He did an endoscopic brow lift which totally eliminated the frown lines as well as the upper eyelid fullness. He injected Botox to eliminate crows feet around my eyes. He also injected collagen in the laugh lines around my mouth, eliminating the lines without creating an artificial look.
    "My mother, who was a model in Beverly Hills and began having cosmetic surgeries when she was 40, visited recently and was amazed at how healthy and natural my face looks.
    "So many people think you have to go New York or L.A. to find a great plastic surgeon but there are some outstanding doctors right here in South Florida and Dr. Levens is definitely one of them."