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WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP TO DISCOVERING IF A FACELIFT IS RIGHT FOR ME?

Friday, September 24th, 2021

WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP TO DISCOVERING IF A FACELIFT IS RIGHT FOR ME?

One might think the first step is to call your local facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon or cosmetic surgeon and schedule a consultation appointment. That’s not a bad option, but I recommend doing a little homework first.  By that, I am not suggesting to waste hours and hours online reading about facelift preparation, recovery etc., as much of the information out there is not correct or not cohesive with the instruction you will get with from your future surgeon.  That information is ultimately much better gotten straight from your actual surgeon.

Instead, decide how far you are willing to travel for your surgery. Consider that there will be several appointments involved over the course of this journey. Then research the Board-Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons or Board-Certified Cosmetic Surgeons in that area. Look at their CV (curriculum vitae). What are their qualifications? What are their professional appointments (Example: Dr. Castillo is the Past President of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery…)? What type of experience do they have? How long have they been practicing? Look online at their before and after photos.  Do their before and after photos look natural? Do their photos look the way you envision looking after surgery? Once you feel comfortable with your research, schedule one or more consultations.

CHOOSING YOUR SURGEON

Choose a Board-Certified surgeon whom you feel comfortable with and one who has decades of experience! You want a surgeon who takes the time to listen and time to explain the risks, benefits, alternative treatment options, recovery and result expectations. Evaluate the staff as well.  How did they make you feel?  Were they warm, welcoming, knowledgeable, attentive, helpful? How long as Doctor’s clinical staff worked for him? Is there a lot of staff turn-over? Staff members tend to stick around longer if they are working for a skilled, trustworthy, genuine human being.

MAKING THE DECISION

Electing to have a facelift or any cosmetic procedure is a very personal decision. In the final analysis, remember that choosing to have a facelift impacts one person alone – and that person is you. It  should only be carried out if it is what you truly desire.

After your consultation, you may need time to digest all the information you gathered.  I would encourage you choose a facility that does not apply pressure or a timeline to your decision-making process.  Having a facelift can be an amazing experience.  Choosing the right (or wrong) surgeon, can be a life-changing one.

 

Spread Love & Sunscreen

 

Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

What Is a Facelift and How Can This Popular Procedure Actually Benefit Me?

Friday, September 10th, 2021

WHAT IS A FACELIFT AND WHAT CAN IT DO FOR ME?

Patients often consult with Dr. Castillo at Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Center when they begin to notice unwanted aging changes in the face and neck. Loss of collagen and elastin fibers, resulting in skin laxity, along with the loss of tissue and bone volume in the face are all normal parts of the aging process. When you combine those natural aging changes with gravity, years of cumulative sun damage, and hormonal changes, the result is often the formation of jowls, sagging facial and neck tissue, excess skin, wrinkles or skin folds, drier, thinner skin with pigmented spots and texture changes.

Funny how as a kid, you just can’t wait to “get older.”  You dream of the days when you can drive, go to bed when you want to, get up when you want to, make your own decisions, have total freedom… “BE AN ADULT.”  Well, apparently there is more to getting older than just gaining independence. Decades later, here we are “faced” with the full view of what giving up our youth really means.  Jowls. Sagging. Wrinkles.

So now what? The way I see it, there are 2 good choices:

  1. Truly accept the aging changes that are staring back at you in the mirror and live happily ever after.

OR

  1. Do something about it: Consult a Board-Certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon like Dr. Castillo on the options of a facelift and live confidently and happily ever after.

 

WHAT IS A FACELIFT?

A facelift is a surgical procedure that tightens sagging tissue and skin of the lower face (cheeks, jowls, neck), resulting in a smoother, more youthful appearance.  A facelift is typically preformed under general anesthesia and will take on average 2.5 – 5 hours of surgical time.

During this procedure, excess tissue, skin, and fat are removed and muscle and skin that has been pulled downward by gravity over time is re-positioned to create a more rested, youthful appearance.

 

WHAT CAN A FACELIFT DO FOR ME?

In a nutshell, a facelift will make you look younger than you do today. It helps to repeal the forces of nature: time, stress, environmental factors, sun, gravity, hormonal changes, volume loss, decreased collagen and elastin production.

A facelift can:

  • Remove your jowls and turkey neck
  • Tighten your sagging muscle structure
  • Lift your cheeks
  • Remove any loose, sagging skin, therefore tightening the remaining skin
  • Give you a more defined jawline
  • Deliver a smoother, more youthful, more inviting version of you.

WHAT TYPE OF RESULTS CAN I EXPECT?

Going into surgery with an appropriate set of REALISTIC expectations is the key to being happy with your surgical results.  Your surgeon can help you to understand what can and cannot be accomplished with a facelift. Here is where I would strongly recommend you listen to your surgeon, rather than Dr. Google (who by the way, didn’t actually go to medical school).  The results can vary from individual to individual depending on the severity of aging you present with before surgery, your skin quality, the amount of time you have spent in the sun over the course of your life, your genetics and your anatomy or facial shape and your lifestyle habits.

While surgery cannot stop you from aging in the future, it can certainly turn back time. Most people can expect to look 7-10 years younger after a facelift. For more information on facelifts review more of our blog entries on facelifts and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

 

Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WORRIED ABOUT PAIN? HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POST-SURGICAL PAIN PUMPS

Friday, October 26th, 2018

A common reasons patients put off having the cosmetic surgery they have always dreams of is their concern about post-surgical pain. While pain is a valid concern, it doesn’t have to be. Today, we offer our patients a simple way to manage pain without pills (narcotics).

This technology is called a pain pump. While the majority of the surgeries we perform at Cosmetic Plastic Surgery do not results in much post-surgical pain, utilization of a pain pump can offer a more comfortable recovery period for those procedures that do or for those individuals who have a low pain threshold.

A pain pump is a simple, non-electrical device that delivers local anesthetic (numbing

medication) such as Marcaine, directly to the surgical site after your surgery, allowing you to recover from surgery without the typically discomfort.

The pain pump looks like a small ball or balloon and comes in it’s own strapped carrying case. Dr. Castillo connects the pain pump at the surgical site at the time of surgery. It will deliver medication to the surgical area slowly and continuously through tiny catheters for 3-4 days. As the patient, you do not have to do anything with the pain pump. It is automatically regulated; you just get to reap the rewards of steady relief!

The pain pump offers pain management without the side effects of traditional methods of pain control like oral pain medications. This means you can avoid the potential side effect that oral pain medications often cause such as:

      •mental fogginess             •drowsiness              •nausea             •vomiting             •dizziness            •constipation

For patients who are narcotic sensitive or allergic, this can be a first-rate alternative for pain management. Patients who elect to use pain pumps are typically moving, driving and functioning and return to normal life activities more quickly since the affects are limited to the surgical area, the rest of your body & mind remain unaffected and have normal function.

While it does add about $350.00 to the cost of your surgery, the feedback we receive from our patients is that use of the pain pump provided them with a much smoother and quicker recovery than they had originally anticipated.

 

Yours Truly,

Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

 

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)



800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)    /

 

 

 

Do You Know The Best Season for Your Cosmetic Surgery Procedure?

Wednesday, December 7th, 2016

Are you considering a facelift, tummy tuck, or another plastic surgery procedure? Many of Dr. G.D. Castillo’s patients in both his Champaign cosmetic surgery practices will often ask if there is a better time of the year is to have the particular surgery they are considering. Truthfully, most surgeries can be performed anytime of the year but each season does lend itself to certain advantages. Hopefully this blog post will give you some points to consider when choosing the best time for you and your lifestyle.

FALL:

Fall is known to be a time for change. The leaves change, colors change, temperatures change, daylight hours change, so why not make some changes of your own?

There are many advantages to having surgery during this time of year. The kids are back in school. Busy summer schedules and beach days have come to an end (at least here in the Midwest) and life is starting to get back into a more consistent routine after summer. The holidays are coming up and with a little planning you can have surgery and be healed with no remaining telltale signs all before your first holiday get-together.

lipo jeans to bigThere are also a few long holiday weekends like Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. This is a good time to have body contouring with liposculpture or even neck liposcultpure. Breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, and even mini-facelift procedures are possibilities over long weekends. It is usually cool enough to camouflage yourself with an over-sized shirts, turtlenecks or scarves.

The only real disadvantage to having plastic surgery this time of year is that you are heading into the holiday season. It you have a lot of pre-holiday prep work or demands, it might be more challenging.

 

WINTER:

Winter is typically a very popular time to have surgery and for good reason; it is generally a slower, more laid back time. You can extend time off from work by adding vacation days to the beginning or end of holiday time. For this reason, it’s an ideal time to have surgeries that take more than a long weekend to be presentable, like a facelift, forehead lift, eyelid surgery, fat transplant or rhinoplasty.

It is easier to hide out for a few days without friends and family getting suspicious of your absence. It’s a common time to be stuck at home with “the flu or a cold” for a few days. Since no one wants your flu or a cold, they are likely to stay away. 😉

Winter wardrobes make it easy to conceal post-surgical swelling and bruising of the face or body. Scarves, turtlenecks and cute winter hats make it easy to hide lady covered with scarfthe signs of a recent facelift or forehead lift. Big, comfy sweaters can hide slower movements that are necessary just after breast surgeries, tummy tucks, and body contouring. Since you will need to avoid sun exposure after surgeries like laser resurfacing, winter is also the easiest time to stay out of the sun.

I cannot really think of any disadvantages of having surgery in the winter, though winter sometimes creates procrastination and before you know it, it’s spring and you’re suddenly in a time crunch to meet your cosmetic goals.

 

SPRING:

Spring is probably the most motivating season. It’s a very popular season for 4562 smallscheduling liposuction, tummy tucks, breast surgery and mommy makeovers. Patients are looking ahead to late spring and summer and want to get their body in check before heading to the beach, going to class reunions, weddings, vacations, or just having less clothing to conceal their areas of concern. It is also a great time for those who couldn’t fit a facelift, brow lift, rhinoplasty into their winter schedule because you can still conceal with a big spring hat, scarf and sunglasses for the first few days if you have bruising or swelling to cover.

 

SUMMER:

Summer can be a more challenging time to have certain cosmetic surgery procedures, as it is more difficult to avoid sun exposure to lasered skin or new, exposed incisions. If you are a gardener, a golfer or work outside, summer may not be the best season to have laser surgery. Most surgeries will impinge on your summer activities, at least to some extent.

However, if your daily summer lifestyle doesn’t include spending lots of time summer-cute-hipster-beautyoutside and you are accustomed to protecting your skin from the sun depending on your lifestyle, if you’re someone who already restricts the amount of sun exposure you get, or if you are willing restrict the time you spend outside for awhile, it can be a good option.

If you have kids at home, summer is a good time to send them off to Grandma’s house or summer camp for a fun-filled week while you concentrate on your recovery. By the time they return, they will be none-the-wiser. Since most people are pretty busy during the summer months, it won’t be too suspicious if you disappear from your social scene for a week.

Procedures like breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, eyelid surgery and tummy tuck procedures are good summer surgery choices. If summer is not a good time for surgery but you want a more youthful look for all your summer events, consider BOTOX Cosmetic or dermal filler treatments, or facials and skincare to keep yourself looking fresh until fall.

I think James Taylor said it best when he sang “Winter, spring, summer, or fall…all you’ve got to do is call…”

 

DSC_0475
Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

 

What Causes Wrinkles? Can Dermal Filler Really Help?

Wednesday, July 13th, 2016

Most of us grow up understanding that wrinkles are just part of life – at least until it happens to us. Youth has this way of making us feel energetic and invincible, like we can conquer the world. That’s pretty hard to give up. It seems only natural that looking our best makes us feel our best, and feeling our best encourages us to keep conquering whatever comes our way.

Assuming you are one of the millions, NOT welcoming wrinkles with open arms, then you’re probably looking for a few good options for your aging arsenal.

There are many viable surgical and non-surgical wrinkle smoothing solutions that can have you back to daily life asap.  These include anything from Botox to laser resurfacing or a facelift. Sometimes dermal fillers such as Restylane Lift, Restylane Silk, Juvaderm or Radiesse can be a good solution to combat those are earlier stages of aging.

 

So what causes those pesky wrinkles anyway?

  1. As we get older, we experience a breakdown in collagen and elastin in our skin. We begin to notice appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and textural changes. Of course, this can happen even sooner if you’ve live the life of a sun bunny. UV exposure is the number one culprit for pre-mature aging.4982
  1. As we age, we can loose some subcutaneous fat under the skin. Subcutaneous fat provides the volume needed to maintain a youthful appearance. (Think of dropping a wrinkled raisin into a glass of water, the water plumps the raisin, restoring its volume). This loss of volume creates loose skin, which results in sagging, wrinkles and eventually the desire to seek help from Dr. G.D. Castillo. You may begin to notice nasolabial folds or parentheses from the nose to the mouth, lip lines, marionette lines, sunken in lower lids and disappearing cheek prominence.
  1. As if reasons #1 & #2 weren’t enough of a blow to an aging ego, they are typically followed by the loss of boney structures and underlying tissue support. The loss of boney structure and tissue support creates more sagging and more wrinkling. As this occurs, skin moves downward with the help of gravity like that of a deflated balloon or wilting flower.

 

How can a dermal filler help improve unwanted facial aging?

Today, dermal fillers are not just used to give you a perfectly pouty lip, fillers can actually provide nice improvements to a mild to moderately aging face. They work by filling in lines and wrinkles and by providing much needed volume. Dermal fillers fill in lines around the mouth, or other areas of the face to create a smoother appearance. They plump up sunken in areas such as the lower eyelids, nasolabial folds and can restore or create a beautifully prominent cheek.

When patients first begin to notice

Create balance with dermal fillers. Lasts upto 18 months.

the signs of aging, they are often looking for a subtle change before they work their way up to a more dramatic change like facial surgery as the signs of aging progress. Some patients find dermal fillers to be an attractive choice because they can do it on a Friday and return to work on a Monday with no one being the wiser.

It is important to recognize that most people who are concerned about unwanted signs of aging will only benefit from fillers for a period of time. Fillers cannot take the place of having facial plastic surgery nor can they give you surgical results. They can only put a band aide on aging for a period of time. That being said, band aides are sometimes desirable. They can be a quick fix to mild lines and wrinkles, until the time is right for procedures like a facelift, a neck lift, or CO2 Laser Resurfacing.

 

2012 Castillo Knoblauch Studios 245b

Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

Quality Facial Plastic Surgery Is Popular Now Then Ever Before!

Friday, January 15th, 2016

Orange isn’t the new black this season!  It looks like facial plastic surgery is now the new black, especially the facelift procedure in our Champaign-area office.

In the last few years, facial plastic surgery has gained a tremendous popularity. What’s more, it seems to be a very open topic. Patients, especially women, are no longer hiding the fact that they’ve had plastic surgery. Even among Dr. Castillo’s midwest conservative patients, it seems that “don’t ask, don’t tell” has changed to, “Hey, I just told my girlfriend about my facial plastic surgery experience, and she will be in your office next week for a consultation.” Over the past year, facelifts have become our most popular surgery. We are currently performing more facial plastic surgeries than breast augmentations!

So why has facial plastic surgery, such as facelift, neck lift and rhinoplasty, become the hot ticket? Why is facial plastic surgery more acceptable now than in the past? Why are more patients willing to share the very information about their patient status that we go to great lengths to keep confidential?

Baby Boomers Abound

Well, I’m not a behavioral expert, so I can only speculate. Of course, there is the fact that baby-boomers make up the largest segment of the population, and they fall within the age category for most facelifts. But I think the aging population is only a small part of the equation.

Be Your Best Self

I think that women are more empowered today than they were even 10-15 years ago. They hold high-powered positions in the workplace, they are often the highest earners in their families, and they are regarded as equals more than ever before. I think this power gives many women the voice to openly discuss and pursue the things that will improve their quality of life. They have a taste of what self-improvement can do for their lives, whether it’s using a personal exercise coach, opting for cosmetic dental work, changing their hair color, or getting a face lift. Instead of trying to hide their decisions, they are now speaking out to say, “I love my results, and I’m so happy I did this for myself!” They want to share their personal joy, and they’re willing to let their friends in on the secret so their friends can also reap the rewards of self-improvement.

Media Influence

We also have to consider the power of media. Plastic surgeons are frequently quoted in top magazines, discussing the latest advances in procedures and techniques. Celebrities are more open about their cosmetic procedures. Multiple TV shows focus on cosmetic surgery and take viewers through the process (though some are a little unrealistic for my taste).

Although not your typical plastic surgery case, Caitlyn Jenner brought much attention to cosmetic surgery and the changes it can accomplish. All of these factors make facial plastic surgery more relatable to the average person who just wants to look and feel their best. It shows us that there are numerous surgical and non-surgical options, and we can have some say on how we age and how we take care of our bodies, our health, our skin, and our overall appearance.

Natural-Looking Results

Dr. Castillo’s patients appreciate the natural, well-rested, and youthful look that he has built his reputation on. Patients often tell me that they are so amazed that no one has figured out that they had facial surgery (that’s the sign of really good surgery, by the way). Our patients’ friends just notice how great or well-rested they look and assume they have a new hair cut or mattress. Recently, I have had several patients share that they had no intention of telling anyone about their surgery or skin rejuvenation procedure. But after surgery, they were so thrilled with their results that they were eager to share their story with friends and say, “Yes, I had a facelift, and I’ll be happy to give you the name of my surgeon.”

If you want to see the results you might expect from a facelift, browse through our before-and-after photo gallery. You can also schedule a facelift, neck lift, or rhinoplasty consultation by contacting us online or calling us at (217) 359-7508 (Savoy).

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Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

See Undesirable Elf Ears After A Facelift? Dr. Castillo Provides Expert Advice

Friday, December 11th, 2015

On occasion, a patient will come into my Champaign-Urbana Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Center searching for advice or a second opinion on how to fix their “elf ears” after having a facelift in another facility.

The normal expectation after a facelift is to obtain a more youthful appearance by improving of issues like jowls, neck folds, sagging skin etc but what about surprises like distorted ear lobes often called “elf” ears, “pixie” ears or “witches”ears?  This can occur during a facelift procedure when the ear lobe is pulled down and lacks the right angle between the lower portion of the lobe and the facial / neck area below it.

While some surgeons can produce this type of  unfortunate result / complication which is a tell tail sign that you just had a facelift with an undesirable outcome, I find it easy to correct with a natural looking end result.

The reason “elf ears” can occur after a facelift is because there is too much tension at the junction between the lowest part of the ear and the face – something that an experienced facial plastic surgeon would NOT do.  To correct this issue, I generally remake the lower incision without removing any skin and elevate the lower facial skin to a fixed point in the firm deep tissue (Parotid Facia).  This elevates the earlobe and returns the natural, round shape to the previously stretched earlobe releasing the downward pull of the earlobe.

This simple correction can be performed under local anesthesia and the patient is quickly back to normal daily activity.

Dr. G. D. Castillo

Dr. G. D. Castillo

G. D. Castillo, M.D., FACS
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lifestyle Lift Goes Bankrupt

Friday, June 26th, 2015

Lifestyle Lift Goes Bankrupt 

Many of us are familiar with the heavily advertised “Lifestyle Lift,” a so called “corporate facelift factory” that generated many headaches for many plastic surgeons having to treat or correct problems created by second-rate surgical procedures done in centers affiliated with Lifestyle Lift.

Unfortunately, in my Cosmetic Plastic Surgery practices in Savoy, I have seen numerous Lifestyle Lift patients with poor results who were seeking corrections of their Lifestyle Lift from an experienced Board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon. This past March, the national chain filed for bankruptcy and the million-dollar per week advertising campaign that fueled their operation seized to exist.

The idea that hundreds of complaints have been filed over the course of their operation isn’t surprising.  The idea that you can pick a sophisticated surgical procedure that was described for over a hundred years and evolve it into a cut-rate, under-developed procedure and market it under your own corporate name sounds absurd but it is indeed what happened!  Imagine that you pick up colonoscopy and begin centers marketing “Lifestyle Colonoscopy” as something revolutionary, better, more special and then channel patient’s to your centers. Would we as physicians support that?

As physicians, we would not; because when we find a modification to a surgery that is an advancement for science, what we do is inform, publish and teach this modification or improvement to all the world for the benefit of everyone.  In the case of the “Lifestyle Lift,” it appears it was done for enrichment and financial gain of the corporate leadership, not medical advancement.

The sad part is that there was nothing new or better about the Lifestyle Lift.  It was just a marketing plot that deceptively hurt consumers.  Misinformed consumerism came at large price for many who were dooped by such an unethical marketing presentation.  The poor results generated from the lack of training, technique, patient safety practices, patient screening, and the lack of thorough pre & post-op care that sometimes occurred in these Lifestyle Lift affiliated centers resulted in a flood of complaints, complications and lawsuits against the “corporate facelift factory that can be found listed all over the internet  such as the list of complains at

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/doctors/dr_lifestyle_lift.html

 

They will not be missed!

 

Sincerely,

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery 9/11/12

 

 

 

 

G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY                                                                      https://www.cosmeticplasticsurgery.com

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800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)