Traditional liposuction techniques focused on de-bulking fat and attempted to show some of the contours of the muscles beneath the fat. The newest “high-definition liposuction” is focused on removing nearly all the fat and showing the muscles in great detail. This produces beautiful effects because the actual beauty of the form of the human body is the musculature rather than the fat on top.

These methods are possible because we now can define the anatomy and make deeper and thinner liposuction results in the areas where the divisions between the muscles are. In particular, the midline division between the bellybutton and the rib cage can be deepened, and this is very attractive when the rest of the fat is sculpted away. There are a lot of people who are out of shape and have a lot of musculature underneath their fat who can now be carefully defined and improved in a way that’s remarkable pleasing. The men can get six-packs if they have musculature to begin with,and women can get a defined body that was never previously possible.

In addition to the “high-definition” work, after the liposuction fat transplant is now being performed in a much more aggressive fashion on the buttocks. Our current fat transplant technique now includes the sides of the buttocks in addition to the back. This produces beautiful figure eight bodies that our patients are very proud of.

This sort of liposuction is very technique-related and results are largely dependent on the experiences of the surgeon. With over 10,000 successful liposuction cases, we have the experiences and expertise to produce high-definition cases very accurately. Please come in for a consultation to see if you're a candidate. Our consultations are free.

Cosmetic Surgery for African-Americans

Here in Los Angeles, we have a wide diversity of ethnic groups who come to see us for cosmetic surgery. At least a third of our patients have darker skin types. Why does your ethnicity and skin type matter when choosing a cosmetic surgeon? The formation of scar tissue and other characteristics of healing mean that it is extremely important for a cosmetic surgeon to have experience with surgery on many different skin tones.

We’ve also learned to recognize different body types. Every individual body is different, and Dr. Yoho always considers each individual’s body when consulting with his patients. But he is also sensitive to the fact that ethnicity does play a role. There are cultural differences that mean that patients have different standards of beauty, which a surgeon must understand. There are also body-type characteristics that tend to be predominant in different ethnic backgrounds.

African-American body types (or black body types) generally have a very narrow waist and are wider-hipped, having very full buttocks areas. We gauge our surgery to accentuate or improve these features. Other darker skin types, such as Native American skin types in the Unites States typically have thicker waists. Patients with these ethnic body types often ask that we try to improve their “figure 8” or curves with buttock fat transplants (of course this is also requested by some patients with darker skin who feel that they would like to reduce a larger body size).

The many skin types result in a big spectrum of response to incisions. The very lightest skin types do probably the best with scarring. Because they are so light the light-colored types of scars don’t show much compared to the light surrounding skin. On the other hand, the darkest skin types don’t experience the cosmetic concern of the visible darkening effect that some other healing scars have, because the surrounding skin is also dark. These skin types can often show keloid issues, which is a tendency of scar tissue to thicken and lift above the surrounding skin. We commonly inject these scars after surgery and we follow these patients for months, to be sure that they don’t have raised scars. Some of the mixed skin types, with tan-colored skin or a little darker, can develop darkened scars which can be treated with varieties of fade cream, and also sometimes they need injections if their scars are elevated.

Judy Yoho has written a special section of Dr. Yoho’s book A New Body in One Day that further discusses some of the concerns of African Americans and cosmetic surgery. So please consider us if you have an African-American background or if you have another darker skin type, because our experience is tremendous. We’ve performed over 20,000 cases on all varieties of ethnicity. Although there is no way to guarantee a certain kind of recovery, we can usually predict with great accuracy how you are going to improve.

An Unforeseen "Complication" of Breast Implant Surgery

One of our patients is having a baby!

We were delighted when patient recently sent us this picture to let us know about a “side effect” of her breast augmentation surgery. Pregnancy! As you can see, her recovery from breast implant surgery has gone remarkably well. We always do our best to avoid complications after surgery, but in this case it was a happy surprise. We are thrilled to see her enjoying her new life.

Breast augmentation surgery is still one of the most-requested cosmetic surgeries, along with liposuction. Of course everyone has their own unique reasons for requesting cosmetic surgery, but there are some nearly universal reasons as well. Patients often feel that larger breasts will give them better proportions, improving their self-confidence on a daily basis. The psychological boost that comes from changing your figure should not be underestimated. Many patients want to feel more sexy, whether they are single or in long-term relationships, and if you look in the mirror and feel dissatisfied with the way your clothes fit, or with the way you look naked, then you might decide surgery is the right option for you.

Breast augmentation can help women feel more womanly. Many patients who feel that their breasts are too small have always wished for more curves. Women whose breasts have begun to sag, which can occur as an effect of age or pregnancy and breast-feeding, feel a loss of their confidence. Breast augmentation helps to make that difference in knowing that they look and feel good.

Sometimes even Dr. Yoho cannot predict the effects of his surgeries. This patient certainly seems to relish her new role! Of course, we can't take all of the credit for life's happy surprises post-surgery. But it makes us feel terrific to see our patients enjoying life with a new look. Sometimes even unexpected "complications" can be a positive side effect.

Get Discounts on Restylane Injections with a Gilt City Deal

Dr. Yoho has a full medical aesthetic spa in his Pasadena location, and invites you to get a voucher toward facial fillers with a deal from Gilt City. $49 will buy you a voucher worth $100 toward a 1 mL treatment with Restylane or a family product. Limit 3. Or for $149, you will receive a $300 voucher toward a 2mL treatment.

Restylane and related fillers use hyaluronic acid. This filler mimics a chemical in the body, and has become a popular filler because of its soft, smooth, natural results. It can be used to plump up facial wrinkles and folds. These folds can become moderate to severe with age, and filling them helps to restore a smoother, more youthful appearance. Injectable fillers are often used in the problem areas around the mouth and are occasionally used to plump the lips, cheeks, or even the brow as well. Popular treatments include the laugh lines or nasolabial folds—those “parenthesis” lines that curve around the corners of the mouth. “Marionette” lines can develop that run from the corners of the mouth down to the chin, and these also respond very well to Restylane injections.

Skillful medical aestheticians can do wonders with hyaluronic acid fillers. They can greatly smooth the facial lines without causing an unnatural frozen look, and can last about a year or even longer. It is important to find a skilled technician. Dr. Yoho’s specialists will consult with you to determine the best treatment options. Restylane has very little downtime, and low occurrences of complications such as lumps or bruising. The vouchers must be used by September 30, 2012, so call our office today, and purchase your voucher. See the limitations and terms on the Gilt City offer before purchasing.

A Few Approaches and Considerations for Breast Implantation

Each breast implant procedure has drawbacks and advantages for different patients depending on the breast size desired, the patient's breast anatomy and the patient's chest size. One of the most important variables in this question is the patient’s breast volume. If the patient has a great deal of breast tissue, going over the muscle sometimes is the easiest and most comfortable way, and has the shortest recovery time. In most cases we do this through the armpit, using an incision of about half an inch in the highest area of the armpit. But when going through the belly button or navel, breast enlargement is usually performed underneath the muscle. Women with breasts that are not too saggy or are relatively small are the best candidates for this. Another general consideration is, if you have had children, your breasts will likely stretch out better to accommodate the implant.

Absolutely no scars in the breast area result from the belly button technique. The passageway is made from the belly button to underneath the breast muscle with a special instrument. Then, the pocket that the implant is going to rest in, is prepared and shaped with other instruments. A special “sizer” implant is placed and filled with air. Once the “sizer” implant is inflated, the pocket is further checked and shaped. The permanent implant is then rolled up like a little taquito, threaded through the small passageway and inflated with salt water. The patient is then checked while sitting upright. If everything looks good (e.g., the implants are centered under the nipples, and the space where the implant is appears to be just the right size), the tubes used to fill the implants are removed and the little valves on the implant automatically close. The belly button area is stitched up, and the patient experiences some drainage for about 24 to 48 hours.

What About Getting Botox at the Shopping Mall?

The quality of your Botox results depends on three things:

1. The number of units of Botox that you receive.

2. Exactly where those units are placed.

3. The concentration of the solution used.

The Botox injection community has shifted toward using both

· more units per volume of salt water injected into the face for fewer complications

· more units total for effectiveness and probably longevity

There are many, many subtleties to the placement of Botox. The most important thing for most women is for the medicine to relax the muscles that depress or bring down the eyebrows, which are the muscles between the eyebrows and the muscles out to the side of the eyebrows. In the hands of the best Botox administrators, very little Botox is placed in the forehead because this tends to drop the eyebrows. When proper Botox placement is achieved there is a beautiful eyebrow arch, and when the proper amount of Botox is used it will last longer.

I think any good registered nurse can be trained to administer Botox, and I have no doubt that there are a few Botox administrators who are operating in malls and at parties and other informal settings who do a great job. However, your chances of getting consistently excellent results are better if you stick with an established surgeon and understand that what he is doing did take training, practice and experience and is not easily duplicated without a similar background. It is not the M.D. after the name that counts, but rather the technique when using Botox.

All About Hand Rejuvenation

Did you know that if your hands look old, appear to have too many veins, or are discolored, we can make them look a lot better? There are, in fact, a number of ways we can improve the look of your hands. First, we can add volume to the hand. We prefer to do this by using your own fat, which requires taking fat from another part of your body where you would rather not have any fat. We then inject the hands with small amounts of this fat and massage it around the backs of the hands. Typically, the hand is also treated with a fractionated CO2 laser, to remove brown spots and age signs. This treatment results in a plumper, healthier-looking back of the hand with less aging signs.

Other filler products such as Juvederm and Perlane can also be used for hand improvement. These products are natural body substances that are retained in the hands for many months, and plump the backs of the hands in a way that makes them look much younger. Your natural fat, however, can be retained almost indefinitely.


_______________________

Robert Yoho, M.D.

Have You Heard About Dr. Yoho's New Skin Care Line?

Dr. Yoho has a special skin care line formulated just for his patients.

Our glycolic peel pads, which exfoliate dead skin cells while removing excess oil and impurities from the skin, are pretty strong, and so should be used with care. If you scrub your skin with these, you can get some redness which can last even up to a few days. So we recommend using these, at most, once a week, and only if you have oily skin.

We also have a night cream which has some ingredients that are among the most popular in the cosmeceutical industry. It's not greasy and shouldn't cause acne.

Our day cream contains Idebenone, which is in some of Perricone's products that cost $300 or more per bottle. All of our skin care is packaged in a attractive glassine container that handsomely showcases the modern creams.