Spring break is a great time to undergo a facial plastic surgery or cosmetic procedure.

March marks the beginning of the Spring Break season. For college students and parents of school-age children, that means a week’s break from the normal hustle-and-bustle. And it’s a great time to consider certain facial plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures.

While more invasive procedures like facelifts and rhinoplasties can mean several weeks of downtime, others offer much quicker healing times. Among the top spring break procedures chosen by patients of Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery in Jacksonville: Botox, chemical peels and eyelid lifts.

• Botox: Perhaps the most popular minimally invasive, yet highly effective facial cosmetic procedure is Botox. It takes less than an hour to administer and effects can be seen within several days. Your smoother, plumped look will last for three to six months.
• Chemical Peel: Light or medium chemical peels also are a popular spring break season choice. When applied to the skin, a mix of peel agents tailored to your particular skin condition and goals penetrates into the upper part of the dermis, helping to eliminate sunspots, tighten collagen, smooth lines and brighten skin. Light peels yield the best results when done as a series of three or more treatments, and there’s no downtime for healing. Medium chemical peels require several additional visits over the week for additional cleansing that will promote proper healing. Skin typically will begin to peel within three days. By day seven, 90 percent of your face should be healed, revealing softer, smoother new skin. Still, most patients return to regular routines the day after a medium chemical peel procedure.
• Eyelid Lifts: If scheduled around the first day of your spring break, an eyelid lift also is a very workable option. Also known as blepharoplasty, eyelid lifts involve removing the excess skin and bulges from around the eyes, creating a more youthful look. Stitches are removed or dissolved typically by the fifth day and bruising clears around the fifth or seventh day. Most patients return to work after just a week of downtime, though makeup may be necessary to cover any lingering bruising.

Plan your spring break cosmetic procedure now by calling Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery at 904-247-8522. Take advantage of a little time off to make a big difference in your looks.

As they say, “the eyes have it.” Or something like that. Truth is, your eyes are the first features someone notices when they look at you – and they’re one of the top tell-tale indicators of your age. If you’re aiming to smooth out those under-eye crinkles that add years to your look, you’ve got several options including under eyelid surgery and Botox. Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery can help you choose.

Also known as “blepharoplasty,” eyelid surgery effectively removes excess skin and bulges from around your eyes, including both upper and lower eyelids. This excess skin below the eyes is what causes that crinkled look. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery’s Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia remove the skin via a tiny incision underneath the eyelashes in the first crease or behind the eyelid. Careful placement of the incisions assures that your plastic surgery scars will be unnoticeable or even invisible.

Another option for treating under-eyelid crinkles is Botox. This method of treatment is used far less frequently because it demands an incredibly skilled hand and a tiny amount of Botox. Also, Botox may not work well for every patient, depending upon the facial structure and the way the skin beneath the eyes fold when the patient smiles. It’s most effective in conjunction with Botox treatment of crow’s feet.

Chemical peels also can be an effective choice for treating under-eye crinkles, but again – this takes a highly skilled professional. Chemical peels that are too strong or administered incorrectly can be harmful to the sensitive skin around the eyes.

Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery can help you decide the best treatment for your under-eye crinkles and set you up with great skincare products and vitamins that help keep your skin smooth and youthful. Call 904-247-8522 to schedule a consultation today.

Baby Boomers are more likely to go rock climbing than sit in a rocking chair. And they're getting plastic surgery to help them look as lively as they feel.

These days, Baby Boomers just might be the coolest cats in town. They’re working out, launching new businesses, burning up the dating scene and looking as gorgeous as ever. For some that means indulging in a little plastic surgery to help them age gracefully.

A recent survey highlighted primary trends emerging among the Boomer generation:

1. They’re living longer. Medical advances and the easier-than-ever access to medical and health information is helping Boomers long outlive the life expectancies of prior generations. Well, why live longer if you can’t enjoy it? Boomers increasingly are reflecting upon their lives and reinventing themselves at each milestone year, setting new goals and taking up new hobbies or even launching new businesses. Seems the rocking chair has gone the way of the dinosaur.
2. They’re technologically and socially connected. Yes, Grandma is on Facebook. And she’s not there just to keep up with the grandkids. She’s got her own extensive list of Facebook friends, thank you very much. And her status updates just might make you blush. Statistics show that seniors are the fastest-growing segment signing up on Facebook and other social networking sites. Of course, since Grandma likely doesn’t have to get up and go to school or work in the morning, she’s got lots of time to meet and mingle with her Facebook friends off-screen. Seniors are on the social and dating scene like never before.
3. They’re competing and winning in the workplace: The financial crunch is affecting everyone, including seniors. But rather than stick to the jobs they’ve held for decades, many seniors are taking advantage of that milestone-year reinvention and going back to school in huge numbers. Many are enrolling to update their skill sets in an effort to land promotions at work. Others are ditching their old skill sets in favor of whole new ones with plans to switch career fields or launch new businesses of their own.
4. They’re aging gracefully. Those top three trends fold nicely into the proudly-going-gray movement. To help boost their success on the social scene, in the dating game and at work, seniors increasingly are undergoing plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures designed to help them look as lively on the outside as they do on the inside. Mind you, they’re not interested in the wind-blown, trout pout look of those who overdo it in an effort to shave decades off their looks. Today’s seniors are proud of their age and don’t care to look too much younger. They simply want to look their best at the age they are and they’re accomplishing that with expertly performed facelifts, brow lifts and eye surgeries or with less invasive procedures like Botox, Restylane or chemical peels.

If you’re a Boomer with an unbridled passion for life and want a look to match, contact Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. Jacksonville’s top facial plastic surgeons can help you continue to look gorgeous throughout your golden years.

Did you know that your nose can droop, making it appear longer as you age? Consider rhinoplasty, Jacksonville plastic surgeons say.

Did you know that after everything else on your body has hit its peak, your nose, chin and ears keep on growing, some say? That’s why plastic surgery such as rhinoplasty for the aging nose also is growing.

Candidates for nose surgery aren’t just self conscious teens and 20-somethings worried about significant “nasal protuberance.” They’re also middle-aged and older patients who feel something is “off” with their noses’ appearance. Many report being confused that their noses seem bigger or lower than in years before. Either may be true, plastic surgeons say. While there is debate in the medical community as to whether the nose actually continues to grow throughout the entire lifespan, there is no doubt that gravity takes its toll.

As we age, collagen and elastin in the skin breaks down, sapping the skin of its strength and suppleness. The pull of gravity eventually wins out. For your nose, this means a drooping effect that makes the nose look longer and lower than before. The same thing happens to our ears and jowls.

Now for the good news: If changes in your nose’s appearance have scenes from “Pinocchio” running through your mind, Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery can help with an expertly performed rhinoplasty.

“Jacksonville patients who undergo rhinoplasty of the aging nose see the nasal tip restored to its youthful position,” says Dr. Roberto Garcia, noting that treating “nose droop” typically is easier than the traditional nose job. That’s because a full rhinoplasty often involves breaking the nasal bones, whereas rhinoplasty to correct an aging, drooping nose can be done with cartilage grafts instead. This allows for a shorter recovery time.

Rhinoplasty for the aging nose often is performed along with a facelift, neck lift or eyelid surgery, as part of a total facial rejuvenation. To schedule a consultation, call Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic surgery at 904-247-8522.

Summer break is a great time for educators, college students and busy parents with school-age children to schedule plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures.

For college students, busy parents and teachers, the summer break is a great time to schedule plastic surgery or a chemical peel. Jacksonville-area plastic surgeons always see an uptick in business over the summer. With upwards of a dozen colleges and universities in the Greater Jacksonville area, plus one of the nation’s largest K-12 school systems, many of our potential patients studying or working in education look forward to a little downtime in the summer months.

For many, summer break is the perfect time to undergo that plastic surgery or chemical peel procedure they’ve been thinking about. Any invasive or intense procedure requires a few weeks of recovery time during which it’s critical to take exceptional care of your skin and to limit movement and activity. The few weeks or months off from teaching, attending classes and carting kids to and from school allows instructors, students and parents the time to focus on preparing for their procedures and caring for themselves afterward.

Among the most common summer break procedures are facelifts, eyelid lifts, rhinoplasty procedures (nose jobs) and deep chemical peels:

• Facelifts: Facelift patients typically are able to safely apply makeup and return to normal daily activities within two weeks and are fully healed in a month to four months, depending on the intensity of the procedure.
• Eyelid Lifts: Stitches are removed or dissolved typically by the fifth day and bruising clears around the fifth or seventh day. Most patients return to work after just a week of downtime.
• Rhinoplasty: Most of the swelling inside and outside the nose after nasal surgery will go away within a week after the surgery. Patients typically are able to breathe through the nose two or three days after the surgery. All splints and tapes are removed seven days after the operation and Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery follows patient’s results for a full year following the procedure.
• Deep Chemical Peels: Deep chemical peels penetrate into the deepest part of the dermis, rearranging collagen, melanocytes and skin support structures. Swelling (particularly around the eyes and lips) can persist for up to seven days and your skin may be pink for two to three weeks following the procedure.

Of course, recovery time depends wholly upon your strict adherence to your doctor’s instructions for post-procedure care. Skipping steps or trying to return to normal activity too early can cause problems that will significantly lengthen your healing time or cause permanent scarring.

If you’re considering plastic surgery or a chemical peel, Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery will help you through the entire process, from preparing you for your procedure in the weeks before to performing multiple follow up checks to make sure your skin is healing beautifully. Contact Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery in Jacksonville at 904-247-8522 or via our online email form.

Baby Boomers are driving a new trend in plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures for men, Jacksonville's Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery says.

Surgical and cosmetic procedures for men are on the rise according to statistics recently released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Overall, cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in men jumped two percent in 2010 compared to 2009. However, the numbers were much higher when zeroing in on particular procedures. Facelifts for men led the charge, jumping an impressive 14 percent.

ASPS’s statistics show that men underwent more than 1.1 million cosmetic procedures, both surgical and minimally invasive. But six of the top ten procedures that men chose last year are surgical ones – a significant turnabout of the previous trend toward less invasive cosmetic treatments. Men increasingly are embracing plastic surgery as a way to remain competitive in the workplace, boost their confidence when it comes to dating, or simply to keep looking on the outside as young and active as they feel on the inside.

“Baby Boomers hitting retirement age are the new face of the male plastic surgery trend,” says Dr. Roberto Garcia of Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery near Jacksonville. “They’re still healthy, active and sharp minded. Those who are retiring are looking forward to enjoying all the free time they’ll have on their hands and want to look great doing it. Others feel they’ve got a few more years of competitiveness in them and are opting to delay retirement. Those guys know they’re competing with younger coworkers climbing the ladder, so they want to go head-to-head with them on all the factors that determine career success – including looks.”

For the best in cosmetic procedures, men in the Jacksonville area turn to Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. Board certified plastic surgeons Drs. Phillip and Roberto Garcia specialize in facial cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, plus a full battery of minimally invasive procedures designed to help you continue feeling confident and competitive. Call 904-247-8522 to schedule a consultation today.

Men’s Top Ten: Fastest-Growing Male Cosmetic Procedures (by percentage increase)

1. Facelift – 14% Increase
2. Ear Surgery (Otoplasty) – 11% Increase
3. Soft Tissue Fillers – 10% Increase
4. Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox) – 9% Increase
5. Liposuction – 7% Increase
6. Breast Reduction in Men – 6% Increase
7. Eyelid Surgery – 4% Increase
8. Dermabrasion – 4% Increase
9. Laser Hair Removal – 4% Increase
10. Laser Treatment of Leg Veins – 4% Increase