The business of beauty

Flaharty COURTESY PHOTO As the holidays approach, and another season of galas and social events begins to unfold, facial cosmetic surgeon Dr. Patrick Flaharty is providing lots of "instant gratification" to those wanting to put their best face forward. Through a complement of non-invasive enhancements, Dr. Flaharty is able to rejuvenate a patient's face in minutes, often with very little recovery time. The doctor has three recommendations for people with busy social calendars, who want optimum looks with minimum hassle and expense.

The first is injectable fillers. Many patients come to Dr. Flaharty just before a special event, and receive what he calls "the liquid facelift." With the injectable filler Restylane®, for example, Dr. Flaharty can quickly eliminate hollowness of the lips and cheeks, as well as lines and creases around the mouth. "You can get an unbelievable rejuvenation of the face," he says. "An instant result."

"The filler industry started off as a solution for creases and folds," says Dr. Flaharty, "but it's now hitting its full stride. Fillers add volume to the face," he says. They fill in shadowy areas; they add volume to the cheeks, making them fuller and higher. They can lift the corners of the mouth by filling in the creases. They offer very amazing, powerful, and dramatic improvements in a simple in-office procedure."

"For so long we focused on lifting and tightening," he says. "But it's actually deflation that makes a face look wrinkly and shadowy," he explains, equating youthfulness with fullness. "Adding volume pushes the tissue out and up, replacing what the body loses as it ages: a tissue-plumping protein that has a high affinity for water."

The newest filler on the market is Evolence®. Dr. Flaharty is one of the few local cosmetic surgeons approved to use it, but says he's also excited about another filler, Artefill, that is permanent. "I like it a lot," says the doctor. "I started using it selectively and I've been very, very happy with the results. "It's a little more expensive and does require serial treatments two months apart. But it seems to hold up much better than anything else we have. To me," he says, "that's the most exciting thing happening in fillers."

An unexpected group often benefit; most from fillers: "Those people in their 40s and 50s who are thin and athletic," says Dr. Flaharty. "Their faces tend to age more rapidly. The face loses fat over time anyway, and as a result of athleticism and low body fat, they can look gaunt from being in really good shape. Fillers give them a youthful fullness and a roundness to the face. I've done half a dozen patients like this in the last few months, and they really look marvelous now. We've turned the clock back."

Dr. Flaharty recommends patients receive fillers 7 to 14 days before any special event.

Botox is another way to get instant gratification, according to the doctor. "You see an immediate reduction of crows' feet, wrinkles in the forehead, or the frown lines between the eyebrows that can make you look angry or stressed. Eliminating those frown lines makes people look much more pleasing. Botox® is a very powerful tool." Unlike fillers, Botox® actually weakens the muscles and softens the creases caused by muscle activity. "It gives significant improvement in a day," says Dr,. Flaharty, "but its peak effect is excellent in two weeks. That's the ideal timing."

Professional facials are the third way to really make a quick difference. "It's amazing how much better my own skin looks after an intense hydrating facial," says Dr. Flaharty. "It gets rid of some of the dead surface cells, drives moisture into the face, and gives a healthy glow. It is also very relaxing," he says.

Dr. Flaharty, who just expanded to include a Coconut Point location, admits he is extremely busy despite a weakened economy and stock market drops. "We are very busy with surgery, but we are also seeing more people who want to do fillers and Botox® instead of surgery at this time," he says. "They're deferring a little on the traditional facelift," opting instead for liquid facelifts "It goes in different cycles," says Dr. Flaharty, of the business of beauty. "But holidays and season are some of our busiest times of the year."