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    Four Simple Steps To A More Active You

    Tag Archives: Sandy Springs

    It’s safe to say a lot of us feel like we missed out on the gene that seems to make some of our friends perpetually active. A lot of the time exercise feels like the last thing we want to do and we are masters of making excuses, so how do we get out of this little rut we’ve got ourselves into? Baby steps. Many a professional athlete, personal trainer or gym bunny will tell you ‘your body is capable of doing it, it’s your mind you have to convince’. So how do we start convincing it?images-1

    1. Find something you enjoy.

    Maybe you’re a tennis fan, maybe swimming feels easier on your joints, or maybe yoga helps you release some tension. What ever it is that you enjoy doing, start with that and it won’t feel like such a chore. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying something new is always a great idea too, the sense of accomplishment and the chance of finding something you love is worth the risk!

    2. Get more sleep.

    It’s hard to stay motivated when you’re exhausted, and getting enough sleep is one of the key factors in a healthy lifestyle. You could try turning your phone off or putting it the other side of the room while you sleep, reading a book instead of watching television or saving your bedroom as a place to sleep and relax only. If you are used to working or studying from your bed it will make it harder to fall asleep.

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    3. Get outside!

    Walk, hike, cycle, or run, just get moving. The fresh air will indeed do you good, whether you feel like wandering at a snails pace or starting a couch to 5k program. No matter what you do or how insignificant it may feel, anything is better than sitting on your sofa so go soak up that vitamin D (while wearing sun screen of course) !

    4. Invite a friend

    You’re more likely to stick to something if you are worried about letting some one else down. If you really struggle to keep a commitment to yourself make a plan with a friend, whether they are in the same fitness league as you or where you aspire to be a good friend will motivate you to keep trying.

    Whatever you decide to do, make sure to have fun and enjoy yourself, that should be motivation in it’s self! Starting is the hardest part, once you’ve overcome that you can do anything!

    For information on procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit psiatlanta.com or sexualaesthetics.com

     

    As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’ and when it comes to skin care this saying is definitely true. SPF is vital for both preventing skin cancer and slowing the signs of aging. Botox, fillers, and surgical procedures such as face lifts are all well known for their ability to take a few years off our appearance. Smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, reducing any sagging skin, and adding volume to aging faces are all things that can be accomplished in the caring hands of a certified surgeon but will not reverse the damage that UVA and UVB cause to the skin.

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    Photo Credit: CNN

    It is important to apply a broad spectrum SPF cream to protect the skin from both types of damaging rays. UVA rays are responsible for the aging effects of the sun, while UVB rays are responsible for the development of skin cancer. While many of us only apply sun screen while we are at the beach or pool, damage can be caused at any time including on cloudy days, or unexpected times like sitting in your car. Many windshields and car windows offer no UVA protection and can lead to the uneven results shown on this truck drivers face (right).

    The areas that show the signs of aging and sun damage are unsurprisingly the ones that we have on display most often. The face, neck, upper chest, hands, as well as the feet are always giving away our age but can all be helped by applying SPF daily. It is important to use a lotion with at least SPF30 and apply it at least 20-30 minutes prior to leaving the house so that it can work effectively. When you are applying make up, sun screen or a primer with SPF should be the last thing you apply to your face before makeup.

    Another key point, just as our mothers always reminded us, is to keep reapplying the sun screen. Using SPF 30 translates to you skin being able to withstand burning 30 times longer than it usually would, but we can never be truly sure how long that time will be.

    UnknownReapplying every 90 minutes-2 hours that you are outdoors will help to ensure your skin is thoroughly protected from any damaging rays.

    Following these simple steps daily as well as maintaining a healthy diet, staying hydrated and having an active lifestyle will all help to preserve beautiful, youthful skin for many more years.

    For information on procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit https://psiatlanta.com/ and http://sexualaesthetics.com/

    Breast augmentation has long been the most popular procedure in plastic surgery as well as being a hugely important step in many gender reassignment cases. In transgender breast augmentation cases the choices of implant types and sizes is exactly the same, with the same beautiful results expected, but there are some points to take in to consideration.

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    Typically in male to female transgender cases the patient has broader chest and shoulders that will accommodate larger implants, smaller implants may look too narrow and appear unnatural. As well as a wider chest, nipples will typically be lower on  a male chest than a females so the natural breast crease will often have to be lowered so that the nipple is more centered on the implant.

    Another aspect that is important during consultation is whether the patient is currently using hormone therapy. Patients who have been using hormone therapy will tend to have developed breast tissue and this can be associated with ptosis (or drooping) that would have to be taken in to account when planning the procedure. Many transgender patients are good candidates for trans-axilalry augmentation where the incision is made in the armpit because of the lack of ptosis of the breast tissue.

    Finally it is important for the patient to pay close attention to instructions from their surgeon to allow the implants to ‘drop’ in to a natural position on the chest. Because the pec muscle is generally larger in transgender patients the muscle has a tendency to hold the implant higher on the chest wall, with massage and compression the implant will fall in to a lower and more natural place on the breast.

    For more information on procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit http://sexualaesthetics.com/

    Many patients who visit us for a consultation are unhappy with the size of their arms, and while general toning or weight loss may help, excess skin can still be an issue. Exercises that target the triceps will particularly help with toning and losing fat associated with the under arm but excess skin and targeted fat loss for this area would require a surgical solution. The procedures involved in this area would include liposuction and possibly an arm lift.

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    Liposuction in the upper arm can have great results to remove excess fat and can help to shrink the skin. Arm liposuction is a relatively simple procedure that can be performed under local anesthesia or combined with other procedures. In cases where upper arm excess skin is also an issue, the only way to reduce the amount of extra skin is to surgically remove it. This procedure is called an arm lift and there are two types of incisions that can be made depending on the amount of excess skin. The first type involves an incision that will be hidden in the underarm and is suited to sagging of the upper arm that is common with aging. The second type of arm lift is designed for greater amounts of excess skin associated with extreme weight loss and involves an incision from the elbow to the armpit, in this case scarring is usually a concern for patients but the incision usually heals well with the scar fading over time. During recovery it is important to keep arms compressed, but under guidance from Dr McCluskey patients may resume their day-to-day activities and exercise to continue to tone and sculpt the arms with in a matter of weeks!

    These procedures allow patients to attain slimmer, more youthful looking arms with a relatively short recovery period and beautiful results!

    For information on other procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit

    • http://sexualaesthetics.com/
    • https://psiatlanta.com

    The Brazilian Butt Lift has exploded in popularity recently and for a pretty good reason: curves in all the right places!

    The procedure involves liposuction of problem areas like the stomach, lower back and the thighs, then the fat taken from these areas is purified and injected into the butt to give a fuller, rounder derriere. Patients are ecstatic with the results (like those seen below) and are keen to maintain their new flatter waistline and slimmer thighs, but when they go to the gym to maintain or even enhance their amazing new figure how do maintain their post-surgical curves?

    Brazilian Butt Lift | Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta

    In the first weeks after surgery it’s important that patients stay off their butt as much as possible but many can resume exercise in just three to four weeks with their surgeons permission. The best type of exercise to begin with is some low impact and toning exercises like squats, lunges and deadlifts that will help to continue to shape the legs and thighs while lifting the buttocks by tonging the hamstrings. In both lunges and squats it is important to maintain proper form to avoid adding any stress to joints. Important tips to remember are to keep the back straight and to keep the knee behind the toe as shown below.

     

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    As the patient continue to heal these low impact workouts can increase to higher intensity by adding the use of weights and cardiovascular exercises that sculpt the legs and abs while increasing the size of the butt muscles to give an even greater result, give the booty a natural boost and improve all around health and fitness!

    For more information on procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit http://sexualaesthetics.com/

    Plastic surgeons and reality television shows popularized the term ‘mommy makeover’. It’s a common Google search term and there are over 3,000 Instagram posts with the hashtag #mommymakeover.

    So what is it?

    Put simply a mommy makeover is a cosmetic improvement of the breasts and tummy.  The goal of this combination of procedures is to restore a woman’s pre-baby body, but a mommy makeover also helps rejuvenate women who’ve lost weight.  Typically a mommy makeover combines breast augmentation and tummy tuck with or without liposuction of the waist.  The procedures are designed to lift & rejuvenate the breasts and also to flatten the tummy while removing loose skin and stretch marks.  The liposuction removes excess fat in the love handles, muffin-tops, and bra line (ie “back fat” or “back rolls”).

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    During a mommy makeover I perform more than one procedure while the patient is under anesthesia thus I’m able to save time & money on surgical setup and anesthesia fees & I can pass these savings on to the patient.  Another huge advantage of combining multiple procedures such as breast and tummy rejuvenation is that there is only one recovery period!

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    For information on other procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit http://sexualaesthetics.com/

    A tummy tuck procedure is the perfect procedure to remove excess skin from the stomach area that can be due to child-bearing or a dramatic weight loss. The overall procedure includes removal of the excess skin, tightening of the abdominal muscles which are so often stretched beyond the help of exercise during pregnancy, and if needed liposuction to help define the new slimmed waistline. As you can see this patients abdominal area is almost unrecognizable following the tummy tuck procedure!

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    You can learn more about the tummy tuck here or watch a full procedure from Dr McCluskey’s point of view here!

    To learn more about procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit http://sexualaesthetics.com/

    Breast lift procedures are typically performed in older women who’s breasts have sagged due to aging and child-bearing as well as patients who have had a dramatic weight loss. The sag is essentially caused by an excess amount of skin in comparison to the amount of breast tissue present and the procedure aims to correct that ratio with out the removal of breast tissue itself. Another effect of breasts sagging is that nipples become low on the breast which is addressed during a lift procedure, moving them back to the desired position. Nipples may also enlarge due to sagging and this can be remedied during the procedure also!

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    As you can see above the results of the procedure are youthful, full and lifted breasts that help to define the patients waist and give a younger figure! To learn more about the procedure you can read here and see Dr McCluskey discuss different incision types here.

    For more information on procedures offered by Dr McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta visit http://sexualaesthetics.com/