When it comes to beauty, people have aspirations about getting a particular look,” says Dr. Jay Recasata, Jr., senior plastic surgeon at Faces & Curves center on Annapolis Street in Greenhills. “It’s great if you were born with a set of genes to rival Brad Pitt; but if you were not endowed with natural beauty, it’s not the end of the world – you can still obtain the standard of beauty you desire.”
Working on being beautiful, however, requires an amount of downtime. Each person responds differently to physical trauma from invasive procedures, so staying at home and waiting for bumps, redness, or bruising to disappear may take anywhere from a few days to weeks, Dr. Jay (as the surgeon nis popularly known) points out. Because of the long Christmas break, December is the perfect time to get that cosmetic procedure done.
Lila, a call center agent who got a nose job one weekend in the middle of July, remembers the pain and embarrassment of coming to work on Monday morning with a surgical mask on her face. “I kept it a secret, but somehow everyone knew and were curiously looking at my face. I bet they were hoping to get a glimpse of my new nose.” Unfortunately, this new and improved appendage, newly put together from the surgeon’s operating table and still swollen and covered with stitches, did not look its best at that particular moment. “I do wish I got the job done at Christmas. I would have avoided the whispers behind my back, and my colleagues would have simply been amazed the moment they set their eyes on me after coming back from the holidays.”
Celebrity clients
Thanks to every kind of cutting-edge technology available in the beauty industry, people in the 21st century can actually say that “anything is possible,” provided you’re in the best condition to take the medical procedure. Dita Von Teese, the burlesque-dancing, dark haired beauty once admitted that every inch of her hour glass, classic, pre-war look was proudly “manufactured.” Face it, girls (and boys): bone structure is destiny, and now you have the power to change it – under the scalpel. Take the following specimens of beauty: Kim Chiu, Megan Young, Maja Salvador, Nikki Valdez, Maricar Reyes, Kris Bernal, Max Collins, Kaye Abad, Roxanne Guinoo, John Lloyd Cruz, Tirso Cruz III, Gerald Anderson, Jason Abalos, and Geoff Eigenmann. What do they have in common? All are frequent patrons at Faces & Curves and excellent examples of how a beauty clinic can bring out the best in a person.
Dr. Jay warns that none of these celebrities have told him that they want to copy someone’s look. “It’s not about coming here and saying, ‘I want to look British when you’re done with me.’ We look at the elements of your face and we recommend what kind of feature works best on you.” Though it’s good to come equipped with downloaded pictures of the kind of feature you’d like to have, this will only work as a reference for your surgeon. Other factors would still have to be carefully considered when managing your personal expectations. Here are some treatments you can try:
Nose Surgery
You’ll get the nose of your dreams by altering the underlying cartilage or bone, or using solid implants to reshape your nasal organ. Most Filipinos usually go for a thinner nose or creating a tip for a more aquiline look. The outpatient procedure involves local anesthesia or sedation and can take from anywhere between one to two hours. But no worries! Swelling and bruising will be mostly gone in 10-14 days, just in time for getting back to work after the New Year.
Facelift
You don’t need to search for the fountain of youth to get a smooth face. You just need a special procedure to get rid of sagging cheeks/necklines, jowls, deep wrinkles, and lateral hoods by tightening or removing loose skin. Effects last an average of five to 10 years, and you can boost the final appearance by getting eyelid surgery, a neck or brow lift and even fat transfers – which will give you soft puffiness in all the right places. Surgery will last two to four hours. If you get a lift, make sure you stop smoking at least 10 days before the procedure and two weeks after. Swelling and bruising will be gone within 14 days and stitches gone within a week.
Buttocks Augmentation
You don’t need a behind as wide as Nikki Minaj’s but a buttocks enlargement may enhance your overall symmetry especially when you have a bountiful chest but are lacking soft pillows in the lower regions. The procedure involves placing silicone gel implants inside the muscle of the buttocks or harvested fat from the abdomen and injected into the fatty layer of the buttocks. The outpatient surgery lasts one to two hours. You should expect moderate to severe pain for three to five days but swelling and bruising will mostly be gone within three weeks. Expect bandages to be removed within the week.
Sculpturing
This is another name for liposuction, which involves removing specific areas of diet-resistant fat with a metal tube called a cannula attached to a vacuum. The usual problem areas are outer thighs, arms, hips, neck, and abdomen. This is an excellent option for people with excess fat but not for patients with loose skin or stretch marks. Bear in mind that the procedure will remove the fat in the deep layer, but not the cellulite. When getting this kind of procedure, think ahead and get it in conjunction with related procedures such as a face lift or buttocks enhancement. The excess fat removed from the problem areas can be transferred to areas of interest on your body such as your butt or facial cheeks, or even below the eyes to even out the hollow areas under your eyes. Expect the outpatient surgery to last one to two hours per area. The discomfort can last up to three months, though you can safely get back to work within a week.
Faces & Curves: science and art of cosmetic surgery