While hiking in the back country, Dr. Lowenstein discusses scarring as it can be found on aspen trees as well as skin. By utilizing meticulous technique and plastic surgery principles, Dr. Lowenstein minimizes the appearance of incisions and scars in our Santa Barbara plastic surgery practice.
Read Full ArticleToday I saw another patient who was interested in soft tissue fillers because her dermatologist had done this to her face in the past. What she needs is a face lift. She had deep “marionette lines”, where the sagging tissue of the cheek folds over the depressions below the corners of the mouth. She wanted…
Read Full ArticleAs much as we appreciate the ability to turn to nonsurgical modalities to correct the signs of aging, we also recognize the value of a well-performed facelift. Because a facelift is a surgical procedure, and because we’ve seen high-profile evidence of what can go wrong if this surgery is not done well, most people who…
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The art of reversing time is one that experienced plastic surgeons like Dr. Lowenstein at Montecito Plastic Surgery have mastered. With a wide range of tools and techniques at their disposal, these experts can reduce signs of aging and create a smoother, refreshed appearance to the face and other areas of the body. Dr. Lowenstein…
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Facial aging isn’t something that every person experiences without a little grief. A few lines and wrinkles may, in fact, show that we’ve lived and laughed and loved. Beyond that, the changes in facial contour may cause us immense frustration. We often hear patients say that they feel they don’t look like themselves anymore, and…
Read Full ArticleI was looking through a newspaper this week and came across an ad for a “cosmetic surgeon” and his face lift using a laser, with before and after photos. The photos were interesting- a rather dramatic result was shown, with the caption “before face lift” and “after face lift”. Examining the photos a bit more…
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Check out the new way to treat the double chin and other small areas of fat…. The CoolMini applicator is here! This small applicator is ideal for use in the “Double Chin” area, but can also be used in the upper breast near the armpit where a little fatty tissue often bothers patients when they…
Read Full ArticleIn about 2 weeks I’m going to attend a course which will allow me to use a new soft tissue filler made by Johnson and Johnson- it is a cross-linked collagen product for moderate to deep wrinkles and folds and is supposed to last AT LEAST 6 months. Only a plastic surgeon who has attended…
Read Full ArticleLast Friday I got to attend a course on the new soft tissue filler- Evolence. This is a Johnson and Johnson product that consists of cross linked collagen, which is a natural protein that makes up much of the connective tissue of the body. The advantages of this product seem to be many, but the…
Read Full ArticleI’ve just returned from the 2008 meeting of the ASPS- thousands of plastic surgeons converged in Chicago last weekend to discuss the latest trends in plastic surgery, as well as issues of patient safety and improving plastic surgery outcomes for patients around the country and the world. I had the pleasure of being involved with…
Read Full ArticleSitting in the United Club waiting 3 hours for my flight to Santa Barbara…. at least I have time to reflect on a fantastic facial plastic surgery meeting in Las Vegas, as well as the donations I made at the craps tables last night. I came out well ahead if you count the time spent…
Read Full ArticleThe other day I was riding my bike through the beautiful Carpentaria country side, and met a fellow rider with whom I began to chat. We discussed bikes (of course), and then ventured into a discussion of plastic surgery in Santa Barbara. She asked some excellent questions about facial anatomy and the changes that come…
Read Full ArticleOften seen as we age, bands forming in the neck can result from excess skin or loosening of the platysma muscle. In youth, the platysma muscle spans much if not all of the neck and is tightly applied to the underlying neck structures. This platysma muscle is a depressor of the lower lip, and used…
Read Full ArticleA friend showed me an article in a recent edition of Forbes Magazine about a New York plastic surgeon that is performing something he calls a Y-lift. This is apparently an outpatient procedure with minimal recovery and patients “look amazing immediately afterward, and in a day or two they look even better.” After I read…
Read Full ArticleA quick discussion about the cheek lift… Many plastic surgeons, instead of a cheek lift, will do fat injections, cheek implants, or temporary injection of fillers. Some patients who have had these operations can very often be seen as having fullness in regions of the face that are not quite normal. We recognize that something…
Read Full ArticleRecently, our entire Santa Barbara community was affected by the Jesusita fire, from Goleta to Montecito. Personally, my wife and I hosted evacuees from the foothills, and my wife additionally volunteered at the call center to help provide information regarding the Jesusita Fire. Only by the outstanding work of the firefighters was the home of…
Read Full ArticleWe are seeing more and more women come from Beverly Hills and Hollywood to have their plastic surgery in Santa Barbara. I find this a very interesting phenomenon. I’ve never been one to gawk at celebrities- I see them as people just like you and I, with very interesting careers. (I have some friends, whoever,…
Read Full ArticleEvolence, the soft tissue collagen filler that everyone is talking about, just got FDA approval for labelling their product as lasting 12 months! This means that long term results have held up to the rigorous standards of the FDA. I love using this product because of its lack of swelling, ease of precise placement, and…
Read Full ArticleIt’s Sunday morning and I’m in the spending the weekend in Dallas with my good friend and accomplished plastic surgeon Dr. David Genecov. David and I have known each other for a long time and have collaborated on many projects involving plastic surgery presentations and plastic surgery education on the national scene. The main reason…
Read Full ArticleDr. Lowenstein frequently answers questions on other websites such as RealSelf. While these questions have NOT been asked by patients of Dr. Lowenstein, prospective and past patients may find interesting information in the answers found below and on these pages… Q: Fat Transfer to Improve Scary Atrophic Lesions and Loss of Volume After Infini Radiofrequancy…
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The idea of managing the signs of aging is wonderful. That is until those expensive creams and serums aren’t getting the results we believed they would. At some point, it may be necessary to consider a facelift, and many people don’t like the idea of it. The primary reason why is that, historically, facelifts have…
Read Full ArticleThe advantage of the SMAS lift is that as the SMAS is lifted vertically, there is excess that can be manipulated in several ways. In the full face, this excess is removed so as not to add volume to an already round face. In the thin or hollowed face, this tissue can be folded on…
Read Full ArticleThe nasolabial folds, sometimes called the nasolabial crease, is a highly misunderstood region of the face that gets a lot of attention in facial cosmetic surgery. Since the increased popularity of soft tissue fillers exploded with the aesthetic enhancement of the lips, many practitioners have taken to injecting the areas of the nasolabial folds in…
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As a plastic surgeon, you would think I only had one job… but that is not the case. In addition to seeing patients and performing surgery, a field like plastic surgery is ever evolving and changing. One of the most important aspects of what I do is keeping abreast of the latest techniques and technologies.…
Read Full ArticleI’m finally getting to write about some of the experiences that I had at the recent meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgery in Denver. In particular I enjoyed a fantastic panel where five of the most well-known facial plastic surgeons discussed the way that they do facelifts. It seems as though they are…
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