Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery

The Greeks were mathematicians, and much of their art reflects this. From their cities to their temples to their sculpture, everything was assigned an ideal mathematical ratio. Sometimes, these ratios were completely arbitrary, but in other cases, they seem to have some real significance, like the precisely-expressed ratios of harmonies in music.

In their sculpture, the Greeks worked for centuries to find the ideal form of every part of the human body, and their discoveries have shaped our ideals of beauty ever since, although some are more subject to taste than others.

One area where the Greek ideal still holds significant sway is in the nose. To the Greeks, the ideal nose had a geometric perfection. The bridge was straight, and its ratios were precise. If you drew a vertical line drawn through the crease on the side of the nostrils and a horizontal from that line to the tip of the nose, you would define a pair of triangles. The larger, vertical triangle should have a 3-4-5 proportion, while the smaller triangle, defining the lower portion of the nose, should be closer to a 1:1:√2 proportion. Although when you look at Greek sculpture, the noses are of course rounded, not triangular, many of them incorporate these mathematical proportions.

In fact, modern nose surgery (rhinoplasty) derives much of its success from utilizing the precise proportionality established by classical sculpture, adjusted, of course, for the unique structure of your face, including the proportions of your forehead and chin, as well as your ethnicity to create a nose that is at once mathematically precise and personally pleasing.

To learn more about the science of rhinoplasty, please contact the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery to set up a consultation.

Motherhood is one of the greatest joys of a woman's life. Once you have a child, you look into their eyes and the world is a different place, suddenly sunnier, fresh and newly-created like the world's first spring.

Although you would never trade your child for anything, you probably don't want to hold onto that baby weight forever. And wouldn't it be nice if you could have your child, and have the breasts you had before pregnancy and breastfeeding? And what about stretch marks and slack abdominal muscles that keep your body from being bikini-ready? And then there's the effects of stress on your face, and the neglect you have been showing your skin while caring for the new skin of your newborn.

If you are suffering from any or all of these effects of motherhood, a Mommy Makeover can help you look as good as you did before the ravages of childbirth. Although your package can be tailored to your personal situation, Mommy Makeovers often include:

Liposuction to get rid of your baby fat and a tummy tuck to tighten up the muscles, remove the stretch marks, and give you a bikini-ready body for the summer swimsuit season. If your breasts have lost tone, a breast lift can bring them back up to where they should be, and if they've lost volume, breast implants can make them look as good as ever.

Finally, you can make your skin look fresh and young again with a combination of procedures from vitalize peels to spider vein removal to Botox injections.

Just because you have a child, it doesn't mean your life is over. In fact, the best years of your life are to come. Why shouldn't the best appearance of your life be to come as well? Please contact the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery today for a consultation.

Are you considering surgery? Are you curious about the experience? Message boards are one way of getting information.

However, at the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery, we have started our own Patient to Patient Network so that you can speak directly to past patients who have had surgery done with us.

We will put you in touch with people who have had the surgery, and you will be able to talk to them from the privacy of your own home. Chat them up. Ask about how they liked the office. What they thought of the surgical facility. How did their results match their expectations. Whatever you want to ask, feel free & they will give you their honest answers.

We think this takes our testimonial page one step further - live, interactive testimonials from our patients. Call (703) 924-3144 & ask for Kelley to get you started.

February is a time when people think about their loved ones. Plump lips are sexy. As a secondary sex characteristic, lips send signals that register deep in the male brain. Whether men consciously realize it or not, they’re programmed to desire women with succulent lips. Now that cosmetic surgery has made buttery, pleasing lips available to everyone, they’ve become more popular than ever.

During the entire month of February, you can receive a free lip plumper with each Juvederm injection. Juvederm is a wonderful filler that lasts about a year that can be used to plump your lips, or even soften the jowl lines or lines in your cheeks (nasolabial folds).

Labels: Juvederm, lips

It may still be cold outside, but it's time to start thinking fun in the sun if you are considering breast augmentation. If you have sundresses that have never fit you right because your breasts never fully developed, or if they used to fit you right, but have shrunk or sagged following pregnancy, you don't have to dread the coming of May. Instead, you can look and feel better than ever with breast augmentation surgery. However, to look your best in the spring, it's best to plan now, since breast implants can take several months to fully heal and settle. If you are interested in doing a little springing of your own, contact the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery to schedule your initial consultation today.

Although it's the dead of winter, it's time to start thinking spring, if you are considering plastic surgery. Several of the most enhancing plastic surgery options require several months before acquiring a natural look. Even if you stuck to your diet and exercise regimen despite all the tempting foods over the holidays, you might find that shedding your oversize sweaters with the warmer weather is not a pleasing thought. For some people, there are fat deposits whose location and size are genetically determined, and not subject to exercise or dieting without an overall wasting of the body. If you are one of these people, liposuction may be the only way to achieve the look you want. If you are interested in looking your best when warmer weather makes you put your puffy clothes back in the closet, contact the Virginia Center for Plastic Surgery to schedule your initial consultation.

Are you concerned about wrinkles and lines on your face? For a number of years, we have had good fillers such as Restylane, and more recently Juvederm. The nice thing about these hyaluronic acid fillers has been their naturalness and pliability. Restylane lasts about 6-8 months, while Juvederm can last up to a year.

However, one of the newly approved products for facial filling is called Radiesse, and it is in a different category of products. Radiesse (formerly Radiance) is made of small spheres of calcium hydroxyapetite that are injected. These microspheres are then replaced by your body with collagen.

A new study out in the journal Dermatologic Surgery compared the results of injecting one side of the face with Restylane and the other side of the face with Radiesse. In this head to head comparison, Radiesse had better results at 6, 9, and 12 months.

Give us a call at (703) 924-3144 if you are interested in trying Radiesse!

Labels: fillers, Juvederm, Radiesse, Restylane

A recent trend seen in our practice in the past two years is making news these days. A large percentage of our patients are mothers between the ages of 30-50 with 2-4 children who now want their bodies back. These women work hard, have devoted a lot to their children and families, and now want to feel better about how they look. This has resulted in a number of women not only looking for a tummy tuck or liposuction, but rather a whole "Mommy Makeover." Even Newsweek has recognized the trend.

We now have the ability to combine procedures safely and effectively. Thus, we can perform a breast lift (mastopexy) along with a breast enlargement (augmentation). We can even combine a tummy tuck with an augmentation.

Take a look at our comprehensive Mommy Makeover page and see what works best for you.

Labels: breast augmentation, breast lift, cosmetic surgery, liposuction, mommy makeover, Plastic surgery, tummy tuck