Completing the Picture

We’re Americans: we love choices—the more the better. There are often so many selections in a day (caff? decaf? skim? soy?) that we don’t even realize we’re weighing in. But what’s good for your morning coffee can be daunting when it comes to more weighty decisions . . . like choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure.

So you want to eliminate wrinkles? Of course, there’s the facelift and there’s photorejuvenation. Injectable fillers. And chemical peels. Arm yourself with a better idea of what works best where (and what the risks and recovery times are) with our primer to popular cosmetic procedures. We outline your options with input from local practitioners.

Eyelid Surgery

Otherwise Known As: Blepharoplasty
How It Works: An overabundance of skin around the eyes ages the face. Through blepharoplasty, excess eyelid skin and fat is removed from the upper and lower eyelid through small incisions (external for upper eyelid, either internal or external for lower eyelid).
Typical Patient: Men and women in equal numbers, typically beginning in their forties.
Risks: Bleeding, scarring, infection, malposition of the eyelids, asymmetry.
Recovery Time: You’ll experience puffiness and bruising around the eyes for seven to fourteen days. “The nice thing is that while you look banged up and puffy, you really have little if any discomfort relating to the procedure,” says William J. Lipham, board certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained ophthalmic, plastic, and reconstructive surgeon with Minnesota Eye Consultants. “It’s a good sympathy surgery because it looks like you should feel miserable, but you don’t.”
Maintenance: Results should hold ten to fifteen years.
Estimated Cost: $3,000 to $5,000 (for both eyes).

Brow or Forehead Lift

How It Works: Sagging brows and deep furrows in the forehead are combated by a brow lift. Through small incisions hidden in the hairline, the muscles causing the furrows are weakened and the brow is sutured into a higher position.
Typical Patient: Men in their forties, fifties, and sixties. “Brow descent is more common in men because their brow tissue is heavier,” says Lipham.
Risks: Bleeding, scarring, infection.
Recovery Time: A week to ten days.
Maintenance: Reduces the effects of aging by ten to fifteen years, and then a patient ages normally.
Estimated Cost: $5,000.

Lip Augmentation/Enlargement

How It Works: Lips thin as we age, and “lipstick lines” form around the mouth after years of smiling, kissing, and eating. Injectable dermal fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm (collagen is a thing of the past) plump up lips and fill in wrinkles.
Typical Patient: Women eighteen and up.
Risks: Bruising and infection.
Recovery Time: Expect swelling for twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
Maintenance: Results of injections last six to nine months.
Estimated Cost: $575 per cc, with one to three ccs the norm.

Facial Implants (Chin, Cheek, Nose)

How It Works: “Chins are frequently done to balance facial features or in conjunction with a facelift to create a stronger jaw or to correct a weak chin,” says Douglas Gervais, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and co-owner of Minneapolis Plastic Surgery in Minneapolis. Cheek implants, which aren’t as common, result in higher, more defined cheekbones; nose implants reshape for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes.
Typical Patient: A mix of men and women of all ages
Risks: Infection, bleeding, damage to sensory and motor nerves in the face.
Recovery Time: Five to seven days.
Maintenance: Implants are a solid silicone material that sits on top of the bone and should last indefinitely.
Estimated Cost: $3,000 to $7,000.

Ear Surgery

Otherwise Known As: Otoplasty
How It Works: Prominent ears are set back closer to the head, while larger ears are reduced. Otoplasty requires a small incision at the back of the ear to reshape cartilage and bend it back towards the head.
Typical Patient: A balance of men and women in their teens and early twenties. “Men often have short hair, and women like to pull theirs back, so neither one is happy with prominent ears,” explains Nathan Leigh, a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and partner at Edina Plastic Surgery.
Risks: Blood clot on the ear, infection, scarring.
Recovery Time: Patients can return to work in a matter of days, but swelling can last two to three weeks.
Maintenance: Results should be permanent.
Estimated Cost: $2,500 to $3,500.

Buttock Lift

Otherwise Known As: Belt lift
How It Works: An incision in the beltline area pulls tissue up from the lateral thigh and buttock and removes excess skin and fat. This procedure is also considered an extension of abdominoplasty because it goes around the patient’s entire midsection. “People love this procedure because it gets spectacular results,” says Gervais.
Typical Patient: Men and women who have lost a significant amount of weight, women who have had several children.
Risks: Infection, bleeding, scarring, fluid buildup under tissue flaps, numbness.
Recovery Time: Two to three weeks.
Maintenance: Results should be permanent.
Estimated Cost: $12,000 to $15,000.

Tummy Tuck

Otherwise Known As: Abdominoplasty
How It Works: Fat deposits are removed and loose abdominal skin is tightened, through an incision just above the pubic area.
Typical Patient: Women who have had multiple children or people who have lost a significant amount of weight.
Risks: Permanent scarring, infection, fluid accumulation, blood clots.
Recovery Time: This procedure is extensive and requires up to eight weeks of recovery before basic functions like driving are recommended, and several months before major physical activity such as sports.
Maintenance: Skin tightening is permanent, but patients need to maintain their diet and exercise routines to sustain results.
Estimated Cost: $6,000 to $10,000.