How did plastic surgery get a bad rap?
Easy answer. A lot of high profile cases of bad plastic surgery. That usually meant too much.
How did that happen (unofficial question: whose fault is that?)? Well, a combination of client who can’t stop and doctor who can’t say no — we’ve all seen the results of that.
So, the general view of “plastic surgery” then is that it’s something designed to make you look younger… gone awry.
But Dr. Julius Few says no. More accurately, no to the goal being to look younger.
On a recent visit to New York City, the Chicago plastic surgeon told me,
“I don’t think aging is a bad thing.”
This might seem a little unusual from someone whose profession tends to depend on an anti-aging aesthetic. But Dr. Few, whose extensive experience includes training at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, the University of Michigan Medical Center, and Northwestern University, where he is now an Associate Clinical Professor, as well as serving as a clinical associate for the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Chicago and director of the Cosmetic Rotation, has developed his own approach.
“News” stories like Demi Moore, above, serve as office talking points when they discuss the goals of cosmetic procedures. A more strategic approach “is where I live,” he said.
Often, Dr. Few said, the challenge is striking a balance between a patient’s expectations with budget and recovery time, among other factors. For instance, if the concern is tired eyes, softening the lines and tightening and strengthening the skin is more in keeping with his approach than say, changing the shape of the eye.
I was oddly comforted to discover that he was a proponent of Ultherapy and knew NY plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew White as they had both been involved in early clinical trials of the ultrasound treatment that tightens skin from deep within. And that he credits fellow Chicago plastic surgeon Dr. David Teplica, whom we often use here on SGS as a resource for men’s aesthetic procedures, for tipping the scales in his “choosing plastics back in medical school.”
I was also surprised to find that I had been a fan of one of his skin care products without even making the connection. But the Weekly Mini-Peel Brightener Lite ($75) has become a staple in my skin care regimen because I love the textured pads (soaked in a cocktail of phytic, lactic and azaleic acids). The at-home treatment helps boost cell turnover and claims to instantly brighten skin — it does.
Dr. Few’s skin care line helps support his ongoing aesthetic he calls the Continuum of Beauty, a life-long approach of preserving individuality with the goal of natural-looking results through a mix of cutting-edge surgical and nonsurgical treatments. I happen to think this is a trend that will continue to grow.
