How to Get Thin by the New Year

Give Yourself the Gift of Fat Loss For Christmas– 

Thanksgiving has past, Hanukkah is here, and Christmas is only a few weeks away. And, as always, the goal for the upcoming New Year is to “get thin” – or at least lose the extra fat that many of us accumulated during 2020 and 2021.

But, we all know that dieting and exercise is just not an effective or easy way to “get thin quick” or “lose fat fast.” The good news is that Detroit area board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ali offers three highly effective procedures to remove unwanted fat without restricting calories or working out. He has helped hundreds of women and men in the greater Detroit area get the body they want with  a wide variety of procedures to remove fat and inches from almost every area of the body, including: liposuction, CoolSculpting, tummy tucks and more.

In this article we discuss the time-frames of the most popular body sculpting and fat loss procedures available at AMAE Plastic Surgery and Med Spa in the Detroit area.

How Long Do Liposuction Results Take?

Liposuction delivers visible results the “fastest” of the most common body sculpting procedures.

Tumescent liposuction is the newest generation liposuction procedures, which uses a “micro-cannula” (tiny tube) to suck out the fat. Tumescent liposuction only involves one procedure and significantly less swelling and “downtime” than older liposuction techniques.

As the swelling goes down (after the first few days up to about 4 to 6 weeks) the liposuction results become visible. Because the fat has been surgically “sucked out” and does not have to be eliminated by the body, the results are immediate – though only visible post-swelling.

Your recovery period will depend on how extensive the procedure was, how much fat was removed, your age, your general health, etc. But in most cases the swelling will subside, and substantial results will be visible in 4 to 6 weeks.

So, if you are hoping for visible results by New Years, early December is the time to book your liposuction appointment!! Additionally, because liposuction requires a few days to a week or so of downtime, many people find that the Christmas Break is a great time to schedule their liposuction procedure. But hurry, these appointments always go fast!

How Long Do CoolSculpting Results Take?

Like liposuction, CoolSculpting can remove stubborn areas of fat that resist diet and exercise – but it is not a weight loss tool.

CoolSculpting is non-surgical and non-invasive – giving it the advantage of having virtually no “downtime” and no period of recovery. However, CoolSculpting, involves multiple treatments.

Patients typically begin to see results within 4-5 weeks, although it may take 3 to 6 months to deliver complete and final results.

So, while CoolSculpting is less invasive, less uncomfortable, and has less downtime, seeing results takes more treatments – and the results take much longer to be visible.

If you book a CoolSculpting appointment in December, you will likely see some – but not complete – results by New Years day. 

How Long Do Tummy Tuck Results Take?

A tummy tuck (also called abdominoplasty) is a more invasive procedure than liposuction or CoolSculpting. A tummy tuck tightens “flabby” skin and loose muscle, while liposuction or CoolSculpting only remove excess fat.

Immediately following your tummy tuck, loose, sagging skin will be gone – but some swelling will continue. Gradually the swelling decreases over a period of several weeks, revealing the firm, tight skin and muscles.

A tummy tuck typically requires general anesthesia. An incision is made across the lower in order to remove excess abdominal skin and tighten the abdominal muscles. This does result in a longer recovery time and more intense discomfort. So, once again, if your job offers you time off over the holiday, it can be an ideal time to consider a tummy tuck.

Scheduling a tummy tuck in early December will reveal a tighter abdomen by New Years.  But, realistically, because it is a more invasive surgery, it will be late January before complete results of your tummy tuck will be visible. Additionally, if you elect to have a tummy tuck during the holidays – care must be taken not to “overdo it” during your recovery period. Let Santa do the lifting and delivering of packages, while you sit back and sip a hot cocoa!

Best Detroit Area Liposuction Surgeon

Dr. Ali has helped hundreds of women and men across the greater Detroit area get the body they want with liposuction, CoolSculpting, tummy tucks, and other non-invasive, minimally-invasive and surgical procedures. He will be happy to offer you a consultation to help you understand your options and results time-frame, so you can choose the best procedure for your goals.

Give yourself the Christmas gift of fat loss and get the body you have always wanted. And remember, financing options are also available!

Detroit Area Liposuction Consultation: 248-335-7200

Hormone Replacement for Menopause

Hormone Replacement Helps Treat Symptoms of Menopause – 

Menopause is the end of a woman’s reproductive cycle. The average age for the onset of menopause is 51. But menopause can actually occur as early as the late 30’s – or as late as the early 6os. Leading up to menopause, a woman’s ovaries begin producing fewer and fewer hormones.

Hormones regulate virtually every aspect of our bodies, from metabolism and weigh gain, to skin health, sleep patterns and sex drive. So, the decreased hormones of menopause can cause a wide variety of changes or symptoms in a woman’s body.

Symptoms and side effects of menopausal hormone decline can include: hot flashes, sleep disruption, low libido, vaginal pain and dryness, urinary incontinence, weight gain, mood swings, bone density loss (osteoporosis), and more. In short, menopause can be very unpleasant.

But, the good news is that replacing declining hormones during menopause with bioidentical hormone replacement pellets can offer lasting relief from these difficult and often painful symptoms.

Hormone Replacement Reduces Menopause Symptoms

Hormone replacement therapy is considered the most effective treatment for symptoms of estrogen decline, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and pain or discomfort during intercourse.

Doctors also generally recommend low dose estrogen replacement for women who have had a hysterectomy, or a a bilateral oophorectomy (removal of the uterus and ovaries). Estrogen comes in different forms. The daily pill and patch are the most popular, but the hormone also is available in a vaginal ring, gel, or spray.

The estrogen decline or imbalance of menopause is also associated with osteoporosis, breast cancer, and heart disease. But research indicates that hormone replacement offers improved bone strength, heart and artery protection, and even helps guard against cognitive decline during aging, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Why You Should Use Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement

Remaining healthy well after menopause depends on many factors including lifestyle and heredity. But, just as we supplement the body with vitamins and minerals to stay healthy, it also makes sense to replenish the necessary hormones that are missing from the body.

And, the best, most natural method of replacing deficient hormones is with Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) Pellets.

A single pellet implant in our office steadily and and consistently releases low doses of hormones for 3 to 6 months. And, unlike synthetic hormones that are made in a lab, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) pellets consist of hormones extracted from 100% natural sources.  These bioidentical hormones replicate the exact molecular structure of the human body’s naturally produced hormones.

And, unlike hormone pills that put you on a daily roller coaster of hormone ups and downs, time-released pellets deliver hormones the way your body does – gradually and consistently over time from within the body. Additionally, unlike oral pills, messy creams and unsightly patches, there are no pills to remember daily, and no messy creams or ugly patches to remember to apply.

Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Safe for Menopause?

The North American Menopause Society, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and The Endocrine Society have all taken the position that most healthy women can use hormone therapy for relief of their menopause symptoms.

Previously there were concerns that taking estrogen alone increased a woman’s risk for uterine cancer. However, taking progesterone hormones combined with estrogen greatly reduces this risk. This is important because, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 years old will experience a broken bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. Other estimates put the risk as high as 1 on 2, or 50% of all women over 50.

So, the importance of reversing the risk of an osteoporosis, as well as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and other life-threatening conditions cannot be understated.

Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause – Birmingham, MI

Hormone replacement therapy has been proven effective for decades for reducing the symptoms of menopause like painful sex, mood swings and hot flashes. BHRT pellets also protect post- menopausal women from the dangers of fractured bones, heart disease and cognitive decline.

If you and your doctor believe hormone replacement therapy is the right treatment for you, BHRT pellets offer the safest, most consistent, most effective and easiest to use form of hormone replacement.

Menopause Hormone Replacement Therapy – Birmingham, MI: 248.335.7200

How to Look Thinner on Zoom (Part 1)

8 Ways to Look Thinner on Zoom (Part 1) – 

There have been many surprising changes to our lifestyles during the pandemic. One of these is that many of us our finding ourselves “on camera” and being videoed for the first time in our life. And, whether we are participants or presenters in Zoom meetings, we are all becoming acutely aware that the old adage is true: “the camera adds ten pounds.”

And while some Zoom meeting just involve a few close colleagues, others are taped for broadcast, watching and re-watching company-wide. Couple this with the fact that many of us have gained a few (or fifteen) extra pounds from the more sedentary stay-at-home lifestyle of the quarantine – and both women and men are becoming increasingly concerned about looking chubby on camera.

The good news is that there are both “camera tricks” and aesthetic treatments that can make you appear slimmer on camera (and off!). In addition to using lighting, highlighting and camera angles to your advantage, Dr. Ali offers the fastest and safest aesthetic procedures for losing the “quarantine fifteen” so you look more like a celebrity – and less like a couch potato on camera.

Camera Tricks to Look Thinner in Zoom Meetings

Let’s first start with some easy “basics” here, to looking thinner on Zoom and other video platforms.

#1. Camera Placement: Make sure your camera is at eye level to look thinner.

If the camera is below you, and angled up, everyone is getting a birds-eye view of the underside of your chin. And, unless you’re a fit twenty-five year old (or George Clooney), looking up at the flesh beneath the chin is rarely a flattering angle.

#2. Body Placement: Sit at a slight angle to the camera to look thinner on Zoom.

Most people sit facing the camera directly…often leaning back slightly. This will make your face and body look wider and more square. Think “side-saddle” when sitting in your office chair, which places your body at a more slimming 45 degree angle to the camera.

And, leaning back accentuates both the belly and (double) chin. So, don’t forget to sit up straight! In addition to making you look more confident and professional, pressing the shoulders back will help elongate the neck and make the face look slimmer, too!

#3. Head Placement: Tilt the forehead slightly forward to look thinner on Zoom.

This is an old photographers’ “trick” that works equally well on Zoom and in videos, as it does in still photos. Tilting the forehead slightly forward will make the face look longer and less round. It also casts a shadow over the chin, concealing any excess fat below the jaw.

#4. Wear Dark, Fitted Clothing: Avoid vertical stripes, loud prints and baggy clothes to look thinner on Zoom.

In person, your colleagues can tell where your clothes end and you begin. But on a smaller video screen wide or loose clothes simply make your body look wide, too. Additionally, anything that draws the eye from side to side – like horizontal stripes – also makes you look bigger. And busy patterns and bright colors also draw the eye’s focus to the body.

#5. Contour with Make-Up or an Angled Beard: this reduces the chin’s appearance in women or men with “shadowing.”

For hundreds of years men have been hiding their double chins with a well-trimmed beard! The sharper the angles of the beard, the squarer the jaw will appear. Women can achieve a similar illusion of a slimmer face by creating subtle shadows around the jawline, along the sides of the face, and under the cheekbones with well-placed contouring. (see illustrations, below).

look thinner on Zoom
Women Look Thinner on Zoom with Contouring

look thinner on Zoom
Men Look Thinner on Zoom with an Angled Beard

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Aesthetic Treatments to Look Thinner on Zoom

These “tricks” can certainly help you look thinner when on camera. But the reality is, camera angles can only go so far to disguise unwanted fat on the face and body. Fortunately, there are three fast, affordable and non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures offered at AMAE Med Spa in the Detroit area that can actually permanently get rid of unwanted fat on the face and the body.

CLICK HERE to Read About 3 Fat Loss Treatments to Look Thinner on Zoom

How to Look Thinner on Zoom (Part 2)

8 Ways to Look Thinner on Zoom (Part 2) – 

In Part 1 of this Article we revealed 5 camera “tricks” that can help you look thinner when on camera, whether in Zoom meetings, Facetiming or taking Selfies. But the reality is, camera angles can only go so far to disguise unwanted fat on the face and body. Fortunately, there are three fast, affordable and non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures offered at AMAE Med Spa in the Detroit area that can actually permanently get rid of unwanted fat on the face and the body.

With non-invasive CoolSculpting for body or double chin, Kybella double chin injections, and/or liposuction, you can permanently get rid of unwanted fat so that you look great on camera … and “IRL” when things get back to normal!

Aesthetic Treatments to Look Thinner on Zoom

#1. Kybella Double Chin Injections to Look Thinner on Zoom

Kybella eliminates a double chin through a series of injections under the jaw that “dissolve” the fat cells. The destroyed fat cells are then eliminated by the body’s natural metabolic processes.

Most Kybella patients see a 50 percent fat reduction after just two sessions, and a 70 percent reduction after four Kybella treatments – meaning your face can look 70% thinner in Zoom meetings with Kybella!

kybella before & after
Kybella to Look Thinner on Zoom

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#2. CoolSculpting Fat Loss to Look Thinner on Zoom

CoolSculpting is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment that literally freezes away unwanted fat almost anywhere on the body – including the chin, for which it was recently FDA approved.

Once the fat cells are frozen and destroyed, they are gradually expelled from the body through natural elimination processes and can never come back.

Because it takes a while for the body to absorb and eliminate the frozen fat cells, CoolSculpting results take longer than liposuction to be visible – with results beginning to appear 4 to 5 weeks after treatment, and 3 to 5 months to deliver final results.

coolsculpting before- & after
CoolSculpting to Look Thinner on Zoom

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#3. Liposuction to Look Thinner on Zoom (and “IRL”!)

Liposuction offers the largest amount of fat loss with the most rapidly visible results. Liposuction can be used as a body contouring technique – safely removing up to 11 pounds of unwanted fat. It is also an ideal tool for sculpting the face, neck and double chin.

Only local anesthetic is required for modern liposuction, which is less invasive. And, unlike CoolSculpting or Kybella, liposuction requires only one treatment, and the results are visible as soon as swelling subsides!

While there is some downtime after liposuction, many patients have found that it’s an ideal time to come in for lipo – since thy can work-from-home while they are recovering … and no one will even know they had anything done.

liposuction before & after
Liposuction to Look Thinner on Zoom

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Aesthetic Treatments to Look Thinner on Zoom

It’s proven that the camera does add 10 pounds to a person’s appearance! And, in addition to being more aware of our appearance on camera thanks to increased Zoom and Facetime, many of us have packed on the “quarantine 15” due to more time snacking a home and less time being active. But whether your motivation to look thinner is Zoom meetings or “real life” board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ali has the aesthetic fat loss treatments to make your face and body look thinner, younger and more well-proportioned.

Schedule a fat loss consultation with Dr. Ali, in person or via video chat, and see which fat loss treatments will make you look like a star every day!

Aesthetic & Fat Loss Treatments: 248.335.7200

4 Reasons C02RE Laser is the Best Anti Aging Treatment

4 Reasons New C02RE Laser is the Best Anti Aging Treatment – 

Troy, MI area board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ali offers the most advanced, state-of-the-art technologies in anti aging, skin resurfacing, and wrinkle and line reduction. The newest technology in our vast array of anti aging treatments is the state-of-the-art is the CO2RE fractional CO2 laser.

This revolutionary anti aging medical procedure offers several advantages over other, older and less sophisticated laser treatments. In this article Dr. Ali explains why the CO2RE laser is the superior choice for reducing the signs of aging and achieving younger looking skin.

#1. C02RE Anti Aging Treatment Stimulates Cellular Repair

New, state-of-the-art Co2re laser technology does not just remove the top layer of skin to reduce signs of aging – it actually delivers deep laser energy into the dermis to regenerate the production new, healthy skin cells.

Collagen and elastin are the protein building blocks that form the “scaffolding” of skin cells that keep the face firm and elastic and stop it from wrinkling and sagging. But as women and men age the body produces less collagen and elastin, so the skin begins to show signs of sun damage and aging.

The CO2RE laser is a state-of-the-art anti aging fractional CO2 laser treatment, now available in the Troy, MI area at AMAE Med Spa, that delivers fractional laser waves far below the surface of the skin. This re-activates the body’s collagen production and cell renewal processes – naturally repairing skin damaging, tightening & plumping skin, and “filling in” lines and wrinkles.

#2. C02RE Laser Anti Aging Treatment is Versatile

The CO2RE provides four different treatment modes, that can be customized for each patient – to effectively treat their unique skin issues and concerns.

The Co2Re Light mode provides superficial fractional ablative treatments – removing the dead skin from the top layer (epidermis) and increasing new cell production. The Mid mode penetrates more deeply for a stronger fractional ablative effect, producing additional new skin tissue below the surface.

The Co2Re Deep mode penetrates far into the dermis (lower layer of skin) for the deepest fractional ablative effect. While the Co2Re Fusion mode delivers a unique laser scan pattern that combines treatment depths in the epidermis and dermis simultaneously.

As a result of this versatile laser technology, the Co2Re anti aging laser can simultaneously treat:

  • Age spots | dark spots | sun spots | hyperpigmentation
  • Fine lines | deep lines | wrinkles … even around the eyes and mouth
  • Hyperpigmentation | freckles | uneven skin tone
  • Leathery skin | rough skin texture
  • Loose, lax or sagging skin

#3. C02RE Laser Anti Aging Treatment is Precise

State-of-the-art CO2RE laser technology gives Dr. Ali strict control over the intensity, pattern, and depth of each treatment.  The CO2RE pinpoints specific places on your skin to treat, while leaving other healthy areas of skin alone.

This means that each treatment only targets the areas of concern, while leaving other areas of skin intact and untreated. This results in both a highly customized procedure without the collateral skin damage caused by other, less precise, lasers.

So it is far gentler and more effective than other laser ablation treatments that leave your skin completely raw and red.

#4. C02RE Laser Anti Aging Treatment is Faster

For most of skin concerns, patients only require one single CO2RE anti aging treatment. This is far more convenient than other laser anti aging treatments which may require 3 or more sessions.

Additionally, the total time it takes for patients to see results is much shorter than with any previous laser ablation technology, because there is less skin damage. Within approximately 5-7 days (lighter treatments) and 10-14 days (deeper treatments) patients begin to see visible anti aging results.

Best Laser Anti Aging Treatments – Troy, MI Area

Troy, MI area board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Ali offers the most advanced, state-of-the-art technologies in anti aging, skin resurfacing, and wrinkle and line reduction – including the new CO2RE laser.

Each CO2RE laser anti aging appointment begins with a skin consultation with Dr. Ali, so that the treatment can be customized to meet the specific aesthetic needs of each patient.

Schedule a CO2RE laser anti aging treatment – and then relax in our Troy, Mi area Med Spa, while we make you look and feel younger with an anti aging treatment that can last 10 years or longer!

Anti Aging Treatments Troy, MI Area – 248-335-7200