ABDOMINOPLASTY -- Abdominoplasty is an operation to remove excess skin and fatty tissue from the abdomen and to tighten the muscles of the abdominal wall. It is commonly referred to as a "tummy tuck".

BARIATRIC SURGERY -- Surgery performed on patients who are morbidly obese to promote weight loss. Usually a type of gastro-intestinal by-pass is performed which reduces absorption of digested foods thereby resulting in weight loss.

BARIATRIC PLASTIC SURGERY -- A new subspecialty of plastic surgery that deals with the problems of patients after massive weight loss. It addresses such issues as the marked redundancy or excess abdominal wall tissue as well as the extreme skin excesses of the thighs, arms, breasts, etc.

BLEPHAROPLASTY -- Blepharoplasty is an aesthetic operation to remove excess skin and fatty tissue from the upper and/or lower eyelids.

BOTOX® Cosmetic -- A neurotoxin derived from the bacterium Clostridia Botulinum. Its cosmetic use is to temporarily paralyze or to weaken overactive muscles of facial expression such as the glabella frown lines, "crow's feet" and droopy eyebrows. The improvement is temporary and usually lasts 3-4 months.

BRACHIOPLASTY - A surgical procedure used to remove the excess skin and fatty tissue of the upper arms. In mild cases of skin/fat excess, liposuction may be quite effective as the primary treatment. In patients with marked excess of tissue or mostly loose skin, a resection or excisional procedure is often best. The disadvantage of any surgery is the resultant scar.

BREAST AUGMENTATION -- Breast augmentation is an operation in which silicone or saline filled implants are placed beneath the breast tissue or pectoralis muscle to increase the size and projection of the breasts.

BROWLIFT -- A brow lift or forehead lift is an operation that repositions and elevates droopy eyebrows and hooding of the eyelids by removal of excess tissue. It is also a method to reduce the wrinkles and furrows of the forehead.

CHEMICAL PEEL -- A procedure in which low concentrations of an acid solution are applied to the skin to remove the thin surface layers of aged and sun damaged skin from the face or other parts of the body. Trichloroacetic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, resorcinol and carbolic acid are some of the more common acid solutions used in this treatment.

COLLAGEN -- Collagen is a normal body protein and it is a component of skin and soft tissues of the body. Collagen injectable is a synthetic form of this protein made from cows in a laboratory and patented by the Collagen Corporation. The purification process creates an injectable form of collagen similar to the human protein. The trade names for this product are Zyderm and Zyplast and it is used as a tissue filler to treat wrinkles and skin furrows or acne.

DERMABRASION -- A surgical procedure to remove the epidermis and superficial layer of the dermis of the skin in order to smooth irregularities and to camouflage scarring.

ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY -- Operations which are performed through very small skin incisions using equipment such as a fiber optic light source and video camera to visualize the surgery on a video monitor. The surgery is performed though the tiny incisions using specialized instruments. In plastic surgery such operations may include, forehead lift, face lift, mid-face lift, breast augmentation and hand surgery.

EYELID PTOSIS -- The word ptosis means to droop or to sag. This is a condition of the upper eyelid drooping in relation to the pupil of the eye. It may be congenital, acquired, unilateral or bilateral.

FACIAL IMPLANTS -- These are synthetic materials designed to improve or to enhance contour deformities of the face. The implants are made of materials which are compatible with human tissues and are used most often to augment the chin, cheek or jaw.

GYNECOMASTIA -- Any type of benign enlargement of the male breast that may be due to a combination of glandular and fatty tissue. Most often it refers to the persistence of enlarged breast tissue after puberty. There are a variety of causes some endocrine and others exogenous that may contribute to this condition.

HYLAFORM -- A soft tissue filler manufactured by the Inamed corporation composed mainly of Hyaluronic acid and very similar to Restalyne in its actions and properties.

LASER SURGERY -- Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. In laser surgery, light energy is used to treat certain conditions of the skin in a controlled fashion. Such problems as skin wrinkles, fine capillaries or spider veins, birth marks, brown spots and tattoos may be successfully treated using a particular laser machine.

LIPOSUCTION -- Liposuction (saline assisted lipoplasty) is a surgical procedure in which fat is removed from the subcutaneous areas of the body. A small cannula is inserted beneath the skin and the fatty tissue is removed by a suction machine.

MASTOPEXY -- An operation designed to restore sagging or droopy breasts to their former appearance. It involves recontouring or reshaping the breast by moving the breast tissue and nipple/areolar complex to a higher position on the chest wall. If there is a need to increase breast volume then a small breast implant may be placed beneath the breast at the same time.

MENTOPLASTY -- An operation to correct underdevelopment of the chin or to treat a receding chin. Most often a small implant of synthetic material such as proplast or silicone is placed beneath the skin at the tip of the chin to increase its projection.

OBAGI -- A skin care company based in California that has developed the Nu-derm System for skin restoration and rejuvenation. It is an at home system that includes a cleanser, Tretinoin, an ex-foliant, sun block, bleaching cream, Hydroquinone and moisturizer to improve the quality and appearance of sun-damaged and aging skin.

OTOPLASTY -- An operation to reshape the ear and to reposition it in a less protruding appearance.

RADIESSE -- A long-lasting soft-tissue skin filler composed of calcium hydroxy-apatite in gelatinous microspheres. Injections require a local anesthetic and it is most useful for the naso-labial skin creases, depression irregularities around the corners of the mouth and chin, etc. Its beneficial effect can last 1-2 years.

RESTALYNE -- A type of injectable skin filler that is derived from hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring complex sugar found in all living cells and in people it is also found between in tissues between collagen and elastin fibers. Restalyne is a synthetic product made by the Inamed Corporation and is used by plastic surgeons to correct skin wrinkles and furrows by injecting it into the skin defect. Its effect is temporary.

RHINOPLASTY -- An operation on the nose done primarily to realign a nose or correct a nasal deformity.

RHYTIDECTOMY -- An operation commonly called a facelift in which the appearance of the face and neck are improved by removing excess skin and tightening the underlying muscles. In addition, subcutaneous fat may be removed and the sagging tissue is then suspended in a more youthful position.

SCAR REVISION SURGERY -- This is surgery that is done to improve the appearance of a scar on the face or body. This surgery may be done to treat hypertrophic or keloid scars as well as scars causing a contracture (restriction of movement).

SCULPTRA -- A long-acting skin filler composed of poly-L-lactic acid and used to treat deep facial skin creases and wrinkles.

SEPTOPLASTY -- An operation performed to treat breathing difficulties. It corrects a deviated nasal septum which is the internal partition between the right and left nasal airways. A deviated septum may obstruct breathing and this operation repositions the septum to correct this problem. Oftentimes it is combined with a rhinoplasty operation which is done for cosmetic improvement in the appearance of the nose.

SKIN FILLER -- An artificial substance usually injected into a wrinkle or skin depression to correct the deformity. Examples would include -- collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxapatite, poly-L-Lactic acid, etc.

THERMAGE -- A method using a radiofrequency device to treat laxity of the skin of the face and neck. It supposedly works by delivering heat energy to the subcutaneous tissues without injuring the skin. The heat in turn causes collagen shrinkage and new collagen deposition. The efficacy of this treatment is being evaluated.

TRAM FLAP -- A type of breast reconstruction operation during which tissue from the lower abdomen is shifted to the breast area in patients who have had a mastectomy. The tissue shifted is normally the same tissue that is removed in a "tummy tuck" operation.

TRANSCONJUNCTIVAL BLEPHAROPLASTY -- A type of blepharoplasty operation on the lower eyelid in which the skin, muscle and orbital septum are left alone. Instead an incision is made inside the eyelid in the conjunctiva to remove fatty bags around the lower eyelid.

TUMESCENT LIPOSUCTION -- A technique of liposuction in which a carefully prepared fluid mixture containing saline solution, a local anesthetic and adrenaline is first injected into the area where fat is to be removed and then the removal of both fat and fluid is performed with the suction machine.

ULTRASONIC LIPOSUCTION -- A technique of liposuction in which the fatty tissue to be removed is first emulsified by sound waves before aspirating the fatty tissue in the traditional manner with a suction machine and cannulae.