Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Doctor For Faces Discusses ALL of the Facts and None of the Hype

Many people believe that they should wait until some arbitrary age to have cosmetic surgery. However, according to Dr. Harold J. Kaplan — The Doctor For Faces, early intervention allows for longer lasting results since underlying muscles and tissues are likely to be more resilient. Another benefit to addressing concerns as they arise is that less pronounced problems usually require less extensive solutions. The most valuable benefit of early intervention is that you can feel good about yourself and enjoy your improved appearance sooner.


Have friends or co-workers or family members mentioned that you look tired or angry when you’re not? Heavy eyelids, under eye bags and a sagging brow can create that impression. To achieve a more refreshed or alert look, Dr. Kaplan subtly repositions the brow and when indicated, corrects droopy upper eyelids and lower eyelid bags. Dr. Kaplan has modified these surgical techniques so that they are minimally invasive with a quick recovery time.

Do you have concerns that your chin seems to be disappearing or that you are developing jowls or a “wattle?” As we age, the skin and muscles of the neck and jaw line become lax, causing skin wrinkling and excess folds. In some people, loss of bone density of the jaw exacerbates the problem due to a lack of bony support. These factors contribute to a blurring of the jaw line and a loss of definition of the jaw-neck angle. Additionally some people, including many thin people, accumulate excess fat beneath the chin.

Several procedures correct symptoms of aging in the neck and lower facial area that give more striking definition to the jaw line, eliminate jowls, correct a sagging neck and smooth facial grooves. Localized liposuction and/or submental repair possibly combined with a chin or cheek implant are minimally invasive procedures that can help to reestablish a normal neck contour and jaw line. If the problem is more advanced, a mini-lift, full face lift and/or neck lift is likely to be necessary. When done in conjunction with a face lift, extra skin can be reshaped by uplifting and smoothing it over newly-tightened neck muscles.

Dr. Kaplan is often asked if surgery is the only option for improving one’s appearance.
The answer depends on the results that you’d like to achieve. There are several non-surgical procedures available that improve one’s appearance without surgery and with little or no downtime. Botox® and the injectable fillers Radiesse™, Restylane®, Perlane® and Juvederm™ temporarily, yet effectively, reduce lines and wrinkles. The MicroLaserPeel™ precisely removes the outermost layers of the skin to successfully treat skin conditions such as wrinkles, laxity, scars, and texture or pigmentation problems. The greater the skill and experience of the person performing these procedures, the better the results are likely to be.

Many other non-invasive and non-surgical procedures that are hyped in the media often promise more than they deliver and have not proven to be effective. Dr. Kaplan says, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you will likely be disappointed.” Unfortunately, if your concerns are about sagging skin or the need to recontour facial features, surgery is the most effective option. And surgical results are the most significant and longest lasting. Since all plastic surgeons do not have the same training and experience, common sense says it’s best to go to a specialist with the most experience in the procedure(s) that you are considering. Facial plastic surgeons, like Dr. Kaplan, are super-specialists in cosmetic procedures of the face and neck since the breadth and depth of their experience is exclusively in those procedures.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit Dr. Kaplan’s website at www.thedoctorforfaces.com or call his office 310-378-3444.

Cooking In Style!

Designing a Kitchen That's Right for You

Was your family’s lifestyle a consideration when your home’s kitchen was designed? For homeowners that inherited their kitchen, customizing it requires a remodel. In fact, enlisting a professional kitchen designer to help you meet your needs will pay off for years to come. They will examine how you use your kitchen and help manage your budget and deliver a superior kitchen layout.

Cabinet suppliers and refacers will want to simply replace your current cabinets – without improving your kitchen’s functionality. You are left with an outdated kitchen layout. A professional kitchen designer, however, will improve your design by first considering your family’s lifestyle.

1. A family where both partners work and cook less often will not require a large oven/stove space. Their kitchen would become more of an area to reconnect at the end of the day, providing more workspace between the microwave and the refrigerator (their two most used appliances).

2. A family that has two or more chefs will need more space. In fact, some require a space for kids to help prepare daily meals or lunches. A suitable design for that family maximizes the countertop space to create elbow room for each chef around each major appliance.

3. A gourmet cook will want to utilize the full technology that today’s kitchens offer. A professional designer will efficiently integrate all the possibilities into an aesthetic presentation that looks beautiful and makes cooking a pleasure.


The Kitchen Warehouse is L.A.’s largest cabinet showroom with over 30 kitchens on display and 13 major manufacturer lines (providing hundreds of cabinet styles). Their 8 full-time professional designers are trained to design and display your new kitchen on their computer. You can visit their beautiful 8,000 square foot showroom located at 2149 West Washington Blvd. in L.A., off the Santa Monica Freeway at Western Ave. To schedule an appointment, you can call 323-734-1696 or visit their website at www.thekitchenwarehousela.com.

The Green Seal Choice

The Perfect Choice for Environmentally Conscious Consumers

The true test of a company’s integrity today is how environmentally conscious they operate. With many companies looking to maximize their bottom line, it is refreshing to see companies like Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors who put the environment up at the top of their list. Adams chose to sell the Renewal by Andersen® replacement window line after he learned about their Green Seal Certification. According to Adams, “ Choosing the Renewal by Andersen window line was a no-brainer. Everyone knows that they make a superior product and have a 100-year-old company behind them. So it didn’t surprise me that this is the only replacement window product that carries the green seal certification. What could be more perfect for our environmentally conscious Californians who also demand a great looking window product?”

The Renewal by Andersen line was awarded the Green Seal Certification for many reasons. All of the wood fibers used in the compounding process, as well as some of the thermoplastic polymer are reclaimed directly from the 65-acre Andersen Corporation manufacturing plant operations in Bayport Minnesota. In addition to the manufacturing benefits of the Renewal product, the use of their patented Fibrex material is an excellent insulator preventing heat or cold transfer into or out of your home to maximize energy efficiency.

As a consumer, you have the right to research and get a clear understanding of how your purchase of items can affect the environment. One way to determine if a product is environmentally responsible is to look to see if the product you are buying is Green Seal Certified. The Green Seal organization is an independent non-profit dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services. The Green Seal mission is to achieve a more sustainable world by promoting environmentally responsible production, purchasing and products.

Green Seal certification ensures that a product meets rigorous science-based environmental leadership standards. This gives manufacturers the assurance to back up their claims and purchasers confidence that certified products are better for human health and the environment. To find out if a product you want to purchase has been green seal certified, visit
www.greenseal.org.

For more information about the Renewal by Andersen Windows, contact Clark Adams Co. Windows and Doors at 310-214-2222 or visit their showrooms at 2411 Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach or 23841 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance. Please visit www.clarkadams.com.