Posted by A K on Thu, May 10, 2012 @ 03:50 PM
Spring is creeping in and its time to ditch those blazers and fall coats and embrace breezy skirts and flirty vests. Here's our lowdown on the top 5 trends of spring that you can easily incorporate into your wardrobe!
1. Neon nails: Bright nails can hinge on tacky when done terribly. Wear without adding clashing prints to your ensemble and keep neutrals heavy. Think a pretty neon green or yellow for a dash of fun!
2. Printed skirts: Summery skirts are our go-to for spring so pull out those chiffon skirts. We like bright prints and cool motifs. No logos, please! To style for the highest impact, try a slightly fitted tank or short sleeved tee in a soft jersey or high quality silk fabric (as a more high end option), tucked slightly in with wedges for the day. Perhaps add a small satchel to accessorize!
Remember the golden rule of silhouette and fit: if the top is loose, the bottom should be fitted and vice versa.
3. Bright jeans: Vibrantly colored jeans have been a consistent trend which means you're buying into something that will last you for a long time. Colors that pop include mint greens, peaches, rose pinks, lapis blue, plums, sunshine yellow and such. Throw on a graphic tee and a blazer for day + shrunken leather jacket at night and you're definitely going to master insouciant cool with that effortlessly chic look. Add combat boots and envious stares are inevitable!
4. Funky vests: Vests are an easy way to add a little zing to any outfit. Fur vests, leather vests, silk waterfall style ones, embellished ones, all work and look absolutely fabulous. They're an update on a closet staple you should definitely work on incorporating into your spring wardrobe. Throw on top of an outfit consisting of a pair of slightly frayed denim cutoffs, a breton striped tee and a vest. Maybe a fedora and some oxford shoes should give you a touch of Parisian chic.
5. Loafers: Loafers are the new ballet flat. They make you look sophisticated and fashion forward, no matter what you wear them with. Ponyhair and studded styles are the best, so try and throw those on with skinny jeans and a blazer. We love a dash of whimsy that a colorful scarf and a pair of clubmasters will add.
What are your favorite spring trends? We'd love to hear from you!
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Dr. Edward Kwak is one of Manhattan's premier facial plastic surgeons. Book your first consultation now! Call our clinic at 212.229.1100 or shoot us an email anytime at info@eskfps.com! We can't wait to hear from you.
Posted by A K on Thu, May 03, 2012 @ 05:31 AM
Another dreaded side effect of aging? Cellulite naturally redistributes to various parts such as underneath our chin, adjacent to our neckline. This are is commonly one of the first few areas where signs of aging start to appear.
Skin starts to erode by losing its much needed elasticity and the result? Sagging skin in the neck region. Neck liposuction can help effectively combat this and give you a youthful neckline you can choose to accessorize as you please to play it up and be your most attractive self.
Neck lipo effectively zones in and targets plus then sculpts the area through tiny incisions that leave no remembrance of themselves in the form of scars, etc. It tightens the overlying area and gives you a toned, sculpted neck with the sagging gone.
During your preliminary consultation with Dr. Kwak, please feel free to discuss (and we highly recommend this) your concerns, realistic expectations and thoughts because an open communication will facilitate a more satisfactory experience. After a in-depth, thorough examination, Dr. Kwak will make his recommendations based heavily on your lifestyle, concerns and such. In some cases, a facelift/necklift can be recommended by Dr. Kwak to achieve optimal results and for you to look like your most fabulous and youthful self.
Its a same day procedure. Dr. Kwak recommends using general anesthesia though sometimes, local may be used. Post the successful surgery, a pressure dressing is applied which is easily removed the next day.
After a week, most patients can get back to work. Swelling settles within 2-4 weeks.
SUITABILITY: Any man or woman of middle aged to elderly age group which starts showing sagging in the neck region due to pesky localized fat deposits (which the laser in the lipo targets) or loose skin. Many prefer this procedure to the facelift because they then don't have to go through a full on major surgery and can have an at part result. Its significantly less invasive than a facelift and results in less post-surgery swelling and bruising.
Dr. Kwak is Manhattan's premier facial plastic surgeon. Book your first consultation now!
Posted by A K on Fri, Apr 06, 2012 @ 08:24 AM
After a point, we can no longer avoid the cropping up of those pesky wrinkles. You want to look more youthful and less tired but you're apprehensive about surgery. Well, you now have another effective option! Ultherapy is a non-invasive, non-surgical ultrasound procedure to take care of those wrinkles and that droopiness.
Its a quick 30-60 minute treatment for your face and neck and is essentially a lunchtime procedure. Its fast, efficient and highly effective.
The procedure is as follows: A smooth applicator that's carefully placed on your skin produces an onscreen image that helps Dr. Kwak quantitatively understand where the energy needs to be directed and at which tissue areas. Its then used to project low levels of focused heat below the skin, leaving the surface undisturbed. The skin's response stimulates the effective growth of new collagen. Gradual tightening and firming is clearly visible, eventually leading to a natural lift in skin.
The fact that Ultherapy treats not only treats the skin but also targets and deals with the underlying foundational support tissues in precise and highly accurate manner, ensures satisfying and long term results.
As usual, we want to provide you with all the possible resources you might need to research and make an informed decision. Make sure to download an Ultherapy patient guide, watch Ultherapy videos and read about what to expect after the procedure. Also do check out Dr. Kwak's answers to Ultherapy FAQs on RealSelf.com here. For images of before and after shots, click here.
Dr. Edward Kwak is one of Manhattan's premier facial plastic surgeons. Book your first consultation today!
Posted by A K on Fri, Mar 30, 2012 @ 03:42 PM
Ageing is an inevitable part of life and in this process, our facial and neck region undergoes some predictable changes. The most prominent of which are sagging of the skin around the eyes, neck and such and the development of those pesky wrinkles. This may cause self esteem to lower and facelifts - a successful cosmetic surgery procedure that essentially removes excess facial skin by tightening the underlying tissues and redrapes the skin on the problem areas. It addresses the changes by consistently improving and tightening the sagging neckline and jawline to achieve a more youthful appearance and lead you to look more energized, fresh and young.
Its important to be fully open about your expectations with your surgeon. Communication is vital - talk about the possible side effects, what you realistically hope to achieve after the procedure, etc. As for the age when this sort of procedure is appropriate - it varies depending on a variety of factors, ranging from personal preference and esteem to even race. For example, caucasians typically tend to age faster because their skin is thinner.
Make sure your expectations are realistic. Its important to use the procedure to achieve subtle and tasteful changes for a more elegant and graceful appearance. It maintains an air of naturalness and effortlessness.
You can undergo the procedure while having other facial rejuvenation procedures done. One of the major considerations are the mark it leaves behind your hairline where the incision is made. Dr Kwak is one of the rare few doctors who has mastered the inconspicuous facelift incision so both men and women are able to wear their hair short (for men) and back (for women) without worrying about any visible signs of surgery.
Book a consultation now with Dr. Edward Kwak, one of Manhattan's premier facial plastic surgeons - he will do a thorough examination during which time you will also be asked to freely voice your facial appearance concerns and so on. Additionally, you will be asked to quantitatively state your medical history and medications. You will get to see various examples and reccomendations. He may also recommend other facial rejuvenation procedures that complement a facelift to achieve optimal results wherever suitable.
If you have any other questions, we're always happy to answer! Leave a comment, tweet at us or simply post on our Facebook page!
Posted by A K on Tue, Mar 06, 2012 @ 09:55 AM
Beauty, or at the very least our culturally defined idea of conventional beauty has always been closely linked to the nose. The history of beauty is also the history of the structured nose. You can look at anyone from Clara Bow or the silent heroines to Marilyn Monroe to the "beauties" of today like Marion Cotillard. The resounding similarity remains the small, regular shaped nose.
Of course, there are exceptions. If you look at high fashion models, supermodels, it's a different story. But then high fashion is a different animal - it lays more emphasis on the relative "quirkiness" of the model's features and what sets her apart (see Karlie Kloss, Lara Stone, Daria Werbowy, etc).
Everybody wants to look attractive. And yes, we'd all love to say "everybody's different so uniqueness should be valued" and that's a beautiful concept but how many of us actually live by that mantra? We still strive to look like say, Halle Berry. And everything about an It Girl's look is achievable, from the makeup to the hair and the clothes except for you got it, the nose. Because the nost will remain staid on your face. Its what all your features revolve around.
You'll see girls with gorgeous eyes or beautiful full lips but they still seem sort of ordinary looking because of say, a slightly crooked or large nose. Why the obsessive focus on the nose? Why does it change the way your face looks so drastically? After all, people who have a nice nose can get away with thin lips or average eyes (see Blake Lively - another example of a great rhinoplasty job). But someone with beautiful features but a less than desirable nose can look plain. Its because the nose is the central feature of the face. Its what changes the structure and appearance of the face most significantly and measurably. All the other features are just understudies, the supporting cast. They can certainly add to your look but can't make or break it.
What do you guys think? As always we're open to tweets, facebook posts, comments and we endeavor to reply to each!
Dr. Edward Kwak is Manhattan's premier facial plastic surgeon. He specializes in rhinoplasty and corrective rhinoplasty. Book a consultation now!
Posted by A K on Mon, Feb 27, 2012 @ 02:59 PM
Botox is probably the most common form of non-invasive cosmetic procedure you've all heard of. Nobody likes looking aged or have those pesky wrinkles & lines show in such an abundantly clear fashion.
Maybe you don't have a problem with wrinkles, in which case - more power to you! But if you do and they make you feel worse about yourself, getting a quick Botox procedure done is effective and will make a real change towards making you look more youthful.
Caucasians' skin generally tends to age faster and Asians much slower. Why? Because as Dr. Kwak stresses, patients of Scandinavian descent who have thin & fair skin age faster than their Asian or African American counterparts who have thicker skin. Genetics also, predictably, plays an overriding role. More often than not, environmental factors have a bearing on what your skin ultimately looks like for example extent of sun exposure or stimulants like smoking. So slather on that sunscreen, you may not notice a different at 20 but you will at 45! It may seem inconvenient and annoying but its definitely going to serve you well in the long run. Smoking in general is a harmful activity and it similarly contributes in an overwhelmingly negative fashion to your skin.
A common misconception is that only women get the procedure which is completely wrong. More and more men, not just male celebrities, are undergoing the procedure just because even men want to look like their most youthful self!
Wrinkles are most commonly visible ("dynamic wrinkles") in the areas of your face that have prominent and prolonged facial activity as for example - around the eyes, between brows, on the forehead, etc.
Here's what you need to know: Botox is essentially a trade name for botulinum toxin A. What it does is it blocks or weakens the signals that would typically make your muscles contract. Its a purified protein produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. Its safe because its non - invasive/ non - surgical that temporarily reduces moderate to severe frown lines. So what Dr. Kwak would do is inject a few tiny doses of BOTOX® into the muscles that directly cause these cumbersome lines. So why would you want to inject a botulinum toxin injected into your face? Because, simply put, if an area of your body can't move, it can't wrinkle.
No recovery time required and estimated time? A quick 10 minutes. Results vary and can last upto 4 months.
We do want to clear up that in some cases there may be side effects: The most common side effects include headache, respiratory infection, flu syndrome, temporary eyelid droop, and nausea.
Its also one of the most affordable facial cosmetic procedures which is of course, always a plus point. For a detailed and remarkably in-depth FAQ on Botox, please see Dr Kwak's page on it here. On how Dr. Kwak, New York's premier facial plastic surgeon can assist you in skin treatments, click here.
Next up: we're going to be doing a post on celebrities who've had the procedure! Watch this space.
Dr Edward Kwak is New York's premier facial plastic surgeon. Book your first consultation now!
Posted by A K on Fri, Feb 17, 2012 @ 12:10 PM
So you've made the jump and decided to go ahead with a procedure, be it reconstructive or cosmetic. Maybe you want to improve your facial symmetry and have decided to undergo a rhinoplasty or maybe the age lines are beginning to show, prompting you to sign up for a botox treatment. Perhaps after deliberation you've decided on an Asian eyelid surgery or like many celebrities and well known faces today, you just to improve your appearance to boost your self esteem and feel better about yourself - consequently improve relationships and performance in everyday life. Either way, if this is your first plastic surgery, preparedness is everything. Its imperative not just to be astutely aware and have realistic expectations going in - its also important to have a smooth and open communication with your doctor. Additionally, do your homework - a little basic research is always smart. The following are some start up questions to definitely ask your doc:
- Are you a board certified plastic surgeon? Please elaborate.
- What procedures do you perform most frequently/have been performing for the longest period?
- Approximately how many times have you performed [Insert name of particular surgery you want to undergo]?
- For how many years have you been performing plastic (be it cosmetic or reconstructive) surgery? That is to say, exclusively?
- Do you think I'm a good candidate for the procedure I'm going for?
- Please elaborate on the procedure, risks, side effects in addition to the possible complications (and how to best limit the chance of these occuring).
- Please detail about recovery time for this procedure.
- May I please view some before & after photographs of patients who've undergone the same procedure under your care?
- Is your medical license in good standing in the state where you practice?
- Have you ever had your medical license suspended or revoked? Are you on probation?
- What are your credentials and educational qualifications?
- Have you had to settle any medical malpractice or negligence lawsuits in the state?
- What is the extent of your training in plastic surgery?
- Where can I get more information on your practice on? Do you have a website or any social media accounts I can reference at home with my family?
- Do you have hospital privileges to perform the procedure I'm currently inquiring about?18
- Please tell me more about the facility: is it state accredited or perhaps a nationally recognized agency and where is it located?
- Have you ever been disciplined by the Board of Medicine in the state where you practice or anywhere else? Have you ever practiced in another state?
- Are you being treated for drug and/or alcohol abuse?
These are just a few basic, generalized questions to jump off the page with. Personalized questions should come after the primary consultations and can be numerous and diverse depending on the person and the procedure. Keep this checklist and go from there! If you have any more questions, feel free to comment below, tweet or write on our facebook wall! We're always happy to help and available to offer insight and valuable advice.
Dr. Edward Kwak is New York's premier board certified plastic surgeon. He specializes in facial cosmetic surgeries. To book your first consultation, click here! If you're an out-of-town patient, arrange for an online consultation here.
