Houston Plastic Surgery Leads the Nation

So, why does Houston lead the nation in plastic surgery? One of the answers must be because of the stellar medical schools located in Houston, including the Baylor College of Medicine. As part of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, Baylor is the only private medical school in the southwest and the number one medical school in Houston.

Newer and Gentler Techniques
A good number of Houston residents are also fortunate enough to have the sort of disposable income that allows them to opt for cosmetic surgery. These people also demand the best plastic surgery performed by top-ranked doctors. This causes the doctors to be up to date with the latest techniques and technologies when it comes to the field of plastic surgery.

Liposuction
Indeed, there have been many advances in cosmetic surgery over the past twenty years or so. Liposuction is a procedure that has been refined over time. Before, a dermatologist would insert a cannula into the area where fat needed to be removed. This could be the abdomen, the thighs, the buttocks or the upper arms. The procedure did remove fat, but it also tore up blood vessels, nerve cells, and connective tissue at the same time. This caused a great deal of bruising and make complications more likely to occur. Now, the operation is considerably gentler. First, the fat is liquefied with a laser, then removed. The technique not only makes it easier to remove the fat but also stimulates the body into making more collagen, which makes the skin tight and elastic. Another technique floods the area with a saline solution, which also makes the fat cells easier to suction out of the body and also spares the tissue around it.

Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers have also been developed over the years and are a popular type of Houston plastic surgery. Dermal fillers are used to plump out wrinkles and furrows, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles. They’re also used to plump out areas of the fact that the patient believes are too thin, like the lips. These dermal fillers use substances like hyaluronic acid, bovine collagen, and calcium hydroxyapatite.

Microdermabrasion
Other improved cosmetic procedures embraced by Houston cosmetologists include dermabrasion techniques. Microdermabrasion is an alternative to the sometimes harsh and painful traditional dermabrasion techniques. In this technique, the skin is blasted with crystals of baking soda or diamond dust to remove just the top layer of skin, which is made up of dead cells. In a further refinement of microdermabrasion, the patient is spared inhaling the crystals by a vacuum tube that sucks up both the skin cells and the crystals at the same time the microdermabrasion is taking place.