Frequent questions

They are two completely different substances that are frequently used to rejuvenate the face.

You should keep in mind: Botox (Botulinum toxin type A – Dysport) is above all a medicine used for various diseases and is even applied in high doses in children suffering from cerebral palsy, nerve disorders that give mobility to the face, migraine, bruxism, blepharospasm, among others. This medicine manages to weaken the muscles, which we take advantage of to reduce the depth of expression lines. In young patients, we use the baby botox modality, which consists of microdoses that are applied 2 to 3 times a year to prevent the appearance of wrinkles. In mature-aged patients, it is possible to reverse the passage of time and retard the progression of aging. The areas that we can treat with botox (Botulinum toxin type A) are:

• Frown lines
• Chicken feet
• Forehead wrinkles
• Barcode wrinkles
• Bunny Lines
• Brow lift
• Gummy Smile
• Platysmal bands (Vertical portions of muscle that form in the neck)
• Palmar, plantar and axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)
• Teeth grinding (Bruxism)
• Mandibular thinning (when there is hypertrophy of the masseter muscles)

On the other hand, hyaluronic acid: Is a substance that is normally in our body at the level of the joints and the eyeball. It is a gel with the ability to attract a large amount of water, which is why it works as a filling substance (Filler). As we age we lose fat on our faces, which is why the use of facial fillers gives your face years back. It is mainly used in:

• Nasolabial Fold Filler
• Profiling and augmentation of the lips
• Filling of the temporal region (Sag in the lateral region of the face)
• Profiling sunken cheekbones
• Chin and/or jaw augmentation
• Rhinomodeling (Improve the appearance of the nose without surgery)
• injectable photoshop
• Moisturizing damaged skin

In general terms, botox is used in the upper third of the face. Fillers are applied in the middle and lower third. Both treatments can be combined in a single session. The cost varies according to each patient and her needs.

It is a surgery that allows you to achieve a thinner face and less prominent cheeks. Bichat bags are accumulations of fat on the cheeks. Its removal is called a bichectomy. Despite being a short procedure, it must be performed by expert surgeons to avoid injury to nerves and salivary ducts. It does not leave scars, since this fat is extracted through an incision made inside the mouth. After the procedure, the patient will present mild inflammation for 2 to 3 weeks. And 48 hours of disability or rest are recommended. Not all patients are candidates for Bichectomy, a specialized facial analysis should be done to determine if you benefit from this procedure.

Now that you are a mom, you may have noticed changes in your body such as skin changes, dark circles and even a few extra kilos. Excess skin on the abdomen and sagging breasts hardly improve with diet or exercise, which is why many women resort to plastic surgery to:

• To show off a firm abdomen without stretch marks again
• Show off beautiful curves by eliminating accumulations of localized fat
• Feeling confident and secure with their body
• Improve sagging skin
• Recover the lost volume of the breasts
• Raise sagging breasts after breastfeeding

At the level of the abdomen, there is usually extra skin and stretch marks. In addition, the rectus abdominis muscles are weakened and separated, giving the abdomen a balloon appearance. Lipectomy or abdominoplasty allows the removal of excess skin and repair of these muscles, creating an “internal girdle” effect. The change in the abdomen is dramatic and will allow you to go back to wearing a two-piece bathing suit, with a pelvic scar that is hidden behind underwear.

At the level of the back and buttocks, it is possible to remove the extra fat that hides the curves of the patient, eliminate the “fat” of the bra, and remove the fat from the flanks “love handles”. This fat can be applied to the buttocks and hips using liposculpture with fat transfer (Brazilian Butt Lift BBL).

At the level of the breasts, it must be determined if the patient needs to recover the volume, in this case, we can use breast implants or fat transfer. But in some cases, it is not enough and it is necessary to remove excess skin by raising the sagging breasts, we call this procedure breast pexy (breast lift). This surgery can imply scars, which are not a whim of the surgeon, but a necessity to create a harmonious shape in the breasts.

As a plastic surgeon I have studied this subject extensively and I can assure you that the only 3 ways to increase the size of the buttocks safely are:

1. Fat Transfer: Excess fat in other parts of the body is extracted by liposuction and applied to the hip and buttocks region creating curves (liposculpture). It is not recommended for very thin or athletic patients. In the postoperative period, massages and the use of girdles are required. It may be necessary to leave a drain through which the fluids injected during surgery come out.

2. Buttock augmentation using implants: Medical-grade silicone implants are applied to give projection and volume. These implants can be round or drop-shaped. This surgery requires rest of approximately 15 days postoperatively and you can resume physical activity or gym between 4 to 6 weeks postoperatively. The result looks very natural if the appropriate implants are chosen according to the body of each patient and the intramuscular surgical technique is used.

3. Volup A (It is new and is in the initial stages of study)

Any of these options must be done in an operating room, by a certified plastic surgeon and with an anesthesiologist present. Although it sounds contradictory, the least risky way to do it is under general anesthesia. Performing these types of procedures with local anesthesia can carry greater risks. It is important to keep in mind that vitamin injections do not increase the size of the buttocks, they may improve the appearance of the skin or slightly reduce cellulite and dimples.

Frequently in uncertified places, they apply other substances (Polymers – Industrial Silicone – Hyalucorp -paraffin) and they are told that it is Vitamin C or Hyaluronic Acid. This leads to major health problems and could create deformities or chronic pain.

Remember that the application of 1cc of hyaluronic acid with sanitary registration costs approximately 850 thousand Colombian pesos (300 USD). It would be too expensive to increase the size of the buttocks with this substance and its duration of a maximum of 1 year.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me!

By protecting yourself from the sun you avoid skin cancer, wrinkles and spots. These are my tips:

• I always carry sunscreen with me. In my purse, car, office, home, etc.
• I apply cream sunscreen every morning.
• I verify that this protector has an SPF greater than 30 AND protection against UVA rays (broad spectrum).
• I reapply my protection with sunaid powders at 11 am and 2 pm.
• If you wish, you can reapply tinted sunscreen (these are sunscreens that look like makeup, they are NOT makeup with a little sunscreen).
• I use cruelty-free dermatologically tested products.
• I protect all areas exposed to the sun such as lips, ears, necks, arms, neckline, etc.
• I avoid exposing myself to the sun between 11 am and 2 pm.

The current trend for Latina women is to choose a prosthesis size that is proportional to their body. It is increasingly common to use small prostheses and many women even remove the old huge prostheses because they caused pain in the neck or back. Even so, we continue to have a strong cultural influence, and unlike other latitudes, such as Europe, here we give more importance to the upper pole of the breast, this means that we like to see volume in the neckline area while the Europeans give more importance to the lower and lateral region of the breast.

Years ago the main interest in aesthetic tourism in Colombia lay in the low costs. The devaluation of the Colombian currency explains, in part, why an international patient saves between 40 to 60% of the total cost of a procedure. Currently, patients seek us for the quality of the results and the scientific recognition of our specialists at an international level. Some procedures such as abdominal marking, TULUA-type abdominoplasty and Gluteal Fat Transfer safety protocols were developed in Colombia. With the advent of social networks, communication with international patients was facilitated. We are now facing better-informed patients with whom we can easily interact through a video call. The challenge now is to be able to educate these patients about the real expectations of surgery. What we sometimes see on social networks does not reflect the reality of the surgery process where there is inflammation or pain.

According to statistics from the ISAPS (International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) in 2017, Colombia ranked 4th in the number of plastic surgeries performed after the USA, Brazil and Mexico. However, it ranked first, along with Thailand, in the percentage of medical tourism. Of the 346,000 surgeries that were carried out in 2017, 20% were for foreign patients. The infrastructure, good results and low costs make our country the target of patients seeking plastic surgery around the world.

It is a professional skin treatment. It opens channels that allow the absorption of nutrients, moisturizers, vitamins and growth factors. It also induces your skin’s natural mechanisms to produce collagen and elastin. The substances that give it tone and firmness.
Some of its applications are:

1. Return luminosity to the skin.
2. Regularize the color.
3. Close pores.
4. Improve the appearance of acne scars.
5. Fight skin aging.

A personalized treatment is designed for each patient. He has no disability. If you are interested, you can leave us a phone number and we will be contacting you.