By April MacIntyre Aug 26, 2010, 7:05 GMT
The Emmys are this weekend, and there is still time to put your best face forward, along with showing off that killer dress and perfect pair of shoes.
Dr. Alexander Rivkin, MD. Situated near UCLA's bucolic campus in Westwood is the office of Dr. Alexander Z. Rivkin M.D., a Yale trained facial cosmetic surgeon and UCLA faculty member who focuses exclusively on providing his patients with the latest in non-invasive, non-ablative cosmetic treatments.
The 62nd Emmy awards in Los Angeles has stars and stylists running all over for the last minute items and spa treatments to deliver the most optimal impression.
For a celebrity, there is nothing more important than putting your best face forward, and years of covering red carpet events, it is perplexing to see some of the decisions affluent stars have made with regards to plastic surgeries, specifically overzealous procedures and overuse of injectibles like Botox, Juvaderm, Radiesse and other facial fillers that plump up and restore volume to gravity stricken aging skin.
So many of these actors go cheap and rely on nurses, skin spas or Botox "parties" for these face changing procedures, instead of seeking the best facial cosmetic surgeon.
The explosion in popularity of these non surgical fixes continues, but just like selecting that right dress, the right jewels and the right makeup artist to make you look beautiful, it is astounding at how many throw caution to the wind and don't do their research.
Years of asking invasive (nosy, you can say it) questions and overhearing conversations on the red carpet, I have a long list of who to avoid for any potential work.
But with the bad there is some good, and some better than others.
I personally decided to take the plunge after visiting with a friend not seen in years. She looked like time stopped ten years ago. Not different, just the same, and rested, like a decade never happened. Her doctor was Dr. Alexander Rivkin, and I paid him a visit.
Situated near UCLA's bucolic campus in Westwood is the office of Dr. Alexander Z. Rivkin M.D., a Yale trained facial cosmetic surgeon and UCLA faculty member who focuses exclusively on providing his patients with the latest in non-invasive, non-ablative cosmetic treatments. Dr. Rivkin strives to deliver the best results in the least amount of downtime for the patient, or expense.
Grotesqueries and over-filled Los Angeles archetypical nightmarish visages are not his thing.
Many actors and actresses go way overboard with their injectibles and surgeries. Dr. Rivkin appreciates individual 'perfection' which is unique to each patient. No one leaves his office with trout-like lips, Jack Nicholson brows or the dreaded chimp face. His good taste combined with his unrushed attention to each person's facial bone structure and planes are what sets him apart from the rest.
Dr. Rivkin is renowned for non-surgical alternatives to commonly performed cosmetic procedures. He has been featured on the "TODAY" show, "The Doctors" show, "Tyra Banks Show," "EXTRA” Univision, PBS, KNBC-TV, KABC-TV and in numerous national publications for the esthetically elegant procedures he has invented.
He was the first physician in the country to offer the Non-Surgical Nose Job, his signature method for non-invasive correction of cosmetic nasal irregularities.
These are some last minute touch-ups that can be done days before you hit the Red Carpet for the Emmys or any of the upcoming award shows that are coming fast and furious to close out 2010. Dr.Rivkin has pioneered the:
* Non-Surgical Nose Job™ (Injection Rhinoplasty™) * Non-Surgical Chin Enhancement * Non-Surgical Cheek Enhancement * Non-Surgical Jowl Lift * Non-Surgical Eye Lift * Non-Surgical Facelift.
He was a member of the teaching faculty at last year’s Rhinoplasty meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery. He is a prominent member of the national teaching faculties for Allergan, Contura, Johnson and Johnson, Medicis and Bioform. He is also a member of the physician advisory board for Contura. Giving back to the community is a priority for Dr. Rivkin. He is honored to serve on the boards of a number of charities including the Lynne Cohen Foundation for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research.
Another plus for me was the accessibility Dr. Rivkin offers patients post injections; he is quite hands-on, calling and emailing his patients to make sure they are doing well, and he is fastidious for follow-up appointments to check symmetry and how the fillers and Botox placement settled with each patient.
While I was waiting to speak with Dr. Rivkin, I watched a lovely UCLA co-ed (Asian) who had a somewhat flattish undefined nose/profile emerge looking like Maggie Q, with a natural looking refined nose. Except for minor swelling, she was ready to go back to class.
He wants to see all patients have the least invasive cosmetic options, and spends a significant amount of time educating other physicians both in the office and at seminars and meetings around the world.
Dr. Rivkin tells Monsters and Critics patients should hold off any surgery cutting into the skin. "It's a fallacy that some doctors promote, urging patients to get a 'starter' facelift when these surgeries usually fail within ten years. I strongly suggest to my patients to hold off surgery for as long as possible and tread conservatively, use tasteful placement of fillers and strategically placed Botox to have a non surgical lift."
Dr. Rivkin has performed more than 20,000 cosmetic procedures utilizing injectable fillers, including Botox, Juvederm, Aftefill, Radiesse and Restylane.
Dr. Rivkin shared with us an array of facts about Botox:
1. Botox is “botulinum toxin” NOT botulism (botulism is a disease from an overdose of toxin, kind of like liver disease can be caused by an overdose of aspirin.) Like Aspirin, in the right doses, Botox is safe and effective.
2. You do not have to be paralyzed or look like some famous frozen faced redheaded actresses if you get Botox. Skilled practitioners should adjust the dose carefully so that you look more relaxed and your face is smoother but you can still move your face naturally.
3. Botox doesn’t disperse into the body to cause paralysis or organ damage. Botox is really good at staying exactly where it is injected and not getting absorbed into the body.
4. Botox can make you look happier by raising your eyebrows and the corners of your mouth.
5. Botox is not filler, so it will not fill the smile lines
6. Botox is very effective at helping to prevent migraines, headaches and neck pain
7. Botox is the one sure cure for teeth grinding or clenching. The dose is injected in the Masseter muscles to weaken them, eventually causing you to lose the habit of clenching and grinding. This will also soften the angles of your jaw.
8. The tight, wind-blown look you see on some of the faces strolling down Rodeo Drive is caused by overzealous facelift surgery, not Botox
9. Botox is used more often for therapeutic purposes than cosmetic ones. For example, Botox is used to help the muscle spasms associated with Parkinson’s Disease, Cerebral Palsy, Blepharospams and Incontinence (just to name a few).
10. Botox can be used for excessive sweating in under arms, in your feet and in your head.
11. Good news! Great Britain has just approved the use of Botox for migraines which is an important next step for approval in the US that means one day soon, your insurance company could pay 80%!!
Non surgical rhinoplasty (nose job)
http://westsidemedicalspa.com/
* Member, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery * Member, American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society (The Triological Society) * Member, American Medical Association * Member, American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology & Aesthetic Surgery * Member, American Society Laser Surgery and Medicine * Member, California Medical Association * Member, Day Spa Association * Member, International Medical Spa Association * Member, Los Angeles County Medical Society
April MacIntyre is Monsters and Critics' smallscreen and people/celebrity editor who does the Red Carpet shuffle and loves to snoop around in makeup trailers when she can. You can follow her on Twitter.
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