You, like most Americans, spend your days trying to flatten the COVID curve and brainstorming unique courses of charity. Meanwhile the gyms are closed so your body is softening. Zooming, Skyping and FaceTiming forces you to stare at your face, molested by the hands of time and self-quarantine. So if a “refresh” has innocently skidded across a synapse or two…
Fantasies of plastic surgery are natural; we’re only human. Our consciousness has many layers and we all have different coping mechanisms. If yours is cosmetic tightening, excellent timing! Advancements in aesthetic technology have churned out some amazing minimally-invasive tools (i.e, no scalpel). These tools allow plastic surgeons to eradicate wrinkles, add volume, and diminish fat on any part of your body with little or no recovery time, no anesthesia, and at a fraction of the cost.
All of this is perfect for Westport’s Dr. Joseph B. O’Connell, the go-to guy (“Dr. O”) for Gold Coast celebrities. He’s a nationally acclaimed double-board certified plastic surgeon, Castle Connolly “Top Doc” for 19 consecutive years and founder of Total Aesthetics®. Renowned for his “conservative” aesthetic, he focuses on looking better for your age rather than the pulled-taffy visage of ambitious youth seekers or the bodies coveted by overzealous fans of reality stars. Says Dr. O'Connell, “We don’t do Kim Kardashian’s derrière or try to make you look like someone else.”
A big fan of maximum benefit/minimum risk procedures, Dr. O'Connell has amassed an unsurpassable collection of state-of-the-art technology. With lights and lasers he can safely and effectively tighten, lighten, remove and reduce almost anything on your body that’s driving you nuts, in the comfort of his office (back-door entrance, so your secret’s safe).
Listen, I could go into a long analysis of aesthetics and technology, but it’s been a long few months so let’s cut to the facts: what exists and what it can do for you.
Sifting through all of his options evokes feelings of confusion and incomprehension, similar to those of home-schooling three children. So Dr. O'Connell created a Ladder concept for face and body contouring* to help you decide how aggressively you wish to thwart wrinkles, sags and other unwanteds. “As you descend the Ladder you decrease risk, cost and recovery time, but you lose some power.”
Most important, Dr. O’Connell performs every procedure himself, from fillers to facelifts, with the highest quality equipment and injectables. He cautions, “Botox and fillers may appear simple but they are medical procedures and at the end of the day, it's about safety. A formally trained plastic surgeon, who understands sterile technique and the intricacies of anatomy, is the most qualified to perform these types of aesthetic procedures."
The Face Ladder
Step 1, IPL: “Intense Pulsed Light or radiofrequency-based techniques are the first step for everyone. No matter if you’re 30 or 80, it works. IPL (or BBL) ‘freezes’ your skin in time, removes discoloration and there’s no recovery. (2-3 sessions yearly.)
Step 1 1/2, Injectables: Hollows and wrinkles in your face can be relaxed or filled with a range of injectable products. The results of fillers and Botox depend on the skill of the person injecting them and the quality of the product. (Most fillers last 6-24 months.)
Step 2, SkinTyte®: Years skip by and you finally need to dial it up. SkinTyte, a light-based technology, provides significant skin tightening and can be used anywhere on the face and body. Dr. O’Connell couples it with IPL for the face and neck. “It’s a game-changer. Good for crepey skin with no recovery time.” (1 session. Results: 3-5 years.)
Step 3, FaceTite®/Morpheus: This revolutionary technology “kicks that facelift down the road” with dual mode radiofrequency technology. FaceTite tightens the lower face and upper neck and Morpheus improves skin quality. Both techniques generate coveted long-term collagen production (Neocollagenesis). Morpheus can be used alone for tightening anywhere on the body (he uses it in his Sculptra® buttock lift). (3 sessions with Morpheus, 1 session with FaceTite. Recovery: 5-7 days. Results: 5-7 years.)
Step 4, Facelift: The final step! Fortunately for us, Dr. O’Connell is a leading authority (he wrote the article!) on less invasive BiDirectional Lifts. (Recovery: 7-10 days. Results: 7 years or more, depending on lifestyle.)
The Body Ladder
Step 1, CoolSculpting®: Using cryolipolysis technology, CoolSculpting literally freezes away stubborn areas of fat. (1-2 sessions. Results: permanent.)
Step 2, SkinTyte and Morpheus: Both procedures tighten skin with essentially no recovery; Morpheus actually contours fat. (3-4 sessions. Results: 3-5 years.)
Step 3, Liposuction: Using a small tube, unwanted fat is vacuumed away. Microliposuction and fat grafting are exciting new options for refined contouring. (1 session. 1-2 days recovery. Results: permanent.)
Step 4, BodyTite®: This innovative technology is also a “game-changer,” utilizing radiofrequency to melt fat and provide meaningful skin tightening to the treated area. (1 session. Recovery: 1-3 days. Results: permanent.)
Step 5, Tummy Tuck: Dr. O'Connell's innovative tummy tuck technique, the No-Drain Abdominoplasty, as published in the Journal of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, minimizes risk and improves outcome by eliminating drains. (Recover: 10 days. Results: permanent.)
Curious about costs? I can’t mention specific numbers, but I can tell you cost is directly proportional to recovery time.
*He does much more than face and body contouring. See PlasticSurgeryCT.com for a full list of his procedures.
Total Aesthetics
208 Post Rd. West
Westport, CT 06880