Choosing a Facial Plastic Surgeon in New York, NY

Dr. Jacono was Featured in USA Today Discussing Choosing a New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Pairing Up for Facial Plastic Surgery

If you have a loved one, the chances are that you’ve shared things with them. Whether it be a pair of shoes, a beautiful dress, or even a set of stylish eyeglasses, we are not reluctant to give each other some of our most prized possessions when we know that they will make a difference.

The same goes for cosmetic surgery. These days, surgical candidates are going under the knife with a companion. For example, Lauren-Beth Kassinger, who was interviewed by USA Today, revealed that her mother, Elvia Rabinor, decided to get a nip-and-tuck with her.

This is not a recent development. According to 2005 statistics from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, surgical companionship was strikingly common. 34% of surveyed doctors reported that fewer people undergo plastic surgery alone. The pairings are diverse: friends, sisters, husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, and even divorced couples.

“The groupings are intriguing, but most certainly welcome,” says Dr. Jacono. “I notice that my patients are much less anxious about surgery if they come in with a companion. They don’t feel so out of their depth. It may not seem typical, but it’s actually quite normal. It’s so encouraging to see.”

A Few Interesting Statistics

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons gathers all manner of statistics. In 2005, it noted that surgeons performed:

• More than 10.2 million cosmetic procedures, an 11% increase from 2004. Of those, the majority (8.5 million) were minimally invasive procedures. These included Botox injections and chemical peels. The rest were procedures like liposuction and breast augmentation.
• More than 5.4 million reconstructive surgeries. These included laceration repairs and scar treatment. This marked a 3% decrease from 2004.
• A small number of less common surgical procedures. These included 793 vaginal rejuvenations, which repair damage caused by factors like aging and childbirth. There were also 542 buttocks implants, 337 calf augmentations, and 206 pectoral implants.

Lauren-Beth Kassinger and her mother were just two among these massive numbers. Like most people, they opted for something simple: rhinoplasty, or nose reconstruction surgery. Kassinger, 31, who lives in Little Silver, New Jersey, said that she’d always wanted to change her long, thin nose. She felt that it didn’t fit the rest of her face, which had smaller features.

The issue was that, as a professional dancer, she couldn’t take much time off to recover. But around two years ago, after quitting dancing, she decided to cast aside her doubt and improve her appearance.

Out of all the surgeons she could have chosen, she picked facial plastic surgery expert Dr. Andrew Jacono. Based in Great Neck, New York, Jacono is one of the best surgeons in the country, if not the world. Unable to resist, Kassinger attended a consultation with her father, who lives in Bayside, New York. After the appointment, Kassinger couldn’t stop raving about Dr. Jacono.

This caught the interest of Kassinger’s mother, 52, who lives in Arizona. According to Kassinger, she and her mother are very close and look alike.

“I must have triggered something in her that made her feel like she wanted to have her nose done, too,” says Kassinger.

Much to Kassinger’s surprise, her mother took a plane to New York to have surgery on the same day. The double surgery went extremely well. During the recovery period, they stayed in Kassinger’s father’s house, watching reality television shows to kill time. The two couldn’t be happier with their results.

When asked if she would get more cosmetic work in the future, however, Kassinger seemed reluctant.

“A little Botox, possibly, as I get older, but major surgery, no,” she said. “My mom is another situation altogether. She might consider doing work because with her nose, she went through the process, and she saw how good that made her look.”

Changing Times, Changing Faces

The ASPS noted that, in 2005, 42% more women and 44% more men had cosmetic surgery than in 2000. Physicians note that a number of key factors contributed to the increase.

The first of these is that there is a slew of new techniques and technological advancements on the market. Fresh options have done a number of incredible things, reducing scarring and recovery time.

“What’s incredible is that, nowadays, you can complete a facelift with small incisions in the scalp,” says Dr. Jacono. “That wasn’t always an option. You’d have to cut large incisions around the head, which would leave behind thick, awful-looking scars. It’s heartening to see that things have changed so much.”

At the same time, patients should be wary of more minimally invasive procedures. This is largely because the newest of the bunch has not been around for long enough to study their effects.

“As great as minimally invasive procedures are, we have to be cautious,” continues Dr. Jacono. “They may be effective in the short-term, but we have no idea if they’ll last for long periods of time.”

Another factor driving plastic surgical demand is a general change of perception. People are less reluctant to discuss their surgeries, which has led to plenty of positive advertising.

“Ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, everyone kept surgery under the radar,” says Dr. Jacono. “More recently, though, it seems like everyone is getting something done. So why not go ahead and do it with a loved one?”

If nothing else, the greatest benefit of getting surgery with another person is that you can take care of each other. This makes the process much less agonizing than going at it alone.

So, with so many great testimonies, why not go for a change?