Center for Plastic Surgery Service List

Face Procedures

• Neck Lift in Highlands

  • Are you interested in face rejuvenation and cosmetic surgery in Highlands, North Carolina?

    Dr. Buchanan and his exceptional team at the Center for Plastic Surgery have expertise in a broad range of procedures, for both non-surgical and surgical rejuvenation.

  • As the skin ages, it allows other factors to have greater effect on the tissues of the face and body.

    In the face, where the muscles of expression attach to the skin, these muscles cause wrinkles and lines to appear. Gravity also pulls the skin, with the sagging tissues causing folds and lines. To reverse the changes caused by sun-damage and aging, and to help you achieve flawless, youthful skin, we offer the latest techniques for face rejuvenation and cosmetic surgery in Highlands, North Carolina.

  • If you are interested in non-invasive facial rejuvenation, we offer injections of BOTOX® Cosmetic and dermal fillers, such as Radiesse®, Juvéderm®, and human fat.

    While Botox® reduces wrinkles by stopping the movement of muscle beneath the skin, dermal fillers work by restoring volume to aging skin. For optimum wrinkle and contour correction, we combine these different type of injectables in Today’s Liquid Lift™ .

  • At the Center for Plastic Surgery

    we also offer the very latest in light and laser procedures, to remove the wrinkles and scars that skin care or peels do not easily correct. These include the Luxor® Specialized CO2 Laser, and the Ellipse IPL®

  • When you visit us for face rejuvenation and cosmetic surgery in Highlands

    North Carolina, you can also benefit from Dr. Buchanan’s outstanding surgical expertise. He developed Today’s Facelift™, an alternative to the traditional facelift that is personalized to your needs for a fresher, more youthful, natural, and rested look. This exciting, revolutionary procedure is able to correct both the lower face and neck, with less visible scarring and faster recovery than the traditional facelift. Today’s Facelift™ is an excellent choice if you need a neck lift, want a “touch up” at a younger age, or have already had a facelift.

  • Dr. Buchanan can also improve your appearance and turn back time with a facelift

    forehead lift, eyelid surgery, liposuction of the neck, rhinoplasty, lip enhancement, chin augmentation, or otoplasty (ear surgery).

  • To transform your outer appearance and inner confidence with face rejuvenation and cosmetic surgery in Highlands, North Carolina, please contact us to make an appointment today.

• Facelift

  • You should look as good as you feel. In time, gravity, sun exposure, and the stresses of daily life take their toll on your face:

    deep creases appear around the mouth, the cheeks hollow, the jaw line slackens, folds and fat deposits appear in the neck.

  • Our modern Facelift

    Today’s Facelift™, developed from the MACS Lift from Belgium, the Quicklift®, the Lifestyle Lift® and others (including that of Dr. John Ransom Lewis’ of Atlanta) overcomes the problems of previous facelifts. It: provides a Natural alternative to the traditional facelift, is personalized to your individual needs, elevates the fat and underlying support structures back to where they originally were (not backward like older facelifts), redefines the jawline, firms and tightens the neck, permanently resuspends the tissues for a longer lasting result, redrapes the skin upward, recreating a fresher, more youthful, natural and rested look.

  • Our goal is to provide you the correction you desire, with as natural an appearance as possible.

    We want you to look like you have had a great vacation, not like you had surgery. The incision is kept as short as possible depending on how lax your neck skin is. This is done with less skin undermining, and, thus, less risk and faster recovery. This procedure is ideal for correcting the neck. Thus, if you think you only need a neck lift, Today’s Facelift™ is a better answer, as it corrects the lower face as well as the neck, and does so with less visible scar, the same or less surgery and generally faster recovery. Today’s Facelift is also an excellent choice if you need just a “touch up” at a younger age or have already had a facelift.

  • To achieve complete rejuvenation, your skin, eyes and/or brow may need separate treatment.

    Browlift, eyelid surgery, or nose reshaping can provide you even more dramatic results. Incisions are made in inconspicuous places such as behind the hairline and in natural folds where they generally fade to near invisibility in time.

  • Results of a facelift do not last forever.

    However, Today’s Facelift, like its predecessor the MACS Lift, is designed to significantly slow the continued effects of gravity by suspending the face from solid fixed points on bone, not mobile soft tissue like other procedures do. For those who do have a recurrence of the problems that prompted a previous facelift or just want to “freshen” your appearance, Today’s Facelift™ provides improved results, more safety, and correction of many of the stigmata associated with previous facelifts.

• Today’s Facelift™ has a number of distinct advantages.

  • It is applicable to everyone by modifying the technique slightly.

  • It corrects minimal aging with a minimal incision.

  • It corrects even severe aging of the cheek and neck.

  • It is ideal for redo’s correcting many of the problems of older procedures.

  • It repositions the fat to its normal position rather than removing it.

  • It is safer than older facelifts since there is less skin undermining and less chance to injure the facial nerve (the nerve controlling facial motion).

  • It prevents the loss of the sideburn and descent of the earlobe found in previous facelifts.

  • It provides excellent correction of the neck.

  • The results are superior to and longer lasting than most other procedures.

  • You can expect to be able to return to most normal activities including work or social engagements within a week or two.

• Forehead Lift

  Forehead Lift (Browlift), including Endoscopy in Highlands, NC

  • A forehead lift

    or browlift, can revitalize your drooping or lined forehead, the area between the eyebrows and, to some extent, the upper eyelids and lateral eye area helping you to look less angry, sad or tired. We can: remove or alter the muscles between your eyes, smoothing the lines between the eyebrows, release the forces pulling your brows down raising your eyebrows for a more youthful appearance, minimize the creases in the forehead, remove hooding from the upper eyelids, and reduce the lateral “crow’s feet” beside the eyes.

  • You can combine the procedure with other operations such as blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and facelift to improve the look of your eyes and other areas of your face.

    However, if the descent of your brow, which pushes the brow tissue into the upper eyelid areas, is the main cause of your upper eyelid problem, then you may need only the browlift to correct both the brow and the upper eyelids.

  • We generally perform the full procedure in a minimally invasive manner

    using four or five short incisions hidden in the hair, and an endoscope, a slim instrument with a camera on the end. This reduces scars, hair loss and numbness and generally provides you excellent improvement and fast recovery while maintaining a natural appearance. We actually strive to place your eyebrows where you naturally hold them, but without having to use the wrinkle causing muscles of the forehead to do so. You should be able to return to most activities in a few days with minimal, or easily concealed bruising. For those not needing a total browlift, a modification using only lateral incisions, again, hidden in the hair, can provide excellent correction of the more lateral problems. There are also modifications for those with a high hairline, including elevation of the brow through a blepharoplasty incision.

• Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

  • Since “the eyes reveal the soul,” what do yours say about you? Do they convey your inner emotion and vitality, or do they make you look sad, tired or both? As we age:

    he tissues around the eyes stretch and descend as far as ligaments allow, the skin wrinkles, in extreme cases, sagging upper lid skin can interfere with vision, the fat becomes prominent in the lower lid and in the medial upper lid, attachments to bone create the characteristic bags and elongated lower lid, we look sad, tired and/or listless, hiding our inner vitality.

  • Some of us inherit excess fat which further hides our normal sparkle.

    By removing excess or repositioning fat, skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids, blepharoplasty can rejuvenate your puffy, sagging or tired-looking eyes by: removing congenital excess fat, removing and tightening loose or sagging skin, tightening the sagging lid itself, correcting the bags under the eyes, and removing fine wrinkles.

  • Blepharoplasty is typically a cosmetic procedure but can also improve vision by lifting droopy eyelids out of your field of vision. If you have surrounding problems, we can occasionally:

    raise your eyebrows some, reduce the appearance of wrinkles between your eyebrows, make you look less tired, or correct some crow’s feet through an upper blepharoplasty incision with modifications of the procedure.

  • Lower blepharoplasty will usually correct the dark circles under your eyes allowing you to look younger and more vibrant.

    Newer techniques give you better results that last longer and avoid many of the problems of the older methods. You can combine this procedure with others such as a facelift, forehead lift and/or BOTOX® Cosmetic treatments to achieve other desired results. When done alone, we usually perform the procedure as an outpatient. You should be able to wear makeup and return to the public in 4-5 days. The fine incisions usually virtually disappear within several months.

• Neck Liposuction

  • Occasionally the neck can be rejuvenated with Liposuction alone.

    This works best in the young with elastic skin, but can make a considerable difference in someone older who has a significant amount of fat in the upper neck. We frequently do this as an office procedure under local anesthesia. Recovery is rapid.

• Rhinoplasty

  • Noses are very individual and their shape and appearance can reflect your heritage or be the result of an injury.

    If your nose does not fit your face, rhinoplasty, one of the most common plastic surgery procedures, can: reshape, reduce or augment your nose, change the size or width to improve the balance between your nose and face, remove a hump or fill a depression, change the size, shape or position of the tip, narrow or change the width, size and/or shape of your nostrils change the angle between your nose and lips, correct breathing abnormalities, or correct deviations.

  • These better physical proportions can have a dramatic impact on how you feel about yourself.

    A rhinoplasty can be purely cosmetic or can correct injury, birth defects, or other problems that affect your breathing.

  • Rhinoplasty is usually an outpatient procedure performed under light general anesthesia and lasts two to three hours, unless extensive work needs to be done on the airway.

    Insurance may cover rhinoplasty if external remodeling is done for reconstruction, or if the procedure, including internal airways remodeling, is performed to correct breathing problems, but not when done for cosmetic purposes.

• Lip Enhancement

  • Full lips are sensual and a sign of youth. As we age:

    the upper lip elongates, the definition of the border flattens and the lip becomes flat or, even, concave, the philtrum columns are lost, lines appear, and the fullness of both lips is diminished.

  • We now have a variety of techniques available to enhance your lips, giving them a naturally fuller, sexier, more youthful appearance.

  • Replacement of lost substance with Juvéderm® Injectable Gel offers excellent immediate results.

    Although your body will eventually absorb much of what is injected, each subsequent treatment is usually less than the preceding one. Treatments generally last about 10 months, but results can be quite different from person to person. We perform the injections in the office using numbing. You can return immediately to your normal activities.

  • If you desire a more permanent solution, we can use fat, “Alloderm®,” a solid modified collagen sheet, as a graft or a soft solid silicone implant.

    These techniques are relatively permanent, although touch-ups may be required from time to time to maintain desired fullness.

  • For the upper lip, another option is excision of a strip of the stretched upper lip skin, hiding the scar at the lip or nose junction.

    This turns the red of the lip out, and can even give you a smiling appearance. All of these procedures are performed under local anesthesia in our office surgical suite. You are able to return to most normal activities following the procedure, but, if you elect to use a sedative, you will need someone to drive you home. Swelling and some bruising will be present immediately following the procedure and can take a week or two to disappear completely. We can, however, show you how to easily disguise this with makeup.

• Chin Augmentation

  • If you lack a chin that balances and defines your face, a modern, solid implant can correct the problem and mimic normal bone.

    Your particular problem determines the specific implant used. This is also an excellent compliment to Rhinoplasty, since increasing your chin prominence makes your nose appear smaller and balances facial features. This is a simple outpatient procedure with rapid recovery.

• Ear Surgery (Otoplasty)

  • Most ear surgery procedures in the past were performed to correct congenital problems such as

    “lop ear,” “cupped ear” and “shell ear,” to set prominent ears back closer to the head, or to reduce the size of large ears. When done for these problems, we recommend the surgery be done at about five years of age, when the ears are mature but before significant teasing occurs. The procedure in children generally lasts from two to three hours and may be performed as an outpatient in the hospital under general anesthesia.

  • These procedures are also appropriate for adults who did not have access to them as a child.

    Many of the same techniques are also applicable to problems in adults caused by aging or previous facelift. Some of these problems may include: large or stretched earlobes, lobes with large creases and wrinkles, lobes that have descended on the face, enlarged holes from pierced earrings, and total split of the earlobe.

  • We treat most adults in the office as an outpatient using local anesthesia or at the time of revision facelift.

    Most people can resume normal activities immediately, as the sutures are usually hidden behind or on the back edge of the ear, except where we have repaired split or enlarged holes from pierced earrings.

• Today’s Liquid Lift

  Wrinkle and Contour Correction

  • Do those little worry lines, wrinkles, or folds around the mouth, chin, eyes, forehead or elsewhere in the face or depressions from aging bother you?

    Have your lips lost their definition? Would you like to correct these problems without surgery or just do not think you are ready for a facelift? Do you “need” a facelift but don’t have the time or the money? With the new injectable products and modified techniques using your own fat, we can now provide you results that previously only surgery could. There is no down time and minimal risks.

  • Others have jokingly called use of fillers such as

    Juvéderm®, Belotero Balance® and Radiesse® “Liquid Facelift” or “Facelift in a Syringe” because they can almost give you results similar to a facelift. We call our approach “Today’s Liquid Lift” because we go the next step and include Botox® and fat injection in the methods we use to achieve a more relaxed, natural and longer lasting result. We consider more than just the lines around the mouth or between the eyes. Instead, we concentrate on what is causing you the aged appearance and treat what will give you the most optimal reversal of the problem with the least expense. We also use these methods to correct nasal deformities (what some others call a Liquid Rhinoplasty) or improve the aged appearance of the hands.

Breast Procedures

• Breast Remodeling in Highlands North Carolina

  • For breast remodelling in Highlands, North Carolina, Dr. Buchanan and his caring, professional team have the experience and expertise you need.

    Dr. Buchanan has performed thousands of breast remodelling procedures for women across the state and region, and he also co-founded and participated in the Oklahoma Breast Center.

  • If you are a woman

    you may decide to undergo plastic surgery to enlarge or reduce your breasts, to achieve a balance in size or shape, or to reconstruct one or both breasts after cancer surgery. If you are a man, you may wish to have plastic surgery to reduce or remove unnatural breast enlargement. Whatever the motivation, breast remodeling in Highlands, North Carolina is safer and easier, with smaller incisions and faster recovery than ever before.

  • Have you been considering a breast augmentation?

    If your breasts are small or uneven, breast augmentation can give you a fuller, firmer, and better proportioned look. At the Center for Plastic Surgery, we aim for natural looking breasts that are proportional to your body, and that make you look great in clothes and swimwear.

  • Have you been considering a breast augmentation?

    If your breasts are small or uneven, breast augmentation can give you a fuller, firmer, and better proportioned look. At the Center for Plastic Surgery, we aim for natural looking breasts that are proportional to your body, and that make you look great in clothes and swimwear.

  • Breast augmentation is achieved through the surgical placement of implants

    which are silicone shells filled with either saline (salt water) or cohesive silicone gel. During your consultation for breast remodelling in Highlands, North Carolina, Dr. Buchanan will talk you through the advantages and disadvantages of both saline and silicone implants, and he will explain which will best meet your needs.

  • Dr. Buchanan consults closely with you to custom fit your implant.

    He clarifies your unique goals in order to chose the right implant type, as well as the right size, surface and shape. To do so, he measures your body, selects a range of different implants, and then narrows the choices according to your specific cosmetic desires.

  • Dr. Buchanan also offers breast lift, breast reduction, breast reconstruction, and male breast reduction procedures.

• Goals

  • e can give you the breasts you desire with one of the most frequently performed cosmetic surgery procedures.

    If your breasts are small or unevenly sized, an implant can provide you with a fuller, firmer, better-proportioned look. Our goal is to: provide natural looking breasts that are proportional to your body, make you look great in clothes and swimwear, provide an appearance undetectable as surgically enhanced, unless you desire otherwise return you to normal activities as quickly as possible, usually by the next day.

  • You may elect to undergo breast augmentation for many different medical and aesthetic motivations

    including balancing breast size and compensating for reduced breast mass after pregnancy or surgery. Breast enlargement may need to be combined with another procedure such as a breast lift if you have any significant breast droop in order to achieve optimally aesthetic breasts. We can only determine this with an examination and discussion of your desires about how much enlargement you wish. A vast experience, including cofounding and participating in the Oklahoma Breast Center, allows us to help assure you get the results you desire.

• Implants

  • Implants today come in many choices. All are silicone shells filled with either saline (salt water) or cohesive Silicone gel.

  • Silicone implants were again released for use in augmentation in November, 2006 after being available only as part of an extensive study protocol for 14 years that proved their safety.

    Dr. Buchanan was among the first surgeons approved after their re-release to use them for augmentation. He participated in the post release studies again confirming their safety.

  • Another option is texturing of the implant surface.

    Textured implants are harder to use, but significantly modify the body’s scar response. This reduces the rate of capsular contracture (tightening of the scar around the implant making it feel hard), one of the body’s possible reactions to implants.

  • A further option is the shape of the implant.

    They come in either round or anatomic shapes. The anatomic implant has a more gentle upward slope, just like a natural breast. The anatomic implant also comes in tall or wide forms, and the round implant comes in several projections. All this allows Dr. Buchanan to custom fit your body with the implant that will give you the look you desire. In order to choose the proper implant for you, we measure your body and select a range of different implants that will fit you without risking significant postoperative problems. We then narrow the choices by discussing what your desires are, how big you want to be, what shape you like, etc. This allows us to select the implant that fits your needs and desires. This also reduces the risk of you being unhappy with your final size. Over the years, with thousands of cases followed for many years, Dr. Buchanan has only replaced the implants in 2 patients due to dissatisfaction with the size.

• Surgery

  • The procedure lasts about two hours under light general anesthesia as an outpatient.

    We use this anesthesia because it is, in our opinion, the safest, and you awaken faster with fewer side effects, such as nausea. With this type anesthesia and the technique we use to place the implant, we get many women back to many activities within just a few hours of surgery.

  • We choose the incision based on the implant used and your cosmetic concerns.

    The incision around the inferior edge of the areola (the colored area around the nipple) generally hides best, since it is at the junction with two different colored skins. The eye usually sees the change in color and not the scar. With the new cohesive gel Silicone implants, the area under the areola may not be large enough to get the implant in without risk of injury to the implant. (Research has demonstrated that injury from forceful insertion is one of the leading causes of late implant rupture.) Both approaches affect the sensation equally, since no more nerve fibers are cut by either incision. Most sensory loss generally returns in about a year, and most of the residual loss is due to the size of the implant, and, thus the amount of dissection necessary.

  • We generally prefer placement of the implant underneath your breast tissue rather than under the chest wall muscle. Placement above the muscle usually:

    provides a faster recovery with less pain, prevents some displacement, especially downward and outward, is ideal for those who are athletic or use their arms a lot, as it does not cause your breast to move when you move your arms, and may reduce the risk of deflation.

  • The procedure generally increases the bust line by several cup sizes, depending on your desires.

    If you have preexisting asymmetry, we use different sized implants on each side to provide balance after surgery.

• Other

  • Post Procedure

    You will generally have only minimal discomfort and should be able to return to most light activities and work within one to two days. Most people require only Tylenol® after the second day. On the day after surgery, you can shower and change into a sports bra. You can return to sporting activities by 2-3 weeks. There will be some tapes on the incision that will come off by themselves in 7-14 days. There are no sutures to remove. We use a deep, dissolvable stitch that is absorbed in about 6 months. This helps assure that the scar is as invisible as possible.

  • Risks

    Although there are many things that can go wrong with Breast Augmentation, we do everything we can to reduce the risks as much as possible. Some of the risks include implant displacement, capsular contracture (scar causing the implant to feel firm), infection sometimes requiring removal of the implant, rippling (an occurrence even in natural breasts), asymmetry, blood or serum accumulation requiring drainage, rupture of the outer shell (you go flat with saline implants as the saline is absorbed; with silicone implants, the only way to tell is with an MRI X-Ray), occurrence of an unusual type of sarcoma (curable by removing the implant and scar capsule) and disappointment in size or appearance. We reduce these risks by how we choose the proper implant, the care we take in inserting the implant and rinsing the implant in an antibiotic solution. By careful attention to detail, our revision rate is among the lowest in the country, around 1%. Most other risks are those associated with any surgery. We reduce these by the care we take in preparing you for surgery and specific prophylactic measures, such as anti-embolism stockings during surgery. In spite of the possible risks, we believe this is an exceedingly safe operation that can provide you excellent satisfaction.

• Breast Lift (Blepharoplasty)

  • A breast lift, or mastopexy

    can return a youthful, perkier, more aesthetically pleasing shape and lift to your breasts if they have sagged because of weight loss, pregnancy, loss of the skin’s natural elasticity or simply the effects of gravity. The procedure can also reduce areolar size (the dark skin surrounding the nipple), and it can be combined with breast augmentation (enlargement) for added breast volume and firmness, or with breast reduction of one or both sides to make your two sides even.

  • Usually, however, the only thing removed is a small amount of skin, and not any breast tissue.

    You will, therefore, generally remain the exact size you were before the procedure, just perkier. We can lift any size breasts, but results last longest when they are originally small to average and sagging. The amount of your droop and other individual factors determine the method used, and, thus, the resultant scar. We do try to limit your scar as much as we can. Occasionally, with minimal droop, and, especially if you wish to be larger, this can be only the area under or around the areolae (the dark areas around the nipples). For almost everyone else we are able to limit the scar to around the areolae and down to but not along the inframammary crease under the breast.

  • We usually perform mastopexy in the hospital, as an outpatient under light general anesthesia, in about 3 hours.

    You can generally return to most normal light activities within a day or two and sporting activities and jogging by a month.

• Breast Reduction with Lift

  • Large breasts may cause you both physical and mental discomfort. The size and weight of large breasts can result in:

    self-consciousness, difficulties with sporting or everyday activities, improper posture, pain in the back, chest and neck, indentations from bra straps, skin rashes, breathing problems, nerve dysfunction in the arm(s), and skeletal deformities.

  • We perform breast reduction surgery

    to provide physical relief from these symptoms and for purely cosmetic reasons if you believe your breasts are too large and are self-conscious about them without any other symptom. No matter why it is done, the resultant breast shape is younger-appearing, perkier, and aesthetically matches the rest of your body. We do not recommend breast reduction surgery for women who intend future breastfeeding, since the procedure interrupts many of the milk ducts leading to the nipples.

  • Performed under general anesthesia

    the three to four-hour procedure removes fat and glandular tissue and trims the resultant excess skin to produce smaller, lighter breasts that are in a healthier proportion to the rest of your body. It also moves the nipple/areola up to a normal, perky position, giving you a lift with the reduction. We use two different methods depending on the requirements of your breasts. We try to use the one that will provide you the least scar and best long-lasting result. Return to most normal activities usually takes less than a week.

• Breast Reconstruction

  • Modern surgical technology makes it possible to construct a natural-looking breast after partial or complete mastectomy (breast removal) for cancer or other diseases.

    The procedure is commonly started and sometimes completed immediately following mastectomy, so that you wake with a new breast mound instead of no breast at all. Alternatively, reconstruction may begin years after mastectomy. Insurance companies cover reconstruction following breast cancer surgery.

  • There are several ways to reconstruct the breast using either your own tissue

    breast implants or a combination of both depending on your desires, the demands of your tissues and what tissue you have available to transfer to construct a breast. If you have not yet had the breast removal, we work together with your breast surgeon to decide which method is best for you. This also allows us to help determine the incision used to make reconstruction easier and safer without interfering with removal of the breast cancer.

  • Chemotherapy or radiation treatment will also affect which method we use and the timing.

    Breast reconstruction does not affect the recurrence of cancer or other diseases. Dr. Buchanan keeps current with the advances in Breast Reconstruction and is on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ Breast Reconstruction with Implants Task Force writing practice guidelines for other Plastic Surgeons and physicians.

• Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia)

  • Although rarely discussed, enlargement of the male breasts is a common condition.

    Gynecomastia affects approximately 40 to 60 percent of men to some extent. This most commonly is related to changes at puberty, weight gain, various drug reactions or, rarely, a specific medical condition. The specific enlargement can be unilateral or bilateral. It can involve fat enlargement only, breast tissue enlargement or, usually, a combination of both.

  • Men who feel self-conscious about their appearance are helped with breast reduction surgery.

    The procedure removes fat and/or glandular tissue from the breasts, and in extreme cases, excess skin, resulting in a contoured chest that is flatter and firmer. The technique depends on the amounts of breast tissue and extra skin present. Liposuction occasionally can correct the problem by itself if the skin is elastic and the problem is mostly fatty. Usually, however, it is done as part of the procedure to assure that the remaining tissue is smooth everywhere. An examination is the only way to know exactly what you need.

Body Procedures

• Body Contouring and Liposuction

  • Would you like to reshape your figure with body contouring and liposuction in Highlands, North Carolina?

    When our bodies don’t respond to diet and exercise in the way we wish, plastic surgery procedures can reshape many areas, by removing excess fat and skin and toning muscle. The following is an overview of the state of the art body contouring procedures we offer our clients.

  • Liposuction removes stubborn and undesirable fat from the abdomen, waist, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, ankles, cheeks, neck, and/or upper arms.

    It has minimal risks or down time, and leaves almost no scars. Dr. Buchanan was one of the American surgeons to be trained in liposuction. He has studied it extensively to determine its efficacy and safety, and continues to perfect the technique. Learn more about liposuction in Highlands, North Carolina.

  • Clients interested in body contouring and liposuction in Highlands, North Carolina could also consider a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty.

    This procedure achieves a flatter abdomen and thinner waist by removing excess fat and skin, as well as tightening the stomach muscles. The best candidates are of normal weight and in good physical condition, with localized fat and loose skin that have not responded well to diet and exercise. A tummy tuck is especially useful if your skin and muscles are stretched from pregnancy or weight loss. Learn more about having a tummy tuck in Highlands, North Carolina.

  • An arm lift removes excess skin and fat, and it tightens and recontours the upper arm, while a thigh lift removes loose and flabby skin and fat from the upper legs.

    Both procedures are commonly used after substantial weight loss or weight gain, or to simply correct the effects of aging. They can also be combined with liposuction to further contour the upper arms and legs. Learn more about having an arm lift or thigh lift in Highlands, North Carolina.

  • When you visit Dr. Buchanan to discuss body contouring and liposuction in Highlands

    North Carolina, he’ll also talk to you about Zerona® non-invasive body slimming. This revolutionary treatment reduces fat and contours your body without surgery, discomfort, or effort. Learn more about having Zerona® non-invasive body slimming in Highlands, North Carolina.

• Liposuction

  • Whether man or woman, do you have undesirable fat in areas such as your

    abdomen, waist, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, ankles, cheeks, neck and/or upper arms that has not responded to diet and exercise? These are actually very common, and frequently nothing you can do will change them other than Liposuction or, occasionally, Zerona™. Would you like to sculpt these areas to reduce them and/or make them smooth or to make them match the surrounding area? Liposuction, one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures, allows you to do this with minimal risks or down time and almost no scars.

  • Dr. Buchanan was among the first group of American surgeons trained to perform Liposuction in this country by the European developers of the technique.

    He studied it extensively to determine its efficacy and safety while on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma, and has been perfecting the technique ever since. The most popular areas for Liposuction are: the neck under the chin, the lower tummy, the hips, the “love handles,” the thighs and any area of localized fat accumulation.

  • Liposuction is also an excellent adjunct to other procedures like tummy tuck, breast reduction, arm lift and any procedure where blending the procedure into the surrounding area is desirable.

  • Procedure

    Local anesthesia or general anesthesia may be used, and the procedure can last anywhere from less than one hour to several hours depending on the amount of fat being removed and the number of areas treated. We generally recommend staying overnight in the hospital when we remove larger amounts of fat. Although we occasionally remove a significant amount of fat, the procedure is not a substitute for weight loss. We can also help you with lifestyle modification to get you where Liposuction would be indicated to correct any areas not reduced adequately by weight loss. To perform Liposuction, we make tiny incisions in as inconspicuous places as possible, inject liquid to help break up the fat, reduce bruising and reduce postoperative discomfort, and then use a cannula (small tube) to break up the fat layer and suction it out. You should be able to return to most normal activities within several days.

• Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)

  • Would you like a flatter abdomen and thinner waist?

    Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) helps do this by removing excess fat and skin and tightening the stomach muscles. The best candidates are of normal weight and in good physical condition with localized fat and loose skin that have not responded well to diet and exercise. Abdominoplasty is especially useful if your skin and muscles stretched from pregnancy or weight loss. Ideally, if you are female, you should not plan to have any further children.

  • The procedure takes approximately three to four hours, using general anesthesia and can be done as an outpatient or with an overnight hospital stay.

    Recovery time ranges from two weeks to a month or longer, but, with a balanced diet and regular exercise, results are long lasting and satisfaction is extremely high. Abdominoplasty will leave a permanent scar stretching between the hips, although it should be low enough for even a bikini to conceal it or can be modified for other types of swimwear.

  • Sometimes, by doing more liposuction (a mini-abdominoplasty)

    you can have a shorter scar if the only excess skin you have is in the lower abdomen. With this procedure, we can also tighten the muscles and thin the waist by using an endoscope (a lighted tube which projects the area under the skin to a TV screen) through a small incision within the umbilicus.

• Arm Lift

  • After substantial weight loss, weight gain or simply from the effects of aging, skin on the upper arms can become inelastic, loose and flabby.

    An arm lift, also known as brachioplasty, removes that excess skin and fat and tightens and recontours the upper arm. If you have significant amounts of fat, you may want to consider combining the procedure with liposuction to reduce the thickness on the upper and outer arm also. For those with significant weight loss and excess skin on the chest or in the under arm area, tightening of these areas may also be indicated.

  • The procedure is done under modern light general anesthesia, usually as an outpatient, though, because both arms are involved, immediate post op hospital care at a nominal charge is available.

    Recovery is typically rapid, though you are somewhat restricted in arm use for a week or so. The scar is along the inside of the upper arm and hides completely with the arm at your side. Buried sutures that do not have to be removed also help minimize the scar.

• Thigh Lift

  • A thigh lift removes excess skin and fat from the upper legs.

    You are a candidate typically if you have loose, inelastic skin after extreme weight loss due to diet, exercise or bariatric surgery. Because of this, we often combine this with another procedure such as breast lift, facelift or arm lift to retain a proper body proportion.

• ZERONA™ Non-invasive Body Slimming

  • Would you like to reduce fat and contour your body without surgery?

    You can lose inches without discomfort or effort. You simply lie under the low level LASER device for six painless treatments over 2 weeks. Each treatment consists of 20 minutes on your abdomen and 20 minutes on your back. Otherwise, you can continue your daily activities without interruption. The device is FDA approved for fat reduction, and, unlike many machines presently in the marketplace, really works. It creates a small hole in the fat cell membrane, allowing the fat to seep out where it is absorbed and eliminated. There is absolutely no surgery, no pain and no down time.

  • We have found this technology excellent for those without excess skin to:

    reduce more general areas than with Liposuction, reduce fat generally before Liposuction of specific remaining areas, reduce multiple areas, and to jump start weight loss.

  • Although Zerona™ does not destroy the fat cells as with Liposuction and Tummy Tuck, we have had no one regain the lost fat.

Skin Rejuvenation

• Beautiful Skin and Laser Resurfacing

  • Dr. Buchanan and his highly skilled team at the Center for Plastic Surgery can help you achieve beautiful skin with laser resurfacing in Highlands, North Carolina.

  • Laser resurfacing sends out brief pulses of high-energy light, which then transform into heat energy to vaporize thin sections of skin, layer by layer.

    As the wounded area heals, new skin grows to replace the damaged skin that was removed during the laser treatment. Newer methods of laser resurfacing cause fewer complications and have faster recovery times, as they are very precise, causing little damage to the surrounding skin and tissue.

  • The Luxor® Specialized CO2 Laser is one of the machines we use for achieving beautiful skin with laser resurfacing in Highlands, North Carolina.

    This machine’s design, using more intense bursts of laser light with more time between bursts, prevents overheating of the skin, and it achieves the desired result with fewer risks and less prolonged redness. It also allows us to precisely target your specific lines, wrinkles, or scars, and to remove them with faster recovery. Most people heal within five days, which is as fast as with fractional lasers. Once healing occurs, we will show you how to apply makeup to disguise the small amount of redness that remains.

  • The Ellipse IPL® system is another way we create beautiful skin with laser resurfacing in Highlands, North Carolina.

    The Ellipse harnesses Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology, the only technology which can treat both the red and brown areas of skin sun damage. As IPL uses a broad band of light instead of a single wavelength, there is absolutely no downtime and far less discomfort than traditional laser treatment. The Ellipse IPL® requires no anesthesia, and you can return to normal activities immediately. Each treatment improves your skin, so you can select the endpoint you desire.

  • To learn more about achieving flawless

    beautiful skin with the most advanced and effective laser resurfacing in Highlands, North Carolina, make an appointment at the Center for Plastic Surgery today.

  • We all would like to have the flawless skin of babies. Their skin is:

    smooth, hydrated with a thin outer protective dead cell layer, a thick dermal support layer, good blood supply, and an even, light color.

  • Many things affect this balance and what happens to the skin over time, but the major contributor to deterioration and aging of the skin is sun exposure.

  • Although sunscreens have been available for many years

    most of them have not protected us from anything but UVB. SPF indicates only the effectiveness of UVB blockage and protection from sunburn. Wearing a sunscreen with high SPF without total UVA blockers only increases the length of time most of us stay in the sun, and, thus, the amount of exposure to the harmful UVA rays, thus causing more damage.

  • As of December, 2012, new FDA

    regulations require sunscreens to meet stricter requirements to be labeled “Broad Spectrum,” indicating the ability to block the full spectrum of UVA. The regulations, however, do not require any information on the effectiveness of the blockage. Some of the products that meet the new requirements do so for only a short while, making them impractical, since you must reapply them frequently to be protected. Instead, what we need to do is use one of the newer broad spectrum Sun Blocks containing clear Zinc Oxide (Z-Cote) daily. This is clear and is effective until washed or wiped off. We recommend reading the ingredients label looking only for Zinc Oxide or Z-Cote of at least 5%, and, preferably, 10%. This has the equivalent of an SPF of 20 to 50, and, thus, protects us from both UVA and UVB. Additionally the Topical Vitamin C or VIVITÉ® Vibrance Therapy recommended are Topical Antioxidants. Their use prevents injury from any UVA rays that get through the sunblock and helps correct some previous damage.

  • As the skin ages

    it allows other factors to have greater effect on the tissues of the face and body. In the face, where the muscles of expression attach to the skin, these muscles cause wrinkles and lines to appear. Gravity also pulls the skin, causing folds and lines from descent of the tissues and stretch of the skin. These changes can be reversed with surgery (such as the Today’s Facelift™, Blepharoplasty, Brow Lift, and/or Lip Revision) or improved or disguised by smoothing the skin and reducing wrinkles with injections of fat,Radiesse®, Juvéderm®, BOTOX® Cosmetic, or a combination, or use of Fruit acid peels, Phenol peels, or Laser resurfacing.

• Sunrays are composed of different types of energy.

  • Light energy probably has little effect on skin aging.

  • UVC rays do not reach the earth.

  • The rays believed to be harmful to the skin are UVB and UVA.

  • UVB rays:

    are absorbed by the atmosphere and only the top layer of the skin, are present mainly mid-day, in the summer, down South, cause mainly sunburn, make up only 2 to 3% of the sunrays actually hitting us.

  • UVA rays cause cellular damage leading to aging and skin cancer

    They are present all day, all year, and at all latitudes, account for about 97-98% of the UV Rays hitting the skin. They penetrate not only the atmosphere, but also clothing, glass, and the skin. In the skin, they cause direct tissue damage and the release of free oxygen radicals that attack normal skin cells.

• Info

  Until recently, we have had little that would really protect us from these changes. Additionally, what we have done to our skin has actually harmed it.

  • Sunscreens containing only UVB protection keep us from getting sunburned, but allow us to stay in the sun longer, thus getting more UVA damage.

  • Washing the skin with regular soaps removes the normal protective barrier and changes the pH.

  • Moisturizers weight the skin increasing wrinkles and change the normal lipid balance causing the skin to stop making its own moisture.

• Recommendation

  We believe that good skin care for minimally damaged skin should prevent these and other problems. We, therefore, recommend minimally:

  • Cleansing with a specially formulated gentle cleanser.

  • Removal of the thickened, dry dead cell layer to restore moisture and remove weight by:

    Use of Alpha Hydroxyls (available over-the–counter), Regular microdermabrasion, or Regular micropeels.

  • Restoration of normal pH and protective lipid layer by:

    Specialized balancing toners, Topical Vitamin-C or VIVITÉ® Vibrance Therapy,

  • Protection using a sunblock containing clear Zinc Oxide

• Problems

  Significant sun damage causes problems that must be addressed in addition to the above basic care. These problems are:

  • Pigmentary abnormalities

  • Crinkles and wrinkles

  • Thinning dermis (the support layer of the skin) further increasing wrinkles

  • Reduced blood supply that speeds deterioration of the skin

  • Development of abnormal small blood vessels causing a redness or flushed appearance (telangiectasia – also lumped with Rosacea)

  • Change in the nuclear make-up of the cells, eventually leading to skin cancer.

• Restoration of Sun Damaged Skin

  If these things are present, other steps are necessary to restore the health of your skin. Skin health restoration IS A PROCESS, NOT a product. Healthy skin is Smooth, Firm, Evenly Pigmented & Hydrated. To restore Sun damaged skin to this condition, we:

  • Restore after cleansing the normal skin pH and the protective surface barrier with specific rebalancing toner and Vitamin-C or VIVITÉ® Vibrance Therapy

  • Remove the thickened outer dead cell layer (to make the skin feel more moist) using AHA’s (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), Peels, and/or Microdermabrasion.

  • Correct the Pigment by removing spots & making the rest of the skin a uniform color using Hydroquinone

    Kojic acid, Arbutin, botanicals, to some extent, topical Vitamin-C, or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), occasionally supplemented with peels and micro peels.

  • Rebuild the dermis & blood vessels & heal injured cells using Retin-A®, Elastoderm® and topical Vitamin C.

  • Remove abnormal blood vessels (called telangiectasia) using an IPL.

• Obagi Nu-Derm

  • Would you like to markedly improve the health of your skin to uncover your natural beauty?

    Unlike traditional skin care products that only treat problems on the surface of your skin, the Obagi Skin Health Restoration System® works at the cellular level to develop and maintain the glow and softness of healthy, younger skin. You can use the Obagi Nu-Derm skin treatment program alone or as a preparation to reduce the problems of other procedures such as peels and laser resurfacing. Designed for easy use at home, in as little as six weeks (the time it takes for the outer layer of your skin to be replaced with the fresh one beneath) the Nu-Derm System® transforms damaged, dry or wrinkled areas into smooth, evenly colored, soft and well-moisturized skin.

  • Obagi Nu-Derm® also:

    Reduces the thickened outer dead cell layer to brighten your skin, reduces the appearance of blemishes and other discoloration, strengthens your skin against day-to-day damage, moisturizes your skin from within improves circulation, rebuilds collagen for a fuller, younger, less wrinkled look and protects your skin from further damage.

  • It’s not about skin care; it’s about skin health.

    Skin Health Restoration, instead of just dealing with the superficial symptoms of aging skin and hiding them, actually reaches deep below the surface, to stimulate and actually promote your skin’s restoration and ultimate health. This is the system that other systems are measured against.

• Sonic Cleansing Benefits:

  • Removes 6X more makeup than manual cleansing

  • Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother

  • Removes impurities that keep creams and serums from working their best

  • Gentle enough to use twice a day

  • Reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes

  • Minimizes the appearance of visible pores

• We carry the:

  • Pro (sold only by skin care professionals)

  • 4 Speeds plus Body Mode

  • Uses the Body Brush and has an extension handle for the back.

  • Single-speed

  • Smaller size, perfect for use at home or on-the-go.

  • Mia

  • Delicate, Sensitive, Normal, Deep Pore Cleansing and Body Brush heads

• Sonic Cleansing Notes:

  • Safe for cleansing all skin types

  • Recommended for use with all cleansers in our skin care lines.

  • Works excellently to remove the flaking skin from exfoliant use.

  • Also good for the neck and décolleté, as well as other areas of your body needing extra care and attention

  • Rechargeable for up to 30 minutes of use (Models vary), enough to last about 2 weeks.

  • Waterproof for use in shower or tub.

  • Multiple colors available, depending on model.

• Epionce

  • Epionce® is a system for basic skin care in those with minimal sun damage.

    It delivers powerful therapy where you need it most with botanical ingredients, in a 5 phase system. This breakthrough in skin wellness is clinically proven and designed to meet your skin’s unique needs. Epionce® strengthens your skin’s own mechanisms, helping to improve function, restore the barrier and reverse destructive skin inflammation. This results in a stronger healthier barrier that can help defy the effects of aging, giving you smoother more radiant skin that function at its optimum.

  • Though this is a system, it is variable enough to match your skin’s individual type.

    Continued healthy skin can be yours. Epionce® is a comprehensive and innovative skin wellness line designed to optimize the appearance and health of the skin by working at the core of the skin’s own protective and reparative systems. Epionce strengthens your skin’s own mechanisms, helping to improve function, restore the barrier and reverse destructive skin inflammation— delivering you beautiful, healthy skin. The effectiveness of Epionce® has been proven in double-blind clinical trials conducted by independent, nationally recognized research organizations. Because of the unique botanical formulations, it can do this without significant skin reaction

• Theraderm

  • Therapon’s skin care products are excellent for minimal and mild sun damaged skin.

    It enhances your skin’s natural health and beauty, regardless of skin type or age. For those with minimal damage, we use the Theraderm Skin® Health System which contains: Theraderm® Cleansing Wash, Fruit Acid Exfoliant, OPC Reparative Gel, Either enriched of Gentle Facial Moisturizer that works with your skin instead of shutting down natural moisturization. And Platinum Protection, a UVA/UVB (Broad Spectrum) Zinc Oxide oil-free sunblock

  • To add additional correction for those who need it

    we use Eternox®, which improves the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines to delay the need for such expensive cosmetic treatments as BOTOX® and injectable fillers. We also use the Therapon® 70% lactic acid “lunch time” peel to treat mild discoloration and sun damage on the face, neck, hands, and upper chest. When combined with the lanolin-based, moisturizing Theraderm Skin Renewal System, the peels can help you achieve a smoother texture and more uniform skin tone. You achieve best results with a series of six weekly light peels.

• Chemical Peels

  • Chemical peels remove skin layers that are damaged by sun and time to smooth your skin texture

    reduce scarring, even the color and remove blemishes and pre-cancerous growths to produce healthy, glowing skin. There are several types of chemical peels, ranging from mild to strong – beta hydroxy acid (salicylic acid, including Obagi® Radiance®),alphahydroxy acids (AHAs), tricholoroacetic acid (TCA, including the Obagi® Blue Peel) and croton oil/phenol. We tailor formula strengths to your individual needs to achieve the best results with the least risks and down time. In order to prevent pigmentary problems with the TCA and Phenol/Croton Oil peels, we require everyone to either be on the Obagi® System or Hydroquinone for 6 weeks before the procedure.

  • Peels correct your surface aging problems.

    You can combine them with other procedures such as Today’s Facelift to totally rejuvenate your face and correct other problems caused by gravity. The newer formulations are designed to be safer and to have faster recovery. The modified phenol/croton oil peel can almost completely erase severe old leather-like wrinkling. Recovery is from none to 2 weeks, depending on the particular peel used.

• Obagi Blue Peel

  • The Blue Peel® is a chemical peel using Trichloacetic Acid (TCA)

    combined with a blue dye to make the peel safer and allow peeling to whatever skin level is needed for the correction of whatever problem your skin has. It is used in combination with the Obagi® Nu-Derm® Skin Restoration System to give you clear, smooth, healthy skin. During the peel process, we remove the damaged surface layer of skin. Within 3-10 days it is replaced with a fresh layer that is smoother, well-toned, more even in color, and has smaller pores. The Blue Peel offers benefits over other peel methods because it allows us to better control many aspects of the process, including the depth of penetration, so treatments are safer and we can tailor it to you. Combining the Nu-Derm® system and the Blue Peel can help you achieve a dramatic silky-smooth texture and uniform skin tone.

• Microdermabrasion

  • As the skin ages from time and exposure to the sun’s radiation, the outer dead cell layer thickens.

    This causes the skin to look dull and feel dry. By removing this outer dead layer, the skin is smoothed and looks brighter, younger and more radiant. Although there are several ways to do this, including use of alpha-hydroxyl washes, superficial peels, and systems like the Obagi® Skin Care System, one of the quickest, simplest and easiest methods is microdermabrasion.

  • The procedure is non-surgical and noninvasive. It employs a wand that is passed over your skin.

    Tiny crystals are blown against your skin, abrading the outer layer. The used crystals and dead cells from the skin are simultaneously vacuumed away to a sealed container. The microdermabrasion takes about 30 to 45 minutes and has no discomfort. You can return to normal activities immediately, looking radiant. If you are using the Obagi® Skin Care System and having significant peeling, this is a great way to reduce the peeling and gain a healthy glow faster.

• Radiance Peel

  • The Obagi® RADIANCE Blue Peel is a Salicylic acid peel that can improve your skin’s look, texture and feel in a matter of minutes with no down time.

  • Some benefits of the Radiance Peel are:

    Instant, radiant results for most skin types. Improves photo damage, fine lines, texture and tone. Beneficial if you have darker skin with pigmentary changes. Superficial exfoliation.

  • It provides instantly tighter, smoother, brighter looking skin after just one use; however, a series of 4 to 6 peels provides the best overall results.

• Glycolic Peels

  • A glycolic peel is a light natural fruit acid chemical peel that can:

    reduce fine lines, soften rough skin, dry out blemishes, lighten irregular pigmentation and help to unclog pores.

  • During a glycolic peel, the dry, damaged top layer of the skin is removed to reveal healthier, moist skin underneath. These peels can be applied on the face, chest, neck or hands.

  • Glycolic peels are good for people who do not need or feel ready for deeper resurfacing and those who do not want any visible peeling.

  • Generally a series of 6 skin treatments administered weekly is recommended, however a single skin treatment can also achieve great results.

• Jessner Peel

  • A Jessner peel is a stronger peel than a glycolic or lactic peel.

    It works by combining salicylic acid, lactic acid and resorcinol acid. It is thought to break intracellular bridges between keratinocytes (the epithelial cells) allowing more peeling with the risk of injury to deeper cells.

  • It is very difficult with this peel to ‘over peel’ the skin due to the mild percentages associated with the acid combination

    however, we would only recommend a Jessner peel if you have been using other peels and have not received the desired results or if you have reached a plateau in your peels and need an extra boost.

• Light & Laser Procedures

  • The Luxor® Specialized CO2 Laser makes it possible for us to precisely remove your wrinkles and scars that skin care or peels do not easily correct.

    This machine’s design, using more intense bursts of laser light with more time between bursts, prevents overheating of the skin and achieves the desired result with fewer risks and less prolonged redness. It also allows us to target precisely your specific lines, wrinkles or scars to remove them with faster recovery. Most people heal within 5 days, and it is rare that anyone has any open area past 10 days. This is as fast as Fractional Lasers. Once healing occurs, we will show you how to apply makeup to disguise the small amount of redness that remains.

  • The Ellipse IPL® offers the advantages of Intense Pulsed Light therapy

    the only proven technology to treat both the red and brown areas of skin sun damage, but does so with less discomfort and more safety than traditional treatment for the same problems. Intense Pulsed Light is similar to Laser light but uses a broad band of light instead of a single wavelength. With this technology, there is absolutely no downtime. The Ellipse IPL® allows services not otherwise possible. It requires no anesthesia, and you can return to normal activities immediately. Each treatment provides improvement of the problem. Because of this, you can select the endpoint you desire.

• Photodynamic Therapy

  • Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is the newest, most exciting trend in laser light applications for skin sun damage

    acne and precancerous actinic keratoses. It involves placing ALA (aminolevulinic acid), a liquid photosensitizer, on the site to be treated and then exposing that area with specialized wavelengths of light using the IPL. The ALA soaks into the skin. This chemical has a special affinity for severely sun damaged and pre-cancerous skin cells and oil glands. These cells are metabolically active and will convert the ALA into a chemical called a porphyrin that is highly photosensitive. The IPL light is a specific wavelength that is absorbed by the porphyrin and superheats it. The result is shrinkage of oil glands and destruction of precancerous cells.

  • We apply the ALA to the area to be treated and generally treat you the next day after full absorption of the ALA

    If this is inconvenient, we can treat you an hour or so after application and still get results. If you leave the office while awaiting the ALA absorption, you must protect the area from sunlight. During the treatment using the IPL, you will experience a mild tingling, burning or popping. The next few days the area will feel and act like a moderately severe sunburn as the old cells flake off. Many patients compare it to a mild to moderate chemical peel.

  • Post treatment, you will not need to do anything until the area begins to peel.

    Then, when you wash the area, do so gently to remove any loose skin, but do not pull off any of the flaking areas. If there are any raw spots, treat them with an antibiotic cream or ointment such as Bacitracin, Polysporin, or, if it does not cause a rash, Neosporin.

  • The flaking should stop after about 5 days and you should be healed completely in 7-10 days, if not earlier.

    This is one treatment that insurance occasionally covers, depending on why we do it.

• Today’s Liquid Lift (Wrinkle and Contour Correction)

  • Do those little worry lines, wrinkles, or folds around the mouth, chin, eyes, forehead or elsewhere in the face or depressions from aging bother you?

    Have your lips lost their definition? Would you like to correct these problems without surgery or just do not think you are ready for a facelift? Do you “need” a facelift but don’t have the time or the money? With the new injectable products and modified techniques using your own fat, we can now provide you results that previously only surgery could. There is no down time and minimal risks.

  • Others have jokingly called use of fillers such as

    Juvéderm®, Belotero Balance® and Radiesse® “Liquid Facelift” or “Facelift in a Syringe” because they can almost give you results similar to a facelift. We call our approach “Today’s Liquid Lift” because we go the next step and include Botox® and fat injection in the methods we use to achieve a more relaxed, natural and longer lasting result. We consider more than just the lines around the mouth or between the eyes. Instead, we concentrate on what is causing you the aged appearance and treat what will give you the most optimal reversal of the problem with the least expense. We also use these methods to correct nasal deformities (what some others call a Liquid Rhinoplasty) or improve the aged appearance of the hands.

• BOTOX® Cosmetic

  • BOTOX® Cosmetic, or OnabotulinumtoxinA

    s a protein commonly used to reduce or eliminate the appearance of facial wrinkles or rejuvenate the appearance of the face and neck. It is exceptionally safe, injected millions of times a year with almost no problems when properly used. It was, in fact, developed for use in children with eye muscle spasm and used for that purpose for many years until its cosmetic uses were discovered.It is injected into the muscles causing wrinkles or cosmetic problems in the face to reverse these problems. BOTOX® injections block nerve impulses, weakening the muscles to relax them and give the face the desired rejuvenated look. We use it most commonly: lateral to the eyes, between the eyebrows, in the forehead, in the neck and around the mouth.

  • We do so to:

    smooth crow’s feet, reduce frown and worry lines, reduce lines around the mouth and in the neck and, by eliminating the downward pull of the muscles around the eyes, allow the eyebrows to elevate, thus providing a nonsurgical browlift.

  • We do the procedure in a Spa environment and use topical numbing for the injections to reduce discomfort.

    Each injection usually lasts 3-6 months. When repeated several times over about 1 – 1 1/2 years before muscle function recovers, allowing the muscle to atrophy, you may be able thereafter to go a year or so between injections.

  • BOTOX® may also be useful for in reducing or eliminating migraine headaches, excessive sweating, and eye and neck muscle spasms.

• JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel

  • JUVÉDERM® is designed to:

    smooth wrinkles, sculpt lips and shape facial contours.

  • The most common areas for treatment are the fine lines that appear on your lips and in filling or defining the lips.

    Because of its fine consistency, it is ideal for fine lines anywhere, but also useful for filling larger lines and wrinkles and volume deficits. It is very useful in treating the nasolabial folds (from the root of the nose to the angle of your mouth) and the marionette lines (the area from the corner of the mouth to the chin in front of the jowl). In Today’s Liquid Lift we use it to rejuvenate the lips and to eliminate fine lines throughout the face and neck.

  • It is a synthetic hyaluronic acid gel, a natural substance found throughout your body that is a precursor of collagen, the support layer of the skin.

    This synthetic product carries no risk of allergic reaction. It is extremely safe, with millions of injections yearly. It is smoother, more concentrated, more cross-linked, and lasts significantly longer than other hyaluronic acids. This has allowed the FDA to approve it to fill wrinkles, lines, and the lips for up to 12 months. Although we have found it usually lasts around 10 months when injected around the lips, it may last several years in other areas. With its unique ability to bind with water, it retains the volume correction until it is almost completely absorbed. Because of its long lasting effects and the fact it can be used anywhere Restylane®, any of the other hyaluronic acids or the collagen products can, it is our preferred product for the areas above. It is the only filler approved for “persons of color.”

  • We inject it in a Spa setting using either topical or regional nerve block numbing in addition to a numbing agent in the Juvéderm XC® itself, making it as painless as we can.

    You can return to normal activities immediately. The most common problem is mild bruising that can last a few days. We try to reduce this by using where possible a very small blunt needle and encouraging your use of Arnica Montana and Bromelain (over the counter products, though we can provide them) or Pineapple juice peri-injection. If you do bruise, we can guide you in camouflage techniques using Jane Iredale® Mineral Make Up so you never have any down time.

• Radiesse

  • RADIESSE® is a soft tissue filler especially useful in elevating deep folds and filling areas of volume loss or apparent loss, such as under your eye, your cheek, and your pre-jowl area.

    This disguises the area and can substitute for a facelift if your aging is early. Therefore, it is one of the mainstays of Today’s Liquid Lift. It can also correct nasal deformities instead of doing a rhinoplasty and correct hand aging.

  • Composed of calcium hydroxylapatite (a compound found naturally in the body) microspheres in a nonreactive gel

    it is thicker than the hyaluronic acids. Surgeons have used the basic molecule in cleft lip and palate and other facial reconstructions for over 40 years. The FDA has approved it for filling moderate to severe lines and folds and lipoatrophy (loss of fat or volume in the face). Because the composition is thicker than the hyaluronic acids, we inject it deeper. Although designed to maximize tissue ingrowth to prevent migration, we generally do not use it in the lips because of a small possibility of nodule formation there.

  • The major advantages of Radiesse® are that:

    it lasts up to 18 months on average, it stimulates the tissue to produce new collagen, it rebuilds the skin foundation allowing you to maintain some of the correction achieved even after the product had absorbed.

  • We inject it in a Spa setting using either topical or regional nerve block numbing in addition to a numbing agent in the Radiesse® itself

    making it as painless as we can. You can return to normal activities immediately. The most common problem is mild bruising that can last a few days. We try to reduce this by using where possible a very small blunt needle and encouraging your use of Arnica Montana and Bromelain (over the counter products, though we can provide them) or Pineapple juice peri-injection. If you do bruise, we can guide you in camouflage.

• Fat Injection / Fat Transfer

  • Fat can correct any of the major lines, areas of fat loss or apparent loss and contour irregularities anywhere in the body, such as:

    he cheeks from aging, the pre-jowl areas from aging(thus hiding the jowl), the lines around the mouth (nasolabial and marionette folds), temporal hollowing, the infraoccular areas (hiding the bags under the eyes). the upper eyelids to rejuvenate them without a Blepharoplasty, depressions around scars, loss of cover of breast implants, especially after breast reconstruction and any other place where fill is needed.

  • It is especially ideal when a large amount of filler is needed and when you desire facial correction at the time of a Liposuction procedure.

    If done properly, most of the fat injected remains alive and present where placed. However, to achieve the proper correction, slight overcorrection initially and more than one injection may be required. This is because the fat is a living tissue and requires good blood supply in the area where it is placed. If we inject too much at one time, the pressure reduces the blood supply, and some of the injected fat dies. In spite of this limitation, most people require only one procedure.

  • The major advantage of this procedure is that it is generally permanent.

    Additionally, the fat contains multipotential stem cells and there is some indication that they rejuvenate the tissues in which they are placed. Not only do you look better from correcting the folds and volume loss, but the overlying tissues look better because they are rejuvenated.

  • The procedure does require harvest of the fat from an area where you have excess, such as the tummy, upper thigh or neck.

    We then process the fat to remove everything except viable cells. Once we have adequate fat, we inject it where you need it using specially designed, fine, blunt tipped needles. We frequently do this under local anesthesia in the office unless significant fat is needed or you are to have a large area liposuctioned in addition to the injection. To reduce bruising and speed its resolution, we encouraging perioperative use of Arnica Montana and Bromelain (over the counter products, though we can provide them) or Pineapple juice. What minimal bruising that does occur can usually be covered with makeup, such as Jane Iredale®, and you can return immediately to most activities.

• Latisse

  • No simple thing makes you feel more beautiful and sexy than long, dark, luscious eyelashes. Now you can have these thanks to Latisse®.

  • Latisse® was developed from a drug to treat glaucoma (Lumigan – bimatoprost) after users noticed eyelash growth as a side effect.

    Because it was designed as an intraocular drug, it is safe around the eyes. Made by the same company that makes Botox®, it is the first drug FDA approved to treat inadequate eyelashes, and it really does grow longer, darker and thicker lashes.

  • It is applied initially each night to the upper lashes.

    Since blinking spreads the product to the lower lashes, this reduces the risk of skin darkening of the skin or hair growth around the eye from too much product on the skin. After 2-4 months, you may be able to reduce application to 2-3 times a week.

  • Other side effects can be darkening of the iris (the colored part of the eye)

    especially in people with hazel eyes, redness and itching. If any of these occur, we are always available for advice and treatment.

• Jane Iredale® Mineral Cosmetics

  • The Center for Plastic Surgery carries the Jane Iredale® line of mineral makeup.

    This line is a highly-sophisticated blend of minerals and pigments using microscopic flat crystals. There is no talc or other fillers present, as in other mineral makeup. Jane Iredale’s unique crystals allow the skin to breathe and function normally while still protecting it from air-borne pollutants. The staying power of the minerals is so great that they rarely need a touch-up during the day, and, because these silky-feeling powders are water resistant, they won’t crease or smear even during the most strenuous exercise. The Jane Iredale® Mineral Makeup is also non-comedogenic, has virtually no allergy risk, is anti-inflammatory, and provides both UVB and UVA sun protection using zinc oxide built into both the loose and pressed powders. Their PureMoist™ LipColours and LipSheres lip colors are the only such products on the market with edible zinc oxide to protect your lips from the sun. Their LipDrink™ lip moisturizer is one of only two that will actually protect your lips from the UVA rays. The Jane Iredale brushes are designed to be both effective and gentle. These products are also excellent in hiding redness and bruising after surgery or other procedures.

About Dr. Buchanan

• Dr. Buchanan

  • Dr. Buchanan has a national reputation as a leader and educator in Plastic Surgery.

    He is board-certified in, and was previously a Professor of, Plastic Surgery.

  • Our goal is to enhance not only the way you look, but how you feel.

  • Using today’s techniques, we strive to achieve the best outcome possible with the fastest recovery and least risks so you will love your results.

    We develop an individual care plan with you by providing time to listen to you, a thorough examination and discussion of your desires. This plan considers your specific goals and matches them with what your body type will allow and what the latest techniques can accomplish. We always place your safety first, and strive for as natural a result as possible in all procedures, whether surgical or non-invasive.

  • Dr. Buchanan specializes in the full range of cosmetic, facial, body and breast procedures, skin and facial rejuvenation, and wellness management.

• Training and Practice

  • Private Practice Highlands, NC, 1999-present

  • Private Practice and clinical Faculty, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, 1992-1999

  • Full Professor of Plastic Surgery, teaching future surgeons and caring for patients, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, 1978-1992

  • Plastic Surgery Residency – Washington University, Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, 1976-1978

  • General Surgery Residency – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1972-1976

  • US Navy, Field Surgical Officer, Vietnam and Jacksonville, FL 1970-72

  • Straight Surgical Internship – Parkland Hospital, Dallas, TX, 1969-70

  • M.D. Degree – Medical College of Georgia, 1969

  • Undergraduate – Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 1962-1965 (Entered Medical School at the completion of third year).

  • Native of Atlanta

• Board Certification

  • American Board of Plastic Surgery, 1980

  • American Board of Surgery, June 9, 1978 (not active)

  • Certified in Surgery of the Hand, 1990 (1st year offered), recertified 1998 & 2010

• Hospital Privileges

  • Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, Highlands, NC, Active Privileges

  • Harris Regional Hospital, Sylva, NC, Courtesy Privileges

• Honors & Awards

  • AMA Medal of Valor for work during the Oklahoma City Bombing

  • AMA Physician’s Recognition Award given for a superior level of continuing medical education: 1981, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010 (Available only every 3 years).

  • Permanent entry in Who’s Who in America

• Achievements

  • World’s first nose reattachment

  • World’s first free joint transfer

  • Developed and helped refine a number of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures

    Liposuction (In first group trained in this country); Breast reconstruction; Short scar carpal tunnel release; Free tissue transfer; One of first to use Loupes rather than Mocroscope.

• Elected to lead...

  Elected by peers to lead local and national Plastic Surgical and other medical organizations

  • President, American Association for Hand Surgery, 2001-2002

  • President, Oklahoma Society of Plastic Surgeons, 1982-1986

  • Board of Governors, American College of Surgeons, 1998-2004

  • Board of Directors, Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, 2000-2003

  • Alternate Delegate Oklahoma State Medical Association, 1997-1999

  • Assistant Chief of Staff, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, 2006-2007

  • Chief of Staff, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, 2007-2009

  • Chief of Surgery, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, 2003-2007 and 2009-2011

• Publications & Presentations

  • Dr Buchanan has authored numerous articles based on research published in national reference journals and books on subjects spanning the full breadth of Plastic Surgery.

    These articles include ones dealing with the effects of breast augmentation, burns, cleft palate repair, facial fractures, nutritional support, and the first report of a free microvascular joint transplant.

  • He has been invited speaker and teacher a

    national and international courses and symposia of multiple plastic surgery organizations lecturing on and teaching multiple aspects of Plastic Surgery.

  • He has had papers accepted and presented at the annual meetings of multiple Plastic Surgery organizations.

  • He has been the invited speaker at the programs of local hospitals and civic organizations.

  • Dr. Buchanan has developed and helped refine a number of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.

    With a broad knowledge of the basics, he has been able to take procedures developed for reconstruction, use them cosmetically, and vice versa.

  • Member of Speaker’s Bureau:

    American Society of Plastic Surgeons; Highlands-Cashiers Hospital; Previously, Oklahoma State Medical Society.

• Medical

  • American Society of Plastic Surgeons

    Multiple Committee Chairs and Memberships; Board of Directors.

  • American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

  • Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation

    Board of Directors; Multiple Committee Chairs and Memberships.

  • Fellow American College of Surgeons

    Board of Governors; Committee Membership.

  • American Association for Hand Surgery

    President; Board of Directors; Multiple Offices and Committee chairs.

  • American Medical Association

    Presented the Medal of Valor.

  • North Carolina Medical Society

  • Macon, Jackson, and Buncombe County Medical Societies

  • North Carolina Society of Plastic Surgeons

• In Oklahoma

  • Oklahoma Society of Plastic Surgeons, President, 1982-1986

  • Susan G. Komen Foundation, Advisory Board, 1995-1999

  • American Cancer Society, Oklahoma City Chapter, Chairman of the Board, 1995-1997

  • Fine Arts Institute, Board of Directors, 1991-1993

  • Edmond Educational Endowment

• Community

  • Rotary International

    Team Captain, American Cancer Society Relay for Life; Multiple projects.

• Teaching Appointments

  • Clinical Professor teaching Residents, Fellows and students from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center while in private practice 1992-1999

  • Professor, teaching full time while caring for patients in the Section of Plastic Surgery, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, City, OK, 1978-1992

Our Practice

• Info

  The Center for Plastic Surgery strives to provide you with individualized advanced care to obtain high-quality personalized results. To help you achieve your goals we:

  • Provide you the highest quality advanced plastic surgery.

  • Place you first, doing whatever we can to minimize the time, frustration and worry of receiving care.

  • Provide you total service and care with compassion and understanding in a friendly, comfortable environment.

  • Listen to you and provide options

    of care that allow you to receive only the care you need or desire in the least invasive and least costly manner possible to achieve the best outcome with the fastest recovery.

  • Care not only for your presenting problem, but also evaluate and assist with any other problems (medical, psychological, and social) as well.

  • To educate you how to prevent future or recurrent problems.

  • Maintain the highest level of integrity, service orientation, attitude and ethics.

  • Protect and preserve your privacy, dignity and total welfare.

  • Set ourselves apart from others with distinctive differences in medical/surgical expertise, information exchange, and caring for you.

• Services

  • Cosmetic Enhancement of the Face, Head & Neck

    We can correct deformities as well as the changes of aging of your face, neck, brow, eyes, lips, skin, nose, and ears using the latest techniques of surgery, injections, and skin care. Surgery techniques include use of the endoscope, limited incisions, laser and Intense Pulsed Light treatments. Skin care includes Obagi Nu-Derm®, Epionce®, Theraderm® products and VIVITÉ in Highlands, NC®. The Obagi Blue Peel® and Croton Oil are the usual peels done. We inject BOTOX® Cosmetic, JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel, Radiesse®, and fat using numbing. All of this is done in the serenity of the mountains in Highlands, NC to aid full recovery of not only your body but also your spirit. We provide you time so we can understand exactly what you desire and need and answer any questions you may have. This allows us to select the proper procedure.

  • Body Contouring and Enhancement

    We can modify your body (trunk, arms, legs, and buttock) from removal of only a small fatty excess to correction of massive problems from changes in physique or the effects of aging. We can use excisional surgery, liposuction, and ZERONA™ (a non-invasive laser) to accomplish whatever you may need. From a large experience in excisional surgery, Dr. Buchanan became one of the first surgeons trained in this country to perform liposuction. He has continued to develop the technique since, and uses it with other procedures.

  • Breast Surgery

    We specialize in enlarging, reducing, and modifying your breasts. We have developed new and better ways of doing so using smaller incisions, with the experience gained from both cosmetic modifications and reconstruction of congenital, aging and post cancer problems. Dr. Buchanan obtained much of this experience while on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma at the Center for Breast Health, a multispecialty institute that Dr. Buchanan helped develop, caring only for breast problems.

  • Lifestyle Enhancement

    We provide information on how you can protect yourself from the aging effects of the sun, and we have available products to help you do so. We can provide information to help you lose weight, achieve a proper exercise program and stop smoking.

  • Safety and Therapeutic Improvements

    We take safety very seriously. We carefully screen you prior to any procedure to reduce any possible risks. We offer everyone, even those for minor injections, medication to reduce bruising and speed its resolution. We provide these medications, vitamins, and minerals specifically formulated to speed healing and reduce healing complications to everyone undergoing a major surgical procedure. We monitor you appropriately during every procedure, and, if needed, use prophylactic measures (such as anti-thrombosis leg compression devices) to prevent even unlikely problems. All surgery is done either in the office under local anesthesia or in the modern, fully equipped and certified Highlands-Cashiers Hospital under advanced, light general anesthesia for quick recovery using only fully Board Certified Anesthesiologists.