Choe Center Blog

I’ve heard that injectables can be used as non-surgical versions of certain procedures, like a facelift, eyelid lift, nose job, etc. How effective are these? Yes and no. Injectables are fillers or volume enhancers for lines and areas of the face that lack volume. Smile lines, marionette lines, flat cheeks, and dorsal irregularity (nose) are […]

I have extremely deep marionette lines. I have heard of the hyaluronic acid filler, Juvederm, and would like to know if this is a good filler for my facial wrinkles. Are the effects seen immediately with this filler or does it take time? For extremely deep marionette lines, hyaluroic acid filler such as Juvederm may […]

I am an African American with a darker skin tone. I have uneven pigmentation around my face and neck and would like to know if a chemical peel or dermabrasion procedure would work as well on me as it would for a lighter skinned person. For darker skin patients, dermabrasion is usually not advised because […]

What type of injectable filler is the longest lasting for diminishing forehead wrinkles? Does this filler have any complications associated with it? I do not advocate fillers for forehead lines. Botox is a better option in the upper 1/3 of the face as these lines are associated more with motion/animation of the face. The forehead […]

I’m an African American male in my early 30s and am contemplating ethnic rhinoplasty. Is it possible to fix flared nostrils while also narrowing my nose? Yes. Flaring or wide alae is one of the characteristics of African American nose. African American nose also tends to have flat dorsum, take off point of the nose […]

I’ve been thinking about getting an injectable filler for a while and would like a little guidance. Do you have any opinions on Restylane versus Botox? What are the pros and cons of each? Restylane and Botox are two very different things. Restylane is a type of filler. There is also Juvederm, Perlane and Radiesse. […]

I’d like to get Botox for the fine lines around my mouth and nose. How many cc’s of this injectable do you normally use? Botox injection is usually measured by the number of units injected and not by volume. You can inject 5, 10 or 15cc and still get the same result depending on how […]

Last year my girlfriend had a chemical peel at your Virginia Beach office, and the results looked amazing. Now I’m considering getting one for myself to fix some of my skin issues. Does this procedure help with both sun damage and acne scars? Chemical peel is a general term used to describe a procedure where […]

I’m a male in my late 60s and really want a facelift due to a number of unsightly wrinkles all over my face. However, I don’t want to risk looking like a fake and unnatural person after the surgery. How can you assure me that my facelift will look natural? A natural looking facelift can […]

I’ve read about plastic surgeries that are catered to different minorities (rhinoplasty, hair transplant, etc.). However, I’ve never heard until recently about someone getting ethnic blepharoplasty. My question is how does ethnic blepharoplasty differ from blepharoplasty on Caucasians? Blepharoplasty (eyelid lift) is a surgical procedure where excess skin and sometimes fat are removed. Most Caucasians […]