Enhancements: Facial Plastic Surgery & Laser Specialists

Enhancements: Facial Plastic Surgery & Laser Specialists

Every day, patients ask Dr. Scott Sackman to lift their tired faces, give them more hair and less belly fat. Then, they implore, please don’t let it hurt, and, oh, can you get me back to work by Monday?

“Everybody wants magic: a younger you with no pain, no bruises,” said Sackman, adding that although magic wands have yet to be invented in the 30+ years he’s been in practice, equipment makers are coming closer every year.

This year, Sackman’s arsenal against aging includes a variety of injectables, lasers and fat-zappers – all of which can be used in his office and without general anesthesia.  He’s even one of the few physicians in the area to offer the no-touch “Vanquish” machine shown on TV that melts belly fat with radio-frequency microwaves.

“The less down time, or “hide out” time, the more popular it is as a rule,” Sackman acknowledged.

Take his non-surgical facelift, for example.  With two basic steps in his office, Sackman can lift a patient’s sagging cheeks with injectable filler that hardens as a temporary implant, then resurface and tighten the skin on the face and neck with a laser.

The injectable implants contain hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in fluids in the eyes and joints that can last for three years, he said, and the CO2 laser, when used less aggressively, can cut recovery time.  “For people under the age of 70, the non-surgical lift offers a better result than a surgical facelift,” Sackman said, because skin pulled taut under general anesthesia is still flat unless an implant is inserted. That’s not to say that Sackman won’t operate in a hospital if patients request it, or if the work requires it.

He likes having a variety of options to offer his patients and is willing to do as much in his office without anesthesia as patients find acceptable. Numbing agents, such as lidocaine, allow him to nip and tuck eyelids, necks, waistlines and lips painlessly for patients who are awake or sedated.

While most of Sackman’s patients are women, a growing percentage, estimated at 35-40 percent, are men. Michael Perry, who lives in Stroudsburg and runs a hair studio in Bethlehem, came to Sackman several years ago for the same reason most do: to look younger.

“As I was approaching 50, I noticed I had some lines around my mouth and wrinkles on my forehead.  I wanted information on what was available,” he said.

Sackman used injectable fillers in the lines around his mouth, Botox injections on his forehead and a laser to smooth acne scars on his back. (Botox is the brand name for a drug used to temporarily paralyze facial muscles, making wrinkles diminish.)

“It has been amazing,” Perry said of the result.  He said the “parentheses” on either side of his mouth are gone, his back looks better for swimming in public and the skin on his forehead is smooth, firm and wrinkle-free. “It’s nice to look in the mirror and look rested and refreshed regardless of what you are doing in day-to-day life,” he said.

Maureen Rooney, a dental hygienist, finds Sackman’s work worth the drive from her home and job in New Jersey.  “What’s really good about Dr. Sackman is he’s very conservative. He takes a natural approach,” to eliminating the “dreaded 11s” or vertical lines between her brows.  “He takes his time and takes meticulous notes,” she said, comfortable with his explanations, expertise and the results.

“The result was fantastic,” Rooney said of her first Botox injections. “I felt a slight pinch from the needle, but it’s not long-lasting…Pretty much the next day you see the lines soften. He relaxed that area so I didn’t look angry.  The results were fast and lasted four months.”

Pleased with Sackman’s manner, Rooney also underwent a laser resurfacing of some scars from skin cancer surgery performed on her chest – a procedure she found painless during the procedure but “uncomfortable” for the month it took her skin to recover from redness and a
burning feeling.

Born in East Brunswick, N.J., Sackman obtained his medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.  He trained primarily in Detroit, MI, but also in New Jersey and at New York’s Sloan Kettering cancer center. He is trained in both facial plastic surgery and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat).  He opened his first practice in Bloomsburg, Columbia County, where he worked for 13 years before relocating in 2003, to a large, renovated house at 5201 William Penn Highway, equi-distant from his family and his wife’s in Philadelphia.

“The Lehigh Valley is a wonderful mix of geography and people,” he said. “There is an element of sophistication amongst my clients, but few are city-pushy.”

Sackman said he likes being close to New York City, where he attends courses in plastic surgery and once had a part-time practice on Madison Avenue. Located off of Route 33, Enhancements is convenient for patients coming from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware and even Boston, MA.  His web site is enhancementdoctor.com.

 

Tips for choosing a cosmetic surgeon

“Buyer beware” in Pennsylvania when choosing a cosmetic surgeon, says Dr. Scott Sackman, a board certified otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon.  That’s because more and more physicians are offering services such as Botox injections and laser treatments with little experience, training or the proper certification.

Sackman’s handout for safe and effective results suggests:

1. Find a surgeon who is board certified to perform the procedure in question.

2. Choose a surgeon with more experience and volume; not the lowest price.

3. Don’t trust a friend’s recommendation alone: consider your appearance, age and potential  when comparing “before” and “after” photos of surgeons’ results.

4. Pick someone you feel you can trust with your medical history and safety.

5. Select an accredited center whose staff is responsive and on-call 24/7.

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