Exclusive with the Premier Pittsburgh Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Marc Liang, one of the premier aesthetic plastic surgeons in Pittsburgh, is not only skilled and talented, he has also created a comfortable and positive environment for his patients. Yet what may come as a surprise to most of our readers is that Dr. Liang does not recommend plastic surgery as the first line for helping his patients.
Instead, he believes that his agipatients need to become their best physical self by taking care of their inside before seeking options for the outside. “Diet and exercise are at the core of anti-aging, with hundreds of studies proving that no matter what you do to take care of the outside of your body, if you don’t take care of the inside, your results will not be optimal. My job is to help patients from a dietary and workout standpoint. Depending on their age, and how well they are progressing with their diet and workout regimens, we may suggest hormone testing.”
This hormone testing begins with a detailed 12-page questionnaire that asks about a person’s symptoms as well as personal and family health history. When the results come back, usually in two to three weeks, Dr. Liang will review them with the patient, explaining the issues and what may be causing them and what may help. “We urge our patients to work with their primary care physician and us to get the optimal results.”
According to Dr. Liang, skincare is one area that proves that beauty truly begins on the inside. He says that using moisturizers at a young age have consequences that go deeper than you think. Young people who start using moisturizers are actually tricking their deeper skin cells, the keratinocytes, into believing that they don’t need to make as much young skin and the skin does not “turn over” as frequently as before. Therefore, using a skincare line that stimulates collagen-elastin and creates an internal hydrating barrier (like fresh-faced children have) allows your skin to recreate young, healthy skin. The ZO skincare line, created by Zein Obagi, is just such a system. It is safe, effective, and the only skincare line that Dr. Liang carries.
Yet even with healthy eating, exercise, and the proper care of your skin, you may still have problems.
According to Dr. Liang, now it is okay to look at other options. “You can’t fight your hormones, so once you have done everything possible to optimize your health, and genetics are still creating problem areas such as your waist or saddlebags, then it’s time to consider plastic surgery.”
This is also true of the aging face, which is the majority of Dr. Liang’s practice. Botox and filler are meant to put off surgery as long as possible, but there comes a point where they no longer work and it is time for surgery.
When it is time to tackle problem areas, there are currently more non-invasive procedures than ever. “It’s a consumer driven market and many people don’t want the downtime of surgery. Vanquish is a non-invasive fat-dissolution procedure which is not painful (it uses radio frequency to target fat cells) and actually causes apoptosis (cell-death), which leads to long-lasting results.” Though the product is currently made specifically for the waist, Liang says that the FDA may make it available for the thighs soon as well.
However, he brings everything back to working on the inside first, saying, “You have to watch what you eat and exercise, which you would do along with every single procedure.” He closes with some words to the wise, saying, “If you want to enhance your looks, fix what you can fix on your own, or with our help, and then you may jump into surgical or non-surgical modalities.”
With measured advice, and a practice that puts the health of the patient above all else, it is easy to see why Dr. Liang is the most popular choice among Pittsburgh women in need of advice and knowledge in regards to their health and beauty. To learn more please visit Dr. Liang’s website.
