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Before & After Gallery

Facial Peel

Top New York plastic surgeon Dr. Barry Weintraub is board-certified and Ivy League educated at the Weill-Cornell Medical Center. He is a national spokesperson for the American Board of Plastic Surgery. With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Weintraub is in his surgical prime with the quiet calm of success – mature in his aesthetic judgment, and possessing a keen eye toward natural beauty.

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What is a Facial Peel?

The skin is made up of many layers. The deepest layers are where skin cells originate, and as they travel toward the outer layer they become less vital, ending up as the epidermis where they lose their softness and pliability and become cornified. The deeper the peel, the more long-lasting the results, but the more involved the process.

Skin peels come in various depths. The most superficial peels, such as alphahydroxy and beta hydroxy peels (i.e., glycolic, lactic, salicylic, maleic, etc.), which take off the superficial layer of the skin (epidermis), are performed in the treatment room without pain and without down time, leaving the patient exfoliated and with a teenage rosy glow. Mild peels such as these can be repeated weekly for up to six weeks.

Moderate-depth peels involving the epidermis and the dermis, such as varying percentages of TCA (trichloroacetic acid), can treat superficial crepey wrinkles, acne scars, divots, and corrugations, and can improve skin texture, equalize skin color, shrink pores, and add to the general glow of the skin. You can repeat them every six to twelve months. TCA peels are stroke-related and are often applied with a series of fine brushes. This is why it is imperative that you undergo this procedure with a doctor with skill and experience. Higher-percentage TCA peels, left on for a longer period of time, produce deeper peeling which may require anesthesia. TCA peels are all neutralized with water to control their depth.

Phenol peels produce a consistent, measured depth that erases harsh furrows and lipstick lines, among other issues. Results can last up to ten years. Recently, however, phenol peels have been replaced with varying-depth lasers since the desired depth of exfoliation can be more precisely programmed.

Considering a Facial Peel

There is no specific chronological age that determines when you should have a rejuvenative procedure; the best way to know when it’s right to call for a consultation is when you look in the mirror and see something that truly bothers you. Likewise, there is only one person to have plastic surgery for: you and you alone. It should never be undertaken due to pressure from others.

Goals of a Facial Peel

The goal of a Facial Peel is to remove the tired and dead surface of the epidermis and sometimes dermis to reveal the glowing skin below. Your face will be smoother, firmer, more even in pigment, and without the fine crepey wrinkles that show themselves in unflattering light.* Ideally, your face should be dewy and revitalized, and should look clear and smooth. And since there is less to camouflage, you won’t need to wear as much makeup. Imagine waking up and being beautiful from the moment you open your eyes!

Your Consultation

You’ve certainly looked in the mirror many times. However, when you look in the mirror and begin to see things that upset you, that’s when you should schedule a consultation. A consultation will help give you a better understanding of your own issues.

When choosing a surgeon, you should:

  • Check for board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (there are many other boards, some legitimate, some not, but there is only one American Board of Plastic Surgery, established in 1931).
  • Ensure that the physician attends a major hospital in your community, and is in good standing with that hospital.
  • Confirm that he or she has a fine reputation amongst other medical professionals in your community.
  • Speak to the surgeon’s patients who have undergone similar procedures.
  • Remember, this is your surgery, and you are interviewing the doctor as much as he’s interviewing you.
  • Do not hesitate to bring a list of questions with you on your consultation.

And remember: a good surgeon is someone who not only has the skill to perform the surgery, but is someone who understands what your specific needs and desires are. A good surgeon should listen, listen, and listen!

Have no fear during your consultation. This is a time to speak, to be heard, to learn, and to develop a trusting relationship. Questions can be answered, and fears allayed. And while Dr. Weintraub is at the cutting edge of his field in terms of technique and medical developments, you will find his office environment to be comforting, personable, and inviting. He and his staff truly care about each and every patient, and take great pride in making themselves available to help with every step of the process.

How a Facial Peel is Performed

Facial peels vary in their depth and result. With superficial peels, the solution is brushed onto your skin and allowed to sit for approximately 10 minutes, during which time you might experience a slight tingling sensation. The solution is then washed off and neutralized.

For medium peels, you might undergo the procedure in the treatment room or the procedure room, depending on the results desired and the extent of your issues.

For heavier peels, you may need a local anesthetic and a sedative to manage discomfort.

Where the Facial Peel is Performed

Shallow peels are performed in Dr. Weintraub’s treatment rooms, while more involved peels are done in the procedure room. Though once limited to a hospital setting, the more modern approach to cosmetic plastic surgery is to perform such procedures in a safe, secure and completely private operating room. Although Dr. Weintraub has privileges at Lenox Hill Hospital, Manhattan Eye Ear and Throat Hospital, and The Center for Specialty Care (outpatient limb of Weill-Cornell Hospital), he prefers the privacy of his hospital-grade, state-of-the-art surgical center attached to his office at 800A Fifth Avenue. This facility is attended by Dr. Weintraub’s team of board-certified anesthesiologists, certified registered nurses, and fully licensed operating-room staff. With its private entrance, its standards are of the highest quality, and offer Dr. Weintraub’s patients the utmost in medical and plastic-surgical care.

The Best Candidates for Facial Peel

The best candidates for aesthetic plastic surgery are well balanced, in good general health, and possess realistic expectations. You are an excellent candidate if you’ve done your homework, have had your consultation, and the following three things are present:

you are highly motivated to make the change you have the ability to pause your daily responsibilities (work, family, school etc.) in order to undergo the procedure
you have the financial wherewithal to make an elective cosmetic surgery come to fruition.

Preparing for a Facial Peel

Depending on the depth of the peel, the preparation could be minimal or more involved. For shallower peels, no preparation is required. With more potent peels, you will need to provide medical clearance from your family physician. You will also be asked to apply a solution of Retin A and hydroquinone for the weeks prior to your peel, to be ended two weeks before your procedure date. You will be given instructions as to how to prepare for the specific procedure you have chosen, and might be given prescriptions to be filled in advance. For those patients who live beyond a 50-mile radius of New York City and wish to have deeper peels, Dr. Weintraub sometimes advises a two-night post-operative stay at The Mark or The Carlyle Hotel, where his patients are given a special reduced rate, and where he will visit you after your procedure. A private nurse can also be provided.

The Cost

Each patient is individual in his/her own makeup and anatomical configuration. Therefore, in order to give an accurate quote, it is best to schedule a consultation that will allow Dr. Weintraub to appropriately judge what is involved. For those patients who live overseas or outside the New York metropolitan area, photographs can be emailed or sent to the office, and a phone consultation can then take place.

After Treatment

Again, depending on the depth of the peel you have chosen, the results will vary. There will sometimes be a short period of swelling. You must carefully follow all instructions provided by Dr. Weintraub in order to achieve the best results possible. For involved peels, mild pain medication, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and medication to reduce swelling are all begun immediately following surgery. Dr. Weintraub will advise you as to when you can return to your normal lifestyle and exercise routine.

What Sets Dr. Weintraub Apart

Dr. Weintraub has always been blessed with a strong aesthetic sense. He possesses a unique blend of medical science and artwork, as it truly is artwork that he performs on the human form. His attention to detail ensures that he gets the best results possible, and he is meticulous about everything he does, from pre-op to post-op care and beyond.*

He studied medicine at Cornell during a time when core values were emphasized, and it is on these values that he bases his practice. He believes that physicians should be humble and respectful, and should never lose sight that the person they are operating on is exactly that: a person possessing real-life issues and concerns. The chairmen of the department of general surgery at Cornell at the time, Dr. Tom Shires, along with another luminary, Dr. Leon Morgenstern of Cedars-Sinai, taught Dr. Weintraub that “The operating room is a sacred place. It’s a very serious place. Never be cavalier about surgery.”

During his surgical residency training, Dr. Weintraub regularly visited Mexico to donate his time operating on deformed children and adults who couldn’t afford proper healthcare. In less-than-optimal conditions, he learned how to perform surgery with the basics, and received great satisfaction in making profound differences in people’s lives by restoring their faces and bodies. Similarly, when he was Chief Resident at the New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center, and later when he was Chief Resident at the Reconstructive Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, he found that his compassion for patients, along with his skill and precision as a surgeon, could change lives and bring people joy they never thought possible.

Dr. Weintraub believes that surgery is never a race. The patient is always number one. He keeps in his wallet a piece of paper that is his motto in the operating room: “Always demand what is right, and never accept second best.” He likes to consider himself a “thinking surgeon,” and does not enter the operating room with a mechanical series of steps to execute robotically, but likes to remain alert and ready for whatever intraoperative challenges might spontaneously arise. Although many notable surgeons openly listen to music while performing surgery, Dr. Weintraub does not, preferring the mood of the operating room to remain serious and focused.

Over 60% of Dr. Weintraub’s practice is comprised of complex redos of surgeries performed by other offices. Such procedures always involve difficult issues, since there exist not only the limitations of a patient’s own anatomy, but also the limitations of another surgeon’s aesthetic, and the scar tissue that has developed as a result. Patients seek Dr. Weintraub from all over the world to correct their aesthetic problems. He takes great pride in getting the best results, and always enjoys the challenges of such procedures.

Last, Dr. Weintraub will not hesitate to turn patients away if he feels they are not good candidates for surgery. If a surgery is not in someone’s best interest, he will be the first to say so. However, when a patient is a good candidate, the results produced by Dr. Weintraub can be magical, and he feels that it is an honor to give patients a gift they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

How To Get Started

Dr. Weintraub and his staff will be happy to discuss Facial Peels or another non-invasive treatment with you. Please call our office for a private consultation. We hope you look forward to our warm welcome and the opportunity for us to help you make an educated and confident decision.

Contact our office today and set up your consultation for peels.