Timeless Beauty

Dr. Paul Dillon assists a client at Mercy Health System. (Photo by Dani Schweigert)

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Ladies, after years of caring for your children, husband, family and friends, it’s time to do something for you.

The concern is common: a woman who has spent years being a mother and doting on others is unhappy with her appearance, but feels ashamed and guilty for wanting to do something about it. That concern is echoed among many clients who come to see Paul Dillon, MD, F.A.C.S. with Mercy Health System.

And Dr. Dillon steps in to match a desire with wonderful possibilities.

“We have patients who come in and feel nervous — not about the procedure, but they feel guilty about doing something for themselves, even after taking care of four kids for 15 years,” Dr. Dillon says.

Dr. Dillon has been doing breast enhancement and reconstruction for years. Other common procedures include tummy tucks (abdominoplasty), liposuction and facial cosmetic surgery. Since 1999, Dr. Dillon has enjoyed challenging the misconception that women undergo cosmetic surgery out of vanity. 

“Most women simply want to feel good about themselves,” he says.

His clients also have medically-related issues like enlarged hanging breasts with associated back pain, breast cancer requiring reconstruction, back pain from congenitally large breasts and congenital asymmetries of the breasts.

Those medically- related issues are not classified as being cosmetic. But when it comes to cosmetic concerns, Dr. Dillon is clear.

“There’s nothing wrong or unethical about improving your appearance,” he says. “Women wear makeup and get their hair done to look better, and this is another way to help you feel better about yourself.”

Dr. Dillon is a board certified plastic surgeon, a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and a member of the American College of Surgeons. He earned his medical degree at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Md., and then trained for five years as a general surgery residency, two years in a plastic surgery subspecialty and one year in a hand surgery subspecialty to perfect his craft of reconstruction and cosmetic surgery. He currently is on the staff at five hospitals in Lake, McHenry and Cook counties. But the aspect he’s most proud of is Mercy’s high customer satisfaction rate.

“When we do a procedure, it ends with women feeling better about themselves,” Dr. Dillon says. “It gives them something back, and I like being in the position to make that happen.”

The True Face Of Cosmetic Surgery

MYTH: Getting injections of BOTOX cosmetic or Juvéderm is painful.
FACT: Typical side effects include localized discomfort, inflammation, tenderness and redness. While the injections might cause slight discomfort, there are many steps the practice takes to minimize the discomfort. Those steps include cooling the patient’s forehead, having the patient take Tylenol, alerting the patient to when the injection will occur and reassuring her throughout the process.

MYTH: Cosmetic surgery is too expensive for me.
FACT: Mercy Health System offers payment plans to help everyone afford procedures that can make you feel great about yourself. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons survey, the average cost of BOTOX Cosmetic is less than $450 and can range from about $300 to $500.

MYTH: Surgery is dangerous.
FACT: Most patients are healthy, so the risk of surgery is minimal. People who could have a complication during surgery for healthy individuals is less than one in 10,000. Mercy Health System takes precautions to ensure patients are safe by having them participate in a consultation, a preoperative visit and a checkup with their primary doctor.

MYTH: I won’t be able to make facial expressions.
FACT: Although the results are visible, a treatment with BOTOX Cosmetic won’t radically change your facial appearance or make you look as if you’ve had work done. The muscle activity that causes frown lines between the brows is temporarily reduced, so you can still frown or look surprised without the wrinkles and creases between your brows.

MYTH: It takes too long to see results, and they don’t last.
FACT: Within 24 to 48 hours, you might notice a softening in the appearance of the frown lines between your brows. The area might continue to improve for up to a month. Visible results have been shown to last up to three to four months with appreciable changes noted by two weeks.

• Sources: Paul Dillon, MD, F.A.C.S. with Mercy Health System, and www.botoxcosmetic.com.

Cracking The Cosmetic Code

BOTOX Cosmetic: A prescription medicine injected into muscles and used to improve the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows in adults younger than 65 years old for a short period of time (temporary). It works by blocking nerve impulses to the injected muscles, which reduces muscle activity that causes persistent lines to form between the brows.

Juvéderm: As you age, your skin changes and reduces production of a naturally hydrating substance called hyaluronic acid (HA). Juvéderm is an injectable gel that replaces the HA your skin has lost, bringing back its volume and smoothing away facial wrinkles and folds. You’ll see the difference immediately, and Juvéderm is FDA approved to last up to one year with one treatment.

Breast reconstruction: Three types of breast reconstruction are commonly performed — 1) A tissue expander, followed by a breast implant (either gel or saline filled); 2) Your own tissues (referred to as a flap); or 3) A combination of both. Breast reconstruction is typically done to replace breast tissue that has been removed because of cancer or trauma. It also includes revision surgery to correct/improve the result of a primary breast reconstruction surgery or birth defect.  

Breast augmentation (for women at least 18 years old): Includes primary breast augmentation to increase breast size and proportion. The available choices are saline and silicone. Silicone has experienced resurgence in the market from studies demonstrating its safety. The surgery is not painful, and discomfort is managed with the use of post-operative Novocaine, which the patient takes home.

Liposuction: Also known as lipoplasty, liposuction slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion and enhancing your self-image.

Tummy tuck: Also known as abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck removes excess fat and skin, and in most cases restores weakened or separated muscles, creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer.

LATISSE: The first and only FDA-approved prescription treatment for inadequate or not enough eyelashes, growing them longer, fuller and darker.

• Sources: www.allergan.com, www.plasticsurgery.org, www.juvederm.com, www.latisse.com and www.botoxcosmetic.com.

Get To Know The Doctor

For more information about Dr. Dillon, and to take advantage of special offers, check out his Web site at www.pauldillonmd.com. Dr. Dillon sees patients at Mercy Woodstock Medical Center and Mercy Harvard Hospital.

A Personal Touch

In January 2009, Desireé Petermann of Crystal Lake received devastating news — she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing a mastectomy, Petermann found Dr. Dillon in March 2009 and had reconstructive surgery on her left breast and a lift on her right breast to make them even.

“I know my faith and God healed me and brought me to Dr. Dillon,” Petermann says.

And she couldn’t be happier with the results.

“It’s awesome,” she says. “It’s a long road to get your body healthy, and there were times where I fought discouragement. Dr. Dillon was able to fix it, and it just amazes me. It’s a miracle. It’s amazing to see what it looks like now compared to what it looked like then.”

The path to recovery can be rocky, Petermann says, and Dr. Dillon was right there to help her.

“It’s a little bit about restoring your womanhood,” she says. “Dr. Dillon helped me stay positive and encouraged me when I was discouraged. He’s very understanding and compassionate and talks to you the entire way. If anything came up, (Mercy) would get me in right away to see him. There’s that personal touch that makes such a difference.”