There are a range of choices you’ll make with your surgeon if you’re considering breast augmentation, including cup size, implant type (saline vs. silicone) and where your surgeon will make the incision.
For a breast augmentation, the incision techniques include:
- the crease of the lower part of the breast
- along the lower half of the areola
- in the armpit
- through the belly button
A transumbilical breast augmentation (TUBA) is one in which the incision is made through the belly button, and because the incisions are hidden in the navel, it is sometimes referred to as scarless breast augmentation.
According to Cosmetic Surgery Times, a review of 3,300 charts of TUBA cases emphasizes the assertion of Dr. Robert Shumway that it is a “faster, safer and better procedure than other breast augmentation approaches.”
Dr. Shumway, who reported on his own TUBA procedures at the 27th annual American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery scientific meeting, said that “TUBA is about as safe as breast augmentation can get.”
At the meeting he reported on complications, complaints and patient satisfaction ratings from the TUBA procedures he did between 1994 and 2010.
The most common complication Dr. Shumway saw was capsular contracture (69 cases, 2.09 percent), and he said the rate is lower than the published national average for augmentations performed via other techniques.
He also found that there was one possible infection (0.03 percent) and only several other types of complications, all with rates equal to or less than 0.18 percent.
On a scale of one to 10, patient satisfaction ratings at two and six months after surgery were eight or higher, with a mean of 9.7, he said.
Dr. Haiavy was one of the first cosmetic surgeons in the United States and Southern California to perform transumbilical breast augmentation, which results in no visible scars, reduced loss of sensation and reduced risk of infection.
Latisse, with its famous spokespersons that include Brooke Shields and Claire Danes, has become well-known as an eyelash enhancer since it was approved by the FDA in 2008 for use on the top lashes. What you may not know is that some are using it to regrow other hair as well, as some doctors prescribe it for hair and eyebrow loss that has not responded to other treatments.
Good Morning America highlighted the drug’s off-label uses, including a bride-to-be who wanted fuller eyebrows. Dana Gaiser, 27, regretted overly plucking them during her teenage years, and when she saw ads for Latisse, she thought it might be her solution.
Although her doctor was reluctant at first, Gaiser was persistent and got the prescription. Gaiser said she noticed new hairs around her brows within six weeks of starting the treatment. “I had had this one spot on my right eyebrow that would never grow,” she said. “But I put Latisse there and now it’s back.”
Latisse is also sometimes being used to treat baldness.
Hair restoration specialist Dr. Alan Bauman told GMA that he prescribes it for some patients for hair loss. For Dr. Bauman’s patient Richard Paduda, Latisse seemed to stimulate the follicles for his head hair.
“It feels great. I got some of my hair back,” Paduda said. “I was worried about losing it, and it started coming back.”
Dr. Bauman said he’s seen similar results in 70 percent of his patients, but he pointed out its limitations. “This is not a miracle cure. This is mainly for patients who still have some thin, wispy hair left,” he said
Allergan, the maker of Latisse, is currently planning clinical trials to evaluate bimatoprost, Latisse’s active ingredient, for male and female pattern baldness.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, a new survey shows that today’s moms want their pre-baby bodies back and are open to cosmetic surgery to get there.
The survey by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed that 62 percent of mothers said they would consider a “mommy makeover,” which includes procedures such as a tummy tuck, breast augmentation and/or breast lift, if cost were not an issue.
“In the last decade we’ve seen women’s attitudes about cosmetic surgery change. Today women are not afraid to admit that they love their children, but they wish their bodies looked the way they did before their first pregnancies. And they’re not afraid to acknowledge that they may need a little help beyond a healthy diet and exercise,” said plastic surgeon Phillip Haeck, MD.
Another trend that surgeons are seeing is that patients seeking a mommy makeover are younger than a decade ago.
“In the past we saw a lot of women in their 50s getting these types of procedures. But today we are seeing young mothers in their 30s coming in for procedures such as tummy tucks and breast lifts,” said Dr. Haeck. Moms today want their pre-baby bodies back now, he said.
Dr. Allen Rosen, a plastic surgeon, agrees and said because women today talk more openly about procedures, cosmetic surgery is more accepted than it was just ten years ago.
If you’re considering a mommy makeover, here are some general tips from the survey:
- Wait at least six months to a year after having your last child before undergoing mommy makeover procedures.
- Be specific about your post-baby body goals so that your cosmetic surgeon can recommend the best procedures for you.
- If you are trying to lose weight, do so before undergoing the procedures.
Inland Cosmetic Surgery currently has specials in honor of Mother’s Day, including savings on certain combinations of mommy makeover procedures through May 31, 2011.
Does getting Botox inhibit our ability to read others’ facial emotions? It might, according to a new study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science that found that people who had Botox injections were significantly less accurate at reading others’ emotions in photos compared to those who had Restylane injections.
Despite the findings, it’s important to note that even the study’s author David R. Neal, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, admitted that it’s a “fairly subtle” effect.
The study found that women who had their facial folds treated with Restylane were able to read others’ emotional states with about 77% accuracy, while those who had Botox had 70% accuracy.
Why would Botox have this effect and not other fillers? According to Neal, evidence suggests that people use mimicry to register and label the emotional states of others, so something that limits one’s ability to reproduce another person’s expression of emotions, such as Botox — which has a paralyzing effect on facial muscles in the immediate vicinity of the injection site — would likely impair one’s ability to register or label those emotions.
Andrew Jacono, MD, a facial plastic surgeon in New York City who reviewed the study, said that the findings likely only apply to those who use excessive amounts of Botox.
“When Botox is overdone, it doesn’t look right and people aren’t perceived in the right way,” Jacono said. “The goal is to try to make sure when you get Botox, it is done in a subtle way so you can look better and maintain your ability to emote and read others.”
A recent episode of The Doctors featured “Ask Our Doctors: Celebrity Edition,” and actor Blair Underwood inquired if there is a cosmetic surgery procedure that can give a man six-pack abs.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon explained that VASER liposuction is a possible solution. “He’s not alone, and we do have a surgical solution. Liposuction has come such a long way. There’s a new technique called VASER, or as I call it, super-charged lipo.”
VASER liposuction not only sucks out the fat, but it first melts fat cells, which allows the doctor to remove more fat cells evenly, with less discomfort and less bleeding. When the fat cells are removed, the skin has a natural ability to shrink down.
Ordon goes on to explain that for the six-pack procedure, the surgeon can use the VASER instrument to perform a technique called etching, in which the six-pack lines can be etched out.
VASER liposuction is offered at Inland Cosmetic Surgery of Rancho Cucamonga and compared to traditional liposuction, it usually has a reduced recovery time. VASER can be used on many areas of the body, including the abdomen, arms, back, hips, knees, love handles, neck and chin, saddlebags and thighs.
Learn more about the differences between traditional liposuction and VASER liposuction.
A new survey revealed that women would be willing to trade years of their lives if that meant they could have their ideal body shape and weight. Sixteen percent said they would trade 1 year of their life for their ideal body, and 10 percent would trade 2 to 5 years of their life.
The survey of 320 women (average age of 24 years) was conducted at 20 British universities and also found that almost 40 percent of participants would consider cosmetic surgery if money wasn’t a concern. Of those who said they would have cosmetic surgery, 76 percent desired multiple surgical procedures, and 5 percent reported they had already had a cosmetic procedure to alter their appearance.
The survey also found that in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape, 26 percent of those surveyed were willing to sacrifice a variety of things, including:
- £5000 from their annual salary (13%)
- A promotion at work (8%)
- Achieving an honors degree (6%)
- Spending time with their partner (9%)
- Spending time with their friends (9%)
The survey revealed that 46 percent said they had been ridiculed or bullied because of their appearance, and 93 percent said they had had negative thoughts about their appearance during the past week.
Cosmetic surgery offers women many options for improving the body’s appearance, such as liposuction and tummy tuck surgery. For those that undergo bariatric surgery to reduce their weight, there is a variety of body contouring procedures available to lift and tone the body after significant weight loss.
The Beauty Brains is a blog that features scientific answers to common health and beauty questions.
Today, they answered a question about VISIA Skin Analysis, a device that we use at Inland Cosmetic Surgery.
The verdict on VISIA, according to The Beauty Brains is:
For the most part, it’s useful in establishing the baseline condition of your skin before treatment and then showing how much better your skin is after treatment. For example, if you’re being treated with a skin lightening product such as Meladerm, VISIA can measure the reduction of melanin in your skin and thus prove your skin has been lightened.
This kind of analysis can be useful in two ways: it provides the spa a basis for recommending skin treatments to you and it gives them a way to prove to you that their skin lightening treatment is really working.
Read the rest of the post and “the bottom line” for more information. See our website to read more about VISIA at Inland Cosmetic Surgery.
A team of more than 30 doctors and other providers led by plastic surgeon Dr. Bohdan Pomahac at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston performed the first full face transplant in the U.S on a 25-year-old construction worker from Texas who was disfigured in a power line accident.
The man received a new nose, lips, skin, muscle and nerves from an unidentified donor. The U.S. military paid for the operation, and it plans to use knowledge gained from the procedure to help soldiers with severe facial wounds.
Dr. Pomahac said the man will not resemble “either what he used to be or the donor,” but something in between. “The tissues are really molded on a new person.”
The operation, which took 15 hours, was not able to restore the man’s sight, and some nerves were so badly damaged from his injury that he will probably have only partial sensation on his left cheek and left forehead, the surgeon said.
About a dozen face transplants have been done worldwide, in the U.S., France, Spain and China. This was the third in the U.S.; the first two performed in this country were partial transplants. Previously we posted about the country’s first ever 80 percent face transplant performed at the Cleveland Clinic.
Cosmetic surgery procedures performed on men were up 2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, in part due to aging boomers who want to look their best and stay competitive in the job market.
The statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed the increase and some surgical procedures, including face lifts and liposuction, showed large increases among men (14 percent and 7 percent, respectively).
Dr. Phillip Haeck, the society’s president, said the increase in face lifts is largely driven by men in their 50s and 60s.
“That’s the leading edge of the baby boomers,” he said. “These are really fit people who have paid a lot of attention to keeping their bodies in shape.” But, he said, they’re getting a “turkey neck,” which is something exercise won’t get rid of.
“This generation has paid a lot of attention to how they look, and they don’t want to grow old gracefully,” he added.
Haeck has also seen men come in for procedures to look younger while looking for work. He said men have told him: “You’ve got to do something to help me because I need a job and I’m afraid I’m going to lose out because people are going to think I look too old.”
Breast reductions for men, which increased by 6 percent, on the other hand, are usually performed on men younger than 30, according to Haeck. “For them it’s a lot of money, but they are tired of being embarrassed by it,” he said.
Nose surgery remained the number one surgical procedure for men, and Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox, Dysport) was the top non-surgical procedure.
Here are the top five cosmetic procedures for men in 2010 (surgical/non-surgical):
- Nose Reshaping / Botulinum Toxin Type A
- Eyelid Surgery / Laser Hair Removal
- Liposuction / Microdermabrasion
- Breast Reduction in Men / Chemical Peel
- Hair Transplantation / Soft Tissue Fillers
In past updates, we have discussed blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). First of all, it is important to recognize that brow and eyelid surgery are closely related, but there are significant differences. Brow lifting can lead to improvement in the appearance of the eyelid, while eyelid surgery does not significantly effect the appearance of the brow; although overzealous upper eyelid surgery can result in some brow droop.The most important question that patients ask is “when should brow elevation be carried out.” The answer, while obvious, is often overlooked. Brow surgery is indicated when the patient complains of the “Tired Look” even though they have had a restful night of sleep. They feel that a drooping brow detracts from his or her appearance. In many cases, a low brow can be very attractive, Many attractive models and actresses have a droopy brow which can impart a very sultry or sexy appearance. The actress, Brooke Shields is only one example.
Let’s assume for our discussion today, that both the patient and surgeon agree on a goal of brow elevation. What are the alternatives? The simplest is a procedure that lifts the brow through the placement of a suture that is attached to the scalp – a very simple operation that we tried several years ago with initial promising results but unfortunately failed in the long run. This supports our overall contention that simple suture techniques currently being widely promoted are not substitute for more definitive operations. Basically, mini-surgery leads to mini results.
Direct Brow Lift: Among the more definitive operations, there are several choices. The simplest is an operation called the direct brow lift. In this operation, an incision is made in the brow, after which skin is removed above and the brow is sutured to its elevated position. The operation works quite well except for one major problem. Unfortunately, the scar, even when hidden in the brow, is quite unpredictable and often becomes rather apparent. For this reason, the operation is rarely recommended. Exceptional cases would include those where there is a great deal of excess brow and where a scar would be more acceptable. An example would be and older patient where the brow droop is actually contributing to visual impairment
Mid Forehead Lift: In this operation, an incision is made in the forehead within a forehead crease. Again, skin excision is used to lift the forehead and brow. Once again, the limitation is the fact that the scar may prove overly visible. Its indications, while unusual, include patients (almost always men) with natural deep forehead lines which are likely to hide the scar, combined with a receding hairline which can make other techniques more difficult or impossible.
Endoscopic Forehead/Brow Lift: This has certainly become the most common form of brow and forehead lifting today. Like the traditional lift, it frees up the forehead, brow and scalp, allowing an upward rotation with strong fixation. The advantage over the traditional lift lies in the fact that very small incisions are used with dissection carried out largely under endoscopic visualization. All of the incisions are within the hairline and so there is virtually no visible scarring. In our practice, this operation is most commonly carried out in conjunction with traditional facelifting in patients seeking a combined upper, mid and lower lift. It does add some operating time, but in general, does not increase recovery time.
Coronal Forehead/Brow Lift: This was the original approach to lifting the forehead and brow. The surgery is carried out through a long incision – usually across the top of the head, but sometimes made right at the top of the hair line. The original technique involved lifting through excision of skin and tightening through the closure of the incision, although now, we no longer routinely remove tissue, but, rather, use fixation similar to the endoscopic technique. In rare cases, excision of forehead skin can be used to reduce an overly long forehead. the main advantage of the open coronal lift lies in the fact that the increase surgical exposure allows for additional contour of bone, or the use of implants for structural improvement.
Extended Subperiosteal Coronal Lift: This operation is actually an extension of the traditional coronal lift that allows us to also provide a strong lift to the mid face as well as the forehead and brow. It is one of the most powerful facelifts that we offer. Our experience has shown us that the results are far more lasting than other types of facelift procedures. This operation is primarily indicated in younger patients who are concerned about upper and mid face rejuvenation with less concern about the neck. It offers improvement down to the jowl but not into the neck. Of course, it can be combined with other procedures to rehabilitate the neck. Highlights of the procedure are: brow elevation, an elevation of the outer corner of the eye, a natural elevation of the cheekbone area and an elevation, albeit slight, of the corner of the mouth.As you can see, we have quite a few options when it comes to treating the brow. The actual choices you make will require a personal consultation, but this should at least give you some background information that will assist you in asking the right questions during your visit with a cosmetic surgeon.
Feel free to ask your questions via facebook at www.facebook.com/inlandcosmeticsurgery
Sincerely
Dr. Haiavy