A west coast surgeon is talking publicly about his patient’s harrowing story of workplace violence, hoping that implant manufacturers will contribute supplies to cover the cost of her reconstructive surgery.

According to the story published on the LATimes website, Lydia Carranza’s breast implant deflated when she was shot in the chest last summer – an incident that claimed the life of her co-worker and left her with disfiguring scars.  When a man opened fire in the dental office where she worked, Lydia was shot twice: “The bullet fragments were millimeters from her heart and her vital organs,” said Dr. Ashkan Ghavami to the LA Times.

A firearms expert speaking to the Times said the deciding factor between life and death for Lydia may have been the presence of her saline breast implant.  Of course he advises readers, “don’t go getting breast enhancements as a means to deflect a possible incoming bullet.”

Read about this on LATimes.com

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Abdominoplasty is usually discussed when women are trying to improve their figure after pregnancy. So many potential patients, men included, remain unaware of the surgery and how it may be a benefit to them.

Some men may even feel embarrassed to ask about a tummy tuck. One man who documented his surgery on a blog writes that he felt a “stigma or shame was associated with male tummy tucks,” that caused him to be “embarrassed” when he first made inquiries about the operation.  If you’re one of those men researching the procedure, know that plastic surgeons should be able to give you gender-specific advice.

A man on the realself.com forum asks about skin laxity on his abdomen due to weight loss:

I’m dealing with loose skin after a 50 lbs weight loss in my teens. I’ve totally transformed and I’m very athletic with well-defined abs, but have laxity mostly below the navel and around the lower back. The problem areas are very localized and I hide it under the belt line with no one suspecting I was obese. But I feel “unfinished.” The front skin is very thin and hangs, the back is mostly smooth. Is there a tummy tuck technique that would excise the abdominal skin and provide modest tightening in the lower back?

Christopher Hess MD, a plastic surgeon in Fairfax, Virginia, answers: “Even though we tend to have better skin tone than women, we can still end up with excess skin due to skin memory. It sounds like you could undergo a mild excision of the excess tissue– less than a mini tummy tuck.”

Some cases aren’t that simple. When a man has experienced a greater weight reduction, the full tummy tuck may be recommended. Dr. Angelo Cuzalina in Tulsa advises other surgeons:  “Do not hesitate to use a full abdominoplasty for a male patient with extreme skin laxity. Men tend to heal better than women after abdominoplasty.”

The comprehensive approach he recommends may be necessary to provide satisfactory results. Dr. Alan Matarasso, scientific editor of Aesthetic Surgery Journal agrees. He says in Cosmetic Surgery Times, “you really need to treat [men] circumferentially, all the way around, because if you ask most men what bothers them, it’s the ‘love handles,’ and that goes all the way around to the back.”

Clearly, many plastic and cosmetic surgeons can offer specific advice for men considering a tummy tuck. So if you think you might benefit from the procedure, ignore any perceived “stigma” and ask a qualified surgeon for more details.

The latest news stories about plastic surgery seem to follow a do-it-on-a-budget trend, which is understandable given the economic landscape.  However, safety should always be number one priority  – another lesson in the news that seems to repeat itself.

Patients are learning to prioritize their treatments, while surgeons are offering financing and even money back guarantees, says the LA Times.

Minimally invasive procedures are way up, not only because they’re priced lower, but because some of them are just plain effective.  Who’s getting these low cost cosmetic procedures?

People in North Texas are doing scary things to save money on cosmetics.  Some are buying generic injectables and administering them at home with instruction via youtube.  DIY Plastic Surgery? No thanks.

While the rest of the world is pinching pennies, celebrities are getting ten cosmetic surgery procedures a day.

Lasers recently celebrated their 50th birthday, according to National Public Radio.  But what are we able to do with these devices, now that they’ve reached maturity?

a) Distract tigers
b) Treat sun damage
c) Remove unwanted hair
d) Project giant image of Britney Spears into the stratosphere
e) All of the above

Listen to the whole story on NPR to find out.

Q: Why do I keep hearing about new liposuction methods?

A: Surgeons are trying to set themselves apart with more advanced liposuction methods. You might hear about “reduced downtime” or “reduced trauma to surrounding tissues” in the ads for these procedures. Just know that any proven liposuction technique will utilize the same basic tools as the standard tumescent liposuction technique.

Q: What is the best type of liposuction?

A: Several new liposuction platforms have been introduced in recent years, but the operator is always the most important factor. There is no best method because each platform has particular benefits. For example, water assisted liposuction is great for removing a large volume of fat, while laser liposuction is good for precise body contouring.

Q: Can I get liposuction anywhere on my body? What is the most common area to treat?

A: Many people aren’t aware that liposuction can be done on so many areas of the body. While the abdomen and thighs are probably most common, you can also get liposuction below your chin or even on the ankles.

Q: What type of doctor is most qualified to perform liposuction?

A: See a board-certified plastic surgeon for your liposuction.

Q: Is liposuction “minimally-invasive” like some of the advertising says?

A: The techniques have improved over time, making recovery quicker and incisions smaller, but liposuction is still cosmetic surgery. It’s not like getting a quick Botox injection.

• Click here to read more about liposuction in Bellevue, Washington.

According to news reports over the weekend, lawmakers have dropped the elective cosmetic tax from the health care reform bill. In an interesting twist, they decided to trade one controversial tax for another; they’re replacing the elective cosmetic tax with a 10% tax on indoor tanning!

Representatives of the Indoor Tanning Association accused plastic surgeons of throwing the tanning industry “under the bus,” transferring a tax on wealthy cosmetic surgery patients and doctors to “struggling small businesses. “

“The irony is that ultraviolet light at least has proven health benefits where botox treatments have none” said John Overstreet of the aforementioned group.

Continue reading ‘Elective Cosmetic Tax Replaced… by Tanning Tax’

Considering a cosmetic surgery procedure? A recent article from CNN health offers a multitude of tips and guidelines that can help you get a safer experience. We organized them into 7 basic rules to follow.

Do.

1. Ask about your plastic surgeon’s experience, credentials and hospital privileges.

As ASPS president Phil Haeck says, “Good surgeons expect you to research them and won’t be afraid to answer personal or tough questions.”

2. Ask about board certification.

Find out what board has certified your surgeon and what standards must be met to receive that certification.

3. Find out if your surgeon has a prevention plan for complications such as DVT.

Deep vein thrombosis is a possible plastic surgery complication. Your doctor should take steps to minimize the risk and be prepared to see early signs of its occurrence.

4. Research your procedure thoroughly.

Yes, your doctor should be a trustworthy, knowledgeable authority, but you still need to seek out more than one resource for information. Research will help you protect yourself and help you decide if elective cosmetic surgery is truly in line with your personal values.

Continue reading ‘7 Common Sense Guidelines for Patients of Plastic Surgery’

Rather than getting something fancy and new this holiday season, why not lose something that detracts from your appearance?

I know – it sneaks up on you.  You wake up one morning, look in the mirror and realize that your peaches-and-cream-complexion morphed into something like the peach itself, complete with a fine covering of fuzzy hair.

You might begin to notice excess hair on other women’s faces too, especially as they get older.  Just another minor indignity of aging, right?  The hair on your head and brows thins and in return you get more … facial hair.

So what’s the best way to remove this stuff?

• Shaving only works for a day or so at a time before you have to do it again.  If you shave the hair on your legs, underarms, and face then you’ll probably spend lots of time shaving.
• Cream hair removal products from the drugstore are also temporary and tend to have an unpleasant smell.
• Some dye their facial hair, but the color seldom looks natural and it grows out and has to be colored again and again.
• Electrolysis is a one-hair-at-a-time removal and it’s a time consuming, somewhat painful process.
• Waxing works.  Hairs can be removed from under the skin surface, giving you weeks of bare skin before it must be repeated.

Laser Hair Removal

With advanced laser hair removal systems, we can now treat lighter hair, such as the strays that show up on our checks, necks and chins or around our eyes.  Several laser treatments are necessary to account for the varying growth cycles of facial hair, but once the treatments are over you will have smooth skin once again, and time to spare.

Laser hair removal is relatively comfortable with topical anesthetic that can be applied beforehand.  It can sting a bit, but the tradeoff for a short time spent in mild discomfort is certainly offset by the convenience of not having to shave and the beauty of soft, smooth skin.

Many say the best part is saving that 75 or 100 hours of your time by not having to shave.   Not to mention saving money on shaving gel, razor blades and soothing lotions.  It’s far better to have the peach fuzz off your face and leave it to the actual peaches where they belong.

The so-called “Botox-tax” that was dismissed last July is now back in the healthcare reform bill.  After it was made public Wednesday, professionals from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery organized to make their opposition to the bill known.

A special bulletin sent to ASPS members urged them to contact their representatives in congress and voice their opinions.  Many have commented in the news already, such as Dr. Jennifer Walden, who appeared on Fox News with Neil Cavuto.

Surgeons all over the country have voiced their objections; here are some of the arguments against the “elective cosmetic medical tax.”

• Discrimination: Women purchase almost 90 percent of all cosmetic medical procedures in the United States, so the tax unfairly falls on a female (middle class) demographic.  Dr. Renato Saltz calls it a “soccer mom tax.”
• Not effective: New Jersey implemented a similar tax in 2004 and it fell drastically short (59 percent) of its projected revenue.
• Attempts to make tough distinctions: the tax imposes the burden of making clear distinctions between procedures that are medically necessary and simply elective.  Who will draw the line and say when a procedure is necessary (or unnecessary) for you?
• Could promote medical tourism: Patient safety is a major priority; keeping costs down will discourage Americans from seeking risky cosmetic surgeries abroad.