Which type of breast implant feels more natural: saline or silicone?

This is a common question for women considering breast augmentation or breast reconstruction. Surgeons generally agree that silicone implants mimic natural breast tissue more closely than saline. However, natural results can be achieved with either implant. If you’re concerned about a natural look or feel in your breast implants, there are a few factors to consider:

• The amount of tissue covering the implant will affect the way it looks and feels, so you may want to consider sub muscular or partial sub muscular implant placement.
• The implants and tissue may soften during the months following breast augmentation with saline implants.
• Women with a thin body and thin breast tissue will often be advised to choose silicone implants due to the possibility of visible implant wrinkling caused by a lack of adequate coverage.
• Choosing the proper size is critical for achieving a natural result that matches your body proportions.

Injections are a scary thing for many people, even those who are otherwise interested in the cosmetic benefits they may provide. Products like Juvederm and Restylane can effectively restore facial volume and reduce wrinkles, but are these treatments comfortable?

Fortunately the answer is yes, thanks to anesthetics. Today, many non-surgical facial procedures can be done with little or no discomfort, thanks to local anesthetics that numb one or more areas of the face beforehand.

Lidocaine blocks pain signals, reduces swelling

Just as your dentist uses lidocaine as as a quick and simple way to numb the mouth prior to dental work, plastic surgeons use it as local anesthetic for injections of dermal filler. It blocks the pain signal sent by the nerve endings on your skin. You quickly feel the anesthetic taking effect and numbness kicks in.

Benefits of Lidocaine for Wrinkle Filler Injections

1. Reduces or eliminates discomfort during injections into sensitive facial tissue
2. Minimizes tissue swelling
3. Allows your doctor to better sculpt and correct targeted areas of the face
4. Allows you, the patient, to relax during the procedure
5. With longer procedures – filling in the cheek area, for instance – it eliminates the need for general anesthesia

Related links about Lidocaine and Wrinkle fillers

• MedicineNet article about lidocaine
• Mayo Clinic web article on lidocaine
• Wrinkle fillers in Seattle with Dr. Grenley

Abdominoplasty (or “tummy tuck”) is one of the top 5 requested cosmetic surgery procedures each year in the United States. It’s designed to remove excess fat and skin from the midsection of the body to bring the body back into balance and harmony.

A traditional, full abdominoplasty corrects a host of problems voiced by men and women who are looking for a solution for a protruding abdomen, sagging skin or stretch marks. This procedure involves removing excess fat and loose skin, while also tightening abdominal muscles that have loosened from the abdominal wall due to pregnancies, significant weight gain or – in some cases – the aging process itself. The navel is usually repositioned in the process, to bring the abdominal area back to a more youthful, well-toned appearance.

What’s a mini-abdominoplasty?

Many patients don’t require a full abdominoplasty. If you are basically in good physical shape and have a minimal amount of excess fat and loose skin below the navel area, the mini tummy tuck might be an excellent option to consider. Less invasive than the full abdominoplasty, the mini tummy tuck repairs muscle separation and loose skin below the navel only. This procedure involves a smaller incision and a shorter recovery period than the full abdominoplasty calls for.

The mini tummy tuck can often be performed using local anesthesia and a sedative that keeps you comfortable, drowsy and pain free. Excess fat and sagging skin are removed and the lower abdomen is resculpted to smooth, flatten and tighten it. The result is a midsection that is restored to balance and a more attractive, youthful appearance.

How to know when a mini-abdominoplasty might be the best choice for you:

1. If you are within 10% of the ideal weight for your age and height and have good skin elasticity and tone. To determine your ideal weight, see the American Medical Association’s chart:

Continue reading ‘How to Know if a Mini Abdominoplasty is Right for You’

Q: Why has breast augmentation become so popular in the United States?
A: More than 350,000 women had a breast augmentation in 2008. Aside from the sociological reasons, breast augmentation is popular because….

• a) American women are dissatisfied with the size and shape of their breasts and
• b) Breast augmentation is a very predictable and effective procedure for changing aesthetic characteristics of the breasts.

Q: Have we seen a dramatic increase in the use of silicone implants since their return to the market?

A: Just 3 years have passed since restrictions were lifted on silicone implants, so that’s still difficult to measure. 2009 statistics haven’t been publicized yet, but so far saline implants are the most common choice for surgeons in the United States.

Q: What type of surgeon is most qualified to perform breast augmentation?

A: This can be a controversial issue, but many agree that a board-certified plastic surgeon is the most qualified. It’s still recommended that you evaluate each surgeon on an individual basis.

Q: In what part of the country is breast augmentation the most expensive/inexpensive?

A: The national average cost of breast augmentation is around 4000 dollars. In certain areas where demand is higher or the cost of living is higher, you can expect to pay more. Check out this chart on RealSelf.com that outlines the cost of breast augmentation in each state.

Continue reading ‘Frequently Asked Questions about Breast Augmentation’

Lawmakers have dropped the elective cosmetic tax from the healthcare reform bill, according to news reports over the weekend. Strangely, they decided to trade one controversial tax for another and replace the elective cosmetic tax with a 10% tax on indoor tanning.

Now just as representatives from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons spoke out against the elective cosmetic tax, people from the Indoor Tanning Association (a colorful group no doubt) are opposing the tax. They say their industry, which consists mostly of small businesses, has been “thrown under the bus.”

In the News

• Huffington Post: Senate’s Proposed Tax on Indoor Tanning: Potential Lifesaver and Fundraiser
• CNN Money: Cosmetic Surgery Tax Out: Tanning Tax IN

In the latest issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal, you can find a research study about the role of gender in the formation of periorbital (around the mouth) wrinkles.

Conducted by a team of plastic surgeons in Utrecht, the study offers several reasons why women exhibit periorbital wrinkles earlier and more severely than men.  Here are 3 of the contributing factors:

1. If you’re a woman, the skin surrounding your mouth has fewer sweat and sebaceous glands, which are important for hydration.

2. You also may have fewer blood vessels in the same area.

3. The muscular fibers surrounding the orifice of a woman’s mouth are also more closely attached, which causes an “inward traction” and therefore, deeper wrinkles.

Read more on the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery website.

Marketing efforts for breast augmentation done with fat-grafting are being “ramped up” says the New York Times. Experienced plastic surgeons weigh in to warn potential patients about the unpredictable nature of this procedure. “Suddenly everyone is claiming to have 10 years experience,” says expert Dr. Sydney Coleman. [NY Times]

A British cosmetic clinic is showing off the cosmetic surgery results of their employees in a 2010 calendar. They’re calling the calendar “tongue-in-cheek, but tasteful, featuring “girls from across our company of all ages and they all look amazing.” [The Sun]

Can breast implants or lasik eye surgery be considered a marital asset? According to the Associated Press, attorneys in North Dakota thought the issue was worth debating. The judge’s ruling? “nonsense” [Star Tribune]

Giving cosmetic surgery for Christmas? Don’t surprise your significant other with a plastic surgery gift certificate unless you’ve discussed the idea in the past. Do it right and you’ve got an extraordinary gift! [RealSelf]

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has called upon their members to take action by contacting representatives in congress and voicing their opposition to the elective procedure tax included in the latest healthcare reform bill.

The society objects to the tax as being unfair to women and ineffective. According to the New York Times, “the tax would be paid by patients, but collected by doctors and clinics and forwarded to the government.”

ASPS opposes this tax as discriminatory, arbitrary and ineffective. As 86 percent of cosmetic surgery patients are female, elective surgery taxes unfairly target women. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, cosmetic surgery is no longer an exclusive luxury reserved for the very wealthy – the vast majority of patients are women who work.

I wrote about the possibility of this proposal last July, when the Senate finance committee decided against it, when it was, as Politico.com says, “a public relations battle that senators were not willing to wage.” Apparently, things have gotten to a point where waging such a battle is necessary.

ASPS members should follow this link to take action.
http://www.capitolconnect.com/asps/login.aspx

Investigative journalists at King 5 are uncovering serious problems at a local cosmetic clinic well known in the Seattle area because of their heavy advertising.  Sono Bello, a clinic that advertises body contouring all over the Puget Sound, is denying accusations of questionable conduct documented by the news station.

King 5 presents several cases of complications, from liposuction and laser treatment to problems with anesthesia.  One patient reported burns from her laser treatment; another said she experienced blood clots as a result of facial liposuction, and another patient reportedly died following a body liposuction procedure.  The cause of death ruled by the medical examiner was “acute lidocaine intoxication” a rare complication that according to ASPS president Phil Haeck, “raises the question of how much lidocaine was placed into the body at the time of the surgery, and whether there was an adequate way to monitor the patient after the surgery.” She was apparently alone in a hotel room after her surgery.

Some procedures were reportedly performed by a “surgical consultant” who was on staff at the clinic.

This unfortunate situation reinforces the need for patients to carefully select their surgeon as well as the operating room facility where their cosmetic procedure is going to be performed. Patients who shop for price alone or succumb to aggressive advertising campaigns regarding the “newest and latest techniques” may be placing their health and appearance in jeopardy.

We feel strongly that plastic surgeons should be board-certified in the field in which they are performing procedures, that office-based operating room facilities should have the highest level of state certification, that board-certified physician anesthesiologists are the most qualified to assure for a patient’s safety during surgery, that “new” techniques should be proven safe and effective by scientific studies and expert investigators before being unleashed and marketed to an unsuspecting public, that patients following surgery must be discharged from the recovery room in the care of a responsible individual who stays with them for the first 24 hours, etc.

Links related to this story

KTVB: Woman dies after liposuction

KING 5: Why no one’s watching cosmetic clinics

1.Does your surgeon have training specific for breast augmentation?

Skills among practitioners often overlap, so you might find many different types of surgeons performing surgeries like rhinoplasty or blepharoplasty.  Breast augmentation however, should only be performed by surgeons who have received specific training as a primary part of their residency. You will usually find that in a board certified plastic surgeon.

2. Who is providing anesthesia for your breast augmentation?

The task of administering anesthesia is a very important aspect of surgery. You’ll want an individual who is well trained, prepared for unexpected problems, and focused on safety.

3. Who will be present before, during, and after the operation?

The supporting staff of a plastic surgeon is vital to both the success of the operation and to the overall experience. Read about the talented supporting staff at Seattle Plastic Surgery.

4. Does your surgeon have hospital privileges?

To obtain hospital privileges, your plastic surgeon must be able to prove and/or demonstrate a record of training for the procedures he or she intends to perform there. Read about Dr. Grenley’s hospital privileges here.

5. Is the surgical facility certified and safe?

Breast augmentation can be performed in a hospital or outpatient surgery center. Certain standards must be met in order to get certified or accredited. Read more about our ongoing certification and accreditation procedures.