A complete abdominoplasty, or “tummy tuck”, is a major surgical procedure that removes stretched skin and excess fat, flattens the abdomen by tightening underlying muscles, and improves the overall contour of the waist. It has the toughest recovery of all plastic surgery procedures associated with it and leaves the biggest scars. However, in the right […]
Abdominoplasty Methods: How Much is Enough? Read More »
What are shaped breast implants? Shaped breast implants, also known as anatomic or tear-drop implants, have an asymmetric shape with a round base that tapers to a thin top (Figure 1). They are designed to mimic the natural downward slope of the upper breast while providing sufficient volume in their lower portion to enlarge it.
Shaped vs. Round Breast Implants Read More »
Injectables are becoming more and more popular for facial rejuvenation, but there is a limit to what these agents can accomplish. Depending on the patient’s age and the type and severity of their wrinkles and folds, a facelift may be a better alternative. Figure 1. Loose skin and jowl formation before (left) and after facelift
Fillers vs. Facelifts: Where Are the Boundaries? Read More »
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I have only become a fan of this procedure in more recent times. The long scar has always been prohibitive but with careful planning its visibility can be minimized, as shown here. This procedure also works great in thin women over 60 who mostly have wrinkled skin with only modest excess. The recovery is quick and the discomfort level low because it’s just skin removal. These patients are uniformly happy!
#arm #lift #scar
We always tell our patients that “tummy tucks” are challenging recoveries for the first week. Other deterrents are the appearance of the navel sometimes and the long scar required. The scars typically do very well but they commonly take years to mature to an optimal appearance. All of that said abdominoplasty is an extremely effective procedure for which there is no nonsurgical alternative. Moreover it is truly one of the few “one and done” plastic surgery procedures.
#abdomen #skin #muscles
“Deep plane” has come to be more of a marketing term than an accurate descriptor of what facelift technique is all about. The SMAS layer is always tightened by facelift surgeons and mobilizing it by any technique means going under it, hence entering a “deep plane”. The trademark “deep plane lift” means lifting the skin and SMAS together as a unit and releasing all of the ligaments in the face to completely mobilize it. As this case illustrates, not everyone needs that. Moreover, not separating the skin and SMAS can cause bunching in front of the ear that requires a sideburn and temple scar to remedy the issue. Pure SMAS techniques separate skin and SMAS so that each can be moved in different directions to avoid skin bunching. Moreover, SMAS techniques offer a range of options from those that release “all” of the ligaments, just like the classic deep plane, to those that tighten the SMAS only where needed to just correct jowls, like this case. SMAS techniques can therefore be tailored to individual anatomy whereas classic deep plane lifts apply the same solution to every patient. All of that said, surgeons have their own preferences and all of these techniques can produce great results.
#face #lift
Upper eyelids are very straightforward. Lower eyelids, in contrast, are highly variable and often require a combination of procedures. These include fat removal, fat repositioning to soften circles (both done from an incision behind the eyelid), skin removal (outside incision), chemical peel for fine lines, and sometimes tightening the eyelid itself when droopy. In any event surgery takes about 2 hours and recovery is largely complete by 2 weeks. Discomfort is minimal.
#eyes #lift #fat #skin
