It’s no surprise that more women than men have a cosmetic surgery procedure performed. But every year, more men are opting for plastic surgery. In fact, the number of men getting work done has increase 50 percent in the last five years.
There are many cosmetic options available to men. Chest reduction, ear lift, chin liposuction, and rhinoplasty are just a few of the many procedures men are having performed. A growing number of older males age 40 to 58 are turning to plastic surgery to keep themselves looking younger. According to a recent CBS News article, many doctors agree that men want to look younger to remain competitive in the work force. Also, those who are divorced and dating again want to project a youthful image to attract potential mates.
I treat a lot of male patients who wish to have liposuction or SmartLipo (laser liposuction) performed. They want to rid themselves of love handles and sagging abdomens. Trim and athletic-looking, broad shoulders and chest, a flat abdomen, and a narrow hip-thigh area are features of the ideal male body. As men age, areas of fat tend to accumulate around the abdomen, love handles, chest area (referred to as gynecomastia), and along the chin and neck. These fatty areas that are resistant to diet and exercise are what male patients request to have removed via liposuction.
If a man loses a large “beer belly” through diet and exercise, a full abdominoplasty or tummy tuck may be needed to reduce the appearance of hanging abdominal skin, loose abdominal muscles, and in some cases, neglected hernias. This is a major procedure that removes excess fat, tightens the muscles of the abdominal wall, and trims the waistline. Recovery time requires the patient to refrain from returning to work for four weeks.
There are a few emerging procedures currently gaining popularity. Botox and injectable fillers are now the most popular procedures performed in plastic surgery offices nationwide. Men particularly enjoy the results of these minimally invasive procedures since the creases that make you look tired or angry can be erased without the visible scars that other procedures leave behind.
There’s little doubt that the world of male cosmetic surgery is growing rapidly with more and more new procedures becoming available to men. Please contact us to schedule a consultation at our Pasadena, California office. During your visit, we can further discuss the many options for male cosmetic surgery based on your individual needs.
As many of you may know, E! host Giuliana Rancic was diagnosed with breast cancer. After receiving a double lumpectomy and radiation, she decided to have a double mastectomy because her doctor couldn’t remove all the cancer in one breast. This is a decision that so many women face every year. Not only do they have to go through the heartache of a breast cancer diagnosis, but many opt for a double mastectomy with the hope of ridding their bodies of cancer for good.
Giuliana’s battle with breast cancer will hopefully serve as a reminder for all women to regularly have breast examinations. Catching the cancer early increases your survival rate. When an abnormal breast change is found during a breast exam, a biopsy may be performed.
The journey that Giuliana and the many women in her position go through after a double mastectomy is not an easy one. I have performed numerous breast reconstruction procedures for patients after a double mastectomy. Breast reconstruction helps to restore the breasts to a more normal shape, appearance, and size. This is achieved through several cosmetic surgery techniques.
The results of breast reconstruction are highly variable. A reconstructed breast will not have the same sensation and feel. Whether from reconstruction or mastectomy, visible incision lines will always be present on the breast. If only one breast is being reconstructed, I recommend a breast lift, breast reduction, or breast augmentation for the opposite breast to improve symmetry of the size and position of both breasts.
There are two types of ways a breast can be reconstructed. The first are implants. These are filled with either silicone or saline and can be inserted during or after a mastectomy. They are placed underneath the chest muscle just like during a normal breast augmentation procedure.
Flaps are another type of reconstruction. During a flap reconstruction, the breast is created using tissue taken from other parts of the body. Tissue from the abdomen, back, buttocks, or thighs is transplanted to the chest by reconnecting the blood vessels to new ones in the chest region. This procedure requires a high level of skill and the appropriate equipment and staff needed. Because of this, a flap procedure must be performed at specialized surgical centers.
A positive note about breast reconstruction is that federal and state laws require insurance companies to pay for all or part of the cost of the procedure at any time after removal of a patient’s breast tissue. Surgery required on the opposite breast for symmetry is often times also covered. The extent of coverage varies among insurance carriers, so please feel free to contact us to see what your insurance company will pay for. It’s my goal to not only provide the best plastic surgery for my patients, but to also minimize their out of pocket expenses when possible.
Mommy makeover has become a popular term to describe various plastic surgery procedures done to reverse the damaging effects to a woman’s body after childbirth. Both pregnancy and nursing can lead to stretching of the lower tummy, development of multiple stretch marks, localize deposits of fat in the hips and stretching and sagging of the breasts. Once most women lose their prepregnancy weight and have decided that they are no longer planning any additional children I most typically offer them either a mini abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) with liposuction, breast augmentation or breast lift. Frequently, a combination of these plastic surgery procedures can be done under the same anesthetic. I commonly perform tummy tuck and breast surgery simultaneously in Pasadena since this saves the patient a second operation therefore saving them money and allowing them to return to normal activities much quicker . Other procedures that can be offered to women who have gained significant weight during pregnancy might also include arm lift (brachioplasty) and thigh lift. These operations should only be performed once all the excess weight has been lost.
If you have additional questions about a mommy makeover in Pasadena, or would like to schedule a consultation please contact our Pasadena plastic surgery office at:
Pasadena Cosmetic Surgery
10 Congress Street, Suite 502
Pasadena, California 91105
Tel: 626-449-8910
Women choosing breast augmentation often find conflicting opinions as to whether the implant should be placed in front of the muscle, and under the breast tissue, or beneath the muscle, between the ribs and the muscle.
The trend lately has been in favor of placing most implants beneath the muscle. However, there are exceptions when this may not be indicated. When breast augmentation began over 40 years ago the original implants were typically placed in front of the muscle. However since 1992 the use of saline implants became the standard and therefore most surgeons favored placing the implant beneath the muscle in order to minimize the affects of visible wrinkling especially in the upper portions. Silicone implants came back on the market for general use in 2006 and most surgeons continued to place the silicone implants beneath the muscle as well.
Although each case should be individualized, in my Pasadena plastic surgery practice, near Los Angeles, approximately 90% of breast implants are placed beneath the muscle. In my opinion most women who have minimal breast volume in the upper portions, and who choose saline implants, should elect to have implants beneath the muscle to give a more natural appearance. Most patients who choose silicone implants for the softer feel also elect to have them placed beneath the muscle if they have a lack of fatty breast tissue in the upper portions of the breast.
There is slightly more pain after surgery if the implant is placed beneath the muscle and the recovery can be slightly longer. Also, once the implants have settled into place the muscle can act as an aid in helping to massage the implants and keeping them soft. The only down side of placing them beneath the muscle is in thin patients who contract their pectorals muscle with heavy exercise or lifting. Occasionally it can be visible to see the inner portion of the breast contracting with this type of movement.
Please feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation in Pasadena California. In your consultation we can further discuss your individual needs with regards to Breast implants and Breast Augmentation.
The original breast implants used for breast augmentation were Silicone rubber bags filled with a silicone gel. These implants were removed from the market here in the US in 1992 due to fears of toxicity if the implant shell leaked. In 2006, they returned for use once again since the studies could not find a connection with the leaking gel and the symptoms that many women claimed were caused by the gel. The alternative had always been the saline implant and some still prefer it today.
Recently, a panel of experts concluded that the silicone breast implants used today are safe. They also recommended that patients do not need to get a magnetic resonance imaging test three years. This was the previous recommendation to check for leaking implants.
A top government health official, Dr. William Maisel, chief scientist for the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices, said silicone breast implants were safe. “We felt that way before the meeting, and we continue to feel that way after the presentations and discussions over the past two days”. He admitted that there are risks of all types if breast implants including ruptures, a hardening of the area around the implants, the need to remove the implants, scarring, pain, infection and asymmetry. He said “Women should feel assured that the F.D.A. continues to believe that currently marketed silicone breast implants are safe”.
Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women and Families felt that Johnson & Johnson and Allergan had not collected enough data to prove implant safety. “And without proper data, we still don’t know how safe or effective they are and whether there are certain patients at risk for extremely negative outcomes,” she said.
The panel of experts agreed that patients should no longer be told that they should get a magnetic resonance imaging test three years after getting implants and every two years following. Dr. Maisel said. “F.D.A. continues to believe, as does the panel, that M.R.I. is the gold standard for evaluating breast implants for silent rupture, but there was consensus among the panel that the requirements for ongoing M.R.I.’s should be removed.”
In my Pasadena Plastic Surgery practice, I offer both types of breast implants and make recommendations based on the anatomy and on the expectations of each patient. Currently, approximately 80% of my patients chose silicone gel breast implants.
Many people are now seeking less invasive procedures to keep looking young and are delaying the more invasive surgical procedures. Botox and injectable fillers are the most popular “quick fixes”. Botox is injected directly into specific muscles that are causing wrinkles, thereby temporarily relaxing them and smoothing out the unwanted creases. Collagen was used for years, but has since been replaced by other fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm, and Radiesse. Some patients who enjoy the results from temporary fillers choose to try something more permanent. ArteFill is perfect for this. It is injected in the same manner, but it stimulates your own colleen to form and does not absorb but rather stays for years. A skin test is required several weeks prior to injecting ArteFill. Fat injections are another method of filling in areas of facial hallowing, which occur with aging. We can harvest small amounts of fat from the abdomen or flanks and inject it into the face to fill the voids. The advantage of doing this is that since the fat is your own, there is much less re-absorption. I personally perform all injections on my patients since I feel that an understanding of the anatomy and how these products complement one another is essential to achieve the optimal result. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and should be tailored to the individual.
In my Pasadena plastic surgery practice I am often asked “Can you tell us about the use of lasers in plastic surgery?” Lasers have many more uses part from liposuction. We use them for skin resurfacing and removal of birthmarks, such as port wine stains, tattoo removal and hair removal. The latest development for skin resurfacing has been the development of the fractional CO2 technology. I use the Lumenis Total FX system and find that it delivers excellent results and a quick recovery. Patients tolerate the treatment comfortably with a topical anesthesia and mild sedation. Fractional CO2 resurfacing is a one time treatment as compared to 3-4 more superficial fraxel treatments. Feel free to contact us if you would like to learn more about our Skin Resurfacing Treatments.
At my Pasadena plastic surgery office I am often asked “What is this new SmartLipo procedure and how is it different from regular liposuction? SmartLipo Triplex is the most advanced laser-assisted lipolysis system available. This technology has been developing for a few years and now it blends three laser wavelengths to assist in tightening the skin as well. I use the SmartLipo Triplex machine by Cynosure because it combines the three lasers in one. Much less bruising and swell in occurs than with regular liposuction, and patients typically are able to retune to work the following day. It works great for people who are looking to remove fat and tighten skin in areas resistant to regular dieting and exercise. It is not intended as a substitute for regular liposuction/liposculpture or for people who need excess skin removal. I have found SmartLipo works great in the neck area (double chin) to remove fat and tighten the skin. I also like to use it to treat flabby upper arms in pimple whose only option previously was a brachioplasty, which leaves a long scar. Other uses include removing love handles in men and loose tummies in women who do not want to undergo a abdominoplasty. There are other types of laser liposuction machines on the market, but none provide the utility and results of the SmartLipo Triplex. If you would like to schedule a appointment for a consultation please contact us at (626) 449-8910. We are conveniently located at 10 Congress st., Suite 502, Pasadena Ca.
It’s no surprise that more women than men have a cosmetic surgery procedure performed. But every year, more men are opting for plastic surgery. In fact, the number of men getting work done has increase 50 percent in the last five years.
