Philippine Plastic Surgeon Blog

Plastic Surgery 101

Archive for February, 2011

More Liposuction Options Mean More Risks?

Feb 12

Posted by Dr. Edwin Magallona in Cosmetic Surgery Blogs, Cosmetic Surgery Facts | No Comments

In the recent reports, it has been said that liposuction has once again become the number one and the most in-demand plastic surgical procedure performed not only in the United States but as well as to the other parts of the world. Since the advent of liposuction, it has been actually the most frequently performed procedure for quite some time.

One main reason for this is the fact that liposuction cuts across various demographics. Both genders, male and female as well as people of all ages can undergo this surgical procedure. In this reason, I don’t think liposuction will diminish its popularity anytime soon especially with the recent discoveries of other types of liposuction.

In our present time, we now have different options for people who are thinking of going through liposuction. We now have the laser liposuction, water-jet liposuction and other in-office options. But when do more options mean more risks?

It is when some physicians who are not really qualified to do such procedures started to dominate the market. To please the masses, there are some who offers the easiest procedure such as Smartlipo and thus results to higher risks and complications. What many people fail to realize is that the companies making medical devices and products can market their wares to anyone, meaning that physicians who are not trained surgeons have access to all of these surgical devices.

This is why a lot of warnings are given available to public to avoid complications. Always keep in mind that different physicians have their own scope of practice and not all are allowed to do liposuction, breast augmentation and other sort of surgeries. As such, you should always be aware of the qualifications you have to look for when finding your cosmetic surgeon.

Make sure that he is a certified plastic surgeon and have at least 6 years of surgical training and experience, with at least three years in plastic surgery. He must also operate only in accredited medical facilities and adheres to a strict code of ethics.

The bottom line: Stay informed, do your due diligence, and make sure your physician is properly trained, board-certified, and has performed the procedures you are interested in for some time.

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The Evolution of Liposuction

Feb 10

Posted by Dr. Edwin Magallona in Cosmetic Surgery Blogs | No Comments

When liposuction was introduced, it became so popular but was confronting negative publicity due to patients experiencing excessive bleeding and undesirable rippling of the skin after surgery. But dermatologists all around the world did not stop developing liposuction techniques to lessen such negative effects.

Liposuction had become so popular that it drastically increased the interest in developing methods for non-invasive fat reduction. There were already various technologies that appear to offer hype than hope and some new entries are really showing great potential.

In 1985, a dermatologist named Dr. Jeffrey Klein invented the tumescent technique for liposuction which allowed patients to have liposuction performed totally by local anesthesia using much smaller cannulas. This invention tumescent technique then revolutionized liposuction surgery.

The new age lipolysis, also known as laser lipo, is another breakthrough in the history of liposuction. This technique makes use of laser to remove fat. Local anesthesia is administered prior to the treatment for this minimally invasive procedure. The results thus obtained in this procedure are better, faster and the least painful when compared to that of traditional liposuction. This also minimizes blood loss, prevents trauma and has a failing rate of less than 1%.

Together with the evolution of liposuction techniques, the incisions related to each had also evolved from being over an inch long to often barely an eight of an inch. Some procedures such as laser-assisted liposuction do not even have the need for incisions.

Even the location of incisions has also evolved. Plastic surgeons have learned to place the incisions in an area where it can become inconspicuous as possible after they heal. However, not all surgeons will place it inconspicuously so make sure to talk about it with your cosmetic surgeon.

Liposuction has indeed evolved in so many ways. Various techniques used for surgery now produced amazing results which helped a lot of people to gain more confidence about how they look. Patients could now have liposuction surgery without the fear of excessive bleeding and undesirable skin depressions.

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Breast Augmentation Surgery VS “Boob Jobs”

Feb 9

Posted by Dr. Edwin Magallona in Cosmetic Surgery Blogs | No Comments

Many women aren’t really satisfied with the size of their breasts. Those who have flat chest tend to find ways on how they can make them look larger hence making them more attractive.
Since the advent of breast augmentation surgery in the 1960s, thousands of women have enhanced their bodies with silicone and saline implants in different parts of the world. Breast augmentation surgery has become one of the most commonly performed cosmetic plastic surgical procedures.
But what is “boob jobs” and how do they differ from breast augmentation surgery?
These two terms seem to be so similar to each other but in the eyes of professional surgeons, boob jobs and breast augmentation differs a lot especially when it comes to results.

One reason why women are indecisive when it comes to breast surgeries is that they fear of having an obvious boob job where it is very easy for other people to tell a woman has had surgery.

According to Dr. Grant Stevens, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, breasts that don’t look augmented, but rather completely natural, are the ultimate goal for any breast surgeon and this is what makes an excellent breast augmentation different from the classic “boob job”.
An excellent breast augmentation surgery should look natural, feel natural and have natural shape. Such result looks as if those breasts could really occur in nature. Thus, making people argue on their mind as to whether or not those breasts are natural or surgically created.
A good breast augmentation result should have natural fullness and perkiness. It must also increase in size according to the size that the patient and cosmetic surgeon with. It can also improve asymmetry to some degree though there is really no pair of breast that is perfectly symmetrical.
However, though there are a lot of positive outcomes of breast augmentation, patients should always still have reasonable expectations. For example, cosmetic surgery in the Philippines had come a long with regards to cosmetic surgery, but still, the patient’s satisfaction on the result will still depend on his or her expectations.
Make sure therefore, to have a good communication to your plastic surgeon to discuss your desires and expectation. By listening to your surgeon’s feedback you can ensure that your expectations are realistic, which will make for a better outcome.

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Breast Reconstruction After the Battling with Cancer

Feb 7

Posted by Dr. Edwin Magallona in Beauty and Health Tips | No Comments

Few years ago, women who had breast cancer and undergone mastectomy had no option of having their breasts restored. This in turn causes low self esteem for those patients thinking that they will never become whole again.

But with the advance technology we have now cases for cancer patients are far more different. Every woman has the right to have breast reconstruction after breast cancer. After their battle, they deserve to still feel pretty and comfortable no matter what they have been through. Now this is where breast reconstruction surgery comes in. There is no age limitation for this procedure and with all the medical skills we have right now, different options are available for every survivor.

After mastectomy, immediate breast reconstruction can be performed at the same time. This method includes various advantages such as the preservation of the patients breast skin, shorter or less obvious mastectomy scar and waking up with a new breast already in place which can avoid the experience of a flat chest. In addition, it also provides the best results especially when done together with nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy.

Patients could also have delayed reconstruction surgery since doctors usually require their patients to undergo radiation following their mastectomies. It is common to wait several months after the last radiation therapy before going through the breast reconstruction surgery to allow the soft tissues to recover completely.

The best option for some patients could be the implant reconstruction. The downside however, reconstruction with expanders and implants are associated with more complications than cosmetic breast augmentation. Complications following radiation therapy are also higher with implants compare to that using the patient’s own tissue.

Implant reconstruction can be the best option for some patients. However, reconstruction with expanders and breast implants are associated with more complications than cosmetic breast augmentation. Complications following radiation therapy are also higher with implants compared to reconstructions using the patient’s own tissue.

Tissue expander reconstruction, on the other hand is the most common method of breast reconstruction. Most cosmetic surgeons do this as a two-stage procedure. They will use expander to stretch the skin envelope to create the size the patient and plastic surgeon desire. The expander will then be replace with a breast implant usually in the form of saline or silicone. Some patients however, can also become candidates for the one-step implant reconstruction without the use of expanders. In such operation, a breast implant will be inserted immediately without going through the expansion process.

For women, breast matters and how they look after their battles matter. As such, women who have decided to have their breast reconstructed after mastectomy should not feel bad but rather feel that it is necessary and that they deserve it. All cancer survivors deserve to feel great and beautiful after breast cancer.

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Characteristics of the Ideal Buttocks

Feb 5

Posted by Dr. Edwin Magallona in Cosmetic Surgery Facts | No Comments

Most women feel unhappy with the size of their buttocks. Some find their buttocks flat or lacking in shape, while others want to have more sensuous backside by making them rounder and larger. Some women even wanted to have that Jennifer Lopez butt and she must also be one of those reasons why women have been seeking cosmetic surgeon to enhance their buttocks that drastically increases the number of butt implants procedures performed in many parts of the world.

But what really are the ideal buttocks?

For a surgeon to create attractive and youthful buttocks, he must be aware of the certain characteristics that are common to attractive and youthful buttocks in all ethnic groups. These include a smooth inward sweep of the low back area and waist and a very feminine cleavage as the buttocks separate superiorly and inferiorly. Attractive buttocks also show maximum prominence in the mid to upper buttocks and there should also be minimal crease below the buttock, without any drooping.

However, for surgeons with variety of clients in terms of race, he must also understand that different races have different reference of ideal buttocks. The American population for example is ethnically more diverse than most other buttocks augmentation patients. On the other hand, patients that are Hispanic choose buttocks that are very full, lateral buttocks that are also full, and prefer a slight fullness in the lateral thigh.

Asian patients prefer buttocks that are small to moderate in size, but shapely; they do not like or request fullness in the lateral buttocks or lateral thigh. However, Caucasian patients generally want buttocks that are full but not extremely large. Any fullness of the lateral thigh is considered objectionable. Lastly, African-Americans and Caribbean of African descent have a strong and consistent cultural ideal of very large buttocks, and several request a “shelf” or extreme prominence of the upper buttocks. The lateral buttocks must be very full. A woman with a very full, prominent trochanteric area of the lateral thighs is considered attractive by both men and women in this culture.

The subject of ideal buttocks is indeed subjective to the perspective of different cultures. But the bottom line in choosing to have butt implants should focus on its positive effects on the patients. These buttocks augmentation procedures are usually quite successful especially if you found the best Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,