Dysport®, the leading (aka only) United States competitor of BOTOX Cosmetic® (aka Botox), has extended the Dysport® Challenge another month. Now, through May 31, 2010, Dysport® is offering cash back to you for trying Dysport®. Details were originally revealed in my previous post, Take the Dysport® Challenge San Francisco Bay Area. Whether you are considering your first wrinkle reduction procedure, or are a Botox disciple, this is how it works:
The Dysport® Challenge™
In my Walnut Creek Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Office, during April and May of 2010, you can get $75 off any Dysport® treatment. Plus, another $75 off your second treatment whether you love it or leave it.
Love It
If you love Dysport® you can get another $75 off your next Dysport® treatment.
Leave It
If do not love Dysport® you can get another $75 off your next BOTOX Cosmetic® treatment.
For all the details visit DysportUSA or click the logo at the top of this article.
Dysport San Francisco or Botox San Francisco?
The next Botox/Dysport Day in the office is Wednesday, May 19, 2010.
In this segment from KRON’s Body Beautiful, I talk about ways to get safe and predictable liposuction. Are the latest technologies the best? Some are more controversial than others. There is still something very beneficial about seeing a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon before choosing any treatment.
With a consultation, I can provide you with a list of treatment options, and match the most appropriate treatment with your goals. More importantly, I can get to know you and what the problem is. I can provide much more targeted treatments, after I know where we are starting, what your perceptions are, and where you would like to be after we are done.
Liposuction currently comes in many flavors. Whenever there are multiple solutions, either there are multiple problems, or no one solution is clearly superior. Most liposuction problems are consistent, but there are a few instances that need special treatment to get the desired goals. My patients come to me, because I have years of training and experience. While I try to share this information via the SanFranciscoPlasticSurgeryBlog, you can’t get all the information necessary from reading articles.
As my patient, you need to know, and trust, that I will use the smallest hammer it takes to get the job done. For disproportionate fat pockets, most the time, tumescent liposuction is going to get the job done; however, it is not the only option. I like to keep up with all the latest technology, so in the cases where the technology has something to offer, I can choose it as the best treatment. For the situations when liposuction is not going to be enough, I can offer you more, discuss the options, and take it up a notch when necessary. This is the advantage you get, when you see someone fully trained and dedicated to all aspects of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery.
Liposuction Video for San Francisco’s KRON Body Beautiful
What is the latest technology available for liposuction, and does it provide you with the promised benefits? This segment reviews the current art of liposuction on KRON‘s Body Beautiful with host Vicki Liviakis. The show a half hour long, so I have divided this liposuction video review into four segments. The third lipo video segment is in this post. Links to the other three parts, and the liposuction introduction post can be found below.
Additional liposuction information is available on the Liposuction Page of DrMele.com. Your questions about liposuction will be answered if you to use the contact form to the left. Without an in person consultation, I can only offer generalized answers. Specific answers regarding liposuction are best answered in person.
For more liposuction information, liposuction price ranges or to schedule a personal professional consultation appointment, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery office at (925) 943-6353. Please do not call the 800 number in the video below. It is only used for viewer questions during the live broadcast.
This video includes viewer phone calls and more information about liposuction. Walnut Creek plastic surgeon, Joseph A. Mele, MD, FACS, answers these questions and more:
Viewer phone call:
Rochelle from Berkeley, had gastric bypass weight loss surgery one year ago. She has questions about how to treat the skin on her arms and inner thighs. Liposuction may help if the skin if tight and some disproportionate fat remains, but if the skin is loose, other procedures may be more appropriate.
More information including:
Does age effect liposuction?
Does weight loss effect liposuction?
Does skin elasticity effect liposuction?
How often is liposuction performed?
Why should you see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for your Liposuction?
What does Board Certification mean?
Lip augmentation with HA’s (Hyaluronic Acid)?
Lip augmentation Collagen vs. HA’s (Hyaluronic Acid)?
What types of liposuction are being tried, and do they provide superior results
Tumescent liposuction (dumb lipo) – Still the best liposuction?
The other segments of this broadcast can be found here:
Liposuction is a very safe and reliable procedure. Like any medical procedure, it works best when used properly. For the removal of disproportionate fat, it can’t be beat, but liposuction should not be used as a method of weight loss, and liposuction should not be expected to tighten loose skin.
The Ideal Liposuction Candidate
The ideal liposuction patient is near their ideal body weight and has sufficient intrinsic skin elasticity, so that after the fat is removed, the skin will follow the new and improved contours. Pockets of fat, which form localized and disproportionate bulges, respond best. While some newer modalities of liposuction are claiming to reliably tighten loose skin, the jury is still out.
Skin Tightening Procedures
So how do plastic surgeons reliably tighten loose skin? The most common method is through surgical removal of the redundant skin. Abdominoplasty (a tummy tuck), for example, removes loose skin for the abdomen. A brachioplasty (an arm lift) removes loose skin from the arm. This liposuction video compares what liposuction can do for the abdomen and arms compared to what surgery can do. The recovery and indications for each are also discussed.
Body Beautiful
I recently reviewed the current state of liposuction on KRON‘s Body Beautiful with host Vicki Liviakis. The broadcast was a full half hour, so I have divided this liposuction video into four segments. The second lipo video segment is in this post. Links to the other three parts, and the liposuction introduction post can be found below.
Additional liposuction information is available on the Liposuction Page of DrMele.com. If you have questions about liposuction, you are invited to use the contact form to the left.
Please note: The 800 number in the video below was used for viewers to call in and ask questions during the live broadcast. Please do not call it now. For additional information, or to schedule a consultation appointment, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery office at (925) 943-6353.
This segment on Liposuction covers:
The areas of the body most commonly treated with Liposuction:
Abdominal Liposuction
Back Liposuction (Muffin Top Liposuction)
Flank Liposuction (Love Handle Liposuction)
Thigh Liposuction (Saddle Bag Liposuction & Banana Roll Liposuction)
Arm Liposuction
Neck Liposuction (Below the Chin Liposuction)
Buttocks Liposuction
Favorable Predictors
Stable weight
Near Ideal Weight
Younger Age
Good Skin Elasticity
Disproportionate Fat
Good Health
Healthy Lifestyle
Before and After Pictures: Lipo vs. Surgical
Arm Lipo Before and After Pictures
Brachioplasty (Arm Lift) Before and After Pictures
Abdominal (Belly) & Flanks (Sides) Muffin Top Lipo Before and After Pictures
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) Before and After Pictures
How the location of the fat effects liposuction?
Liposuction Garments
Liposuction Recovery
The other segments of this broadcast can be found here:
What is liposuction? Liposuction, also called suction assisted lipectomy or SAL, is the removal of fat, facilitated by suction. A cannula is inserted through a small incision often hidden in a skin fold. I like to protect the skin along the edges of the incisions by inserting a protective sleeve first. This prevents the cannula from rubbing on the skin. This way, the incision heals more quickly, and with a better scar.
Disproportionate, or localized accumulations of fat, can be targeted. The areas of fat deposits are selective removed with the use of gentle suction. It is not a good way to lose weight; however, it can remove the stubborn fat that won’t go away with regular diet and exercise. The use of a wetting solution, or tumescent liposuction, facilitates the selective removal of the fat, while minimizing bruising and discomfort.
Body Beautiful
I recently had the opportunity to discuss liposuction on KRON‘s Body Beautiful with host Vicki Liviakis. It was a half hour broadcast, so I have divided the liposuction video into four segments. The first lipo video segment is in this post. Links to the other three parts will go live over the next few weeks and can be found below.
If you have questions about liposuction, I would be happy to answer them. Additional general information is available on the Liposuction Page of DrMele.com. Feel free to use the contact form to the left, or call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery office at (925) 943-6353 for additional information. Please do not call the 800 number in the video. This was used for viewers to call in and ask questions during the live broadcast.
This segment on Liposuction covers:
How many people have liposuction in the US every year?
Can Liposuction substitute for a proper diet and exercise?
What advantage does Liposuction have over diet and exercise?
How do I get rid of the stubborn fat that won’t go away no matter how much I diet and exercise?
What is the difference between dry liposuction and wet liposuction techniques?
What is the difference between super wet liposuction and tumescent liposuction?
The other segments of this broadcast can be found here:
As spring is upon us, more and more people are coming in to the office considering body work. The most popular cosmetic plastic surgery procedure is still breast augmentation, but liposuction is a close second.
Traditional Liposuction
“Traditional” liposuction has come a long way. We have progressed from the removal of a few hundred cc’s (ounces of fat) to the removal of thousands of cc’s (pounds of fat). From a procedure that had a good chance of requiring a blood transfusion, to a procedure that very rarely has significant blood loss. From an in hospital treatment, to an outpatient procedure. It can remove stubborn areas of disproportionate fat that are not responsive to diet and exercise.
Tumescent Liposuction
Most the improvements in current, advanced liposuction come from the introduction of a wetting solution. Better known as tumescent liposuction, it is the safest and most predictable form of liposuction currently available. This innovative method of liposuction has resulted in the ability to remove more fat, more quickly, more safely, more predictably and with less bruising, less pain and less down time.
The Latest Liposuction Technology
There has been a big push in the last few years to further improve results. I call these procedures “value added” liposuction, and the additions come in a variety of flavors:
Laser Liposuction (LAL)
Ultrasonic Liposuction (UAL)
Power Liposuction (PAL)
Radiofrequency Liposuction
Cold Liposuction (Cryo Lipo)
All use a tumescent technique, and the tumescent technique alone provides for added safety, less bruising and quicker recovery. No carefully controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that they are better than carefully controlled tumescent liposuction for the vast majority of patients.
Fat is quite soft. Powerful lasers, high frequency ultrasound, radiofrequency and cold therapy are not necessary to remove fat. The goal with most of these methods is to improve skin shrinkage. Unfortunately, none seem to shrink the skin to any significant extent. And worse, the “value added” liposuctions come at a price. Added energies cost more, and the additional energy makes it possible to burn the skin. Proponents of these techniques will say the added risk is small, but a small risk without a benefit is too much risk. A simple, safe, cold, hollow cannula is sufficiently powerful to remove fat, without the chance of a burn.
The claims that laser liposuction shrinks skin are unproven. Published reports are rarely blinded or controlled and tend to be anecdotal, i.e. it looks like it shrunk. Liposuction cannot be depended on to shrink skin. Every plastic surgeon has patients whose skin seems to shrink after liposuction, but this is more likely due more to the patient’s skin, rather than the liposuction. If the patients’ skin is elastic, it will “shrink” to fit the new contours.
The best randomized, double-blinded, controlled study shows no difference in outcome between traditional tumescent liposuction (SAL) and laser assisted liposuction (LAL). The study is sited in an article (Updates and Advances in Liposuction) in the the current issue of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery‘s Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
In this study, each patient was treated with both SAL and LAL. How each side was treated was randomized, If the patient’s right side was treated with SAL and the left side was treated with LAL, and visa versa. Patients where not told which side was treated which way (this is the blinded part.) The results were evaluated by the patients and doctors. These doctors, did not do the surgery and also did not know which side was treated with which modality (They were blinded too.) The results: Neither the patients, nor the doctors could tell which side was treated with which modality. In other words, there was no difference between the side treated with traditional tumescent liposuction and laser assisted liposuction.
What Is Smart Liposuction?
I like to evaluate each patient’s problem areas independently before deciding what treatment to use. Only after a careful medical history and physical examination, can the correct tool be selected. The “value added” liposuction techniques are still in their infancy, and with time, they will either have more to offer, or fade away. There is a small group of patients who may benefit from these technologies; however, as the study above shows, for the average liposuction patient, they do not offer any significant improvement in outcome, and they do bring additional risks. Smart liposuction is the method of liposuction which is the safest and most predictable method that will work for you.
Liposuction Videos
Links to my most recent Body Beautiful appearance cast can be found below. It was a half hour show, so I have divided it in to 4 segments:
Introduction – What’s New in Liposuction San Francisco? (You are here.)
Before and after pictures for men and women are included; however, this video is geared primarily toward female breast reduction. For a video covering male breast reduction (gynecomastia reduction) go back one article or click here -> Gynecomastia Reduction (Male Breast Reduction) Video.
This video reviews many aspects of female breast reduction. San Francisco’s KRON4 anchor, Vicki Liviakis, asks the difficult questions that women considering breast reduction surgery need answered. This breast reduction video was broadcast live on Body Beautiful. The 800 number displayed was for the live show only. If you have questions about gynecomastia reduction surgery, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Breast Reduction San Francisco
What Breast Reduction Information is Provided?
This Breast Reduction Video covers:
The Indications for Breast Reduction Surgery:
Lower Neck Pain
Upper Back Pain
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder Rutting (dents from the bra straps)
Rashes in the Skin Folds under the Breasts
Breast Reduction Before and After Pictures
Male Breast Reduction (Gynecomastia Reduction) with Liposcution
Female Breast Reduction Surgery with Correction of Breast Asymmetry
Does Insurance Cover Breast Reduction Surgery?
Viewer Questions:
How Does Diabetes Effect Plastic Surgery?
How Does Scar Formation Effect Plastic Surgery?
If I Have a Breast Lift, Do I Have to Have Breast Reduction?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Exercise?
How Does Breast Reduction Influence Breast Feeding?
Gynecomastia is the medical term for benign enlargement of the male breast tissue. While this tissue is normally benign, cancer (both in the breast and elsewhere in the body) can also cause breast enlargement, and should be ruled out. Whenever breast tissue is removed, it should be sent for pathologic diagnosis. Breast tissue which is large, rapidly growing, hard and asymmetric is more suspicious.
Gynecomastia often presents at birth, but as the mother’s estrogen leaves her son, the breasts often shrink to a normal size. Problematic gynecomastia more often presents at puberty. Often a lump of breast tissue will develop in the male breast in response to adult hormones.
Gynecomastia can be unilateral (one sided) or bilateral (present on both sides). It may be painless, but is often tender. It may resolve on it own, or continue to enlarge. If the male breast tissue continues to grow, however, it often leads to increasing discomfort, concern and embarrassment.
This video segment discusses gynecomastia. San Francisco’s KRON4 provides the platform for discussion. This gynecomastia video was broadcast live on Body Beautiful, and reviews gynecomastia cosmetic surgery. The 800 number displayed was for the live show only. If you have questions about gynecomastia reduction surgery, please call my Walnut Creek Plastic Surgery Office at (925) 943-6353, or use the contact form to the left.
Gynecomastia Reduction San Francisco
This is video covers:
The treatment options for male breast reduction (gynecomastia plastic surgery):
The world is crazy. There has been a lot of chatter about terrorists implanting women with exploding breast implants in a effort to crash planes. But first, if you are reading this to find out if your normal, non-explosive, breast implants will explode the next time you board an airliner, rest assured, they won’t.
Why Your Breast Implants Won’t Explode in the Airliner
Airliners are pressurized, and must be maintained to atmospheric pressures below 8000 ft. While the air inside our ears and belly expands, the fluid inside breast implants barely does. Cabin pressure regulations are more complex than you might think. (Reasons for maintaining cabin pressure and the allowed tolerances can be found on Wikipedia’s Cabin Pressurization page.)
While Lady Gaga is red hot, and her fans may enjoy the visual, there is nothing entertaining about the sudden loss of cabin pressure. That would be a terrorizing event. TSA would not allow her to board with the outfit pictured to the left, the concern is that explosives inside a breast implant would be difficult to detect.
If you are still worried about your non-explosive breast implants, in the event of a complete loss of pressurization, your breast implants would easily survive the pressure change. Since they are mostly water, the breast implants would expand about the same amount as the rest of body. (I will not elaborate on all the real problems that would occur elsewhere in the body, but Wikipedia has a page on uncontrolled decompression with many unpleasant facts.)
Booby Traps
It sounds like a script contrived for a Hollywood movie: terrorist implanting their breast with PETN filled breast implants. The idea of surgically implanting an explosive inside the body is horrifying. Though from the terrorist’s perspective, it is only a short leap past strapping on a bomb. The worst part is, it is entirely possible. A small amount of explosive would be enough to disrupt cabin integrity, and cause explosive decompression with devastating results.
Media Coverage – KABC Los Angeles
It’s not surprising that the possibility was broadcast this February in Los Angeles.
But by March it has made world headlines on Fox News and The Sun. and the story is now being given further credibility by the need to discredit the report on True/Slant with science and with satire.
It Could Happen
Possible?
Yes. With enough determination and thought, anything is possible.
Probable?
No. I’m no terrorist, but there must be easier ways.
Reality
There is a fine fine line between a cautious and phobic. The reality is, we could spend our entire lives worrying about what could go wrong, and become paralyzed.
Bombshells not Bombs
As a plastic surgeon, the surgery I perform is elective and is held to a higher standard. While I worry about the complications of surgery, this is my motivation to achieve safer and more predictable results, day after day. This is why I spent years in training to become a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. This is why I operate only in Accredited Surgery Centers, and use only Board Certified Anesthesiologists. This is why my patients trust me, and can keep their thoughts on the goal, rather than the process. No matter how bizarre the news from the outside world, when I am performing surgery, there is only one thing I am thinking about — my patients well being and happiness, and there is no greater gift I can give this crazy world than a happy patient. ( …and non-explosive breast implants)
