PLASTIC SURGERY PRICING – WHAT IS IT WORTH?

One of the basic tenents of pricing is supply and demand. As supply goes up, the price goes down. I read an interesting article about pricing of Plastic Surgery procedures written by a Dr. Gupta and it appeared in a recent issue of the Aesthetic Journal.

 What he found after surveying 10 practices in 15 U.S. cities was that there was NO association between the cost of the procedure and the number of plastic surgeons in that population area. Things such as regional culture, ease of acquiring the said services and social perceptions played a role. But another big factor – non plastic surgeons entering the market place providing cosmetic procedures at discount prices. This has created deviation in the supply and demand curve.

LASERS FOR BREAST CAPSULES

Of all the complications Implant Capsular Contracture remains the most problematic in plastic surgery. These capsules can be hard, tender and cause breast asymmetry. A study was done by 3 physicians in the Philadelphia area.

 They took 33 patients who had grade III or grade IV encapsulation. For 6 weeks patients were treated once a week for 10 minutes with a 904 nm. laser over a 2 cm. grid pattern at one minute per area.

The physicians found they were able to avoid surgical intervention on 93.9% of the patients. Stiffness and discomfort were improved about 43%. More work remains to define a treatment protocol and also long term follow up.

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A “NON-SURGICAL FACELIFT”

It seems everytime I read the paper I hear/read more and more about “non-surgical facelifts”. No downtime – short time to perform – using only local anesthesia – minimal bruising. Is there such a creature? At the aesthetic meeting they had a panel of “experts” chiming in on how best to answer this. The first to offer an opinion was Dr. Barry DiBernardo. He said there is and it depends on how you define a face and it’s intended consequences.

 A facelift is intended to make a face look younger and address skin blemishes, wrinkles, loose skin, atrophy of soft tissue, muscle bands in the neck. Now if you do these surgically fine, but many can be done in a non-surgical way. But they both can do it to different degrees. The moderator Dr. Laurie Casas offered a different opinion.

 So at the end of the day, in MY opinion, it depends on what the patient wants – what does the patient perceive to be their problem(s). I see my purpose is to listen to the patient and then, with my 35 years of experience, decide on a treatment plan whether it is Surgical or Non-surgical or maybe a little of both.

BUTTOCK LIFT – BBL – BRAZILIAN BUTTOCK LIFT

One of the most requested new procedures centers on buttock augmentation or contouring. This can be done very much like a breast augmentation where an implant can be placed or as I perform it, I augment the patients buttock area with their own fat.

It must be remembered – the patient must have sufficient fat stores to augment the buttock area. Also the size of the existing buttock will help determine the amount of fat we can inject. Another way we can contour the “buttock” area is to perform judicious liposuction to areas that are associated with buttock such as the hips or saddle bags – also the love handle area.

This is a great procedure and the patient gets areas suctioned with too much fat and then transplants it to their buttocks. Simply put it is a win win.

IMPLANT REVISION IN OLD SALINE IMPLANTS

The number of women who present to my practice with “old” saline implants is small. But many who do have them want them revised because they are hard and un-natural. I recently read an article concerning a new technique to improve the outcome in these patients. Patients with saline implants had their implants deflated 4 weeks before Revisional Surgery and the volume of saline removed was recorded.

 One week before the final surgery patients were evaluated as to what they wanted next – new implant – smaller or larger – a breast lift or just simply removal and perhaps some fat grafting. By delaying the final procedure you allow the breast tissue/ligaments to contract. Also it affords the patients some time to evaluate their “new look” and this helps them make a decision going forward.

HOLISTIC PLASTIC SURGERY

I recently read some comments by a Dr. Adam Howawy. His practice is in Princeton N.J. He does his cosmetic procedures and then tries to engage patients into adopting a healthier lifestyle. This will involve diet and exercise counseling – I guess it goes to the heart of Cosmetic Surgery – how we want to look better – more youthful – healthier.

 Many of my patients ask me about weight loss and in the end we want our patients to be at their ideal weight but many are not. I have 4 simple principles – you have to be motivated; it is a lifestyle change – set a goal, and finally incorporate some form if exercise. A survey of hundreds of liposuction patients done in 2004 came to the conclusion that successful body contouring requires a patient to enbrace a healthy lifestyle.

What Celebrity Body Parts Are the Most Requested By Plastic Surgery Patients?

When it comes to plastic surgery, some patients simply describe the look that they’re hoping to achieve to their doctors. Maybe they want a smoother nose or a rounder backside, and following a consultation, their doctors have a strong understanding of their expectations. The majority of patients, however, come into their consultations with a celebrity-inspired ideal in mind. In fact, for many of these patients, it was the hope that they could emulate a certain celebrity that inspired them to pursue cosmetic enhancement in the first place.

As you can imagine, doctors hear the same celebrity comparisons come up for certain body parts time and time again. So what are the most requested celebrity body parts?

Most Requested For Women

Over the last few years, there has been a trend of women looking to increase the size of their backsides. When it comes to butts, the celebrity ideals are Kim Khardashian, Nicki Minaj and Beyonce. And not surprisingly, Beyonce has more than one enviable body part. Her cheekbones are some of the most requested as well, along with Jennifer Garner’s and January Jones’s. When it comes to noses, the celebrity ideals are Kate Middleton, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Aniston. And for lips, one of the most requested cosmetic procedures, the most popular references are Scarlett Johansson and Kylie Jenner.

Most Requested For Men

Women aren’t the only ones going under the knife to replicate a certain celebrity look. In fact, as plastic surgery has become more popular, an increasing number of men are turning to cosmetic enhancement to improve their looks.

For men, one of the most common requests is Will Smith’s cheeks, which are big and full and play a large part in Mr. Smith’s room-illuminating smile. When it comes to the body, more and more men want to look like Channing Tatum, whose impressive pecs and abs have been on full display in the Magic Mike movies and plastered across magazine covers. And for overall appearance, a lot of men turn to Hugh Jackman for inspiration. Not only does Mr. Jackman have an enviable body, but his cheekbones and jawline are also highly coveted.

When it comes to plastic surgery, it’s a good idea to have celebrity ideals to use as reference points, but most plastic surgeons are quick to caution that not every look is easily achievable. If you’re thinking about undergoing plastic surgery, make sure you have an open conversation with your doctor about keeping your expectations grounded and reasonable.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about plastic surgery, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!

HAIR LOSS AND DIET

Hair loss effects a lot of people. In fact over 60 million people are struggling with hair loss and of that number 20 million are women. I have quietly accepted my fate but for others it may be hard and the answer to their hair loss maybe simple – a mere change in their diet. So many people today are becoming vegans or vegetarians which can lead to hair loss.

Many people want to restrict calories so they eat more fruits and vegetables but as you cut back , you may be depriving your hair of much needed nutrients. People on diets will often limit the amount of meat they eat which is rich in iron. This iron is essential to maintain your hair and to grow new follicles. The good thing is diet induced hair loss is easily reversible with a change in diet.

BLOOD CLOT PREVENTION IN TUMMY TUCK PATIENTS

One of the most feared complications following a tummy tuck is the formation of blood clots which can be fatal. The risk is low (0.07%) but it can have devastating consequences. Many plastic surgeons are hesitant to chemo-prophylaxis with drugs because of the risk of bleeding.

 In this new study involving 450 patients over a 37 year span they focused DVT prophylaxis on hydration and elevation of the legs post op. Fluids were given to maintain a urine output of 40-50 cc per hour. After fluids and elevation they had NO symptomatic emboli or deaths.

MARAJUANA – GOOD?

I recently returned from Colorado where the progressives in that state want to begin a petition drive to legalize marijuana in restaurants and bars. It seems we spent decades and billions on getting cigarettes banned now they want to allow smoking pot in these same bars and restaurant? Where is our country headed! The liberal media said it would help my grandmother with advanced Parkinsons or my young child with Tourettes but when asked for scientific or medical evidence, none was forthcoming. Their honesty and integrity was enough and so many of our nations young people will have greater access to its mind numbing effects.

A new research study from of all places Yale (a very conservative institution of higher learning – ha!) said they analyzed medical studies involving almost 6500 people and the Yale researchers found NO reliable evidence that marijuana could help treat this smorgasbord of medical conditions (depression, nausea/vomiting, anorexia, etc.) The drug MAY help alleviate some muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis (there are many drugs available for this now). What are the side effects of marijuana – vomiting, confusion, disorientation, depression and hallucination. The passage of these laws are based more on public opinion than scientific fact. Of course since it is legal – nothing wrong with a little weed before beginning my days work whether you’re a doctor, heavy equipment operator, bus driver, pilot – the list goes on. What a sad day in America.