Burn Reconstruction Surgery

Burn Reconstruction surgery following a severe burn is a delicate procedure in which a surgeon must decide how to treat a wound, carefully assess its size, severity, and features. Is there skin tissues missing? Have nerve endings or muscle tissues been damaged? Has the skeletal support system been affected?

A split-thickness skin graft, which is most commonly used to treat burn wounds, uses only the layers of skin that re closest to the surface of the skin. in some cases, it is possible for a plastic surgeon to choose a donor site that is in a less conspicuous place.

A full-thickness skin graft is normally used to treat large, deep burn wounds or to cover lost areas of skin over joints where maximum skin elasticity and movement are necessary.

Breast Reduction Surgery in Seattle

Breast Reduction surgery, also known as Reduction Mammoplasty surgery, is a breast procedure designed to reduce breast size and weight by removing excess breast tissue, fat and skin. During a breast reduction surgery procedure, the plastic surgeon reduces the breasts to create a more proportionate figure, and also lifts the breasts.

According to the ASPS, more than 114,000 Breast Reduction surgeries were performed in 2005 on women who had excessively large breasts, conditions also known as Macromastia, Mammary Hypertrophy and Mammary Gigantism. Some girls experience over-development of thier breasts (Mammary Hypertrophy) during puberty, while some women develop very large breasts (Gigantomastia) during pregnancy. All of these women chose breast reduction surgery because it was the best method of correction for the physical and emotional issues that are caused by excess breast weight. For many with Mammary Hypertrophy, the mere weight of the breasts makes it impossible to maintain any kind of regular exercise plan.

A woman with "F" cup breasts is carrying approximately six pounds more than a woman with "D" cup breasts. This additional weight is sustained in the neck, back and shoulders, causing chronic pain in these areas of the body. Many find relief through the use of strong narcotics and muscle relaxants, leading to possible physical addiction, and emotional anguish. With these considerations, Mammary Hypertrophy is a physical disability. Breast reduction surgery can be the answer to these issues for women with overly large breasts.

Breast Reconstruction Options

The circumstances of individual patient can help to decide what is the best method of breast reconstruction that can be used. The goals of breast reconstruction surgery are to re-create a breast which matches the opposite breast, or in bilateral cases, to reconstruct two breasts to the patients’s desired size. During Breast reconstruction surgery. the nipple and areola are also reconstructed. It is recommended that one consult with a plastic surgeon prior to a mastectomy procedure. This allows the Surgeon and his team to plan a treatment that is best suited for each patient, even if the patient decides to wait to have reconstructive surgery at a later time.

Immediate breast reconstruction occurs when reconstruction of the beast is done at the same time as a mastectomy. The immediate reconstruction method has the advantage of usually saving the patient from undergoing at least one subsequent operation, and this has been proven to provide significant psychological benefit, as the patient never has to experience the total loss of a breast.

Delayed breast reconstruction is a beast reconstruction surgery performed at a later date. The Surgeon may recommend this method for some women, especially if radiation to the chest area is required after the mastectomy. Delayed reconstruction is appropriate for some because radiation therapy following breast reconstruction can increase complications after reconstructive surgery.