Preoperative Planning with Computer Simulation

With all of the advancements in plastic surgery procedure techniques and the technology employed, procedures are becoming safer, and surgeons are now able to better predict the results. California plastic surgeon Dr Craig Creasman does exactly that with a new technology for breast augmentation surgery called 4-d Simulation. This technology is aimed at aiding in the pre-operative planning stage of the surgery.

Dr Creasman states"I discuss surgical options with my patients using this new computer imaging, which can demonstrate the changes I would suggest for the changes we would make during the surgery. Using this technology, 4-D images can be obtained in short time, which I then manipulate to give an educated estimate of what might a patients breasts will look like after breast augmentation surgery. This system also allows for more flexibility in the choice of breast implant, which helps to create a more personalized result. "

Though this technology is not a guarantee or warranty of the proposed surgical result, it does help to provide the patient and the surgeon with a visual communication aid. This is important because it allows the patient to give the doctor feedback and allows the surgeon an opportunity to convey to the patient the limitations of what can be done, as well as the possible results. It is very important for the patient to visualize how she will look with the breasts she desires, and this system becomes an educational tool in with which the patient can view the result third-party, rather than just listening to the surgeon visualizing the results while standing in front of a mirror with a breast implant held up to her body.

Gynecomastia Affects Half Of All Men, But Surgery Can Help

Gynecomastia is the proper medical term used to describe irregular breast development in males. Gynecomastia is a condition that affects almost half of males during development and it is a fairly common condition that can occur on either one or both sides of the chest. This condition is the result of extra breast tissue, fat, or both. Usually, gynecomastia develops during a normal phase of development. This condition can happen at the beginning stages of puberty, however in most cases reverts by the age of 20. This condition can also happen during aging in normally healthy males. Other "pathological" causes of gynecomastia can occur, usually due to both a decline in the production of the male hormone testosterone, and an increase in the production of the female hormone estrogen. The use of certain drugs can also contribute to the cause of gynecomastia.

A plastic surgeon will usually treat this condition by reducing the size of the soft tissues by removal of the fatty tissues through a liposuction procedure or through the open removal of the breast's glandular tissues through a tiny incision around the areola. In cases where the patient has excessive amounts of skin, longer incisions are ultimately necessary for the removal of the excess skin and tissue. These longer incisions will also result in a larger scar.

An Under Developed Chin Can Be Corrected Through Surgery

A person with a small chin can appear weak and a small chin can also be the source of teasing and ridicule. A lower jaw that has not properly developed, with an irregular contact of teeth in the upper and lower jaw (a condition known as malocclusion) or an overbite requires a combination of orthodontic and maxillofacial surgery to relocate the entire jawbone forward thereby correcting the imbalance. However, in most cases, the teeth and upper and lower jaw are properly aligned, but the chin has not developed normally. In such cases, major surgery is not necessary. The use of a prosthetic facial implant can result in a very effective correction of this problem. When choosing an implant the correction method, the plastic surgeon will insert the implant through a small incision either under the chin or though an incision in the mouth.

Breast Implant Malposition

Following breast enlargement, breast implants may settle into an incorrect position. This is usually a technical or judgmental error by the surgeon, but may be due to the inherent asymmetry of the patient, unpredicted excessive tissue laxity, or positional variations after surgery (e.g. sleeping with one arm over the head). The most common form of undesirable implant location is commonly known as “bottoming out”, or a location lower than optimal aesthetically. Another is excessive spacing between the breasts.

In any event, the proper term used to describe this problem is implant malposition. The treatment is to relocate the implant by reconstructing the proper implant pocket. Sometimes the pectoralis muscle has been incompletely released, or over-released from the ribs or breastbone. Sometimes relocation of the implant to a different level of placement (subglandular or subpectoral) is necessary to correct the problem. It can be a difficult problem to correct precisely, but usually can be improved significantly with revisionary surgery. Your plastic surgeon will analyze the particular problem in each patient and tailor the surgical approach to that specific situation.

Treating Fine Lines and Wrinkles With BOTOX

Wrinkles explained

The lines that appear between your brows (glabellar lines) actually result from muscle movement and the passage of time. You may have heard the expression "wearing your emotions on your sleeve," but in reality you wear them on your face. If you're angry or annoyed, for example, you knit your brows together. Underneath your skin, your facial muscles contract, cause a pleating of the overlying skin, and then, as anyone can see, you're frowning.

After years of crinkling and wrinkling, those glabellar lines start to linger longer and can become more pronounced. For women, whose faces tend to be more animated than men's, and whose skin is typically more delicate, these lines may appear exaggerated and more permanent.

BOTOX can help

Fortunately, there is a way to reduce moderate to severe glabellar lines. Treatment with BOTOX® Cosmetic can visibly smooth and soften moderate to severe frown lines between your brows. An improvement can be seen within days and may last up to 4 months, although results may vary. In clinical trials, nearly 90% of men and women surveyed rated the improvement in the appearance of frown lines between their brows as moderate to better 1 month after treatment.

The beauty of a BOTOX® treatment is that it's a simple, 10-minute, non-surgical process. A few tiny injections, and within days there can be a noticeable improvement in the moderate to severe frown lines between the brows that can last up to 4 months. Results may vary. And there’s no recovery time. You can even do it on your lunch break.

One should always be aware that any cosmetic procedure, even non surgical procedures such as BOTOX injections carry with them some level of risk. It is very important that anyone considering a cosmetic procedure ensure that he/she fully understands the chosen procedure and has done research, including consulting with a qualified, experienced and skilled specialist such as San Jose California based Plastic surgeon Dr Creasman. When you meet with your surgeon, be sure you have all of your questions answered. Research on the internet is also a good source of information. There are many websites that offer good information about BOTOX and other cosmetic procedures. The best one I have found is lookingyourbest.com- a free website that offers up a wealth of accurate and in depth plastic surgery information. This website also offers a free service to help you locate an experienced surgeon in your area.

Liposuction Surgery - an Over View

Liposuction involves the removal of fat by small tubes, or cannulas, attached to a vacuum aspiration device. Only fat in the subcutaneous layers of the body are accessible for liposuction, but instead must resort to dieting and exercise for this visceral fat loss. Liposuction is not a substitute for proper diet and exercise. Although liposuction, per se, is not a reliable way of losing weight; it is a very reliable means of contouring.

Once the fat cells are removed, your net fat cell number is reduced permanently, thus making it theoretically more difficult for you to regain the fullness in the treated area. Liposuction is essentially a redistribution operation in that the fat in the areas treated is reduced in proportion to the rest of the body. We are frequently asked if the fat "goes somewhere else", or if one tends to put on weight in other areas of the body. One explanation for this perception may be that without a change in caloric intake, in the setting of stable or declining basal metabolic rate (which occurs as we age), it is predictable that fat would accumulate as a means of storing energy. If the depots of fat that were once present have been significantly reduced in capacity, then it follows that those fat depots remaining untreated may tend to accumulate more fat if energy intake exceeds energy expenditure.

It is therefore very important that patients considering liposuction understand the importance of diet and exercise in maintaining their weight, and realize that liposuction is not an alternative to a healthy lifestyle.

It remains that with any elective cosmetic surgery, it is very important for women considering this procedure to be given informed consent. This means that anyone considering having permanent implantation of a medical device is made aware not only of the risks of the operation itself, but also of the lifelong risks of having implants.

Liposuction Surgery - an Over View

Liposuction involves the removal of fat by small tubes, or cannulas, attached to a vacuum aspiration device. Only fat in the subcutaneous layers of the body are accessible for liposuction, but instead must resort to dieting and exercise for this visceral fat loss. Liposuction is not a substitute for proper diet and exercise. Although liposuction, per se, is not a reliable way of losing weight; it is a very reliable means of contouring.

Once the fat cells are removed, your net fat cell number is reduced permanently, thus making it theoretically more difficult for you to regain the fullness in the treated area. Liposuction is essentially a redistribution operation in that the fat in the areas treated is reduced in proportion to the rest of the body. We are frequently asked if the fat "goes somewhere else", or if one tends to put on weight in other areas of the body. One explanation for this perception may be that without a change in caloric intake, in the setting of stable or declining basal metabolic rate (which occurs as we age), it is predictable that fat would accumulate as a means of storing energy. If the depots of fat that were once present have been significantly reduced in capacity, then it follows that those fat depots remaining untreated may tend to accumulate more fat if energy intake exceeds energy expenditure.

It is therefore very important that patients considering liposuction understand the importance of diet and exercise in maintaining their weight, and realize that liposuction is not an alternative to a healthy lifestyle.

It remains that with any elective cosmetic surgery, it is very important for women considering this procedure to be given informed consent. This means that anyone considering having permanent implantation of a medical device is made aware not only of the risks of the operation itself, but also of the lifelong risks of having implants.

Liposuction Surgery - an Over View

Liposuction involves the removal of fat by small tubes, or cannulas, attached to a vacuum aspiration device. Only fat in the subcutaneous layers of the body are accessible for liposuction, but instead must resort to dieting and exercise for this visceral fat loss. Liposuction is not a substitute for proper diet and exercise. Although liposuction, per se, is not a reliable way of losing weight; it is a very reliable means of contouring.

Once the fat cells are removed, your net fat cell number is reduced permanently, thus making it theoretically more difficult for you to regain the fullness in the treated area. Liposuction is essentially a redistribution operation in that the fat in the areas treated is reduced in proportion to the rest of the body. We are frequently asked if the fat "goes somewhere else", or if one tends to put on weight in other areas of the body. One explanation for this perception may be that without a change in caloric intake, in the setting of stable or declining basal metabolic rate (which occurs as we age), it is predictable that fat would accumulate as a means of storing energy. If the depots of fat that were once present have been significantly reduced in capacity, then it follows that those fat depots remaining untreated may tend to accumulate more fat if energy intake exceeds energy expenditure.

It is therefore very important that patients considering liposuction understand the importance of diet and exercise in maintaining their weight, and realize that liposuction is not an alternative to a healthy lifestyle.

It remains that with any elective cosmetic surgery, it is very important for women considering this procedure to be given informed consent. This means that anyone considering having permanent implantation of a medical device is made aware not only of the risks of the operation itself, but also of the lifelong risks of having implants.