Posts Tagged ‘Maryland’

Which incision for a breast implant?

Monday, July 30th, 2012

I saw a young woman last week, and I have seen quite a few like her over the years. She had breast augmentation done elsewhere about 4 months ago. She was concerned that her breast implants were too high. Everyone starts out big, tight and high, but by 4 months most people are dropping nicely, and she wasn’t. It turns out that she had her breast implants placed through the armpit. While it sounds cool and sexy implants that are too high or don’t drop are a common consequence in this approach. During breast augmentation the lower insertion of the pectoral muscle is released so that the lower poll of the breast can expand over time. This is more difficult and less precise through the trans-axillary (armpit) approach and the problem cannot be corrected through the same incision. The woman I saw today will need a capsular release. (more…)

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What is posterior flank liposuction?

Monday, June 18th, 2012

Many of you know that I perform frontal flank liposuction on most of my tummy tucks. For those that need it this area of liposuction gives more curve and contour to the hips and in my opinion makes the tummy tuck look more streamlined and sexy. The frontal flank is the love handle or the area you can grab if you pinch the roll just above your hips. In some people this roll is mainly on the side of the body, but in some it extends all the way around above the buttocks. When it goes around the backside I call this the “posterior flank” and I handle this differently.

With a patient facing upright in preparation for tummy tuck it’s easy to get to the frontal flank for liposuction, but in this position you really can’t get well around the backside for people who want to contour the posterior flank. In patients who have posterior flank liposuction, before the tummy tuck even begins, we place them face down and liposuction from the backside first and then flip them face up to continue with the frontal flank. This positioning allows full contour all the way around the lower trunk.

Not everyone needs the posterior flank liposuction, but for those who have a bulge or fullness above the buttock area it is a powerful tool for contouring the waist and even a good location to harvest fat for grafting or Brazilian butt lift. It can sometimes make a dramatic difference in the size of the waist even beyond what the tummy tuck can do. Tummy tuck is not just about the tummy it’s about the hips and curves that surround it and in some cases liposuction posterior flank can make a huge improvement.

If you are interested in learning more about liposuction or another type of body contouring procedure in the Baltimore, Rockville, DC, Virginia area contact my practice to schedule a consultation.

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Posted in Body, Liposuction, Plastic Surgery, Tummy Tuck | No Comments »

What’s a fleur de lis tummy tuck (Abdominoplastly)?

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Tummy Tuck BaltimoreA few months ago I saw a woman who had lost over 100 pounds through diet and exercise. She was, without a doubt ready to get rid of all the loose skin hanging from her lower belly. She had seen another doctor who recommended liposuction and a standard tummy tuck, but because of her significant laxity I asked her if she had considered a fleur de lis tummy tuck. She looked at me as though I were crazy, not because she didn’t want the tummy tuck, but because she had never even heard of this procedure.

So what’s a fleur de lis abdominoplastly?

The average tummy tuck patient, often a postpartum mother or someone who has lost 30-40 pounds, has a vertical laxity of the tummy skin. Sit in a chair, grab your lower belly and if you’re like me you may feel a roll of skin and fat there that you’d prefer not to have. If you remove that roll from hip to hip the upper tummy skin can be pulled down like a window shade, tight and flat. That’s a standard tummy tuck, which tightens vertical laxity.

In patients with dramatic weight loss, they not only have the lower roll – the vertical laxity – but they are also loose from side to side. If you think you may be one of those people, put your hands on your flanks and push toward the middle. If there is a big roll of skin in the middle where you pushed in, this is horizontal laxity, and a fleur de lis tummy tuck might be recommended. The name of this tummy tuck comes from the pattern drawn on the abdomen before surgery, which is similar to a French decorative symbol. It means flower of the lily. When the skin and fat are removed the scar looks like an upside down “T.”
This kind of tummy tuck is mainly for massive weight loss patients. Even people who could benefit from the procedure may not want the midline scar, but I at least want my patients to know it’s an option.

So what happened to the patient who thought I was crazy? She did extensive research, as most of my patients do, she had her fleur de lis tummy tuck with me and was thrilled to know about this option, which turned out to be the best option for her. If you’re wondering if this tummy tuck it right for you come in and I’ll give you my opinion. Contact my office for a consultation at one of my three practices in Rockville or Annapolis, Maryland or McLean, Virginia.

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