Posts Tagged ‘plastic surgeon’

PIP and safety of Breast implants

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Recently a French manufacturer of silicone breast implants, Poly Implant Prothèse or PIP, came under Investigation by the French government for using low grade silicone in their silicone gel breast implants. The French have recommended that patients with these implants have them removed and replaced as a preventive, but not urgent matter.

These breast implants are not approved for use in the United States and I have never used them in my practice. The concern is only relevant for patients who have had breast augmentation outside the United States.

The only gel breast implants approved for use in the United States are manufactured by American companies and adhere to strict quality and manufacturing requirements.

The FDA requires extensive bio-compatibility testing on all its breast implants as described in their administration’s Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data. These guidelines have resulted in silicone shells that have been tested and shown to possess excellent strength, resilience and elasticity.

If you have any concerns or questions about what is going on in France please do not hesitate to contact our office. If you had breast augmentation surgery outside the U.S. and would like to remove or replace your gel breast implants just please let us know.

What goes together? More Than One Procedure of Plastic Surgery

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

When a patient comes in for a consult I never want that patient to feel as though I am trying to add additional plastic surgery, but it is my job is to point out where certain combinations are more powerful than just the one surgery alone. In plastic surgery there are certain procedures that must at least be considered together.

Some classic examples:

Rhinoplasty: Rhinoplasty really needs to be considered with the chin. The reshaping of the nose has a dramatic effect on the profile. If the chin is receding only half the battle is won. Chin implant may be an option.

Eyelid surgery: The eye brow position really must be considered particularly when looking at the upper lids. If the space between the brow and eyelid lashes is short and cramped eyelid surgery will have less of a result. Brow lift, or a combination of brow lift and eyelid surgery, may do a better job.

Tummy tuck and flank liposuction: Unless the skin is loose, many of my tummy tucks include frontal flank liposuction. If the flank fullness goes around the backside, I will discuss liposuction of the posterior flank (love handles) as well. The overall contour must be considered.

Facelift and eyes: If the neckline looks tight and youthful but the eyes don’t match the face won’t balance. Facelift is about the entire face and it all has to blend harmoniously.

This is not a complete list but I hope the concept comes across. The parts of our body do not exist in complete isolation. My role as a board certified plastic surgeon is to teach my patients where and how to look for the best balance.

If you are considering a consultation, please contact my office of cosmetic plastic surgery in Maryland or Virginia to schedule a consultation.

The Joys of a go Kart

Monday, October 17th, 2011

So this plastic surgeon, thanks to the urging of my 13 year old son, is finally building his first go kart. There is no plastic surgery message in this blog post other than for those of you who know me I love creating things with my hands in the operating or at home in my garage. This summer I attended two macramé classes with my daughter, and now the go kart.

Just before the summer my son got the urge to have a go Kart as he watched a friend in the neighborhood tool around on one his father had purchased. “I also want to learn to weld” he announced. I was relieved about that. Buying him a go kart would have felt like I was spoiling him (let alone the cost!), but building a go kart seemed like an opportunity to learn about mechanics, engineering and even electricity. Not sure how serious he was, I bought a book about welding on Amazon and mailed it to him while he was in summer camp.

“Did you read the book?” I asked when he returned. “ Every word”, he said. I didn’t really believe it until I started reading the book and asked him questions about it. He seemed to have memorized all 300 pages

Well thank god for Craig’s list. A chop saw, grinder and a welding machine later we are well into this project enjoying not only our accomplishments but our time together. My son welds better than I do, but don’t tell him I said that. Our project together has been my joy. I may post some photos when I’m done, and yes I am being very careful with my hands.

To learn more fun facts about our building progress follow me on facebook or to schedule a consultation feel free to contact me!

Men, Liposuction, and the Military

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Men tend to be more shy when it comes to cosmetic plastic surgery. While my practice is about 80 % women here in the Washington D.C area the U.S. Military unknowingly sends me a steady stream of male patients. Military doctors have decided that one way to evaluate “fitness for duty” is to have a specific ratio of neck diameter to waist diameter. If this ratio is off a discharge could ensue.

While I can’t really change the diameter of the neck, I have liposuctioned liters of abdominal and flank fat from servicemen (and women) at bases all over the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia area.

So why talk about this here? I want you to know you are not alone. Liposuction is far more common than you think in the service. I have treated almost every rank with a great sense of pride.

How much you will shrink depends on how much you carry in the first place. I can never guarantee a waist size but it is not uncommon to lose at least two pants sizes or more. The flanks or love handles tend to make the biggest difference as most men wear their belt below the lower abdominal fullness.

I perform many other surgeries for men including breast reduction, rhinoplasty facelift and others, but thanks to the United States government, flank and abdomen liposuction remains the most popular.

If you are considering liposuction and you are part of our armed forces here in Maryland. Washington D.C. or Virginia you are in good company and I would be happy to evaluate you. Yes, we offer military discounts. So please contact my office for further details.

Postpartum Restoration A.K.A. The Mommy Makeover

Friday, August 12th, 2011

As the proud father of two beautiful children and a plastic surgeon, I have had the first hand opportunity to see how such a magnificent miracle can dramatically alter the female body. Hereditary, unpredictable, and often unfair, pregnancy is a body-altering experience. The body is incredibly intelligent and throughout pregnancy has the ability to change dramatically in response to the hormones associated with it. The breast become fuller, skin stretches and abdominal wall and pelvic muscles loosen, among other things.

Unfortunately, the body does not always do as good of a job restoring itself. Following child-birth skin loses elasticity and breasts often lose even more volume than they started with before pregnancy. The combination of loose skin and diminished volume can leave the breasts deflated and saggy. The abdominal wall can remain loose despite exercise, and weight can be unbearably difficult to lose. These affects are often discouraging for many women.

After pregnancy, and in general, I always encourage my patients to be healthy and attain a comfortable weight. This doesn’t imply stick thin and certainly does not involve crash dieting. It simply means a realistic weight that can be reasonably maintained.

Unfortunately, sometimes doing the right things such as eating an appropriate diet and exercising are not always enough. That is where I come in. The first part of my involvement is a consultation and physical examination to see if a patient would be healthy enough to undergo a Mommy Makeover and which procedures such as tummy tuck, breast lift, breast augmentation, liposuction, labioplasty and or another type of procedure they would benefit from. Safety must always come first and surgical treatments can only proceed after a clean bill of health is ascertained.

Here are the most common procedures or treatments I offer my postpartum patients in the area of Maryland and Virginia.

Breast Augmentation
Breast lift
Breast lift and augmentation
Tummy Tuck mini or full
Liposuction
Labioplasty

This is certainly not a complete list of the procedures that I perform in the postpartum patient, but these measures are in many ways the most gratifying. These are the options that many people initially explore with trepidation and ultimately regret not pursuing sooner.

If you are interested in learning more about the mommy makeover, contact Pei at our practice today to learn about special pricing for procedures booked in August. We have three convenient locations, Rockville, Maryland; Annapolis, Maryland; and McLean, Virginia.