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The Many Different Types of Liposuction Devices

Dr. Adam Tattelbaum is considered one of the top plastic surgeons in Maryland for body contouring and liposuction. Dr. Tattelbaum has performed thousands of body contouring procedures at his practices in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC. Dr. Tattelbaum says, “while there are a number of different types of liposuction machines and techniques the best outcomes always come from a skilled liposuction surgeon”.  Dr. Tattelbaum believes if you are seeking body contouring via liposuction you should always seek a surgeon that has performed many liposuction procedures.  Today there are many different lipo machines some are great and some are gimmicks according… Read More

Post Plastic Surgery Emotions – A Patient’s Perspective

What follows below is a blog post that I can’t take credit for. A former patient has become a friend and wrote the words below. I am grateful to her for sharing a patient’s post-operative perspective, and I value her insights. As a plastic surgeon, I spend a great deal of time preparing my patients for their surgeries, but what happens at home postoperatively is in the realm of the patient, which I don’t get to see. My thanks for her perspective. If I can still learn from my patients, then I hope it will help you as well. What to expect emotionally… Read More

Quilting the Tummy Tuck?

For decades, a standard tummy tuck involved lifting up the loose abdominal skin, repairing relaxed muscles, then pulling down and cutting off the extra skin. The analogy is much like pulling a sheet tight on a bed and cutting off the extra. The tightened skin was left to stick to the abdominal wall with gentle pressure from wearing a compressive binder as the patient healed. A drain was placed so that fluid would not accumulate under the healing skin and keep it from sticking to the abdominal wall. Fluid collections are known as seromas. Recently two surgeons, brothers, in the Midwest began sewing the… Read More

How many drains? One, two or none?

Drains are tubes that are left under the skin during an operation. They are used to remove pockets of fluid that can accumulate. After any surgery, the tissues ooze fluid to a certain degree as they heal. Fluid collections during healing can sometimes lead to infection. Despite this, some areas are more prone to collections than others, and not all surgeries need drains. Usually, drains are removed within a week or so when there is little fluid coming out. The fluid enters a small clear bulb that looks like a grenade. The idea of removing a drain scares patients, but it is more… Read More

A recurring problem with liposuction.

Over the past few years I have seen an increasingly common pattern in patients coming in for abdominal enhancement. I am writing about it now in this blog, hoping you will read it and be able to avoid the same problem. The scenario: a woman will come in concerned about a liposuction that was done elsewhere. When I examine the patient I find a wavy irregular lower abdomen over liposuctioned, and a full under suctioned upper abdomen. Bulgy top, wavy Bottom. The conversation goes something like this: So you had liposuction? Yes, it looked like a good deal. You had your liposuction… Read More

Arm Liposuction 50/50?

A patient saw me in the office yesterday. She is having a tummy tuck and breast reduction this fall. She came in again to discuss adding liposuction of the arms at the same time. She was confused though. She had done her usual research on the internet and found that only about half of the people who had the procedure in the U.S. were happy with their results. “Why?”, she asked. I explained that the key to arm liposuction is not the fat, but the skin. We can suck fat out of almost anywhere, but our tools to shrink skin… Read More

Plastic Surgery on The Young

Plastic Surgery on a very young patient- There is no more controversial topic in plastic surgery than plastic surgery on the younger patient. As a board certified plastic surgeon, I feel that younger patients should need us the least. We are not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, diet and exercise. There are however certain instances where I find that surgery at a younger age is justified and even beneficial. Here are some examples: Male Breast Reduction: This procedure is indicated in enlarged male breasts or gynecomastia. In certain young men, often for no discernible medical reason, the male breast tissue is… Read More

What’s a Breast Augmentation Refund Gap?

In a Q&A chat room, I was asked the question, “How do I avoid a refund gap?”. I had never heard this term before so I Googled it. I learned that a refund gap is a situation in which the breast implants have migrated so far apart that there is a large gap between the implants – so the patients request a refund. After 18 years in practice, I thought I should post a blog and tell you how I avoid this. The Best Breast Implant Placement As you may know, I prefer to place breast implants under the pectoral… Read More

What is Posterior Flank Liposuction?

Many of you know that I perform frontal flank liposuction on most of my tummy tucks. For those that need liposuction in this area it gives more curve and contour to the hips, and in my opinion, makes the tummy tuck look more streamlined and sexy. The Frontal and Posterior Flank 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… Read More

Temporary Rhinoplasty?

A number of people have seen us over the past few years asking about the liquid or temporary rhinoplasty. Popularized by a dermatologist in California, it is essentially a technique of using injectable fillers to alter the shape of the nose. If a patient has a bump on top of the nose the bump can be camouflaged by adding filler just above it. In some cases mild asymmetry can be improved. Eventually, fillers will reabsorb and the procedure will have to be repeated. I think it is a good option for people who are not ready to or healthy enough… Read More

Gravity-Defying Breasts: Don’t Try This At Home

Every month, I’ll see a woman with very large breasts who wants gravity defying breasts instead. Is it possible?

Labiaplasty- reducing the size of the Labia

When I started performing Labiaplasty a number of years ago I had no idea how popular it would become. A patient once told me that she regretted not having had it done when she had her breast augmentation; she just didn’t know that I did it. Because of her I added a “while you’re at it” section to my D.C. breast webpage to point out surgeries that are commonly combined. Labial tissue comes in all shapes and sizes. Some have more, others less. Common concerns patients share with me include self-consciousness during sexual activity, difficulty wearing certain clothing or swimwear… Read More

The Pencil Test For Breasts

The internet says your breast is droopy if you can hold a pencil underneath it. As an experienced plastic surgeon, I disagree.

Correction Of Inverted Nipples Through Breast Surgery

Congenital inverted nipples are more common than people realize. However, this problem can easily be corrected.

What is ALCL?

On January 26, 2011, the FDA released an advisory notice regarding the association of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) in women with breast implants. While ALCL is technically a type of lymphoma, it appears to have a very benign course, and the condition has been completely resolved by simply removing the breast implant and capsule. It is not breast cancer. In the past 25 years, only 34 cases have been reported worldwide among an estimated 10 million+ implanted devices. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery is working with the FDA to follow… Read More

The Dreaded Tummy Tuck

I would have to say that that the largest group of patients I see in my daily office life are post partum moms. It is a very consistent group of people with similar requests. The post partum moms usually have very realistic goals. They want to restore the breasts that fell or flattened after child bearing and tighten the tummy that now jiggles, bulges or droops. For purposes of this article I will focus on the tummy. The group of people described above is usually well read, well researched and in good physical shape. So into my office walk a… Read More

Use Botox For Migraines

We have noticed for years that patients of ours with a history of migraines have seen subjective improvements in their migraine symptoms when using Botox even for cosmetic purposes. As of last week, the food and drug administration approved the use of a Botox procedure to treat patients with chronic migraines.  Migraine Symptoms Chronic Migraines are defined as migraines more than 14 days each month each lasting more than four hours. Common symptoms of migraines include:  For many who suffer from migraines, relief – no matter how fleeting – is the ultimate goal, but many yearn for a long-lasting remedy that can… Read More

Liposuction Is Not All About the Fat!

Each day in my Maryland and Baltimore Maryland offices I see people in consultation for Liposuction. While liposuction is one of the most popular procedures that I perform I find that often it is the most misunderstood. Liposuction is not only about removing the fat – it’s also about the overlying skin and how it sits on the body.  Assessment Before the Liposuction Procedure Liposuction can be used to remove fat from just about any area of the body, but the key to a nice-looking result is having good skin tone, which has as much to do with what happens before as… Read More

When Is the Best Time for Cosmetic Surgery?

The best time for cosmetic surgery is when you have the time and support to recover. Each operation that I perform has different timing in terms of average recovery.  Things that require pulling or stretching of muscles like tummy tucks, for example, will need a longer recovery than skin tightening procedures such as breast lift. In addition, certain patients may require more time to recover than others, even if they have both had the same procedure.  The Rules of Thumb While each patient is different, I offer some general rules of thumb:  Plan Ahead  If you want to enjoy your figure in the… Read More

Facelift, S-Lift, Thread Lift, Lifestyle Lift: Which One Should I Choose?

The names of procedures that are marketed today for facial rejuvenation can sound like alphabet soup and can be very confusing for patients. Terms like rhytidectomy may be clear to doctors or surgeons, but often mean very little to patients. Let’s simplify it a bit. Facelifts fall into one of two categories: mini or full. You may have heard of the ones with the cute names like S-lift, Thread lift, or Lifestyle lift. These are often marketed in the popular magazines, but in reality, they are merely variations on the mini-facelift. So which one do I recommend? The answer is… Read More