4/22/11

Liposuction Techniques 2

Tumescent liposuction

The word tumescent refers to anything that is swollen and firm. The tumescent liposuction technique, in which a large volume of very dilute solution of local anesthesia is injected, is the only technique that permits liposuction totally by the local anesthetic. The anesthetic (lidocaine and epinephrine) is infiltrated (injected) into the fat beneath the skin, causing the targeted area to become tumescent, in other words, swollen and firm. The local anesthetic lidocaine in the tumescent solution provides such complete local anesthesia, that it eliminates the need for general anesthesia, or IV sedation. The drug epinephrine (adrenalin) provides profound localized vasoconstriction that it virtually eliminates surgical bleeding during tumescent liposuction. By eliminating the risks of general anesthesia and the risks of excessive surgical bleeding, the tumescent technique for liposuction totally by local anesthesia has eliminated the greatest dangers associated with the older forms of liposuction.

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL)

This is a new method, ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL), in this procedure, sound waves are use to liquefy the fat after the injection of fluids.  ultrasound-assisted liposuction also minimizes trauma, causing less bruising and blood loss. UAL is particularly useful on fibrous areas of the body, such as the male breast, the upper abdomen, and the upper back, which are difficult to treat with traditional techniques.

Dry liposuction

An earlier method of liposuction, called dry liposuction because no liquefying agent was used, required general anesthesia. This technique is not in frequent use today.

The technique chosen for your operation will be determined by a combination of factors, including the precise area to be treated, the amount of fat to be removed, your surgeon’s training and experience, and your preferences.

Laser Liposuction,

Also know as Laser Lipolysis or Liposculpture. This laser procedure was developed as an alternative to the manual method used in tumescent and traditional liposuction. It was also developed to help cosmetic surgeons target specific body parts that were difficult to access with the more traditional methods, but are perfectly suited to laser  body sculpting.

This liposuction technique is different than traditional liposuction. In some techniques of laser liposuction, suction is used, while in others no actual suction is actually used. Instead of using the cannula to remove fatty deposits beneath the skin, the cannula actually houses a laser and the laser is used to literally melt the fat of the target area away. After the fat has been liquefied using laser liposuction, it is drained from the body using tiny incisions or gently suctioned away. The procedure is considered gentler than other liposuction techniques because of the smaller cannula used and because of the smaller size of the incisions. This also means less scarring. Because of the heat used in the laser liposuction procedure, the body naturally reacts by contracting the tissues near procedure which causes the skin to tighten and become smoother.


Sources:
http://www.lipo4me.com/liposuction_techniques.asp
http://www.liposuction.com/lipo_techniques/index.php

4/15/11

Liposuction Techniques 1

What is Liposuction?
Liposuction (known as lipoplasty, liposculpture suction lipectomy, or lipo) is a type of cosmetic surgery, the goal of the liposuction is break up and suck fat from various possible parts of the body. the most common liposuction procedures are made in the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, chin, neck, upper and backs of the arms, calves, and back. The fat is removed through a hollow instrument (called cannula) which is inserted under the skin. A high-pressure vacuum is applied to the cannula.

The amount of fat that can be removed safely by liposcution is limited. Liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the body. It can alter the shape of a body. However, if the patient does not lead a healthy lifestyle after the operation there is a risk that the remaining fat cells grow bigger.

Liposuction procedures are more effective when the person has a relatively normal weight, but would like to remove undesirable deposits of body fat in specific parts of the body. Liposuction are also effective when a person has a firm and elastic skin,  liiposuction does not remove cellulite, dimples or stretch marks.

Liposuction can alter the shape of the body because it permanently removes fat cells from the body, however, if the patient does not lead a healthy lifestyle after the operation there is a risk that the remaining fat cells grow bigger.

Liposuction Thecniques
There are various techniques for doing liposuction. Some techniques are no longer considered safe (Dry Technique), and some are recognized as world-wide standards of care (Tumescent Technique). Each technique has benefits and drawbacks, while some older techniques have lost favor. The major features that distinguish the various liposuction techniques are the amount of solution that is injected under the skin before liposuction the use of any additional devices to assist routine liposuction.

Wet liposuction
In this procedures, a small amount of fluid with less volume than the amount of fat to be removed is injected into the target area. The fluid is similar to the one used in tumescent liposuction and minimizes bleeding and bruising. The fluid helps loosen the fat cells, and then fat cells are suctioned out.

Super-wet liposuction technique
The super-wet liposuction technique consists in the injection of a saline solution containing a local anesthetic and adrenaline into the area to be treated, which makes the fat deposits easier to break up and extract. This extra fluid also minimizes trauma to the surrounding tissue, reducing swelling and post-operative pain. The administration of adrenaline also decreases bleeding during surgery, further reducing risks.

continued in the next post...

Sources:
http://www.lipo4me.com/liposuction_techniques.asp
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180450.php
http://www.thegeminigeek.com/what-is-liposuction/
http://www.liposuction.com/lipo_techniques/index.php

4/8/11

Breast Implants Style and Size

What Size Breast Implant Should I get ? 

This is an incredibly important question. Some people are sure that they would like to be  a full C and a mid D or a Double D. Others are more concerned that someone will notice and only want to make a conservative change.

A very important concept is that you do not want to make this decision based on a fear that someone will notice. If you want to go "incognito" wear more conservative clothing for a while. The goal is to look great in a bathing suit and a dress. Many "conservative" people are disappointed later that they didn't go large enough.

Bra cup size varies between manufacturers, styles and how you wear your bra. Different style bras fit differently. Some people wear their bra so that they bulge out of the top, others wear it so loosely that you can't  find their breast inside!

Never look at someone else's choice of implant. It's what you start with--- plus what you add--- superimposed upon the shape of your own body. The same size implant may look completely different on another person.

The variation is so great that I have my patients come to the office with a flat panel sports bra and we put different size implants in the bra in front of a mirror. I encourage them to bring bathing suits, dresses, and any other clothing that they like to wear. This really gives you a good idea of what you will look like at each size.

Due to differences in clothing a "C" cup is not always a "C". Looking in the mirror and seeing what you look like 300cc bigger is simple physics! Your present chest plus 300cc has to look very similar to what you will look like with 300cc implants.

Most of the implants that are chosen by my patients are between 250cc and 675cc. Some are smaller and some larger. The largest implant available legally today is 1200cc.

Formulas, standards and comparisons may work in theory, but we all know that if you ask two women with exactly the same size breast what size they are, one may be absolutely certain she is a C while the other is sure she is a D. I don't think that "standards" work!  Breast size is often "in the eye of the beholder!"

Be highly aware of the width of the implants. If you place implants flat on a table, there is little difference in the height. It isn't that larger implants will stick out that much more. The reall difference is in how big the space will be between your breasts. If you have a wide rib cage and nipples placed out to the sides and you pick small implants, there will be a huge gap between your new breasts. This is usually not what you want. It isn't about your height and weight. Its about your rib cage width and where your nipples are!

What are the choices of implant positions? 

The easiest surgical placement of the implant is under the breast tissue (submammary).

A slightly more difficult surgical placement is under the chest muscle (submuscular or subpectoral) but this position is associated with a lower incidence of capsule contracture and slightly less occurrence of rippling. There is more pain postoperatively than with a submammary placement.

What are the options for implant size? 

The ultimate size of the breast is mainly a personal decision by the patient. Cup size is an inexact estimate of the final size since cup sizes vary with the bra manufacturer and how tight or loose the patient wears her bra as well as how much breast tissue is already present. Describing the preferred cup size does aid the surgeon, but it also helps to look at pictures or photos to show the physician the desired final look.

The most accurate method of estimating the implant size (in ounces) is to fill a plastic bag with measured amounts of water and place in a bra with the patient's estimated cup size. One can see with the bra on and covered by a sweater what the final result will approximate.

Patients most often comment that, "I wish I had gone larger," although there is a rare patient who feels she is too large.

A sports bra holds the implants against your chest like your natural tissue will. "Trying On" the implants in front of a mirror with several different outfits, in my opinion, is the best way to proceed.

Source:
http://www.webplastics.com/breast9.htm
http://www.breastimplantsusa.com/plastic-surgery-articles/breast-augmentation-faq-78.htm

4/1/11

Types of Breast Implants

The main components of breast implants include:

- the shell (the outside layer, sometimes called the envelope or lumen)
- the filler (inserted into the shell)
- the patch (covers the hole where the filler is inserted into the shell)

Typically the shell is made of a single layer ("single lumen"), but some implants have a double layer — a shell within a shell ("double lumen").

Silicone Shells for Both Saline and Silicone Implants

Both silicone and saline breast implants have an outer shell made of silicone-rubber material. But when someone refers to a "silicone breast implant," they mean the filler of the implant, not the shell. Thera are two types of implants:

- saline filled, silicone-rubber shell
- silicone gel-filled, silicone-rubber shell

Generally, the silicone-rubber shell is made of:

- Cured long strands of silicones
- Approximately 20 percent finely powdered silica tightly bound to the silicone polymers
- Small amounts of other materials
- Saline Filled Breast Implants

Saline Filled Breast Implants

Saline implants are filled with a sterile saline solution — the same type of salt water used in general surgery and for other internal purposes.

There are several types of saline-filled breast implants. These types vary depending on whether saline is prefilled before breast surgery or is filled during surgery, and whether the volume of the implant is adjustable.

Common saline implants:

- Single lumen ("lumen" is the outside shell) — prefilled at the factory to a fixed volume. There are no valves for filling during surgery or for adjusting after surgery.
- Single lumen — filled with a fixed volume of saline during surgery through a valve. After surgery there are no adjustments to the implant volume.
- Single lumen — filled during surgery. After surgery, the volume of the implant can be adjusted by adding or extracting saline through a valve in the implant.

Silicone Gel-Filled Breast Implants

Silicone breast implants came on the market in 1962, but the FDA stopped sales of these implants in 1992 due to safety concerns. After a thorough investigation, the FDA re-approved silicone-gel filled implants in 2006.

These implants are now approved for women of all ages who need breast reconstruction and for women age 22 and older for breast augmentation. The reasoning behind the age restriction is that a woman's breast tissue is still developing into her 20s, and the powers-that-be at the FDA feel that women age 22 and older are more able to make informed, educated decisions than their younger counterparts.

The filler in silicone gel-filled breast implants is composed of silicone oil, cured large silicone, a small amount of uncured silicones and other materials. Silicone is a very safe compound and has been widely used in a number of medical applications for many decades.

There are several types of silicone-filled breast implants:

- Single lumen — prefilled by the manufacturer to a specific volume of silicone gel.
- Double lumen — the inner lumen is prefilled by the manufacturer to a specific volume of silicone gel. The outer lumen is filled during the breast augmentation procedure with a fixed volume of silicone gel using a valve in the implant.
- Double lumen — the outer lumen is prefilled at the manufacturer with a fixed volume of silicone gel, while the inner lumen is filled during the procedure through a valve in the implant. This third type allows for adjustments to the filler volume after surgery.
- The fourth type of silicone implant may appear to have no shell — looks and feels like a semi-solid rubber gel.

Source:
http://www.yourplasticsurgeryguide.com/breast-implants/implants-anatomy.htm

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