Woodlands & Houston Plastic Surgery Blog

Couples Electing Liposuction Together

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Briana

Plastic surgeons are taking note of a new trend – couples plastic surgery. Just last year, nine percent of all cosmetic procedures were elected by male patients. It’s clear that male plastic surgery no longer carries the same social stigma it once did, and plastic surgeons are seeing more and more men coming in for consultations with their wives or girlfriends.

“Men are often initially introduced when they come in with their wives, who are looking at having this or that done. When the husband is in there, he sees some of the information, and then he sort of gets interested. Then, when the wife comes in for a post-operation appointment, we’ll talk about his eyes or neck,” said Dr. Richard Chaffoo, a board-certified plastic surgeon in California.

Liposuction Ranks Top Plastic Surgery Procedure

Liposuction in particular, has grown immensely in popularity over the past few years among both men and women. In 2011, over 300,000 liposuction procedures were performed in the U.S., exceeding the number of breast augmentations for the first time since 2008, according to recent statistics released by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

In addition to liposuction, the most popular anti-aging procedures for women in the past year included tummy tucks and eyelid procedures. For men, eyelid surgery was also at the top of the list, as well as male breast reduction, according to the ASAPS.

Though couples plastic surgery is not a trend that been recognized by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, most plastic surgeons who have noticed this trend between couples agree that their patients are typically between their late 30s and early 60s.

Find out more about liposuction in The Woodlands.

Source: LA Times

Liposuction and Tummy Tucks Increase Quality of Life According to New Study

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Briana

How will you feel after liposuction or a tummy tuck procedure? Pretty good, according to the results of a new study published in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The study, which evaluated the outcomes of 360 patients undergoing liposuction and/or abdominoplasty (also known as a tummy tuck) found that these patients experienced significant improvements in both self-esteem and quality of life post-surgery.

Of the patients of evaluated, approximately 60 percent elected to undergo liposuction alone, while 35 percent underwent a combination of liposuction and abdominoplasty. The remaining 5 percent underwent abdominoplasty alone.

Lead researcher, Eric Swanson, MD, found that patients who elected a combination surgery of both liposuction and abdominoplasty, felt the most satisfied with their results. Over 99 percent of these patients expressed satisfaction with the outcome of their procedure, with an average score of 9 out of 10, compared to 8 out of 10 for liposuction only patients. Additionally, when asked if they would undergo their surgery again, 98 percent of those who underwent combination surgery said yes.

Overall, 86 percent of the 360 patients surveyed stated they felt improved self-esteem following their procedure, while 70 percent also felt their quality of life had improved. This was especially true for individuals who underwent combination surgery.

Few studies have been able to capture the satisfaction rates of patients following liposuction and abdominoplasty, alone or in combination. Through additional research, Dr. Swanson hopes that doctors will be able to more effectively communicate post-surgical expectations to patients undergoing widely performed cosmetic surgery procedures.

Learn more about tummy tucks and liposuction in The Woodlands.

Posted in Body Contouring | Tagged liposuction, plastic surgery research, tummy tuck | Leave a comment

New Study Reveals Benefits of Music during Reconstructive Plastic Surgery

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Briana

We all know that listening to right music can dramatically improve your mood, and now research suggests that music can also improve your surgical experience. According to new study, the soothing power of music may help to reduce anxiety for patients undergoing reconstructive plastic surgery.

Researchers led by Dr. Hazim Sadideen at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford analyzed data from 96 patients undergoing emergency as well as planned reconstructive plastic surgery requiring only local anesthetic, meaning they were conscious during the surgical process.

The study participants were split up into two groups. The first group listened to music during their operation, while the second group underwent surgery in a typical operating environment. During surgery, patient anxiety levels were measured based on self-reported anxiety and respiratory rates. Both measurements were taken immediately before and after surgery, while the patient was still lying on the operating table.

The results, which were recently published in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons, revealed that patients who listened to music during surgery experienced nearly 29% less self-reported anxiety than those who did not listen to music. Additionally, those listening to music also had an average of 11 breaths per minute verses 13 breaths for the second group.

While the results of this study are promising, Sadideen indicates that more research is needed to truly establish a correlation between music and reduced anxiety levels for these patients. And furthermore to establish any potential healing benefits that may result from reduced patient anxiety levels.

“This small scale work is the first time an attempt has been made to measure the impact music has in this specific group of patients and hints at the need for bigger multi-centre research to establish whether this should become part of standard practice.”

Learn more about reconstructive plastic surgery in The Woodlands.

Source: The Independent

Posted in Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon | Tagged music reduces surgical anxiety, reconstructive plastic surgery | Leave a comment

Sientra Silicone Breast Implants Receive FDA-Approval

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Briana

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved Sientra Inc.’s silicone breast implants for use in United States. Sientra will join the ranks of Allergan Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, as the third company to market silicone breast implants in the U.S.

Sientra’s silicone breast implants have been approved for breast augmentation in women 22 years of age and older, as well as for breast reconstruction in women of all ages. Sientra plans to offer implants in numerous shapes and sizes, in addition to the traditional round implants offered by Allergan Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.

FDA approval of Sientra’s silicone implants was a long time coming after years of controversy surrounding the long term safety of silicone implants. Initially banned in 1992 amid speculation that silicone implants may cause cancer and other harmful diseases, silicone implants have been deemed safe and on the market since 2006.

“Data on these and other approved silicone gel-filled breast implants continue to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness,” said William Maisel, deputy director for science at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Per the FDA, Sientra has agreed to conduct post-market clinical studies to determine the long term safety and effectiveness of their silicone breast implants. The risk of rare diseases and illness will also be recorded in these post-market studies.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), more than 307,000 breast augmentation procedures were performed last year, making the saline verses silicone debate an even more relevant concern for the FDA.

If you are considering breast augmentation, it is important to weight factors such as cost, incision size, consistency and the ability to detect rupture, when deciding on saline or silicone breast implants. Your plastic surgeon will be able to aid you in the decision-making process during your consultation.

Learn more about silicone breast implants in The Woodlands.

Source: fda.gov