Massive weight loss, often 100 lbs or more, can leave loose hanging skin on the face, arms, breasts, abdomen, buttocks, flanks and legs. Whether the weight loss is from surgery or diet and exercise, if the loose skin becomes a health problem, insurance may cover reconstructive surgery to remove it. Extra skin can fold in on itself, harboring moisture, bacteria…
The most common cause of skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV radiation is found in sunlight, tanning booths and even, in low doses, fluorescent light. Using an appropriate sunscreen and wearing protective clothing such as hats and long-sleeved shirts can reduce your exposure to UV light. And tanning booths? Avoid them like the plague! Limiting your time…
Everyone knows that smoking can cause heart disease and cancer. Many people also know that because smoking is a direct toxin to the skin, it can prematurely age you by, increasing wrinkles and thinning the skin. But you may not know that smoking can significantly increase your risks when having plastic surgery. A lot of plastic surgery involves disconnecting the…
Loss of fat from under the skin can cause both facial aging and unsightly depressions on the body. Subcutaneous fat can be lost as part of the natural aging process or from trauma or surgery. Loss of facial fat results in a loss of skin support, hollowing, deep grooves and lines. A traumatic impact can crush fat and leave a…
Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Mirvaso® (brimonidine) topical gel, 0.33% for the topical treatment of the facial redness of rosacea in adults 18 years of age or older. Applied once daily, Mirvaso reduces redness for up to 12 hours by constricting the blood vessels dilated by rosacea. If patients want a longer lasting improvement in…
Four general factors cause our faces to age over time: environmental exposure, repetitive muscle action, loss of facial volume and loss of elasticity. We are exposed to environmental factors that damage our skin every day. Sunlight is the biggest culprit. Ultraviolet light from the sun produces free radicals that damage our DNA. This damage leads to wrinkling, brown discolorations, a…
Many people fear that their age is an impediment to cosmetic surgery. I say age is just a number. What counts is your health. First and foremost is cardiovascular health. Hypertension if well controlled is a risk, but is unlikely to cause any significant problems during surgery. On the other hand, a recent heart attack or chest pain due to…
Breast reconstruction is about creating symmetry. We want both sides of the chest to look the same. If a bilateral mastectomy is needed, I usually suggest an implant reconstruction so both sides will be similar in appearance and feel. A bilateral tissue reconstruction would require double the donor site and healing, making it a second choice. General health and other…
What if you want breast reconstruction but don’t want a synthetic substance in your body? There are many advantages to using your body’s own tissue to reconstruct the breast. Your own skin and fat can look and feel more natural than an implant. And if you use tissue from your abdomen to build the new breast, you get the additional…
Do you wake up with pain and numbness in your thumb, index or long fingers? Does your hand fall asleep while you’re driving? Are you losing your grip? You may have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS, the soft tissue in the wrist swell and compresses the Median Nerve, causing pain, numbness and, eventually, permanent nerve damage.…
On June 13 the Supreme Court denied the intellectual property rights claims by Myriad Genetics on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes used to evaluate a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Hooray! It’s always seemed wrong that anyone could own any part of the human genome. Myriad Genetics built a $450-million-a-year business on these two gene markers. Women with…
The most common way to reconstruct a breast is with an implant. There are good reasons for the popularity of this method: It is the easiest to go through. It involves the shortest time in surgery. It does not involve other body parts. And in the right patient can give great results. But implant reconstruction can be complicated. To begin…
