One of the most worrisome problems for surgeons is known as venous thromboembolism (VTE) – blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. These can occur after long operations, even in seemingly healthy people – and can be a life-threatening problem. In the past, we’ve used compression stockings, pneumatic sequential compression devices, or injectable blood […]
Back when I was a general surgery resident, one of the sayings passed down from our surgery professors was that “redheads were trouble”, because they seemed to bleed a bit more than the average patient during a typical procedure. It was like a surgical superstition, a part of surgical lore that hadn’t been proven scientifically, […]
One of the big topics of discussion at ASAPS this year was biofilms. Biofilms are a type of bacterial contamination that loves to form on solid, implanted devices like man-made heart valves, contact lenses, orthopedic implants, and yes…breast implants. There is a growing body of research that suggests that these biofilms are linked to the #1 […]
At the recent ASAPS meeting, a number of breakthrough new technologies were presented, as potential alternatives / improvements on the standard liposuction technique. Bear in mind that most of these wonder gadgets are still in the developmental phase, and do not yet have FDA approval. But some of the before & after photos looked pretty […]
Sounds like science fiction, right? – a wrinkle-fighter that works without needles… One of the coolest products in development that I heard about at the ASAPS meeting belongs to a company called Revance therapeutics, based in Palo Alto, California. They seem to be the first ones to have cracked the problem of getting large molecules into […]
The most important educational meeting for aesthetic plastic surgeons, in my opinion, is the ASAPS annual meeting. It’s happening next week – and yours truly will be there. We’ll hear “what’s hot”, “what’s new” and “what’s not working”. All of the “major league” players of aesthetic plastic surgery will be there, discussing the best ways […]
Hype. Spin. Puffery. Exaggerated claims. Call it what you will – there is a lot of it out there in the world of cosmetic surgery. Unlike most other fields of medicine, the commercial influences on cosmetic surgery and aesthetic medicine have changed the traditional doctor-patient-medical supplier relationship – and not for the better.Where does the […]
A common question around here from patients is whether they can combine surgeries – say, a tummy tuck with liposuction and a mastopexy – as one might be wanting to do in a “mommy makeover”. To answer this, we have to look at things from 2 different angles: 1) legal – what do the Florida regulations permit, and 2) medical – […]
Over the last few months, I have seen an alarming increase in the number of patients that come in for a second opinion about poorly-performed liposuction (done elsewhere, I might add.) All of these casse have been performed with new high-tech liposuction machines, either laser-assisted (like the SmartLipo) or ultrasonic (like the VASER). I’ve seen […]
A very common question during augmentation consultations is about the various advantages and disadvantages of silicone breast implants and saline breast implants. In this chapter of PSB- the Plastic Surgery Blog, we’ll talk about silicone breast implants. The next installment will discuss saline breast implants. Currently, about 80% of our patients select the silicone gel implants. […]
