Archive for July, 2010
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
 Sheyla Hershey after final breast augmentation Instead of regarding highly publicized breast implant disasters with the blasé disinterest common today, a surprising article in the Orange County Register offered some interesting insight into botched boob jobs, suggesting that recent incidences of “plastic surgery gone wrong” serve as cautionary tales for prospective breast augmentation patients.
According to the article, the mistakes of breast augmentation patients Kenyatta Brown, Sheyla Hershey and Nicola Stratton offer three valuable lessons that women should consider as they begin their search for a cosmetic breast surgeon.
Lesson One: Buyer beware
In February 2010, mother-of-four Kenyatta Brown went to an Atlanta eye doctor for discount breast augmentation surgery and nearly bled to death on the operating table during this relatively routine procedure.
Brown’s near fatal experience serves as a strong reminder that state medical boards do not limit a licensed physician’s scope of practice based on training or credentials, so physicians with little or no experience performing breast augmentation are allowed to take up the practice at will simply to make a quick buck in the lucrative, cash-only cosmetic surgery business.
Additionally, this story reminds that when it comes to cosmetic surgery, you typically get what you pay for, so breast augmentation cost should be the last consideration when you are choosing a surgeon.
Lesson Two: Bigger isn’t always better
It was unsurprising that Sheyla Hershey, owner of the world’s largest breast implants, experienced post-operative complications after traveling to Brazil for the breast enhancement procedure that finally allowed her to achieve the 38KKK bustline she desired.
Silicone breast implants of the size Hershey demanded are illegal in the U.S., so she traveled abroad for the procedure that Texas plastic surgeons had warned her was extremely high risk. Hershey developed a near-fatal staph infection after the surgery, and the gigantic implants had to be removed. She may also lose all or part of her natural breasts as well.
Hershey’s story highlights the importance of trusting the advice of the surgeons whose opinions you seek, as well as the importance of setting realistic breast augmentation goals that can be safely achieved for the best aesthetic outcome.
Lesson Three: There’s no place like home
At the time that British Extreme Makeover star Nicola Stratton flew from the UK to Los Angeles to undergo 30 hours of cosmetic surgery, she probably had no idea that traveling abroad for her procedures could prove problematic.
However, after Stratton began experiencing breast augmentation complications, including saline breast implant deflation and capsular contracture, she became painfully aware how problematic the distance between her and her surgeon was since she didn’t have the means to return to LA for revision surgery.
In addition to considering your breast augmentation surgeon’s training, credentials, experience and ethical standards, it is also important to consider proximity so that you are able to see your surgeon for follow up appointments and revision surgery should the need arise.
Dr. Gerald Edds has earned certification from three different medical boards, including the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, and has more than 25 years of experience performing cosmetic breast surgery. This makes him uniquely qualified to help prospective Owensboro breast augmentation patients achieve beautiful, natural-looking results.
Tags: breast implants, breast surgery, surgery risks
Posted in In the News, breast implants | No Comments »
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Recent advances in bio-technology have produced some interesting scientific innovations that may offer applications in cosmetic medicine.
Novabel injectable filler
One of the most exciting innovations is a unique new injectable filler product by Merz that was launched in Europe earlier this year called Novabel.
Unlike any other injectable filler product on the market today, Novabel is made from brown marine algae, a substance that purportedly makes injections smooth, easy to administer and virtually pain-free.
Novabel is composed of spherical, flexible structures called Geleons, and it is this patented Geleon technology that is supposed to make Novabel ideal for filling areas of thin facial skin, such as the lower eyelids and tear troughs.
Novabel’s Geleon technology is also supposed to cause less swelling than other injectable dermal fillers.
Endoform Dermal Template
Mesynthes, an award-winning medical research and development company based in New Zealand, recently announced the release of Endoform Dermal Template, a tissue substitute recently FDA-approved for wound care and skin reconstruction.
This new skin substitute finally offers an alternative to skin grafts, which require skin tissue to be surgically removed from one body area to graft onto another.
Unlike skin grafts, Endoform Dermal Template is not composed of donor skin but rather of extracellular matrix material, which provides a unique mix of biological macromolecules that actively promote the skin regrowth via cell regeneration and blood vessel formation.
“Fly tape” for surgical incision closure
Caddisfly larvae offer a new twist on “fly tape,” as silk spun by these insects is currently being researched by scientists at the University of Utah to eventually develop a stronger surgical tape.
This fly-inspired surgical tape would be engineered to create a sort of “wet BandAid” that closes incisions similarly to surgical sutures but offers dramatically increased adhesive bond strength that would potentially lower incidence of suture failure in patients who have had a tummy tuck or other cosmetic surgery procedure.
Owensboro cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gerald Edds stays up-to-date on the latest surgical technology and research in cosmetic medicine so that he can offer his patients the most effective cutting-edge procedures to achieve the best aesthetic results.
Tags: injectables
Posted in Cosmetic Surgery, In the News | No Comments »
Sunday, July 18th, 2010
The American Journal of Surgery recently published a study that found breast surgeries performed in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) take on average 69 fewer minutes than breast surgeries performed in hospitals. According to the study, breast surgery performed in an ASC is less time-consuming and more efficient than breast surgery performed in a hospital because the time needed to prepare for surgery is significantly decreased.
Unlike hospitals, ASC facilities are able to avoid unscheduled surgeries, such as add-on cases and emergency cases. ASC facilities are also physically smaller than hospitals, making it easier to move patients and equipment around more quickly, and ASC staff is usually smaller, more consistent and thus able to work more efficiently than hospital staff. Additionally, surgeons are assigned to a single room in an ASC and do not have to change rooms as they do in hospitals, which also saves times.
Study authors Drs. Terrence Trentman, Jeff Mueller, Richard Gray, Barbara Pockaj and Daniel Simula began their research in 2005 when their practice’s ASC facility was closed, which forced all outpatient breast surgeries to be performed alternatively in a hospital setting.
The study authors compared the surgical records of 92 patients who had breast surgery in the ASC facility between January 2004 and December 2005 with the surgical records of 92 patients who had breast surgery in a hospital facility starting January 2006. The cases reviewed for the study involved female patients of similar age, with similar recovery room times, and all of the breast surgeries were performed by the same two salaried surgeons who did not receive additional bonus pay for productivity.
Although the study concluded that ASC facilities offer significant preoperative time-savings, findings also suggested that breast surgery patients spend an almost identical amount of time in an ASC and a hospital once they reach the operating room. So, while study findings support the common perception that outpatient surgery can be far more efficiently performed in dedicated outpatient surgical centers outside of hospitals, such as ambulatory surgery centers, it identifies that the time-savings benefits of an ASC facility are only offered during the preoperative, or preparation, stage of a breast surgery procedure.
The type of anesthesia used during surgery can also affect recovery time immediately following surgery, however this did not significantly affect overall surgical time from the preparation stage to the patient discharge stage.
Dr. Gerald Edds performs all cosmetic breast surgery procedures, including breast augmentation, breast lift and breast reduction, in an efficient, state-of-the-art ASC facility.
Tags: breast surgery
Posted in Cosmetic Surgery | No Comments »
Sunday, July 11th, 2010
According to a study published by the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, face lift patients are reporting high satisfaction rates both within the first year and 10-15 years after surgery.
Although many studies have been conducted to evaluate short-term face lift patient satisfaction, this study is the first to evaluate long-term satisfaction in face lift patients.
Study participants included 89 patients of study senior author Dr. John Owsley, who performed a superficial musculoaponeurotic system–platysma facelift, or SMAS facelift, on each patient between January 1, 1994 and January 1, 1999.
When patients were surveyed one year after surgery, 98 percent reported that their results were “very good or beyond expectations.” Each facelift patient was surveyed again 10-15 years after surgery, and 68 percent reported not only that their results continued to be “very good or beyond expectations,” but also that they looked 10 years younger.
Only 31 percent of patients who participated in the study indicated that they were disappointed by some aspect of their long-term face lift outcome, which suggests a majority of facelift patients experience a high degree of satisfaction with facelift results in the long term.
It is important to note that the results of a SMAS facelift are typically longer lasting than those of a subcutaneous, or skin-only, facelift, and improvement of sagging skin and jowls is an expected outcome. An extended SMAS facelift offers the same benefits as a SMAS facelift, plus correction of nasolabial folds.
Variations of the SMAS facelift technique exist, but all SMAS facelift techniques involve repositioning and tightening the SMAS, which is a sheet of muscle and connective tissue on the cheek that contributes to facial expression.
If you’re considering face lift surgery, don’t trust your face to just anyone. Avoid marketing hype and seek a highly experienced Owensboro facelift surgeon who can customize your facelift procedure to meet your unique facial rejuvenation goals.
Tags: face lift, facial plastic surgery
Posted in Cosmetic Surgery | No Comments »
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
A guidance issued by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons advised an estimated 50,000 British women with defective Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP) breast implants to have the implants checked for rupture within the next six months and removed in tandem if rupture is discovered in even one implant.
The guidance was issued after the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons discovered the PIP breast implants contain an illegal, untested silicone gel substance that makes the implants abnormally susceptible to rupture.
Unlike women with the faulty PIP breast implants, women who undergo breast enlargement with the safe, FDA-approved silicone breast implants used in the U.S. have a choice about when and how to address implant malfunction in the unlikely event of a rupture.
Rupture in saline breast implants tends to be obvious, as deflation and noticeable volume loss will occur in the implants. However, in silicone gel breast implants, ruptures are not as obvious and an MRI is required for detection.
When ruptured breast implants do not cause problems with breast appearance or health, occasionally women will choose to forego revision surgery, however most pursue corrective surgery.
Options for corrective surgery include:
- Breast augmentation revision, or breast implant exchange
- Breast explant surgery, or breast implant removal
- Breast implant exchange or removal with breast lift, or mastopexy
Most women opt for breast augmentation revision to exchange ruptured implants for new ones, while others choose breast explant surgery, or breast implant removal, and do not have the ruptured implants replaced.
When breast implants are removed and are not replaced, a breast lift may be recommended to remove the extra skin stretched by the breast implants. A breast lift with augmentation revision may also be recommended if the breasts have begun to sag since the initial breast augmentation surgery.
If you experience a breast implant rupture, don’t panic, as there is no immediate health risk with FDA-approved implants. Consult a highly qualified cosmetic surgeon with significant experience performing corrective breast surgery. Once you have discussed all possible options, you and your surgeon can decide whether breast implant exchange or removal, with or without breast lift surgery, is best for you.
Tags: revision surgery, silicone breast implants
Posted in In the News, breast implants | No Comments »
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