Plastic Surgery – Backup

A brow lift, also known as a forehead lift or forehead rejuvenation, is a cosmetic procedure to raise the brows. A brow lift improves the appearance of the forehead, the brow and the area around the eyes by raising the soft tissue and skin of the forehead and brow.

You might choose to have a brow lift if you have a low, sagging brow or brow asymmetry. A brow lift might also boost your self-confidence. A brow lift can be done alone or with other facial procedures, such as eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) or a face-lift.

Aging typically causes the brows to move down. As skin and soft tissues lose elasticity, the distance between the eyebrows and eyelashes also shortens. The lower position of the eyebrows can make you look tired, angry or sad. A brow lift can raise the eyebrows and restore a refreshed, more pleasing appearance.

You might consider a brow lift if you have a low or sagging brow that's contributing to sagging upper eyelids.

The goal of buccal fat removal is to thin the cheeks, specifically in the area of the cheek hollows. Although a face that is naturally soft and filled out is considered youthful, some people find that their face feels too full, even chubby.

A buccal fat removal removes the buccal fat pad, a naturally-occurring pad of fat in the cheek hollow area. The size of the buccal fat pad varies with each individual patient, and the buccal fat pad in each cheek may be different sizes. Buccal fat pad extraction surgery is typically not performed in people with thin, narrow faces as removal of the fat may cause the face to look more gaunt with age.
Buccal fat removal surgery is a highly individualized procedure. It can address concerns for patients who are worried about full or chubby cheeks. If you are considering this procedure, be sure to do it for yourself, not for someone else or to try to fit any sort of ideal image.

As people age, the tissues of the face can become thinner and less firm. Adding volume to the cheek areas or middle of the face below the eyes with implants can improve facial contours and impart a more youthful appearance to the face.

Cheek implants can also restore a more natural appearance to the face after reconstructive surgery for cancer, other illness or traumatic injury.

Facial implants are solid implants typically made of medical silicon, which has a long, established record of safety. The surgeon may choose from a variety of implants, depending on the desired approach. Facial implants are intended to be permanent, but the implants can be removed if desired.

Follow-up care is vital for this procedure to monitor healing.  Patients should ensure that they keep all follow-up appointments with the surgeon to ensure healing is taking place normally.

Chin augmentation is surgery to reshape or enhance the size of the chin. It may be done either by inserting an implant or by moving or reshaping bones.

There are two types of mentoplasty:

Reduction: Involves the removal of excess chin bone or moving the jaw bone to alter the shape of the face. Generally to make the overall facial appearance softer.

Augmentation: Usually involves a surgical implant; however, the jaw also can be moved into place as part of an augmentation procedure. Generally performed to improve an weak chin.

Dermabrasion is an exfoliating technique that uses a rotating instrument to remove the outer layers of skin, usually on the face. This treatment is popular with people who wish to improve the appearance of their skin. Some of the conditions it can treat include fine lines, sun damage, acne scars, and uneven texture.

Dermabrasion removes damaged outer layers of skin. This exposes new layers of skin that appear younger and smoother.

In addition to providing a more youthful appearance, dermabrasion can also help treat, acne scars, age spots, fine wrinkles, precancerous skin patches, rhynphyma or redness and thick skin on the nose, scars from surgery or injury, sun damage, tatoos and uneven sking tone. 

Earlobe reduction is a common surgical procedure that is performed to correct large, pendulous earlobes that many patients find unattractive. This can be a hereditary condition or as in some cases, drooping earlobes can be caused by aging.

For many men and women, the earlobes are not really noticed unless they like to wear earrings which typically draws attention to their ears. Earrings can get caught on clothing, accidents can occur and cause the earlobes to rip, and the weight of heavier earrings can cause the earlobe to stretch and hang lower. As we continue age, this hanging, drooping earlobe, as well as earlobe rips and defects become more visible and unsightly to become an aesthetic nuisance.

Droopy eyelids are a major reason why some people consider eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) to remove and tighten excess eyelid skin for a more alert, youthful appearance.

Sometimes blepharoplasty also can improve your vision by providing a less obstructed field of view, once droopy eyelids are improved.

Blepharoplasty can remove excess skin, muscle and sometimes fat from the upper or lower eyelids. In some cases, you might need only skin removed but not muscle — or you might need the procedure done on both upper and lower eyelids.

An upper eyelid blepharoplasty (sometimes called an "eye lift") should not be confused with upper eyelid ptosis surgery, which is a procedure to raise the position of the upper eyelid margin by tightening the muscle and tendon that normally elevate it. Blepharoplasty surgery sometimes can elevate an upper eyelid margin slightly if the heaviness of the excessive skin actually is "weighing down" the upper eyelid, causing it to droop.

Eyelid surgery (also called an eye lift or blepharoplasty), reduces bagginess from lower eyelids and removes excess skin from the upper eyelids.

This surgery is usually done for cosmetic reasons. It's also an effective way to improve sight in older people whose sagging upper eyelids get in the way of their vision.

An eye lift will not eliminate dark circles under the eyes, crow's feet, or other facial wrinkles. It is often done along with other procedures such as laser resurfacing, filler injections, or forehead lifts.

A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a procedure in cosmetic surgery that aims to give a more youthful appearance to the face.

It reshapes the lower half of the face by removing excess facial skin.

Rhytidectomy can tighten loose, hanging skin around the jaw line, also known as "jowls." It can also remove deep creases around the mouth and nose, and excess, hanging skin and fat under the chin and in the neck.

The procedure can also tighten the underlying tissues, and it may be combined with surgery to enhance the forehead, cheeks, brows, and eyelids.

Facelift surgery is usually done as an outpatient procedure. It may involve a local anesthetics and sedatives or general anesthesia.

The procedure can take from 2 to 5 hours, and the person can normally go home on the same day after surgery.

The cheek lift, or midface lift, by percutaneous cheek suspension, is a new minimally invasive procedure designed to lift the cheek and midface region. The percutaneous cheek lift can improve the appearance of nasolabial folds, sagging of the cheeks and midface, and prominent lower eye sockets in order to provide a more youthful appearance.

Individuals who are looking for a minimally invasive solution for sagging of the cheeks and lower eye area and/or nasolabial folds may be good candidates for a percutaneous cheek lift. As with all cosmetic surgery, it’s also important that patients be physically healthy and have expectations that are realistic. The percutaneous cheek lift procedure cannot provide the same dramatic results as a full facelift but is ideal for younger patients seeking a less invasive option. 

A lip reduction surgery is a cosmetic procedure performed to improve the appearance of a person’s lips by reducing their size. The goals of the procedure are to make the mouth more proportional with the rest of the facial features and to balance out the relationship between the upper and lower lips.

There are several techniques used to perform this procedure, and more recent advancements such as the “bikini lip reduction”, which was first introduced in 2007, promise excellent results in terms of aesthetic and function.

Following the procedure, a patient suffering from macrocheilia is expected to have a more balanced facial appearance, with the lips no longer prominently attracting undesired attention. The lips will have a more normal-looking contour, and the size of the upper lip will be balanced and proportional with the size of the lower lip. Patients can expect to see the full results of the procedure about two to three months following the surgery, but the results can continue to improve over a period of two years.

Otoplasty refers to the surgical reshaping of the pinna or outer ear. The aim may be to correct a deformity or to improve appearance.

Reconstructive surgery involves building up the outer ear after an accident or because of a congenital deformity.

Pinning back the ears so that they look better, however, is a cosmetic procedure.

Prominent ears can be bothersome for children, who may be subject to bullying. Ears can be considered prominent if they stand out more than 2 centimeters from the side of the head.

Otoplasty is more common during childhood but can be performed on patients of any age.

Rhinoplasty (RIE-no-plas-tee) is surgery that changes the shape of the nose. The motivation for rhinoplasty may be to change the appearance of the nose, improve breathing or both.

The upper portion of the structure of the nose is bone, and the lower portion is cartilage. Rhinoplasty can change bone, cartilage, skin or all three. Talk with your surgeon about whether rhinoplasty is appropriate for you and what it can achieve.

When planning rhinoplasty, our surgeon will consider your other facial features, the skin on your nose and what you would like to change.

The mommy makeover is one of today's most popular combination plastic surgery techniques, designed specifically to address common issues faced by women who have been through pregnancy and breastfeeding. The surgical technique has found its way into mainstream media with it becoming the procedure of choice among Hollywood elite.

"Mommy makeover" is a catch-all phrase that refers to a specialized combination of body contouring procedures, performed together to improve the physical changes that linger long after pregnancy. One reason for its popularity is that the mommy makeover has no set components; each procedure is custom-tailored to fit the individual patient's unique needs. However, the surgical approach generally starts with a breast and abdomen contouring procedure, then adding additional elements as needed.

Your mommy makeover may include:

• Breast Augmentation
• Breast Lift
• Breast Reduction
• Tummy Tuck
• Circumferential Abdominoplasty
• Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body, such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms or neck. Liposuction also shapes (contours) these areas. Other names for liposuction include lipoplasty and body contouring.

Liposuction isn't typically considered an overall weight-loss method or a weight-loss alternative. If you're overweight, you're likely to lose more weight through diet and exercise or through bariatric procedures — such as gastric bypass surgery — than you would with liposuction.

You may be a candidate for liposuction if you have too much body fat in specific spots but otherwise have a stable body weight.

Calf augmentation surgery places a flexible, but solid silicone implant into the lower leg’s natural contours to enhance the size and definition of the calves. Calf implants is often requested by body builders who want larger, more muscular-looking legs as well as patients who want to correct an imbalance or physical deformity created by a medical condition or injury. Calf implants have become a very popular procedure in recent years and can help to boost your self-confidence with stronger, muscular legs.

A common method used during this procedure places a silicone implant through a small incision made behind the knee. The implant is positioned into a pocket surgically created within the calf muscle. Depending on the desired result, a second implant may be placed alongside the first to give the calf greater shape. Surgical sutures close the skin. Following surgery, the implant will become enclosed by scar tissue. This is a natural implant process and helps the device stay in tact so it can remain in place for years.

Are sit-ups not giving you the taut tummy you want? If you've got too much flab or excess skin in your abdomen that doesn't respond to diet or exercise, you may be considering a "tummy tuck," which doctors call "abdominoplasty."

This surgery flattens the abdomen by removing extra fat and skin, and tightening muscles in your abdominal wall.

It's not the same as liposuction, although you may choose to get liposuction along with a tummy tuck.

A tummy tuck is suitable for men and women who are in good health.

Women who have had several pregnancies may find the procedure useful for tightening their abdominal muscles and reducing skin.
A tummy tuck is also an option for men or women who were once obese and still have excess fat deposits or loose skin around the belly.

Vaginoplasty (also known as posterior colporrhaphy) is a procedure designed to tighten the vagina. An alternative is noninvasive vaginal tightening through heating tissues with radiofrequency waves or laser. Patients with significant laxity may not experience a benefit from these treatments and may be better candidates for surgical tightening with vaginoplasty.

Buttock augmentation, or gluteal augmentation, is used to improve the contour, size and/or shape of the buttocks. This is done through the use of buttock implants, fat grafting or sometimes a combination of the two.

Buttock implants are silicone-filled devices that are surgically placed deep within the tissues of the buttock. Buttock augmentation through the use of fat grafting involves the transfer of fat from one area of the body into the tissues of the buttocks.

In addition to buttock augmentation procedures, a buttock lift can be accomplished by the surgical removal of soft tissue.

A Brazilian butt lift is a specialized fat transfer procedure that augments the size and shape of the buttocks without implants. Excess fat is removed from the hips, abdomen, lower back, or thighs with liposuction, and a portion of this fat is then strategically injected into the buttocks.

A skilled cosmetic surgeon can improve the proportions of the entire lower body with Brazilian butt lift surgery, helping a patient lose fat in common “problem areas” and enhance the buttocks, with results lasting many years.

Why have a Brazilian butt lift?
The shape and proportion of a person’s buttocks are largely determined by genetics; both your skeletal structure and how your body stores fat influence the appearance of the lower body. A healthy diet and exercise can work to achieve a healthy body weight and tone the muscles, but many patients remain unhappy with a “flat” buttocks that lacks shape, despite a healthy lifestyle.

Brazilian butt lift surgery can help overcome the effects of genetics by reshaping the buttocks and surrounding areas, such as the hips, lower back, and thighs. You might consider a Brazilian butt lift to:

• Enhance the curves of your lower body
• Reduce fat pockets on your hips, thighs or belly while adding fullness to the buttocks
• Help clothing fit more attractively
• Give a more youthful, aesthetically pleasing shape to flat buttocks
• Enhance your overall proportions by improving balance between your upper and lower body

Found same info as Arm Lift.

An arm lift, or brachioplasty, is a surgical procedure that:

Reduces excess sagging skin that droops downward
Tightens and smoothes the underlying supportive tissue that defines the shape of the upper arm
Reduces localized pockets of fat in the upper arm region
Fluctuations in weight, growing older and heredity can cause your upper arms to have a drooping, sagging appearance. This is a condition that cannot be corrected through exercise.

Arm lift surgery may be right for you if the underside of your upper arms are sagging or appear loose and full due to excess skin and fat.

In general, arm lift candidates include:

• Adults with significant upper arm skin laxity.
• Adults of any age whose weight is relatively stable and who are not significantly overweight.
• Healthy individuals without medical conditions that impair healing or increase risk of surgery.
• Nonsmokers.
• Individuals with a positive outlook and realistic expectations.

A labiaplasty is a surgical procedure done to reshape a woman's labia minora—the inner "lips" of the vulva. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the number of women seeking to alter the appearance of their labia has been increasing since the organization began keeping track in 2015. The 2016 ASPS statistics report showed a 39% increase in the number of labiaplasties performed that year.

News reports about the growing popularity of labiaplasty might have you believe women are having it done for cosmetic reasons, based on a desire to conform to what they've come to believe is normal or more attractive. This likely is far from the main reason most labiaplasties are performed, however.

Why Have a Labiaplasty?

Labia size and shape is as individual as eye color, and the range of what's "normal" is wide and deep. However, when a woman's labia are especially elongated, the excess tissue can cause discomfort or get in the way of normal function. An athlete whose labia is long may find that the tissue sticks to her leg during physical activity, for example. Labial tissue that protrudes can make sitting on a bicycle seat uncomfortable.

And yes, there are women who decide to have a labiaplasty for aesthetic reasons, but they're rarely influenced by some supposed beauty norms, according to the ASPS. Some who view their inner labia as abnormally long may feel self-conscious about the outward appearance of their genitalia, causing them emotional or psychological distress during sex or while wearing a thong or swimsuit. The labia can be obvious in tight-fitting yoga pants as well.

The LAP BAND® is a specific device brand name and is made by Allergan Inc. The term is often used in the lay community interchangeable with gastric banding (similar to the way we interchange the brand name Kleenex for facial tissue). There are different sizes and models of the LAP BAND. There are also other companies that make gastric banding devices such as the REALIZE® adjustable gastric band (by Ethicon), the MIDBAND®, and the Heliogast® gastric band (which are not available in the US).

Who are candidates for the lap band system?

Generally, candidates for LAGB have a body mass index over 40 kg/m2, or are more than 45 kilograms over their ideal body weight. LAGB can be performed on a person with a BMI of 35-40 kg/m2 if there are problematic medical conditions that are weight-related, such as high blood pressure (hypertension) or diabetes.

Most surgeons and programs will want to note a history of failed weight loss in the past using more conventional approaches. The procedure is indicated for adults only, and is not to be performed on those less than 18 years old. All patients must demonstrate an understanding of the procedure, and be willing to adhere to the lifestyle changes that are needed to make this procedure successful. Most large centers have a psychological assessment to assure that this last criteria is met.

LAGB is usually contraindicated if the potential patient has difficulty understanding the procedure, is emotionally unstable, or is dependent on drugs or alcohol. Those potential cases with a history of gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers need to be reviewed carefully. Similarly, those that have underlying medical conditions that make them high risk for surgery- such as heart or lung conditions- may be refused the procedure. Associated with these risks is a BMI of greater than 50kg/m2. In this group, there may be a request to lose weight prior to the procedure (although this seems paradoxical). Again, the risks of the procedure in this subgroup of obese patients may outweigh the benefits of surgery. By dropping the BMI under 50 kg.m2, outcomes may be better.

While there is growing discussion about offering LAGB to those with a BMI of 30-35 who have diabetes, there are no current guidelines for this.

Gynecomastia (guy-nuh-koh-MAS-tee-uh) is an increase in the amount of breast gland tissue in boys or men, caused by an imbalance of the hormones estrogen and testosterone. Gynecomastia can affect one or both breasts, sometimes unevenly.

Newborns, boys going through puberty and older men may develop gynecomastia as a result of normal changes in hormone levels, though other causes also exist.

Generally, gynecomastia isn't a serious problem, but it can be tough to cope with the condition. Men and boys with gynecomastia sometimes have pain in their breasts and may feel embarrassed.

Gynecomastia may go away on its own. If it persists, medication or surgery may help.

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the skin covering the tip of the penis. The procedure is fairly common for newborn boys in certain parts of the world, including the United States. Circumcision after the newborn period is possible, but it's a more complex procedure.

For some families, circumcision is a religious ritual. The procedure can also be a matter of family tradition, personal hygiene or preventive health care. For others, however, circumcision seems unnecessary or disfiguring.

Why it's done

Circumcision is a religious or cultural ritual for many Jewish and Islamic families, as well as certain aboriginal tribes in Africa and Australia. Circumcision can also be a matter of family tradition, personal hygiene or preventive health care.

Sometimes there's a medical need for circumcision, such as when the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back (retracted) over the glans. In other cases, particularly in parts of Africa, circumcision is recommended for older boys or men to reduce the risk of certain sexually transmitted infections.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. However, the AAP doesn't recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns. The AAP leaves the circumcision decision up to parents — and supports use of anesthetics for infants who have the procedure.

Circumcision might have various health benefits, including:

Easier hygiene. Circumcision makes it simpler to wash the penis. However, boys with uncircumcised penises can be taught to wash regularly beneath the foreskin.

Decreased risk of urinary tract infections. The risk of urinary tract infections in males is low, but these infections are more common in uncircumcised males. Severe infections early in life can lead to kidney problems later.

Decreased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Circumcised men might have a lower risk of certain sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Still, safe sexual practices remain essential.

Prevention of penile problems. Occasionally, the foreskin on an uncircumcised penis can be difficult or impossible to retract (phimosis). This can lead to inflammation of the foreskin or head of the penis.

Decreased risk of penile cancer. Although cancer of the penis is rare, it's less common in circumcised men. In addition, cervical cancer is less common in the female sexual partners of circumcised men.

The risks of not being circumcised, however, are not only rare, but avoidable with proper care of the penis.

Circumcision might not be an option if certain blood-clotting disorders are present. Also, circumcision might not be appropriate for premature babies who still require medical care in the hospital nursery or for babies born with abnormalities of the penis.

Circumcision doesn't affect fertility, nor is circumcision generally thought to enhance or detract from sexual pleasure for men or their partners.

Pectoral augmentation is a procedure that can be performed to give the male the definition he’s always desired in the chest region. Long used for reconstruction of the chest after cancer surgery in men, pectoral implants have been safely used to create bulk in the chest region. 

It's a type of surgery that moves hair you already have to fill an area with thin or no hair. Doctors have been doing these transplants in the U.S. since the 1950s, but techniques have changed a lot in recent years.

You usually have the procedure in the doctor's office. First, the surgeon cleans your scalp and injects medicine to numb the back of your head. Your doctor will choose one of two methods for the transplant: follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS) or follicular unit extraction (FUE).

With FUSS, the surgeon removes a 6- to 10-inch strip of skin from the back of your head. He sets it aside and sews the scalp closed. This area is immediately hidden by the hair around it.

Next, the surgeon’s team divides the strip of removed scalp into 500 to 2,000 tiny grafts, each with an individual hair or just a few hairs. The number and type of graft you get depends on your hair type, quality, color, and the size of the area where you’re getting the transplant.

If you’re getting the FUE procedure, the surgeon’s team will shave the back of your scalp. Then, the doctor will remove hair follicles one by one from there. The area heals with small dots, which your existing hair will cover.

After that point, both procedures are the same. After he prepares the grafts, the surgeon cleans and numbs the area where the hair will go, creates holes or slits with a scalpel or needle, and delicately places each graft in one of the holes. He’ll probably get help from other team members to plant the grafts, too.

Depending on the size of the transplant you’re getting, the process will take about 4 to 8 hours. You might need another procedure later on if you continue to lose hair or decide you want thicker hair.

Laser resurfacing is a skin resurfacing procedure that uses a laser to improve the appearance of your skin or treat minor facial flaws by removing layers of skin. Laser resurfacing can be done with:

Ablative laser. This is a wounding laser, which removes thin layers of skin. Types of ablative treatments include the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser and the erbium laser.

Non Ablative laser. This is a non wounding laser, which stimulates collagen growth and tightens underlying skin. This includes many types of lasers as well as intense pulsed light (IPL) devices.

Another type of laser resurfacing, fractional photothermolysis (Fraxel), is available in ablative and nonablative forms.

Although non ablative laser resurfacing is less invasive and requires less recovery time, it's less effective than is ablative laser resurfacing.

Laser resurfacing can decrease the appearance of facial fine lines. Laser resurfacing can also treat loss of skin tone and improve your complexion if you have scars or sun damage. Laser resurfacing does have limitations, however. Understanding the specific techniques, risks and possible results can help you decide if laser resurfacing is right for you.

Why it's done

Laser resurfacing can be used to treat:

• Wrinkles
• Age spots
• Uneven skin tone or texture
• Sun-damaged skin
• Scars