Frequently women come to the office for consultation and say, “Dr. Dickinson, no matter how hard I exercise, the fat on the back of my upper arm and bra line persists. I become self-conscious of this when I wear a bikini or strapless dress. Can liposuction help?” Liposuction of the upper arm and bra fat can be very rewarding to…
Abdominoplasty is a common procedure in both male and female patients. The satisfaction rate is extremely high after an abdominoplasty. We recommend that patients eat a diet that is high in protein for 4-6 weeks prior to surgery and for 4-6 weeks after surgery. This high protein diet can ensure that there are enough protein stores for collagen synthesis and…
Removal of breast implants is a very common procedure. There are many women who have had breast implants in for a long period of time and who would like to have their implants removed. As patients reach 40’s and 50’s it is quite common for patients to want to participate in yoga, pilates, or other excercises that require more mobility…
Breast cancer reconstruction is an area of my practice which is rewarding as we are often able to successfully treat a patient’s breast cancer effectively, yet at the same time prevent a deformity of the breast or in some cases enhance the appearance of the breast. Elite athletes who have successfully completed IronMan/IronWoman triathlons are patients who are dear to…
Rhinoplasty and facelift operations continue to be my favorite operations. In rhinoplasty one of the more common maneuvers is to reduce the projection of the nasal tip. In this clinical scenario the tip of the nose has excess projection for one of two reasons, either the tip is extrinsically held out too far because of the nasal septum or the…
The latissimus dorsi flap is an important and very versatile flap for breast reconstruction. The latissimus flap almost always requires a breast implant to add volume to the breast reconstruction in order to match the contralateral breast. The latissimus dorsi flap can be harvested and transferred with a skin paddle to replace a missing nipple areola complex or it can…
There are many patients who choose to undergo bilateral mastectomy for breast cancer or prophylactically to prevent cancer when patients have a genetic predisposition. In patients who are not going to receive radiation the breast is amenable to reconstruction with tissue expanders and implants. The tissue expander is placed at the time of the mastectomy and only a small amount…
Bilateral mastectomy breast reconstruction is common in patients who have BRCA gene positivity. Bilateral mastectomy is also common in patients who choose to undergo mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. When the breast is ptotic, defined by a nipple areola complex that descends below the level of the inframammary fold, the nipple areola complex cannot maintain a blood supply sufficient to…
Breast augmentation is a common aesthetic procedure performed in our practice. The most commonly used implant is a smooth silicone gel implant. There are several options for the incision choice in breast augmentation with silicone gel implants. The three choices are inframammary crease, periareaolar, and transaxillary. There are different benefits to each incision. It is helpful to select an implant…
Mastopexy and abdominoplasty are a very powerful combination of procedures. Mastopexy involves lifting the nipple areola complex and some component of the parenchyma of the breast. Often a mastopexy may involve removing the lateral aspect of the breast tissue or “bra fat” to improve the contour of the breast. The mastopexy markings involve determining the position of the nipple areola…
