The lower blepharoplasty is a procedure that can help rejuvenate the face and give the face a more well rested appearance. In a lower blepharoplasty procedure, the lower eyelid is everted, and an incision is made in the conjunctiva. The space behind the orbicularis oculi is entered and excess orbital fat is removed from the lower eyelid. The removal of…
Mastectomy surgery and breast reconstruction are challenging. Depending upon the size of a tumor, the location of the tumor, and patient comorbidities the blood supply to the nipple areola complex can be compromised as well as the mastectomy skin. Occasionally, during a mastectomy, the midline of the chest can be inadvertently crossed, and the reconstruction can result in a symmastia. …
Breast reconstruction is a challenging specialty in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Not only does the patient and reconstructive surgeon have to contend with a foreign object of the mammary prosthesis, but also chemotherapy and radiation which can make the reconstructive process more challenging. The photograph demonstrates before and after implant reconstruction of bilateral mastectomy defects with bilateral mammary prosthesis. The…
There are many patients who come to the office for consultation regarding their lower face and neck to reverse the signs of facial aging. Many of these patients are also candidates for an upper and/or lower blepharoplasty. In some cases, we perform the upper and lower blepharoplasty prior in a procedure several months to years before we perform the lower…
Breast cancer is a common cancer among women. There are two different surgical ways to treat breast cancer. One way is to perform a mastectomy and the other way is to perform a lumpectomy. One simple but consistent way to approach the question to have either a lumpectomy or mastectomy is the size of the tumor relative to the size…
There are many clinical scenarios where a patient chooses to revise or improve upon her previous breast augmentation. One of the more common reasons for a patient to desire revision of her breast augmentation is when the breast implants have palpable or visible rippling. Rippling of the breast implant can be related to the patient’s body habitus, for example in…
In the ptotic patient and when the patient would like to have an autologous reconstruction, it is helpful to reconstruct the breast with an inverted-T skin pattern. The photograph demonstrates before and after breast reconstruction with a Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator Flap. The left breast underwent mastopexy reduction to set a new goal position to match. The right breast…
The upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty are two procedures that are commonly performed together. Often these procedures are performed in combination with a lower face and neck lift to rejuvenate the face. However, the upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty are great procedures to perform prior to a lower face and neck lift procedure. The upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty procedures…
Left Breast Reconstruction with DIEP Flap to Reconstruct the Breasts when Implants are not an Option
After mastectomy, the breast can be reconstructed with implants or with the patient’s own tissue. When we reconstruct the breast with the patient’s own tissue, we use the term autologous breast reconstruction. Reconstruction with the patient’s own tissue is helpful in cases where radiation was required after mastectomy or in situations where implants became infected at any time after a…
Silicone mammary prosthesis or silicone breast implants are a medical device. Over time the outer shell of the implant can become weak and tear or rupture. When this happens, the body can recognize the silicone gel as foreign, and the body can form scar tissue around the implant. The body can form scar tissue around the implant even if there…
One of the more common procedures performed for body contouring is the abdominoplasty. There are several reasons that a person would like to proceed with an abdominoplasty operation. Having excess skin of the lower abdomen and stretch marks is a frequent reason. Patients are often happy with the results of abdominoplasty who have excess lower abdominal skin. The other common…
Breast reconstruction following mastectomy can be performed with tissue expanders and implants. In some cases, patients do not want to have their breast reconstructed with implants and we can use the skin and fat from the abdomen to reconstruct the breast. In some patients the DIEP flap can be completed at the time of the mastectomy depending upon the size…
