It’s widely known that Capsular Contracture can occur in patients who have breast implants. This is the time when patients can choose to remove their saline implants and replace them with silicone implants. Often we discuss with the patient the option to improve the position of the implants at this time. While many reasons contribute to a capsular contracture, I find…
Our Orange County location affords us the opportunity to assist a variety of patients with Rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty can be used to improve one or more regions of the nose; and, we’ve found that patients seeking out rhinoplasty surgery often wish to improve multiple aspects of their nose; the most common being the nasal dorsum or “dorsal hump”. Another common area…
Do I have a tuberous breast deformity? The tuberous breast has a typical constellation of recognizable features. The breast base is usually restricted. The areola is wide and there is often a herniation of breast tissue through the areola. The breast is often hypoplastic to various degrees. How is a the tuberous breast deformity corrected? Tuberous breast deformity is best…
Where will the periareolar incision be placed and what will the scar look like? Everyone will have a scar, but how visible the scar is depends on several factors. The periareolar incision is typically placed on the inferior (bottom) half of the areola. The areola tends to be a relatively privileged area for scarring. That is, it is rare for…
Breast reconstruction following mastectomy is a common procedure. When the breast is ptotic, I often find that patient will do better when the resulting skin pattern is in the form of a Wise pattern. The Wise pattern allows the removal of ptotic skin and creates a skin envelope for an aesthetically pleasing breast. Tissue expander placement beneath the muscle entirely…
DIEP flap breast reconstruction is commonly used to reconstruct the breasts following mastectomy. When performing DIEP flap breast reconstruction, the lower abdominal tissue is used to replace the breast tissue and/or skin that have been removed. In patients who have ptotic breasts, or breasts in which there is a long sternal notch to nipple distance then the mastectomy may be…
Following mastectomy, breast reconstruction can be performed with tissue expanders and implants or with autologous tissue. Typically patients who do not need radiation can be reconstructed with either option. In the ptotic breast, the Wise skin pattern or inverted-T pattern allows the breast to have a less ptotic or more youthful appearance. I find that when using a Wise pattern…
Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator (DIEP) flaps are often a great choice when reconstructing the breast following mastectomy that has undergone radiation. There are many different scenarios that present to plastic and reconstructive surgeons with regard to breast reconstruction. We often see patients in our office who have undergone mastectomy followed by radiation and who now choose to undergo breast…
