Cosmetic Surgery
Liposuction: Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty (”fat modeling”), liposculpture or suction lipectomy (”suction-assisted fat removal”) is a cosmetic surgery operation that removes fat from many different sites on the human body. Areas affected can range from the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, to the neck, backs of the arms and elsewhere. The fat is usually removed via a cannula (a hollow tube) and aspirator (a suction device).
Rhytidectomy: A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (literally, surgical removal of wrinkles), is a procedure used in plastic surgery to give a more youthful appearance. It usually involves the removal of excess facial skin, with or without the tightening of underlying tissues, and the redraping the skin on the patient’s face and neck. The first facelift was performed in Berlin in 1901 by Eugene Hollander. In 2004, the facelift was the fifth most popular cosmetic surgery performed after liposuction, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery).
In the traditional facelift, an incision is made in front of the ear extending up into the hairline. The incision curves around the bottom of the ear and then behind it, usually ending near the hairline on the back of the neck.
After the skin incision is made, the skin is separated from the deeper tissues with a scalpel or scissors (also called undermining) over the cheeks, chin and neck. At this point, the deeper tissues (SMAS - fascial suspension system of the face) can be tightened with stitches, with or without removing some of the excess deeper tissues.
The skin is then pulled upwards and backwards and the amount of excess skin to be removed is determined by feel. The excess skin is then removed and the skin incisions are closed with sutures and staples.
Facelifts work best in women with thin skin and good bone structure. They are best for eliminating loose skin folds in the neck and wrinkles in the cheeks. The areas not well corrected by a facelift include the nasolabial folds and marionette lines. A facelift leaves long scars. However, the portion of the scars in front of the ear are usually inconspicuous. The scar behind the ear is hidden from casual view. Hair loss in the portions of the incision within the hair-bearing scalp can occasionally occur. In men, the sideburns can be pulled backwards and upwards, resulting in an unnatural appearance. In women, one of the telltale signs of having had a facelift is an earlobe which is pulled downwards and/or distorted. If too much skin is removed (as was common many years ago), the face can assume a pulled-back, “windswept” appearance.
Facelifts are commonly combined with eye surgery (blepharoplasty) and skin resurfacing (chemical peels or lasers). They are typically performed under general anesthesia or deep twilight sleep.
The most common complication is bleeding which usually requires a return to the operating room. Less common (but graver) complications include damage to the facial nerve and necrosis of the skin flaps.
Contraindications to facelift surgery include severe concomitant medical problems. While not absolute contraindication, the risk of postoperative complications in increased in cigarette smokers and patients with hypertension and diabetes. Patients should abstain from taking aspirin or other blood thinners before surgery.
Abdominoplasty: or “tummy tuck” is a cosmetic surgery procedure to reshape and firm the abdomen. The American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary defines abdominoplasty as “Plastic surgery of the abdomen in which excess fatty tissue and skin are removed, usually for cosmetic purposes.” [1] The surgery involves the removal of excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscle of the abdominal wall. This type of surgery is usually sought by women (who are not considering having any more children) and individuals who have abdominal fat deposits which do not respond well to diet and exercise. It is also used after massive weight loss to remove the resulting ‘apron’ of fat and skin hanging in front of the patient.
There are two broad varieties of abdominoplasty:
Complete. Requires from about two to five hours
Partial. Requires from about one to two hours
Rhinoplasty: is a type of plastic surgery that is used to improve the function (reconstructive surgery) or appearance (cosmetic surgery) of a person’s nose. Rhinoplasty is also commonly called a “nose job.” Rhinoplasty can be performed to meet aesthetic goals or for reconstructive purposes to correct birth defects or breathing problems. It can be combined with other surgical procedures such as chin augmentation to enhance the aesthetic results.
Otoplasty: is a type of cosmetic surgery that is used to improve the appearance of a person’s external ears. This type of ear surgery is typically performed to bring ears closer to the head or reduce the size of large ears.
Otoplasty can be performed under a general anesthetic as an inpatient procedure (which is generally the case for children undergoing the operation) but is often performed as an outpatient procedure with a local anesthetic. The procedure, which generally takes no more than three hours, typically involves a small incision at the back of the ear where cartilage is reshaped or removed allowing the ear to rest closer to the head. It may also involve creating a fold in the upper ear in order to fix “shell ears” or “lop ears” in which the folds are not properly formed.
After the surgery, patients are typically required to wear a head dressing. This helps to reduce swelling and protect the ears as they heal. After 3-6 days, the dressing is removed and replaced with a sweat band. Stiches are usually removed about 7-10 days after surgery, although dissolvable stitches may also be used.
Breast Augmentation: A breast implant is a prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a woman’s breasts (known as breast augmentation) for cosmetic reasons, to reconstruct the breast (e.g. after a mastectomy or to correct genetic deformities)
There are two primary types of breast implants: saline filled and silicone gel filled implants. Saline implants have a silicone elastomer shell filled with sterile saline liquid. Silicone gel implants have a silicone shell filled with a viscous silicone gel.
Botox Treatments: Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances in the world. Though it is highly toxic, it is used in minute doses both to treat painful muscle spasms, and as a cosmetic treatment in some parts of the world. It is sold commercially under the brand names Botox and Dysport for this purpose. The terms Botox and Dysport are trade names and are not used generically to describe the neurotoxins produced by Clostridia species.
