Breast and Body Sculpting Procedures at Facial Aesthetic Concepts in Orange County
Breast Procedures
Breast Procedures
Breast Augmentation
Women desire enlargement of their breasts for a variety of reasons. Some individuals feel that their small breasts limit their fashion choices. Others are dissatisfied with the changes in the shape, size, and feel of their breasts after undergoing weight fluctuations, pregnancies, and aging. Whatever your reasons for wanting breast enlargement, breast implant surgery can enhance your self-image and restore your confidence.
Breast augmentation enlarges a woman’s breasts through the surgical placement of breast implants. Breast implants improve fullness and projection of the breasts and restore symmetry.
The most common incisions used for breast augmentation by Dr. Lee are periareolar (the edge of the areola or the pigmented skin surrounding the nipple) and inframammary fold (near the crease under the breast). (Figure A)
The implants are placed in a pocket either underneath the breast gland or beneath the pectoral muscle. (Figure B) The positioning of the implants in either of these pockets is dependent on patient desire, anatomy, and surgeon’s preference.
The results are immediate. The implants will “ride high” early in the postoperative period and settle to their more natural and permanent position in the weeks to follow.
Breast Augmentation Before and After Photos
Breast Reduction
Women who have over-sized, pendulous breasts often experience not only some of the social stigma of having overly large breasts but also the physical discomfort from the sheer weight of heavy breast tissue. These individuals often have associated neck and back pain, rash and hygiene problems in the fold underneath the breasts, and painful grooving at the shoulders from bra-straps.
A breast reduction can dramatically change the size, shape, and feel of over-sized breasts by taking away the excess breast tissue and repositioning the sagging nipple and areola (the pigmented area surrounding the nipple) to a higher more normal position. A breast reduction not only helps to relieve neck and back pain, it can restore balance to the overall shape of the upper body, enabling you to exercise and wear different sized clothing.
A breast reduction is performed using an incision around the areola, down the middle of the breasts beneath the areola and also underneath the breast fold. (see images to the right)
Of all the procedures that plastic surgeons perform, breast reduction ranks among the highest in patient satisfaction.
Breast Reduction Before and After Photos
Male Breast Reduction
Appearance of fuller breasts on men can cause a high level of self-consciousness, especially in situations such as at the beach or at the pool where going bare-chested is commonplace and a socially accepted norm. The medical term for the presence of woman-like breasts on men is gynecomastia. Although it is rarely mentioned among men in their conversations, the incidence of gynecomastia is quite common. It can affect 40-60 percent of all men. Certain drugs and medical problems have been linked with male breast overdevelopment, but there is no known cause in the vast majority of cases.
For men who feel self-conscious about the appearance of their chest, breast-reduction surgery can help. The male breast reduction surgery is done under general anesthesia. It is an outpatient surgical procedure. The surgery removes fat and or glandular tissue from the breasts, and in extreme cases removes excess skin, resulting in a chest that is flatter, firmer, and better contoured.
Depending on the elasticity of the skin and the amount of excess skin involved, different incisions can be made for removing the breast tissue. Most commonly, a small incision around the areola is all that is required, and the resulting scar can heal in a way that blends into the surrounding skin. The breast tissue immediately surrounding the areolar area usually needs to be removed through this incision. The surrounding areas of the chest which can be more fatty in content, can be contoured down with liposuction.
Male Breast Reduction Before and After Photos
Breast Lift
Women who desire fuller, higher, and younger looking breasts may be candidates for a breast lift. A breast lift, also known as a mastopexy, restores the shape and firmness to the breasts in women who have noticed sagginess from breast feeding, weight gain/loss, and aging.
In breast lift surgery, the breasts are raised by repositioning the nipple and the areolas (the pigmented area surrounding the nipple), often reducing the size of stretched-out, oversized areola in the process. If there has been loss of volume to the breasts, implants can be inserted at the same time to restore or enhance the size of the breasts.
Breast lifts can be performed using two different types of incisions. If the sagginess to the breasts is mild, an incision can be made strictly around the areola. If the sagginess to the breasts is moderate to severe, an incision must be made around the areola and also down the middle of the breasts beneath the areola and also underneath the breast fold. (see images).
Breast Lift Before and After Photos
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction offers hope to women who have lost or face the possibility of losing their breast(s) to cancer or other diseases. Breast reconstruction is typically performed using either implants or your own abdominal tissue. In a majority of cases however, Dr. Lee uses tissue expanders and implants to restore the size and shape of the breast. Tissue expanders are devices much like a breast implant, which are inserted underneath the chest wall muscle (pectoralis muscle) immediately following mastectomy. (see images) After a short period of healing, saline is injected periodically into the tissue expanders using a small needle. This can be done in the comfort of Dr. Lee’s office. Once the volume and shape of the breast is achieved with the tissue expander, a second surgery is performed to remove the tissue expander and insert the breast implant. This second surgery is often done on an outpatient basis.
You may ask, why not just insert an implant immediately after the mastectomy. In a mastectomy, an ellipse of skin around the nipple and areola (the pigmented area surrouding the nipple) is typically taken along with the breast tissue. This creates a deficit of skin which needs to be replaced. A tissue expander allows for the growth of this replacement skin as the expanding implant stretches the overlying skin. Once the replacement of skin is adequate for the shape and size of the new breast, a breast implant is inserted
After a period of healing, a new nipple can be reconstructed out of the skin overlying the implant and a new areola can be tattooed some time after that.
Breast Reconstuction Before and After Photo
Breast Implant Exchange
All man-made products can age with time and breast implants are no exception. In the 1970s and the 1980s, silicone implants were made of thin protective shells with liquid silicone gel inside. These implants were placed in an area just underneath the breast tissue (as opposed to under the pectoralis muscle) because patients recovered without much down-time and discomfort, and surgeons found that this approach was technically easier. As these silicone implants age, the shells can breakdown, releasing liquid silicone gel into the surrounding tissues. This causes visible and palpable distortions around the breast tissue.
In all women who undergo breast augmentation with silicone implants, the body forms a pocket around the implant called a capsule. This is a normal response by the body to the implants. As silicone implant shells begin to break down over time, the silicone content can still be largely contained in the capsule, separating the silicone from the surrounding breast tissue. However, the capsule can begin to harden and become thickened as a response to the direct contact to the silicone content of the implant. If the capsule begins to break down as the result of the hardening and brittleness, the silicone content then can infiltrate the surrounding tissues.
The good news is that there are options to exchange out ruptured silicone breast implants. Under general anesthesia, an incision can be made in an area under the fold of the breast, and the breast implant material and the capsule are removed together. The pocket is thoroughly cleaned out, and a new implant of same or different size can be placed to improve the look and feel of the breasts.
The silicone breast implants which are available to women today are very different from the ones that were used in the 1970s and the 1980s. They are made of thick, strong and durable shells and are filled with "cohesive and form-stable" silicone gel material. This means that for the first time in silicone implant history, the implants are now semi-solid in texture. These implants are also known as "cohesive gel", "memory gel", or "gummy bear" texture implants.
One of the most common reasons why people steered away from silicone breast implants in the past is that these implants could lead to hardening of the breasts over time. This phenomenon is known as capsular contracture. In the past, silicone implants from previous generations were known to have capsular contracture of 13% at 4 years. (13 women out of 100). With the latest implants, this number has gone down to little over 1% at 3 years. Placement of silicone implants under the muscle also has a protective effect when it comes to capsular contracture.
Also, when implants are exchanged out to a smaller sized implant or when the patient chooses not to have breast implants anymore, a breast lift is usually required. This is because years of having larger sized breasts can lead to an overall saggy appearance to the breasts. This can be uplifted to make the breast look perkier again.
Breast Implant Exchange Before and After Photos
Body Procedures
Tummy Tuck
A Tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen. The procedure also tightens the loose abdominal muscles, giving the appearance of a flat and tight abdomen. An abdominoplasty can create a dramatic difference in the appearance of the abdomen, but the surgery does leave a horizontal scar extending from hip to hip just above the pubic area. However, this scar can usually be hidden under the bikini line. Both men and women are candidates for this surgery.
While this surgery is particularly helpful in women with previous pregnancies and stretched out abdominal skin and muscles, an abdominoplasty also dramatically improves the appearance of those who have undergone successful weight loss surgery. (see images)
An abdominoplasty takes approximately 3-5 hours depending on the size of the patient. It is performed under general anesthesia and usually requires an overnight stay in the hospital. Recovery time after surgery is usually between 10 days to 2 weeks. Most people are back to work by 2 weeks and back to full activity including exercise by 3 weeks.
Tummy Tuck Before and After Photos
Arm Lift
Many people who have undergone high-volume weight loss experience loose skin in the upper arm area. The bagginess of the upper arm, especially when severe, can create a “bat-wing”-like appearance and can be the cause of much embarrassment and self-consciousness. People with loose, baggy arms seldom are able to wear sleeveless clothing. The constant rubbing in the arm pit can also cause irritation and skin breakdown, especially during the summer time when the ambient temperature is high.
Arm lift or brachioplasty is a procedure which addresses loose skin in the upper arm. Depending on the severity of the loose skin, brachioplasty can consist of liposuction alone, skin and fat excision (removal) alone, or a combination of both. Liposuction is the least invasive of these procedures. However, the use of liposuction is reserved for only mild cases of loose upper arm skin. Most people who have had high-volume weight loss require some form of skin and fat excision from the upper arm. There is a permanent scar which is located down the long axis of the upper arm, on the inner aspect from the arm pit to the area just above the elbow. There also may be a scar in the arm pit, itself. However, the scar tends to be hidden in the inner aspect of the arm, facing the torso and is not readily noticeable when the patient is walking or standing with arms to the side.
The surgery is performed under general anesthesia. However, the procedure is done on an outpatient basis. Most patients are able to return to full activity including exercise by 2-3 weeks.
Arm Lift Before and After Photos
Liposuction
Liposuction is a procedure which helps to sculpt the body to achieve a more attractive and youthful shape and appearance. Liposuction is best suited to remove localized deposits of unwanted fat in specific areas such as the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper arms, chin, cheeks and neck. Liposuction is not a procedure for general weight loss. Liposuction does not remove cellulite. However, liposuction can be a powerful tool in removing fat from areas of the body which typically do not respond to weight loss such as the outer thighs or “saddle bags”.
Liposuction achieves the best results in individuals with relatively elastic skin (those without sagginess to their skin tone). In fact, for those patients with already existing loose skin, liposuction may worsen the appearance of the loose skin. In such instances, the loose skin may require surgical excision (removal).
Tumescent liposuction is used in most cases. In this method of liposuction, a local anesthetic (numbing medication) is injected in the areas which are to be suctioned. A small amount of epinephrine is also injected with the local anesthetic to help to minimize bleeding and bruising.
Liposuction is performed usually under general anesthesia. However, most patients go home on the same day of the surgery. In cases where high volume of fat is suctioned, patients are required to stay overnight at the hospital.
A snug-fitting garment designed specifically for the area of liposuction is worn immediately following the procedure. The garment must be worn at all times except bathing in order to promote optimal skin retraction and overall results for 3 weeks. Recovery time for liposuction varies depending on the area and volume suctioned. However, most patients are back to work within 7-14 days.
Liposuction Before and After Photos
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