04.30.07
Vaginal Plasty
Normally the thin inner lips (or labia) of the vagina remain inside the rounded outer labia. In some women the inner labia protrudes out of /or hangs below the outer labia. This condition can be congenital (present since adolescence) or it can develop later in life especially following childbirth.
Women may find the hanging enlarged inner labia unsightly or uncomfortable, or both. Often these same women assume nothing can be done about this and do not look for medical help.
In fact there is a simple and safe surgical procedure to reduce and reshape long, enlarged inner labia. As with all cosmetic surgery, the exact technique is very important. The labia must be reduced internally and not by just removing the hanging part.
Women have this procedure done in our accredited out-patient surgical suite under local anesthesia with sedation. The stitches dissolve and don’t have to be removed. There is some discomfort for a week.
04.26.07
Beam Me Up – NY Times Article
On Sunday, April 15, The New York Times published an articled entitled “Beam Me Up” about lasers and other cosmetic devises. Surprisingly, for the New York Times, the piece was written in a breathless tone more appropriate for a beauty magazine. The text sounds almost like a short advertisement for each item.
Unfortunately, there is more hype than science behind many of these devises. There are vey few good scientific studies. Most of these procedures appear to be fairly safe but I think the benefits are very variable.
One devise mentioned in this article that I know to be safe and effective is Thermage. It is particularly effective to tighten the skin of the jawline, the arms, the abdomen, and the thighs.
04.18.07
Botox is not just for wrinkles
Did you know that Botox injections can actually sculpture and improve the shape of the face? The most common example of this is the “chemical brow lift.”
The shape and position of the eyebrows is determined by two sets of muscles pulling in opposite directions. Some muscles lift the brows (the elevators). Botox injections pull the brows down (the depressors). Botox injections in just the right spots can relax and weaken the brow depressors. The brow elevators can then act without opposition and the brows glide up. When done artistically, this creates a fresher, younger, more alert look to the face. This also gives a cleaner look to the eyelids.
Another example of facial reshaping with Botox is at the corners of the mouth. Small amounts of correctly placed Botox weaken the muscles that pull the corners of the mouth down. This allows the muscles (the smile muscles) to lift the corners of the mouth for a younger, happier look in lower face.
04.09.07
Mini Abdominoplasty
The usual tummy tuck will give a flat stomach and can require a two week, pretty uncomfortable recovery. It is pretty important to understand that many patients do not need a full abdominoplasty. Some women only have excess skin and fat below the belly button. These patients benefit from a simpler lower abdominoplasty or mini tummy tuck. This mini abdominoplasty has a much easier and shorter recovery period. Patients can be back at work in four days. The scar is also shorter.
04.02.07
Breast Asymmetry
Twenty years ago, Dr. George Beraka wrote a textbook chapter on breast asymmetry and he became known as an expert on this condition. Because of this textbook, he has operated on an unusually large number of young women who have one breast very different from the other.
Most women have a slight degree of breast asymmetry. But in about 10 % of women, the difference between the left and right breast is severe. In extreme cases, a teenager will be flat on one side and have a sagging D cup breast on the other. This can have a terrible emotional impact and sometimes young women are ashamed to seek help or don’t know that the condition is relatively common. Breast asymmetry can be corrected with surgery. Typically, the small breast is enlarged with an implant is lifted and reduced in size if necessary.
We perform this surgery on an outpatient basis in our accredited office operating room and the recovery takes about one week.
