Liposuction Techniques Now & Then
July 5, 2013 - Rhys Branman, MD
Let's talk about the basics of liposuction. Most people have a vague idea about the definition, that is liposuction is a way to remove fat from under the skin using a suction device. Yep, that's it. Liposuction, also called liposculpture, lipoplasty, or suction lipectomy is used to remove adipose or subcutaneous fat, the fat just under a person's skin. What people may not know is how and why the basic techniques of liposuction are used. What is tumescent liposuction anyway, you might ask. Liposuction was developed in the early 1970s in Italy. This original type of liposuction is now known... 
At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, laser resurfacing, Ultherapy, and Thermage are requested to repair skin damage all the time. Age will take its toll no matter how well you protect your skin, but on the upcoming holiday weekend, you might want to take some extra care. Whether you spend the day at the market before the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Pops on the River or the Pinnacle Mountain Celebration or any other of the local 4th of July celebrations, you will be out in the sun! It will be hot! Since we all take a long weekend out in the country,... 
It is not only women who seek cosmetic surgery. And it is not only women who worry about the size of their breasts. While some teenage girls may struggle through school and other social functions lacking self-esteem due to overly large or small breasts, it turns out that boys also face jeering and the consequent alienation due to breast growth, gynecomastia. About half of all teenage boys develop it to some degree during puberty. In most cases, it does not progress to the point of being noticeable. However, in those cases that gynecomastia does become noticeable, it also causes noticeable... 
Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed around the world. While it has recently been reported that abdominal liposuction can trigger an increase in visceral fat, the fat that is around organs, especially the liver, this can be compensated for. Liposuction removes only subcutaneous fat, but visceral fat, is significantly more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat has been correlated with heart disease. However, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism has reported that the increase of visceral fat can be prevented with exercise! The study that provided the evidence for this included 36 women who... 
Gone are the days of the friendly, fatherly doctors, even in family practice, but it is nice to know your surgeon cares. Occasionally, patients have come to Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center after having a consultation somewhere else, or they had cosmetic surgery previously in another state. Sometimes they tell us how they have experienced surgeons who unfortunately came across as arrogant or even rude. This has always been surprising to me because cosmetic surgery is elective surgery; one would think a little bedside manner would be in order. Beyond a license and experience, what should you look for when... 
We all know by now there is an obesity problem in the United States. People are eating junk food and too much of it. This is terribly unhealthy and often what drives patients to seek liposuction. The problem is that liposuction is not a weight loss tool. Generally it is not very helpful to perform liposuction for obese people. Your cosmetic surgeon will tell you to lose weight, and try to get close to your ideal weight before liposuction. Of course this is not easy at all. It means changing your diet and exercising. It is a vicious circle for... 
Did you know that over 84,000 patients over 65 years of age sought cosmetic surgery in 2012? Although many of these procedures were eyelid surgeries (blepharoplasty), which of course have a sound medical basis to help vision, many were also facelifts, breast reductions and even the occasional breast augmentation. One such example is the 80 year old Phyllis Porter, whom Good Morning America reported on. She had a facelift, an eyelift, lip augmentation, and breast implants, as well as a chemical peel! You just do not expect that of an 80 year old woman, and while Ms. Porter is probably... 
Have you begun to notice strange, new patterns and lines appearing on your legs? As we age our veins can become more visible in the form of varicose veins and spider veins. Varicose veins are puffy, enlarged veins that swell and become raised above the skin surface. Varicose veins are caused by venous insufficiency. The one way valves that prevent blood from flowing back to our feet have become weak or damaged. Spider veins are similar to varicose veins but much smaller. These are capillaries that form red or bluish networks of "spider web" looking lines on the... 
The Allergan Company's BOTOX® may soon have a new competitor. Johnson & Johnson is introducing a similar product next year. Since BOTOX® was approved by the FDA in 2002 for cosmetic use, smaller drug companies have not been able to compete with Allergan's amount of sales. Allergan is a name known and trusted by many, and of course, people are reluctant to switch from a product they are familiar with. Even Dysport® took a while to be picked up on the market, because patients preferred the brand name of BOTOX®. The company that produces Dysport®, another favored comparable product, had... 
Did you know Mommy Makeovers were on the rise? Here are the statistics: women had nearly 112,000 tummy tucks in 2010, up 85% since 2000; 90,000 breast lifts, up 70% since 2000; and 296,000 breast augmentations, up 39% since 2000. What does this mean? This varies regionally too it seems. 34% of women in the South Central part of the United States, our area right here around Arkansas, say they would undergo a Mommy Makeover. Women in the North East, however are not so hot on the idea. And younger women are more prone to elect Mommy Makeovers it turns... 