Fat For Breast Augmentation
May 29, 2013 - Rhys Branman, MD
Yes, another new trend, kind of. In the search for a "natural" material for breast augmentation, fat grafting is becoming popular. Fat transfers are not new, and actually neither is the practice of using one's own fat for breast augmentation. In fact, this technique has gained popularity in breast reconstruction after mastectomy. The technique was being researched since before 2005, when the ban on silicone was still in effect. The problem is it does not always work. It certainly is not easier on the body, because the recovery time from liposuction to remove the fat from another part of your... 
The pressure to fit a specific standard of beauty in our culture can be detrimental to people. Let's explore this a bit. As an Arkansas cosmetic surgeon, helping people achieve their personalized goals of self improvement is my job. However, is the goal to look like the stereotypical, media enforced, one size fits all standard of beauty? Many ethnic patients are becoming aware of options in cosmetic surgery. Particularly, American ethnics are concerned with maintaining their ethnic identity. The stigma of undergoing cosmetic surgery is lessening in many ethnic communities as more reject the Caucasian standard of beauty. More and... 
The World Health Organization warns that 8% of the medical devices in use arecounterfeit. In fact, the WHO has even created a branch to protect the public from such devices. It is called the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT). Counterfeit medical devises and products pose a threat to patient health. They can cause infection (such as bandages that are not sterile) or injury, produce fallacious test results, and possibly death. One example of this was the 2010 recall of counterfeit surgical mesh. Surgical mesh is a woven fabric used in strengthening tissues in various procedures such as trauma wounds... 
The Journal of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery has published the results of a new study showing a relationship between triglycerides and liposuction in people who have had high levels of triglycerides. What are triglycerides? Well, triglycerides are the main form of fat that the body stores. These triglycerides are in the blood, saved for when you need energy. They are made of three fatty molecules and one molecule of glycerol, hence the name. The important thing is that it is believed that these triglycerides contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, which of course can... 
A growing number of pro-anorexic and “thinspirational" blogs have been springing up all over the Internet. These pictorial blogs are by teenage girls aspiring to attain the goal of simply being skin over bone. In fact, this trend has become so big that the social media companies Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest have changed their guidelines to prevent people from posting images that promote self-harm. One of the latest goals set by young, and possibly not so young women, is to achieve what is called "thigh gap." Thigh gap is a term that was coined to describe the silhouette of the... 
You might wonder why a woman would choose revisional surgery of her breast augmentation, but women do choose it more often than one might think. Revisional breast surgery is sometimes necessary due to capsular contracture, displacement, or rupture, but often revisional breast surgery is completely elective. No one expects an implant to last a lifetime. Implants are not lifetime devices. For example, Mentor's silicone implants come with a 10 year warranty (if it is medically indicated to be replaced) and they even offer to replace the other implant upon surgeon request. Usually implants last 10 to 20 years; however, as... 
The results of a study published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science said that people who undergo cosmetic surgery do indeed enjoy life more and have higher self esteem than people who considered it and then decided against it. In this interesting study done by researchers from Ruhr-University Bochum and the University of Basel, subjects who had undergone appearance enhancing surgery (544 first time patients) were compared with two other groups of subjects: a group who had wanted cosmetic surgery but decided against it (264 people), and a group that had never considered it at all (1000 people). The reason... 
The Mentor Company has done it again. Now Mentor's Advanced MemoryGel is included in a new product particularly helpful for smaller women: the Ultra High Profile implant introduced last year. MemoryGel does not resemble a liquid or even a semi-liquid. MemoryGel is a firm cohesive gel that holds together uniformly and most nearly mimics breast tissue in texture, so it feels very natural. This extremely cohesive gel not only fits into the contour of women's chest's better, but also can give more projection while still looking extremely natural. Previously, breast implants have been offered in three width/depth ratio shapes. Wider... 
In case you're wondering about how dermal fillers, such as Juvéderm® and Restylane®, came into existence, here is a brief history of the use and advancement of dermal fillers. It all started with fat transplants! And yes, we still do this today. Back in 1893 a Dr. Neuber was the very first doctor to attempt transplanting fat in order to fill out facial defects. Neuber would take fat from the arms to use. However, by the mid 20th century, yep you guessed it, silicone started to be investigated. Silicone was used from the 40s through the 50s, but patients would... 
Kate Gosselin. Do you know who she is? I didn't, but apparently she is getting a lot of criticism for having "too much" cosmetic surgery. Fox News included her in the list of celebrities who have had unneeded cosmetic surgery. I actually think she looks fine. Certainly other celebrities have had too much cosmetic surgery. So how do you make that distinction? What is too much cosmetic surgery? Determining this varies with each patient. The first consideration is safety. Is this person a candidate for the procedure, is it needed, feasible, and is the person in good health? Feasible refers... 