St. Louis Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Michele Koo

St. Louis Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Michele Koo is a board certified plastic surgeon in St. Louis, Missouri with an attention to detail and a passion for results. With her medical degree from Washington University Medical School and board certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Koo brings both experience and passion to each and every procedure.

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Many of my patients become quite frustrated with the rolls of tummy fat and saddlebags after pregnancy. By the time they see me, a plastic surgeon, they are depressed, exasperated, and another 35 lbs overweight....

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One of the most important things I’ve learned is that there’s not one surgery for everybody and there are many alternatives to surgery that may also be perfect for you....I pay attention to the details of the anatomy, extract exactly what the patient wants, then with my expertise, vision and artistry, I apply delicate surgical principles to achieve the best result possible.

Dr Michelle Koo

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The answer is yes and I know this is extremely embarrassing for both adolescent and adult men.

The male breast development may have started as a teenager when you may have been a little chubby. As you started to look around and notice other guys and become aware of young women, you became more and more self-conscience of your developing male breasts. You became more and more embarrassed and became less and less willing to participate in sports and activities hence worsening the weight gain and noticeable breasts.

As you then started a radical weight loss program and mission to weight lift and take supplements you noticed that you certainly became skinnier and more cut up but your breasts didn’t go away. You forgot about it or you started to take even more supplements.

This may not have been your exact scenario but there are parts of it that may resonate with you. Gynecomastia or the benign development of male breasts is extremely common and normal. Up to half of adolescent boys may develop some breast tissue. While 75% of gynecomastia will resolve within 2 or 3 years of onset, there more often than not is a residual hint of a “knot” of firm breast tissue that remains beneath the nipple areolar complex that simply never resolves...

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What is a Mommy Makeover and can I possibly get my flat pre-baby tummy and perky breasts back? The answer is yes. You’ve had your baby(ies), you’ve lost as much weight as you can, but you now have saggy scooped breasts and tummy skin with all sorts of stretch marks, and a wicked alien looking belly button…HELP.

A St. Louis Mommy Makeover can consist of a tummy tuck, liposuction, breast lift, and breast augmentation or any combination of the above. You decide what bothers you the most or what you want to achieve. The breasts and tummy can be fixed all in one surgery.

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I Really Want to Improve my Face… But Do I Need to Have Surgery?

  The answer is NO. I tell my patients to start simple. The thing many people forget about is their SKIN! The first thing one sees on your face is your skin quality, the texture, and pigmentation. Taking care of your skin with medical products that truly improve the cellular components will significantly improve the overall appearance of your face without spending big bucks!

All Skin Care Products are not the same and just because you buy it at a high-end department store does not guarantee that the products will be effective.

There are ingredients that will improve the fine wrinkles and are anti-aging but honestly they’re not available over the counter. Most of the truly effective products are by prescription or available through a medical office. The reason is that the concentration of the effective ingredients cannot be sold in over the counter makeup or skin products. These ingredients can sometimes damage and harm skin and must be monitored by a trained personnel. Unfortunately, you might have to pay an office visit but typically you should only have a ONE-time fee and can start your entire skin regimen that will put off surgery perhaps forever.

A few basic products you MUST have:

Sun Block – look for products that are tinted for extra protection. A minimum SPF 30 is what you want for your face. The products I love the best don’t feel greasy, stay on and apply like a foundation. I often use a tinted sun block instead of any foundation at all and I use it absolutely everyday!

Face Wash – look for a wash that is free of the sulfates and sulfites that can be skin irritating and one that is specific for your skin type and needs. If you want anti-aging, anti-wrinkle results, look for lactic acid, trichloro-acetic acid, phytic acid, ascorbic, and perhaps even some estrogen. There are ingredients for every type of skin need from acne to pigment.

Moisturizer – even if your skin is oily, you need moisture. Many of my patients wash their skin with such harsh ingredients to control the oil and acne that they actually cause their skin to produce MORE oil and create more breakouts.

Again, all of your Skin Care products should contain the ingredients targeted specifically for your skin needs. That is the most effective way to have get the most out of your dollars spent rejuvenating your face. You may buy products from the drug and grocery store, and online, but the key is to have an experienced trained medical personnel diagnose yours skin’s needs and address those needs with the best products available. Sometimes the filler ingredients (non active ingredients) can irritate your skin and care should be taken that your products are not working against each other.

MORE TO FOLLOW… In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like to discuss your St. Louis Skin Care needs with Dr. Koo, Schedule a Consultation today!

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One of the first questions my patients ask when considering a breast augmentation in St. Louis is how long will my breast implants last? When I tell them the breast enhancement using breast implants, whether saline or silicone implants will NOT be a ONE and DONE surgery, they are disappointed and worried about future costs.

Let’s go over why your breast implants will need to be replaced.

First, your breasts will continue to change with age, especially if you gain, lose weight, or become pregnant. Even if you don’t breast feed, your breasts will change with pregnancy! Your breast may become saggy and you may lose more breast volume. When this happens your skin will “slide off” the breast implants and your breasts will appear to have fullness on top with the rest of the breast and nipple at a lower position....

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As you age and those collagen fibers break down and are no longer replenished to the same extent, wrinkles start to form. If you want to treat wrinkles by getting some of that collagen back you have three choices...

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Botox! Yikes, isn’t that a very deadly poison? The answer is no. That would be Botulism, a serious and life-threatening illness. But they come from the same source: Botulinum toxin.

Botulinum toxin is a protein and neuro-toxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. It can cause botulism, a deadly disease. Another form of it, with the popular trade name Botox, is what is used today for cosmetic purposes.

Justinus Kerner, a 19th century German poet and medical writer called Clostridium botulinum the “sausage bacteria” because it was found on improperly handled or prepared meat and sausage. It was in 1895 that Emile P. Van Ermengem isolated the microbe and discovered that it produced a toxin from a piece of ham that had poisoned 34 people...

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Often times, a person decides to undergo some form of plastic surgery to boost their self-esteem and enhance their self-image. But new studies based out of New York City boasts that plastic surgery can actually boost a person’s chance of gaining employment.

Surgical procedures such as chin augmentations can create a favorable impression on the general public. It seems as though strong jaw lines and chins are linked to trustworthiness, dependability, and other positive and desirable characteristics in the workplace. People subconsciously associate a stronger chin with more authority, self-confidence, and trustworthiness. Therefore, chin augmentations are among the newest trends in plastic surgery....

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Nancy asks…I’m bothered by adult acne and am thinking of getting laser treatment. Any thoughts?

The Beauty Brains respond:

To give you an expert’s opinion we checked with occasional contributor Dr. Michele Koo, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon practicing in St. Louis, Missouri. Here’s what Dr. Koo has to say.

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Koo beautiful!!

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A very common question when considering rhinoplasty is whether example photos help during the consultation process. Pictures to illustrate a desired result can help a board certified plastic surgeon to understand patient expectations and a desired result.

Most patients considering plastic surgery have an excellent idea as to what changes they want to see as a result of their rhinoplasty procedure and pictures help to give a plastic surgeon a visual representation of these changes....

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Today’s myth busting post was submitted Dr. Michele Koo, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon practicing in St. Louis, Missouri.  It’s nice to see that Dr. Koo corroborates what we’ve said in previous posts about the lack of efficacy in topical products for under eye circles. She also touches on a point we made in a recent podcast: that relaxing facial muscles reduces wrinkles as opposed to exercising facial muscles....

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Let’s be honest, plastic surgery has always had a stigma attached to it. While good plastic surgery often goes unnoticed, the horror stories often create and attach a negative stigma. As more positive results have been publicized in Hollywood and among social circles, plastic surgery is growing rapidly in popularity among women.

As plastic surgery has become more socially acceptable for women, men have often looked the other way and never considered having plastic surgery for themselves. Since men have largely avoided going under the knife, the procedures and techniques that have been developed over the years have largely favored women. A sit did with women over the years, plastic surgery is now growing in popularity among men, and plastic surgeons are beginning to create more effective ways to rejuvenate and refresh the appearance of their male patients....

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A few months ago, my brother asked me how many breast augmentations or tummy tucks I could possibly do and still enjoy it. He asked if I wasn’t bored after 20 years of lifting and tucking and changing faces, breasts, and bodies.

I thought about this for a long time and my answer is NO, I love what I do. I love being able to change someone’s “imperfection” and make it so much more comfortable and, yes, pretty.

Read the full blog here.

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