Tummy Tuck

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QotW: Multiple Procedures, Multiple Price?

Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week, which comes from our Facebook audience. The patient asks, “I’ve been looking into having my neck lifted & maybe the lower face. I’ve been reading about different doctors’ takes on it. Some say the lower face lift & neck lift are the same with 1 price, some say they are 2 different surgeries at 2 different costs. Many say there’s the neck lift, lower face, middle face, upper face, 3 procedures, 3 different costs? Does that mean I should go with the doctor that offers the face & neck lift as 1 procedure at 1 price? I’m confused. Thank you.”

Dr. Pane says that yes, there are some surgeons who will do the face and neck lift at the same time, but it’s important for patients to watch where they’re going for the consultation. Most surgeons don’t offer breakdowns of different parts of the face such as upper, lower and neck. Typically, the surgeon will assess the patient’s problem areas and get a sense of what needs to be done. After the assessment, the surgeon then provides a package pricing that is going to encompass all the procedures the patient may benefit from. The available packages and options will vary depending on whether the provider is a plastic surgeon that does the full range of facial procedures or one that may only do a part of the work that is possibly needed for face and neck field. Dr. Pane stresses that it’s important to keep that distinction in mind.

In general, if you have facial issues such as jowling or sagging going down in the corners of the mouth and into the cervical region, most surgeons are not going to want to focus solely on the face if the neck is part of the problem. The rationale for this is because it’s hard to have a good-looking face if the neck isn’t taken care of. However, if you do not need anything done to the neck then of course it would be just the face procedure alone. Most reputable surgeons will not suggest a patient undergo more work than is absolutely necessary to achieve the desired results.

On the other hand, sometimes patients encounter providers who do not work on the neck because it is a little more advanced and tricky, and may even try to convince the patient that the work is unnecessary. It’s fine if the patient legitimately doesn’t need it, but if you think you’re being told something to be fit into someone’s packages of services, that is a little different. And it might make you want to pause and perhaps go over that with another opinion. So yes, components are broken out, not usually for the purpose of trying to pigeonhole a patient into a specific set of services, but for delivering the services that will best address the patient’s specific issues and needs.

Dr. Pane notes that just because a given surgeon declines to do a certain procedure doesn’t make the provider a bad or incompetent doctor. Most providers who decline to perform certain services do so because of a lack of experience and abundance of concern for the patient’s well-being. While this is laudable in itself, it becomes a problem when the doctor tries to convince the patient into a position that doesn’t properly address the problems the patient faces. When this occurs, the patient should always trust their own instincts and eyes first and foremost, because the patient is the one who has to live with the results or lack of same.

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Liposuction: Question of the Week!

The primary criteria to consider here are what the patient expect Atlantic Coast Aesthetics has built an excellent reputation for giving our patients great results, since we’re in southern Florida it’s no wonder we get a lot of questions from people who are interested in all facets of cosmetic surgery.This week’s ACA Question of the Week comes from one of our viewers who asks, “Would I be a good candidate for Liposuction and what areas would I get?”

Dr. Pane noted that the patient in question sent in photos, which is always helpful but a distant second best to a live, in-person consultation. One concern many patients have concerns the inevitable scar from a tummy tuck. Many patients prefer to avoid this option because of uncertainty about where the scar will end up and how visible it will be. While for a tummy tuck the scar is normally concealed beneath the waistline of one’s underwear, liposuction does leave less scarring and therefore they opt for a full session of liposuction. Dr. Pane points out that this may be desirable for thinning out subcutaneous fat deposits around the back and sides. In Florida, where the laws governing cosmetic procedures in general and liposuction in particular are fairly stringent, doing the liposuction first often turns out to be a safer procedure. 

The primary criteria to consider here is to read the complete blog post, follow: http://acplasticsurg.com/good-candidate-liposuction-areas-get/  

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Question of the Week: Vaginal Reconstruction!

Sometimes at Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we receive a question that has even our highly trained staff raising their eyebrows and shrugging their shoulders. One example of this is our ACA Question of the Week, which came in from West Palm Beach. The patient asks, “Do I see a gynaecologist, a plastic surgeon or a urogynaecologist? Willing to travel overseas if need be.” Dr. Thomas A. Pane, our Chief Medical Officer and founder, chose to take on this question as a way to showcase the limitations of even good photographs in explaining what the problem is or what can be done to address it.

The patient reports “tightness” around the perineum, or the sensitive area of skin between the anus and vulva. Additionally, unspecified bladder and bowel problems and a feeling of “blockage” and numbness were reported in the vaginal canal. However, the patient did not say what the procedure was that led to the situation, but did mention that the patient has never given vaginal childbirth. This brings up the first obstacle, Dr. Pane says. Without a complete medical history to understand what procedure was done and what it was intended to correct, it is difficult to be certain how the patient’s reportage links back to the original procedure.

The second problem is that while the patient sent good-quality photographs of the vaginal area, a picture is highly limited in demonstrating “feeling” without a clearly apparent blockage, scarring or deformity in the genital area. To diagnose and understand the problem...to read the complete blog post follow: http://acplasticsurg.com/vaginal-reconstructionrestoration-question-west-palm-beach/

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Breast Implant Procedure

Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week, which comes from Boca Raton. The patient says, “Hello I’m 27 years old. I think gravity and excess of exercise killed my boobs, so I want to make them look pretty again. I wanted to transfer some fat but they tell me it can cause future problems so they recommend me an implant. I wanted something very natural so I wanted anatomic because I believe it will look so fake with round, but a surgeon recommended me round implants with high projection (200cc or 250cc). I’m so scared of looking like 2 coconuts. What do you recommend for me?”

Dr. Pane says that for all practical purposes, most patients are likely to do better with round implants. Here is why:

Round implants will always present more or less the same profile, even if the implant somehow turns inside the body.

Round implants will usually be broader and flatter at the bottom, which simulates the appearance of a “typical” breast profile.

There is no evidence that anatomical implants are particularly superior to round ones, and the likelihood of possible aesthetic problems should the anatomical implant.

Potential problems which is really a topic into itself is the question of fat transfer as the basis for an implant. There are a number of limiting factors that will determine whether or not a patient is a good candidate.

The first question is whether the patient has sufficient subcutaneous fat deposits to transfer.

Patients who exercise regularly and have a low body fat percentage are less likely to have enough fat to transfer.

Second possible issue with fat transfer is the thickness and elasticity of the breast skin.

Lastly,  another possible issue is that of saline versus silicone, which again is an entire topic all its own.

To read the complete blog post: http://acplasticsurg.com/breast-implants-question-from-boca-raton-fl/

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Question of the Week: Breast Implant Removal.

When the body changes throughout the years, not every cosmetic procedure is a success. There are a number of reasons why people might want to revise or even reverse earlier surgeries, including poor initial results, body changes that work against the original surgery’s intended purpose or just a change in point of view about one’s body. The Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week is concerned with exactly this problem. The patient from North Palm Beach tweeted, “What can I expect from breast implant removal surgery?” Dr. Pane wanted to address this question because people are often surprised at just how easy this type of surgery can be.

First, Dr. Pane stressed that breast implants are not a lifetime surgery.

Implants can be expected to last between 5-10 years before they need to be replaced.

Problems that develop with breast implants are associated with changes in the body. For example, pregnancy, weight gain and loss and other changes can affect how the implant functions over time.

Second thing to keep in mind is that breast implants

May perform better or not so well over time depending upon their composition, for instance, fat-transfer breast augmentation is one method that can help prevent this. 

Saline and to a lesser extent silicone can deflate and leak over time this becomes most noticeable when the patient attempts to compress the breast/s and they flatten instead of resuming their normal shape and contour.

Third, Dr. Pane observes that breast implants can

From a medical and mammary function standpoint, thinning of the surrounding breast tissue this is not a big deal. 

From an aesthetic point of view, however it may necessitate doing a breast lift at the same time as the implant removal procedure to help minimize sagging and other possible problems.

To read the complete blog post follow: http://acplasticsurg.com/can-expect-breast-implant-removal-surgery/

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Question of the Week: Tummy Tuck!

This week’s Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week comes from Miami, Florida and is concerned with tummy tucks. The viewer asks, “Tummy tuck-is it safe? What are the risks and side effects?” Becausetummy tuck procedures are one of the most commonly performed procedures at ACA, our founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Thomas Pane, wanted to take on this question to explain not only how they work and what they do but why tummy tucks, or abdominoplasty procedures, are one of the safest forms of cosmetic surgery available today. 

Abdominoplasty, commonly known as a tummy tuck, is usually done in situations where patients have experienced some laxity in the skin of the abdomen. There are a number of reasons why abdominoplasty may be performed, including:

For women who have given birth, ideally those who are done with childbearing

Patients who have lost a great deal of weight due to illness or bariatric surgery

Patients with other conditions that cause sagging, slackness or laxity of the abdominal skin

A tummy tuck begins by making an incision along the lower surface of the sagging area and trimming away the excess skin. The skin that remains is then anchored and attached at the lower incision site. This has the effect of tightening and giving the skin a more toned appearance and can also help alleviate, but not fully remove, the appearance of stretch marks.

Dr. Pane explains that he does these procedures as a same-day surgery, meaning that the patient is usually sent home the day of surgery. Side effects tend...to read the complete blog post click: Tummy Tuck Procedure 

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#QotW Dr. Pane Answers Liposuction Procedure.

Sometimes patients contact Atlantic Coast Aesthetics because they are displeased with the results of a procedure they had done elsewhere. This was the case with the patient who asked our ACA Question of the Week on Twitter. She writes, “I had liposuction 8 weeks ago and 1.5 liters removed from [my] abdomen, arm and back. I feel like not enough fat was removed. and I’m asking my surgeon for a redo. If he won’t do it then I will seek a different surgeon. Does it look like I need more fat removed? Maybe I need a tummy tuck. I have no loose skin or stretch marks and only one child via C-section at 33 weeks’ gestation.”

Watch Dr. Pane Answer The Question: https://youtu.be/p-GwPZymxTA

Dr. Pane said that the photos showed good, healthy skin, as the patient reported. However, the patient did not state her height and weight, making it difficult to fully assess the situation accurately. There is some fullness present in the pictures, but he cautioned that at only eight weeks out it is somewhat early to be able to accurately assess the final results of the liposuction. Some subsurface swelling and even fullness is not uncommon for three to six months while the remaining subcutaneous fat deposits readjust and redistribute themselves, but this is hard to say relying strictly on photos.

One consideration Dr. Pane brought up was the question of legal restrictions on how much fat can be removed from a patient via liposuction in an outpatient setting. In Florida, the law states that no more than 4 liters of fat can be removed under these conditions. Some surgeons are overly cautious about how much fat they remove, but it is rare to find a person who has 4 liters of fat to remove through liposuction, so 1.5 liters is not an unusually small or large amount.

At this stage and for this patient, Dr. Pane said...to read the blog post click: Displeased Liposuction 

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Liposuction Procedure Answered! Question of the Week!

Sometimes patients contact Atlantic Coast Aesthetics because they are displeased with the results of a procedure they had done elsewhere. This was the case with the patient who asked our ACA Question of the Week on Twitter. She writes, “I had liposuction 8 weeks ago and 1.5 liters removed from [my] abdomen, arm and back. I feel like not enough fat was removed. and I’m asking my surgeon for a redo. If he won’t do it then I will seek a different surgeon. Does it look like I need more fat removed? Maybe I need a tummy tuck. I have no loose skin or stretch marks and only one child via C-section at 33 weeks’ gestation.” Dr. Thomas Pane, our Chief Medical Officer and founder, found this case interesting because of the photos that accompanied it as well as the broader implications of what liposuction can and can’t do and understanding how it works from a patient perspective.

Dr. Pane said that the photos showed good, healthy skin, as the patient reported. However, the patient did not state her height and weight, making it difficult to fully assess the situation accurately. There is some fullness present in the pictures, but he cautioned that at only eight weeks out it is somewhat early to be able to accurately assess the final results of the liposuction. Some subsurface swelling and even fullness is not uncommon for three to six months while the remaining subcutaneous fat deposits readjust and redistribute themselves, but this is hard to say relying strictly on photos.

One consideration Dr. Pane brought up was the question of legal restrictions on how much fat can be removed from a patient via liposuction in an outpatient setting. In Florida, the law states that no more than 4 liters of fat can be removed under these conditions. Some surgeons are overly cautious about how much fat they remove, but it is rare to find a person who has 4 liters of fat to remove through liposuction, so 1.5 liters is not an unusually small or large amount.

Watch Dr.Pane answer the question: https://youtu.be/p-GwPZymxTA

At this stage and for this patient, Dr. Pane said what should be happening is the hardness that accompanies abdominal liposuction should be abating and the swelling is starting to go down. The patient is advised to continue wearing the compression garment and utilizing massage as she should have been instructed for aftercare to help even out the surface of the abdomen. It is important to keep in mind that the final results of a liposuction will not be visible for at least 3-6 months, and while the patient is still healing from the original procedure, a revision would be a poor idea because of the additional risk of complications arising from adding further tissue insult to the areas in question.

Good surgical practices employed by a reputable surgeon with a substantial resume of good results and experience with a wide range of body types are the patient’s best defense against possible problems with the outcome of any cosmetic procedure. In addition, understanding the capabilities and limitations of the procedure and having a clear picture of how long the healing process can be projected to take, in conjunction with rigorous adherence to postsurgical care instructions, can help shorten the healing process and enhance the final results.

One of the best ways to vet a cosmetic surgeon is by asking for a synopsis of what to expect before, during and after the surgery. Reputable surgeons will generally give a window of healing periods, an idea of what complications may arise and how to prevent or deal with them should preventative measures fail and what results the patient can realistically expect. Every body is different, and surgeons who take a “cookie cutter” approach are not necessarily poorly trained or unskilled, but they may not be using the right approach for a given patient’s needs.

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Facelift Procedures in this week Question of the Week.

Facelifts are still the go-to procedure people think of when they hear the words “cosmetic surgery,” and at Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we field a lot of questions about this common procedure. One example is our Question of the Week, which came in from our Facebook audience. The patient asks, “I am 65, slim, with a long face. It has been suggested to me that fat grafts would not be very successful in my case as I do not have (quality or quantity) of good fat supplies. I have been contemplating a facelift for many years and fat grafting to deep folds and lack of volume has been suggested but this comment about the success of this procedure is confusing. [Also, what is the healing time for nose surgery at my age?”]

Dr. Pane started by observing that based on the description of the face, non-operative or less invasive procedures such as Botox are unlikely to achieve the results the patient wants. What is more likely is that a facelift will be required to help tighten the skin of the face and help restore a more youthful and firm profile to the facial area. This may or may not be accompanied by a necklift, depending on the condition of the skin in that area and whether it is far gone enough to warrant the additional surgical intervention. An in-person clinical evaluation of the area would help point the surgeon in the right direction concerning this.

Regarding the fat transfer, Dr. Pane said he found the comment about the patient lacking adequate adipose tissue to achieve the transfer made no sense. The reason for this is because a fat graft to the face to help fill out the area beneath the skin does not require nearly as much fat as a Brazilian buttlift or fat-transfer-aided breast augmentation. Generally, everyone has sufficient fat somewhere on their body to help fill out the face. Where the fat comes from, be it the breasts, buttocks, abdomen or thighs is another matter, but one way or the other, the typical human being normally has plenty of fat for this application.

Dr. Pane noted that healing time for a facelift is generally short and the surgery well-tolerated by most people. When the procedure is performed by someone who is skilled and experienced, there should be minimal to no pain. However...to read the complete blog post follow: http://acplasticsurg.com/best-facelift-procedure-thin-saggy-face/

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ACA Question of the Week: Flat Stomach & Enhanced Waistline!

At Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we get a lot of questions from patients who are looking to correct poor results obtained elsewhere. This is the case with the patient asking our ACA Question of the Week. She says, “I am 52 years old. 2 C-sections 1992, 1996. I had a liposuction done in June 2015 (stomach, flanks, waist and pubic areas) and I am not happy with the results. I ended up with an uneven stomach and a lump in my stomach on the left side. My stomach and love handles are worse than before the liposuction. Thanks in advance for your opinions.”

Dr. Thomas Pane observed that since this patient sent in pictures of the problem areas, it is easier to properly evaluate what is going on. After age 35-40, the skin begins to lose a lot of its elasticity and firmness. This makes it more prone to sagging, wrinkling and stretching, especially in women who have had at least one pregnancy. Where pregnancy has occurred, especially where a C-section has been performed, it becomes more likely that there will be sagging skin on the lower abdomen as the woman grows older.

In addition, if the initial liposuction was improperly performed, there may have been areas of adipose tissue that weren’t contoured properly, resulting in an apparent lump from the outside. A clinical evaluation and examination in person would really be needed to determine this for sure, but these are some possibilities that exist. In this case the patient was given to expect that the liposuction would contour the sagging skin and help flatten the abdominal area, which is true, but only to a point. If the skin was younger and more elastic, the liposuction would probably have had a more dramatic effect, but for this patient it may not have been the best choice.

If the issue was an improperly performed liposuction, additional lipo may help to smooth out the rough spots and present a more uniform, smoothly contoured abdominal profile. However, Dr. Pane says...to read the complete blog post click: http://acplasticsurg.com/procedure-need-get-flat-stomach-enhance-waistline/

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Dr. Pane 67th Straight Week of Answering Questions. #PressRelease

Dr. Thomas Pane, founder of Atlantic Coast Aesthetics in Florida, is pleased to announce that he has just completed his 67th weekly live answer video.

To ask Dr. Pane a question about cosmetic surgery, please visit the clinic's website or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/acplasticsurg/

As a cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Pane is committed to making sure he answers all of his patients' questions as thoroughly as possible. The Palm Beach cosmetic surgeon also knows that many people are curious about various procedures.

This inspired Dr. Pane to launch the weekly question and answer segment. People are encouraged to participate by visiting Atlantic Coast Aesthetics' Facebook page or website and submitting a question. Every week, Dr. Pane selects one of the questions and discusses it and the answer in a video.

To watch one of the recent videos, please check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-GwPZymxTA.

Dr. Pane has been pleasantly surprised by how wildly popular his weekly question and answer segments have become. He said he is more than happy to address common questions from people and is delighted to have completed almost 70 videos.

The fact that Dr. Pane would devote some of his time to answering peoples' questions about cosmetic surgery will not surprise the many satisfied patients who have worked with him. Both Dr. Pane and Atlantic Coast Aesthetics have earned well-deserved reputations for offering personalized and quality care.

"I had an amazing experience and wonderful results with Dr. Pane. He did an excellent job and gave me what I always wanted," Paula C. noted in a review.

"Dr. Pane made me feel comfortable the whole time. He explained everything I needed to know."

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Tummy Tuck For Men In Question of the Week!

An ongoing misconception we at Atlantic Coast Aesthetics encounter a lot is the notion that cosmetic surgery is only for women, despite the fact that a number of plastic surgery procedures are utilized by men and women alike. One example of this is tummy tucks, the topic of this week’s Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week. The patient asks, “I had gastric sleeve surgery 5 months ago [and] I lost 75lbs. I’m considering a male tummy tuck with [a] six pack. How does the process work?” Dr. Thomas Pane, our Chief Medical Officer and founder, wanted to take on this question to emphasize the point that cosmetic surgery isn’t the sole province of women.

In men, tummy tuck surgery is almost exclusively done when someone has lost a lot of weight. This could be through the traditional standby of diet and exercise or the more radical measure of bariatric surgery. From a purely anatomical and physiological standpoint, the basic procedure is no different for a male than a female, because the priority here is to tighten and adjust the loose skin left from the rapid weight loss so it shows a flat, even profile over the abdomen. This means that the excess skin is removed and the remainder attached together over the abdominal wall just below the underwear line, to minimize the telltale scarring of this type of procedure.

The primary concern with a tummy tuck is that the patient has reached a plateau in weight that can be expected to remain reasonably stable for an extended period of time. This is because if the patient begins to gain weight again or starts losing a lot of weight very quickly, the procedure may have to be rev...to read the complete blog follow: http://acplasticsurg.com/male-tummy-tuck-question-hollywood-fl/

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Question of the Week: Risk Factors In Laser Treatments

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive at Atlantic Coast Aesthetics revolves around various options for laser treatments on the skin. An example of this is our ACA Question of the Week, which came in from one of our Twitter followers. The patient says, “I have moles all over my face and [my] dermatologist suggested me to go through a fractional CO2 laser treatment. I am concerned as it is a matter of face. So help me with this.”

Dr. Pane notes that it’s important to set a clear definition for what is being discussed. Naevii, or moles, are raised areas with heavy pigment on the skin. Moles are generally not responsive to laser therapies. However, if the problem is age spots or a pigment condition like melasma, also known as chloasma, laser therapy can be very effective for these kinds of problems. Because laser treatments are not appropriate for moles, Dr. Pane feels one of these is the more likely problem and the rest of his observations stem from this point.

With regards to the actual treatment, a carbon dioxide laser uses highly focused light energy to remove the top layer of skin down to the dermis in a very precise and predictable way. Fractional laser treatments are almost never done individually. Instead, they are done over a series of treatments about a month apart. The purpose of fractional laser treatment is to reduce the amount of energy being poured into the patient’s skin, downtime and potential side effects of the treatments by breaking up the face into individual treatments unit over time.

As with any other procedure, fractional CO2 laser treatment has its pros and cons. One of the pros of fractional laser treatments is that generally the peeling and scaling of the skin associated with a full laser treatment doesn’t occur because of the reduced laser energy and limited area in which the laser is being used. Another benefit is that fractional laser treatments take less downtime...to read the complete blog post click ( Laser Treatments )

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QotW: Breast Implant Revision

Unfortunately, sometimes plastic surgery procedures go awry and don’t deliver the results the patient expected. Our Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week comes in from a Facebook viewer who ran into this problem. She asks, “I have 375cc Mentor implants, high profile and under the muscle. They have progressively got[ten] worse aesthetically. I had them done in December 2014. I was a tuberous A cup. Their shape, size, and the asymmetry is really disappointing. How do you think they could overall be improved?” Dr. Thomas Pane, selected this question because this is a situation that, while not common, can and does happen, and it’s important to understand that it can be corrected.

Dr. Pane explains that a tuberous breast profile differs from the traditional breast aesthetic because instead of a smooth curve down to the aureole and nipple area, there is the curve from the shoulder and upper chest and then a swelling at the aureole. While this doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the breast per se, some people consider it unsightly. Breasts come in a range of shapes, sizes and profiles, ranging from very mild to quite pronounced, even when a breast profile is described as “tuberous.”

In this case, Dr. Pane says that after reviewing the pictures the patient provided, what most likely happened was that the patient’s breasts were mildly tuberous to begin with, but the implant used for the patient was larger than the breast itself. The result was that the breast’s natural shape ended up “stacking” on top of the implant’s shape and profile, exacerbating a situation that wasn’t all that bad to begin with and giving an irregular curve to the underside of the breast.

The main concern in this case is that the implant hasn’t been in very long as implants go, and that revision is already on the table as an option. Unfortunately, while this is not typical, it does occasionally happen. When it does, every surgeon will likely express a slightly different opinion as to how best to correct it, because there are a number of approaches to fixing a problem...to read the complete blog post follow: http://acplasticsurg.com/breast-implant-revision-question/

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Question of the Week: Men Asking About 2 Procedures!

Atlantic Coast Aesthetics is proud to be one of the top providers in the country for cosmetic surgery. We believe that one reason for this is the fact we value patient questions like this one, from Ft. Pierce, FL. The patient asks, “What is [the] best option in my case: tummy tuck or liposuction or both? I lost 50 kg [and] now I am 116 kg [with a] height of 183 cm. My age [is] 32, man!” Dr. Thomas A. Pane, our Chief Medical Officer and founder, wanted to address this question because it also addresses a common misconception about the abilities and limitations of both of these kinds of procedures and their intended purposes.

Dr. Pane noted that liposuction and tummy tuck procedures are two wildly different things. Liposuction is intended to remove and contour fat deposits beneath the skin to create a more aesthetically pleasing shape to the area under consideration. A tummy tuck is used to eliminate excess skin in the abdominal area left over from rapid, drastic weight loss. While the two can and frequently are done in tandem, such as during a Mommy Makeover, the two procedures are not the same, although they are often conflated by laypeople.

Liposuction is not normally done in situations where the patient has already lost a significant amount of weight, as the fat deposits would already be reduced in size enough to make this unnecessary. Because people do not shed fat in a uniform, predictable, even way every time, liposuction may be appropriate in situations where the adipose deposits have left large lumps and pockets beneath the skin, interfering with a smooth skin contour. However, this can only be properly evaluated during an in-person clinical evaluation, because this type of evaluation relies heavily on not only visual but manual inspection of the area under consideration.

A tummy tuck, where excess skin is trimmed away to present a smooth, tight surface, is commonly done for people who have lost a great deal of weight quickly, such as women who have given birth and people who have undergone various forms of bariatric..to read the complete blog post follow the link: http://acplasticsurg.com/tummy-tuck-liposuction-question-ft-pierce-florida/

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Co2 Laser Resurfacing Answered By Dr. Thomas Pane

At Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we know a thing or two about sun exposure, being in southern Florida. Because of this, we get a lot of questions about the best ways to prevent and remedy the damage that direct sunlight can do to skin. One of the more popular procedures that has come along lately is CO2 laser resurfacing, which is the topic of our ACA Question of the Week this week. This question comes in from a Twitter follower in Pompano Beach and asks, “Planning on spending August escaping the heat. Sun exposure is hard to escape. I am a daily sunscreen user. Pros and Cons welcomed. Thank you.

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#QuestionoftheWeek Restylane Injections Explained By Dr. Pane!

Sometimes the results of cosmetic procedures aren’t everything the patient hopes for. In these situations, other options may need to be explored. This may be the case with our Atlantic Coast Aesthetics Question of the Week, which comes to us from North Palm Beach. The patient asks, “I had Restylane injected on my tear trough on May 4, 2016. I was told it would last for 9 months. But contrary to what I was told, it only lasted for a week. I work out every day (Zumba) for an hour. Does my workout have anything to do with my filler’s disappearance?” 

Dr. Pane observes that injections into the tear trough and certain other areas are very tricky to do correctly. This is in part because of the small area and level of precision required to accurately target the injection. While they are far from impossible to perform, a high degree of caution is necessary to ensure the injection performs as intended. An injection that is improperly placed or performed could create a number of problems for the patient, one of the less serious of which is the possibility that the injection may not deliver the anticipated results.

When one surgeon examines another’s work after the fact, there is often no way to say with any certainty what exactly went wrong. Dr. Pane notes that the patient’s exercise regimen is unlikely to be the cause of the problem in this situation. It is more likely that the initial swelling from the Restylane injection was taken as the final effect, or that the injection was performed improperly, missing the tear trough and injecting the filler nearby instead of in the target area. In either event, the Restylane is unlikely to have stopped working so soon after the initial injection.

In this situation, Dr. Pane suggests an in-person evaluation and comparison of before and after photographs to get a sense of what the initial problem and expected results were. Some patients do not respond to Restylane or other fillers in the expected way, while others may find that some fillers are better than others for achieving the desired effect. Restylane is generally well-tolerated, but every patient is different and a treatment that delivers great results for one person may offer minimal or no results for another. For this reason, only a clinical evaluation can accurately determine what the problem is and suggest the proper corrective action.

Filler injection procedures depend greatly upon the skill and capability of the surgeon delivering them as well as the patient’s tolerance for the filler. However, the patient’s expectations concerning the filler and why the filler was being placed to begin with are also factors that must be considered. Some medications may interact with Restylane or other fillers, which is another reason why a clinical examination of the patient and the patient’s medical records including any medications is an important step in determining why the Restylane injection appeared not to work as intended.

Redness, swelling and tenderness at the injection site are common side effects of Restylane. These are generally mild to moderate and well-tolerated by most patients. Usually the side effects subside within a few days to a couple of weeks. However, the full effects of Restylane and other fillers may not be seen for a few weeks to several months, making the establishment of reasonable expectations concerning the performance and results from the fillers all the more important.

As with any cosmetic surgery procedure, aftercare at and around the injection site is also a vital factor in ensuring the best possible outcome from the filler. Following all surgical staff recommendations and avoiding things that may irritate the injection site can help minimize the risk of side effects and maximize the results. These may include environmental factors such as allergens, direct sunlight and cigarette smoke, as well as habitual factors such as alcohol consumption.