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Cypress Breast Reconstruction Options

Being diagnosed with any kind of cancer is hard enough, but when it means losing a part of your womanhood, it can become all the more devastating. Dr. Basu and Dr. Kim understanding of the frustration and delicacy a breast cancer diagnosis brings and they work hard to ensure all of their reconstructive patients both understand and feel confident and positive about the decisions they make along their healing and reconstructive journey.

Just a decade ago options for breast reconstruction were considerably less, but these days there are several options available to women such as TRAM Flap reconstruction, Latissimus Flap reconstruction and implant reconstruction. Our plastic surgeons take into account each patients’ individual situations, needs, concerns and desires in recommending the best options for their patients. There is no “one-size-fits-all” option. The best way to determine what will be the right choice for you is through a one-on-one confidential consultation.

If you are ready to begin your path to reconstruction, contact our offices to schedule your consultation.

Three generations of women survive breast cancer

A recent television story from WRAL in Raleigh-Durham outlined the story of three generations of women from one family who have all survived breast cancer. All three are now completely cancer-free and will walk together in their local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this month.

Houston’s Race for the Cure is in October and we’ll be there – click to read more about joining our team!

See the video and read the full story

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Pioneer Plastic Surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe Remembered

Sir Archibald McIndoe, a pioneer in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery, was recently remembered in the Journal of Burn Care & Research.

Known as “the Maestro” he was a surgeon who realized the value of social reintegration after complex reconstructive surgery. As a Royal Air Force plastic surgeon, McIndoe transformed his profession as he treated pilots who were badly burned during World War II.

The brilliant surgeon developed new techniques during a period when little was known about severe burn treatment, reconstructing hands and faces that had been disfigured. According to Time Magazine, McIndoe would “take charred, featureless living remains and remake them into presentable human beings.”

When pilots with burn injuries were transferred to his East Grinstead hospital in the weeks following the Battle of Britain, McIndoe was one of only four plastic surgeons in the country.

McIndoe knew that physical reconstruction was only part of the battle, and that his patients needed to be prepared for the world beyond the hospital. So he arranged for his patients to be invited to events and to attend theater and film openings. The recovering war heroes no longer hid because of their injuries, and thanks to McIndoe’s efforts, East Grinstead became known as “the town that didn’t stare.”

His patients even formed their own drinking club, the Guinea Pig Club, named after the experimental nature of McIndoe’s treatments.

By the end of the war there were over 600 members, and the club still meets today to offer help to burn patients. Sir Archibald McIndoe died in 1960, but his legacy lives on in the tradition of reconstructive plastic surgery, which continues to help injured soldiers, accident victims, and many others who have suffered from a debilitating disorder or disease.

ASPS President Issues Statement on Breast Implants and ALCL

Phil Haeck MD, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, issues a statement via YouTube about the recent news of breast implants and ALCL.

Study Looks at Reconstructive Plastic Surgery in the ER

In the emergency room, the role of a plastic surgeon is becoming increasingly important, according to a new study out of Istanbul, Turkey. To analyze the role of plastic surgery, the authors looked back on over 10,000 patients who had been admitted for emergency plastic surgery at a single Hospital. Factors such as patient age, gender and reason for treatment were evaluated.

It isn’t difficult to understand why the skills of a plastic surgeon would be valuable in the ER. Many board certified plastic surgeons today have training in complex techniques like microsurgery, wound care, hand surgery and facial reconstruction.

According to the study, these specialized techniques proved most useful in cases of injury to the head, neck, upper extremities, lower extremities and soft tissues.

The authors find that upper extremity injuries were the most common indication for emergency plastic surgery, followed by head/neck injury and lower body injury. They write:

Among the 10,732 cases admitted to our emergency outpatient clinic between 2000 and 2004, upper extremity injuries were present in 64% of the patients. Twenty-five percent of the patients admitted to emergency plastic surgery clinics had head-and-neck injuries, and 37% had tissue defects of the lower extremities and trunk.

The patients, mostly young adult males, were often admitted to the ER because of an accident of some kind. Traffic accidents, burns, glassware cuts and other incidents were among the reasons.

You might assume that an American plastic surgeon working in the ER would have a slightly different focus, but according to the ASPS statistics, the most common emergency treatments look very similar. In 2010, some of the most frequently performed reconstructive surgeries included:

Laceration repair (355, 601 procedures)
Dog bite repair (32, 961 procedures)
Burn Care (19,369 procedures)
Hand surgery (105, 711 procedures)

You can read the entire study referenced here, “The practice of plastic surgery in emergency trauma surgery” through Pubmed.

Non-Invasive Facial Procedures On Top in 2010, Says Survey

Recently publicized statistics about facial cosmetic treatments show that in 2010, about 75 percent of the procedures performed were non-surgical.

The stats come straight from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), and they show a 45 percent increase in the number of facial procedures performed over the last two years, representing a 16 percent annual increase in non-surgical facial procedures.

“Non-surgical procedures are an excellent option for some people, with the added benefits of lower costs and shorter recovery time; two things that are consistently important to those considering facial plastic surgery,” said Dr. Jonathan M. Sykes. “We have been seeing a trend over the past few years that people who want to look and feel younger and rejuvenated are turning to non-surgical, less invasive procedures to obtain the refreshed look they want.”

Based on the AAFPRS survey, the hot procedures of 2010 were non-surgical procedures like Botox and hyaluronic acid injections. Among surgical procedures, the most popular were rhinoplasty, facelift and eyelid surgery.

Females received the majority of facial procedures in 2010 (83 percent), but the most popular procedures varied by age. For women 35 to 60, the top surgical procedures were brow lift, facelift and eyelid surgery, while a nose job was the top surgical procedure performed on women under 35. Botox, injectable fillers nose jobs, and hair transplants were the most common facial procedures performed on men in 2010.

The AAFPRS survey also reported an increase in ethnic patients: two out of five surgeons said they had an increase in their Asian American and Hispanic patients last year.

Patients Discuss Life-Changing Breast Surgery on the TODAY Show

Two women with different problems, both related to their breasts, were recently featured on TODAY. Erica wanted to undergo a breast augmentation, while Jeanne was prepared for a breast reduction to help improve her body proportion and relieve discomfort. Both women appeared on TODAY show about 2 weeks after surgery.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“I saw my stomach for the first time in the shower,” said Jeanne. She describes the discomfort she experienced with large breasts before surgery, and now the feeling of having a more manageable body shape. On the show, their plastic surgeon talks to Kathy Lee and Hoda about the cost of breast reduction, as well as some details about health insurance coverage.

ASPS Statistics for 2010 Show Rebound in Surgery Procedures

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons released their annual procedural statistics report yesterday, showing a 5 percent increase in cosmetic procedures for 2010.

According to the ASPS, 13.1 million procedures were performed in the U.S. last year, including plastic surgery and minimally invasive cosmetic treatments. 5.3 million reconstructive procedures were performed as well, showing a 2 percent increase for the year.

The society says this corresponds with a nationwide attitude that the recession is over. “The increase in cosmetic plastic surgery mirrors the rise in consumer confidence throughout most of 2010,” says the official press release.

Plastic Surgery Trends

In 2010, American plastic surgeons performed approximately 1.6 million surgical procedures, and the most popular of those are the following top five:

Breast augmentation (296,000)
Rhinoplasty (252,000)
Eyelid surgery (209,000)
Liposuction (203,000)
Tummy tuck (116,000)

The stats for 2010 are showing a rise in the number of facelift surgeries, reportedly 9 percent more than the previous year.

Breast augmentation surgeries increased a modest 2 percent, with silicone gel breast implants now used in 60 percent of the procedures.

Across the board, body contouring after weight loss showed continued growth in popularity. Body lift, arm lift, breast lift and thigh lift all showed a substantial gain.

ASPS President Phil Haeck MD suggests that people have been waiting out the recession to undergo a surgical procedure. “There’s some pent up demand for cosmetic surgical procedures,” he said. Now he says according to “all indications,” they are once again “willing to spend more to look better.”

Non-Surgical Cosmetic Trends

Non-surgical cosmetic treatments also increased, at about 11.6 million procedures during 2010. The most common were Botox, injectable fillers, laser hair removal, chemical peel and microdermabrasion.

While injectable fillers remain popular, fat grafting seems to be back on the rise. Injections of autologous fat are up 14 percent, according to the ASPS, a trend Dr. Haeck says “could reflect how a patient’s own fat is being used in more creative ways to rejuvenate the face and body.”

See the official ASPS report for more information on the 2010 statistics, including new figures for reconstructive plastic surgery.

Breast Implants and Risk of ALCL

Dr. Basu recently answered a question on realself.com about the recent news of ALCL risk with breast implants. His answer said the following:

Earlier today, the FDA released a safety document on a possible association between breast implants (saline and silicone) and a very rare form of lymphoma – anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). While lymphomas can appear anywhere in the body, this very rare condition can appear in the scar tissue that forms around the breast implant. Since 1989, only 34 cases of ALCL have been identified out of the estimated 10 million+ implants placed worldwide. So essentially, the chances of getting struck by lightning are more than getting this condition. In addition, my understanding is that in these rare published reports, where the implant and surrounding scar tissue was removed – the condition resolved.

The FDA states that this condition is extremely rare and is clearly not breast cancer, but is working with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) to study this matter further. At this time both the FDA and the ASPS remain confident that breast implants are safe and effective. Breast implants do NOT cause breast cancer.

Remember, breast implants are the most studied device in the history of medicine. If you have implants, continue your routine monthly breast self exams, mammograms/breast cancer screen when needed. If you feel any changes to your breasts, visit with your physician/plastic surgeon. For more information on breast implants and current info on this specific topic, please visit the ASPS website or visit with a board certified ASPS member surgeon.

Experts Say Injectable Filler Market Still Has Room for Growth

As injectable wrinkle treatments and lip, cheek and chin augmentation procedures have increased in popularity over the past two decades, facial filler manufacturers have flooded the U.S. market with injectable products made of collagen, hyaluronic acid gel and a number of other substances.

Today, are so many filler options available to consumers that it’s a wonder to some why pharmaceutical companies continue rolling out new injectables, especially when some existing products are already considered highly effective favorites in the aesthetic medical community and do not broker much room for competition.

But according to Dr. Gary Monheit, who commented on the topic in a recent Cosmetic Surgery Times article, unique new filler formulations and, to a lesser extent, new “me, too” products (fillers that closely resemble existing formulations) will still have a place in facial rejuvenation.

Despite the array of injectables available for wrinkle treatment, patients with fine lines around the eyes and mouth are still currently underserved, an issue which will likely be exacerbated by the fact that collagen injectables long used to treat superficial wrinkles (Zyderm, CosmoDerm) were recently discontinued by Allergan.

In addition, Dr. Monheit says patients are presently hard-pressed to find fillers that provide long-lasting results without a host of potential safety issues. Other than Sculptra and Radiesse, most fillers that can last longer than one year have generally proven problematic.

“To date, many long-lasting and permanent fillers, including both volumizing and structural products, have been associated with a number of problems. Reported complications include development of fibrotic nodules, granulomas and biofilm formation. These adverse events have not been reported with any filler materials approved by the FDA, but limited experience acquired in premarketing clinical trials may not be sufficient to fully understand product safety and biocompatibility issues,” Dr. Monheit says.

Joining the existing gamut of widely used hyaluronic acid (HA) injectable fillers, such as Restylane, Juvederm and Prevelle Silk are Juvederm Voluma (Allergan), Prevelle Lift (Genzyme/Mentor) and Belotero (Merz).

While Juvederm Voluma will primarily focus on chin and cheek augmentation and Prevelle Lift on correcting deep creases, Belotero is expected to be versatile, longer-lasting than many existing HA fillers and capable of correcting both deeper facial folds and superficial fine lines.

“In theory, this filler should be able to improve both superficial and deep lines. In patients enrolled in the clinical trial, effects lasted 6-12 months,” says Dr. Monheit, who serves as a consultant for Merz. “However, further evaluation of its benefits awaits use in clinical practice.”

As consumers eagerly await the latest and greatest fillers poised to enter the U.S. market, it is more important than ever to keep in mind that while the filler product certainly affects your facial rejuvenation results, the skill and expertise of your injector makes the biggest difference in the success (or failure) of your injectable filler experience.

Whether you’re seeking lip augmentation, wrinkle reduction or facial contouring, be sure to choose an experienced Houston plastic surgeon with a variety of FDA approved injectable fillers available to customize your facial rejuvenation treatment.

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