Should a Facelift always include a neck lift?
Patients often ask me if they can avoid a face lift and just focus on the neck. The question is also asked the other way around: is it possible to have a facelift without a neck lift? This is my response: With the advent of techniques that permit greater facial rejuvenation with less operating…
Silicone vs. Saline Breast Implants – What are the differences?
Silicone is material that has a rubbery texture. A breast implant consists of a solid silicone shell (bag) filled with either saline (salt water) or silicone gel. All breast implants are made by spraying a mold with or dipping a mold into liquid silicone. When the silicone dries, the implant is then peeled off…
Breast Implant Placement – Is it better to place above or below the muscle?
Breast implants are placed into a pocket under the breast. The terms “above the muscle” and “below the muscle” are frequently bandied about. Which is better? Patients have opinions, surgeons have opinions. Certainly, I, a plastic surgeon who has performed a fair number of breast augmentations, have an opinion. Before I render than opinion,…
Body Sculpting Surgery: Technologies and Techniques
Many of my patients have asked about how VASER (internal ultrasound ‘VASER’ assisted lipoplasty) is different from Smart Lipo and Slim Lipo (Internal Laser-Assisted Lipoplasty). This article, written by a biomedical engineer compares these and several other technologies to reduce subcutaneous fat. I think that the article is well written and informative. When I…
When is it time to change your breast implants?
I performed my first breast augmentation in 1990. Over the years a great deal has changed with regard to the approach to this operation. Some surgeons still take the same approach they did twenty years ago. Others, like myself, try to stay current and even set the standard for the procedure (i.e. 24 hour…
Three dimensional imaging for breast augmentation – A useful tool or just another marketing ploy? Part III
Part III – A comparison of the available systems – one plastic surgeons personal opinion There are currently two systems available for computerized imaging and simulation of breast augmentation surgery. Portrait 3D manufactured by AxisThree, a company funded by Siemens and started in 2002. AxisThree claims to use technology developed by Siemens in the…
Three dimensional imaging for breast augmentation – A useful tool or just another marketing ploy? Part II
Part II – How three dimensional imaging is used in my breast augmentation practice When I see a patient in consultation for breast augmentation, I inquire as to what the patient is looking to achieve. I examine the patient and make recommendations as to what implant I think is best for them. The exact…
Three dimensional imaging for breast augmentation – A useful tool or just another marketing ploy? Part I
Part I – What three dimensional imaging systems are I have always enjoyed technology. Since I was a teenager in the early 1970’s, I loved electronics (computing wasn’t even a hobby back then). For my pre-med major in college, I studied Biomedical and Electrical Engineering at Northwestern. It was there that I obtained a…
Breast Augmentation: Achieving Better Results with Less Discomfort and Downtime
by Mark D. Epstein, M.D., F.A.C.S. Traditionally, breast augmentation is associated with a considerable amount of pain and down time, but this no longer needs to be the case. Breast implants may be placed either below or above the pectoralis major muscle (a muscle located just beneath the breast). The advantage to placing the…
