Everything You Need To Know About Plastic Surgery

Any medical doctor can legally perform any type of medical procedure. A podiatrist can do knee surgery, a cardiac surgeon can remove a brain tumor. Therefore, it is up to the doctor to prove to the patient that he is qualified to perform your operation, and up to you to ask for your doctor's credentials.

Doctors have formed loose associations known as "boards" to organize themselves. The problem with them? They are not regulated. Their rules and membership qualifications are completely arbitrary. There is no establishment that says exactly what a "board" needs to be reputable.

However, one group, the American College of Graduate Medical Education, reviews the policies of these boards and declares which are fit to be trusted. As the highest authority for medical education in the country, the ACGME's word matters. The only board in the field of plastic surgery that they deem worthy of approval is the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.

In order to get the best care that you deserve, make sure the surgeon performing your operation is a member of the ACGME-certified ABPC.

For more information, click here.

Plastic surgery is an investment in your future. Not only the future of your physical appearance, but your emotional and financial futures as well. You want the best results, but you also need to feel comfortable while planning your surgery and comfortable that you will get your money's worth.

The best things to look for in a plastic surgeon are:

* Adequate credentials: make sure your doctor is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
* Good relationship: the best plastic surgeons take your priorities and make them their own.
* Listen to your gut: you have a lifetimes's worth of experience judging others soundly. You can usually tell if a person is caring and compassionate.

If your plastic surgeon meets these three criteria, you are most likely making an intelligent choice.

In the days and weeks leading up to any operation, you experience a wide range of emotions. Stress, excitement, worry, elation, are all normal feelings.

The best way to deal with the changes in your emotional state before, during, and after your surgery is to keep the lines of communication open between you and a trusted loved ones.

The resources a close friend can provide during such a stressful time are invaluable. If your loved ones are having difficulty accepting your choice to undergo plastic surgery, make sure you explain to them your priorities and motivations for choosing your operation.

The help and support offered by a trusted friend, partner, or family member speeds recovery and makes the entire plastic surgery process easier.

Some of the most satisfying patients that plastic surgeons work with are those that have just lost a considerable amount of weight.

Plastic surgeons delight in supplementing the results enjoyed by hard-working weight loss patients with plastic surgery, giving patients that last step in body countouring.

The most common problem faced by patients who have just undergone significant weight loss is extra folds of skin.

Skin had previously stretched to fit around the excess fat deposits but now that they are gone, the skin hangs loose around the body. It has also lost some of its original elasticity.

If you are contemplating gastric bypass surgery or facing the possibility of drastic weight loss in the near future, it would be a good idea to consult with your primary care physician regarding the possibility of incorporating plastic surgery into your solution.

So you can enjoy the body you deserve as soon as possible.

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss , click here.

The best candidates for liposuction include people with one problem area (typically the buttocks, thighs, or abdomen) and with excellent skin elasticity.

The most successful liposuction patients have skin that will "shrink wrap" against the body following the procedure. Skin with low elasticity sags once the excess fat is removed,

Although liposuction is famous as a treatment for large deposits of fat, it works best when applied to one small, specific area. One application is contouring the large outer thigh (saddle bad) with the rest of the thigh.

For more information on Liposuction visit this site.

The most little-discussed and underreported condition facing patients thinking about breast plastic surgery is asymmetrical breasts. However, most of the women plastic surgeons examine have differences in size, shape, or position of each individual breast. And this makes many women feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, plastic surgeons have a variety of procedures at their disposal to treat breast asymmetry.

* During Breast augmentation surgery, different amounts of volume can be added to correct the difference between the breasts.
* In breast reduction or breast lift surgery a small amount of extra breast tissue can be removed from the larger side.

Board-certified plastic surgeons can tailor a procedure especially for you to address any issues you might have.

After ten years of review, the FDA re-approved the use of silicone-filled breast implants for cosmetic surgery in 2006. Previously thought to be linked to connective tissue disease or cancer, the review by the FDA found this is not the case and that silicone implants are just as safe as saline breast implants.

Silicone breast implants are a far cry from the ones used a decade ago. Just like advances in other technologies, silicone breast implants have come along considerably in the past decade.

Women seeking the benefits of breast augmentation or breast reconstruction now have another option to consider. According to the Mayo Clinic, some differences between the two types of breast implants are:

* Saline implants are composed of silicone sacs that are filled with saline after placement in the breast during surgery

* Silicone implants also have a silicone shell, but come prefilled with silicone

* Silicone gel more closely mimics the feel of human fatty tissue

* Saline implants have a reputation for feeling "hard," but improved surgical procedures have reduced complaints

For the full story on silicone and saline breast implants see my article Breast Augmentation: From Controversy to Innovation.

Once you know your options, consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon is the best way to decide which type is right for you.

The Mommy Makeover

* A patient-specific collection of procedures aimed to bring back the body a woman had before she became pregnant

* Involves minimal downtime procedures like Botox & fillers.

* Other common procedures: breast lift, breast augmentation, as well as tummy tuck or liposuction.

Botox for Excessive Sweating

* A Botox injection to control sweating typically lasts for 6 months

* Alleviates excessive perspiration in the palms, armpits, forehead, or chest area

A Surgical Cure for Migraine

* Migraines affect 14% to 35% of all females at some point in their lives

* Botox injections in key areas on the face, head and neck have resulted in temporary relief

* Botox also treats eye spasms, crossed eyes, and facial tics

For more information on treating migraines with Botox see this article.

Your body has a biological age in addition to your chronological age. Various factors obtained by body fluid tests, cognitive tests, muscle tone and density, lung capacity, and other factors contribute to your Real Age. A basic test can be found here.

Although a physically active woman who diets correctly and maintains a healthy lifestyle may be pleased with the results of her Real Age, occasionally her physical appearance does not reflect her health, especially around her face.

The face is exposed to the elements, special soaps and other harsh conditions that the rest of the body avoids by being clothed. Consequently, the face's skin ages much more quickly than the rest of the body. Damage done by sunlight on the face even has a clinical name: photoaging.

But with plastic surgery, the effects of photoaging can be slowed down or reversed. Often the treatments are completely non-surgical. Such treatments include dermal fillers like Juvéderm, Restalyne, Sculptra, and Radiesse.

Microdermabrasion:

* Non-surgical

* Involves spraying abrasive crystals, usually aluminum oxide, baking soda or other crystals, against the top layer of skin

* Refreshes the skin's appearance, clear pores, increases collagen production

* No / minimal downtime

Dermabrasion:

* Surgical

* Permanently alters the lower layer of the skin

* Surgeon uses a surgical cutting wheel to clear off the upper layers of skin, removing scars and blemishes

* Recovery typically takes 7-10 days

Fat grafting involves removing fat from a problem area by liposuction, processing this fat, then using it again to improve the appearance of another area of the body.

The primary usage for the fat comes in reshaping sunken areas in the face caused by aging, surgery after affects, or wasting illness. This "recycling" process minimizes the risk of allergic reaction because the tissue comes directly from the patient's own body.

Recent research has discovered that loss of definition in the face comes from volume loss, and not sagging of the skin. Fat grafting is quickly becoming a popular, safe, non-chemical solution to the problem of early facial aging.

Fat removed from the body by liposuction can also be used to augment other areas of the body where volume is desired, such as the buttocks.

The Brazilian Butt Lift is one such procedure. The Brazilian Butt Lift uses excess fat from unwanted areas to contour and shape the buttocks. It is the only procedure to contour the buttocks that uses the patient's own unwanted fat particles