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February 21, 2010

I am thinking about getting neck liposuction.

Filed under: Liposuction Beverly Hills, face liposuction, facelift alternative, facial rejuvenation, neck liposuction, tumescent liposuction — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 12:33 am

Neck liposuction can be a great sculpting tool for those who hold excess fat in their necks that doesn’t go away with dieting and exercise.  Liposuction is a powerful sculpting procedure for those who seek firming of the lower face and neck.  Liposuction in these areas is an easy, powerful alternative to facelift, and it compliments the facelift for those who opt for both.  While excess weight does show up in the face, if you have already dieted and still cannot resolve this problem area then you may be a great candidate for neck liposuction.

Neck Liposuction Before and After Photo

Neck Liposuction Before and After Photo

In general, liposuction targets stubborn problem areas that persist in spite of a healthy lifestyle.  Any liposuction, including face and neck liposuction, will not change your weight.  Rather, the contour of your body will improve through sculpting.  Because we so often show even small fluctuations of weight in our faces, your friends will assume that you’ve lost weight after your neck and lower face liposuction procedure.  The benefits are double: neck liposuction will improve the aesthetic appeal of your face, and the improved contour will suggest a slimmer new you even though your weight hasn’t changed.  More important you will look younger because fullness of the lower half of the face is associated with aging.  Improving the contour can easily make one look 10 years younger.

Who needs neck liposuction?

The best candidates for lower face and neck liposuction are those who:

1.    Are looking for a younger, fresher look without undergoing a face lift..
2.    Have stable weight with sufficient fullness in the lower face and neck.
3.    Have minimal or no neck cords.

The lower face and neck responds very well to liposuction.  This includes the  area under the chin. Because our brains are programmed for facial recognition, even small changes in and around the face make a large difference in how people perceive you.  When you remove excess fat from the lower face and neck, your friends will probably think immediately think that you have lost weight.  In addition, you will look younger because this procedure creates better visual separation between the lower face and neck that is associated with youth.

Liposuction skin tightening is a common benefit in this area as well. Skin with proper tension is a feature of a youthful face.  The liposuction procedure appears to stimulate contraction of skin effectively preventing skin sag after the liposuction procedure.

Is neck liposuction safe?

Neck liposuction complications are unusual, especially when performed under local anesthesia.   Yes this procedure can be performed in an office procedure room with you awake and alert.  That is how comfortable the procedure is.  There is often no bruising associated with the procedure.  Many find that they can have the procedure on a Thursday and return to work on Monday and no one is aware that they had surgery.

The safest kind of liposuction, called tumescent liposuction, is performed under local anesthesia using very small cannulas to remove the fat.  In a review of 66,570 cases of tumescent liposuction, there were no serious health issues.  These impressive results indicate tumescent liposuction safety.  This procedure takes your cosmetic surgeon more time to perform, as it requires meticulous attention and the gentlest hand, resulting in detail-oriented contour improvement.  Recovery is swift;  recovery from, tumescent liposuction recovery time is only a few days.  It is worth repeating that you can receive the procedure Thursday morning and return to work Monday without anyone noticing a change.  At first neck liposuction swelling will replace the removed fat.  As this swelling decreases, your improved contour will become evident and people will assume you have lost weight.  The gradual yet definite change you see here makes tumescent neck liposuction a fantastic option for those who don’t want anyone to guess that they’ve had work done.

Choosing a Liposuction Doctor

The face is a dynamic and sensitive part of the body that requires the hand of an artistic doctor as much as a skilled one.  Research doctors and find one who makes sense to you and takes the time to determine the best individualized treatment program for your needs.  Be suspicious of doctors who prefer to perform liposuction under general anesthesia.  Unless you have unusual circumstances that require general anesthesia is better in your unique case, local anesthesia is the way to go.  Don’t just have general anesthesia because your surgeon likes to flirt with the nursing staff during surgery and he or she doesn’t want you to be aware of this banter. Avoiding general anesthesia means far fewer drugs for your system to deal with.  It just make sense that this is much safer than all the drugs and invasive procedures needed for general anesthesia and medical studies support this conclusion.

Dr. Steinsapir only performs tumescent liposuction because of its superior results and fast, comfortable recovery time.  If you have questions about how lower face and neck liposuction can help you, or whether you are a good candidate please call us today for a no-risk consultation.

January 27, 2010

Can I have cosmetic surgery under local anesthesia?

Filed under: Cosmetic Facial Fillers, Cosmetic Surgery, Liposuction Beverly Hills, safe cosmetic surgery — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 12:51 pm

You may be surprised to learn that many procedures like eyelid surgery, liposuction, facelifts, and others can be safely performed under local anesthesia with or without intravenous sedation.  Whenever possible, it’s usually best to choose local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia for several reasons:

1.    Local anesthesia is safer.
While cosmetic procedures today are overall considered extremely safe, it’s noteworthy to point out that in the rare cases of malpractice suits or death, most of these problems involve surgeries performed under general anesthesia.  For example, liposuction’s mortality rate when performed under general anesthesia is estimated to be between one in 40,000 cases to one in 5,000.  The actual figure is probably toward the lower end of that range, which means it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll be so unlucky, especially if you choose an experienced and reputable surgeon.  Then, when we look at the mortality rate for liposuction performed under local anesthesia, we find a mortality rate of only one in 300,000 cases.  The lesson to be gleaned here is that while both methods are very safe, the increased dangers of general anesthesia make safe local anesthesia a better option, so why take a chance?

2.    Local anesthesia enables the doctor and patient to communicate and obtain better results.
When the doctor and patient can communicate during the procedure, there is much to be gained.  If you are having eyelid surgery, for example, your surgeon can have you open and close your eyes so he or she can see exactly how your body is responding to the surgery and you can obtain the most precise results possible.  In cases like liposuction, your doctor will ask you to alert him if you begin to feel any mild discomfort.  This ensures that nearby tissues are not traumatized during the procedure.  If they are, you will be okay, but your recovery time will be longer.  When you are conscious, you can listen to your doctor and tell him or her exactly how you feel, which means your results will be more individualized than they would be if you are “out” under general anesthesia.

3.    Local anesthesia allows for faster recovery.
Fewer drugs means that you are less hung-over after surgery, so you return to normal much faster.  Going back to our liposuction example, the compression garments worn for six weeks after general anesthesia are only needed for five to six days after local anesthesia liposuction.  Since you are able to provide feedback to your doctor during surgery, the liposuction is accomplished with much less trauma which means a much faster recovery.

For these reasons, Dr. Steinsapir performs cosmetic procedures under local anesthesia whenever possible.  Cosmetic surgeries under local anesthesia often cost more than they would under general anesthesia because your doctor needs to spend more time working gently and delicately to ensure your absolute comfort.  The increased doctor-patient time does cost money, but this is also the reason why you heal so quickly and receive detailed treatment, along with fewer complications and health risks.

Which procedures can I have under local anesthesia?

This depends on your unique, individual health status and a personal examination.  Usually, those in good health can safely and comfortably receive most of the treatments we provide under local anesthesia.  Nonsurgical treatments like BOTOX, fillers, the chemical peel, and fotofacial of course are routinely administered under local anesthesia.  Cosmetic surgeries like the endoscopic forehead lift, facelift, midface surgery, liposuction, and eyelid surgeries are best performed under local anesthesia or local with intravenous sedation.  It is especially important to receive eyelid surgery under local anesthesia so your doctor can instruct you to open and close your eyes so that he or she can monitor and adjust the effects of the surgery for optimal results.

When is it best to have surgery under general anesthesia?

Generally procedures that are likely to run more than an hour benefit from sedation.  Body wall surgery including tummy tucks and breast surgery should be performed under general anesthesia.  Procedures that are likely to take more that 4 hours are often best performed under general anesthesia but this is something that should be discussed with the individual surgeon.

How do I find a doctor who will treat me under local anesthesia?

As always, we encourage you to be direct with your doctor.  Simply ask your potential cosmetic surgeon if he or she prefers to work under general or local anesthesia, and what he or she thinks will be best for you.  If your doctor prefers general anesthesia for you, find out why.  Is it because of your unique health situation?  Local anesthesia should be the default answer with general anesthesia functioning as an exception.  Yes, this will require your doctor to spend more time treating you, but in the end you will have peace of mind knowing that you’ll receive the safest care, as well as experience the fastest recovery time and the best results.

Dr. Steinsapir specializes in performing procedures that improve the face and body contours under local anesthesia.  He believes the extra time this requires is well worth the safer, superior results and satisfied recipients.  Dr. Steinsapir emphasizes the importance of minimally-invasive, detail-oriented treatments on a comfortable outpatient basis, while maintaining the expertise and safe resources needed for general anesthesia and inpatient treatment for individuals with unique health needs.  If you have any apprehension about anesthesia, Dr. Steinsapir can answer your questions, offer advice, and create solutions during your individualized consultation.  Contact us today to see how we can help.

October 5, 2009

Cosmetic Surgery – 5 Things Moms Should Be Aware Of Before Taking The Plunge.

Filed under: Botox Los Angeles, Cosmetic Surgery, Liposuction Beverly Hills, Restylane Injections — Tags: , — admin @ 9:06 pm

Your life as a Mom can get extremely demanding with every ounce of your energy invested in taking care of your little ones, leaving no time for yourself. Let’s face it; accepting the changes in your body during pregnancy or post pregnancy is tough and it’s not unnatural to contemplate cosmetic surgery to revive your pre-pregnancy look that you miss so much. Before you consider cosmetic surgery, it is extremely important to understand which cosmetic treatment is the best and the safest for you at a holistic level.

In a world that is filled with million choices for cosmetic procedures and just as many opinions, the following points address some of the most common concerns related to cosmetic surgery for Moms and guide them to do what is right.

1. Thinking about BOTOX® or Restylane® While Pregnant?
It is not advisable to have cosmetic surgery or services like BOTOX® or Restylane® if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Despite this warning, Moms are occasionally tempted to undergo these treatments. A small study was conducted on women who received BOTOX® treatment and discovered later that they were pregnant. Although, there were no problems reported with their pregnancies, the use of BOTOX® during pregnancy or breast-feeding period and its effects on the developing fetus cannot be assured as safe. The use of BOTOX® in these circumstances is recommended only for medically critical issues in which the potential benefits that are derived from the treatment, outweigh the risks involved.

Even in case of fillers like Restylane® or Perlane®, there haven’t been any medical tests or studies conducted that will assure the safety of using these fillers during pregnancy or the breast-feeding period. The general consensus is to wait until after the pregnancy is complete. If you are planning for additional pregnancies, it is important to consider these time frames – the effects of BOTOX® and Dysport® are likely to last for 4 to 6 months. The effects of injecting fillers like Restylane® and Perlane® can last 12 to 24 months.

2. Why Are You Seeking Cosmetic Surgery?
This answer to this question could be at a deeper, psychological level. Some people turn to cosmetic surgery to conquer their insecurities. An insecure attachment style can be the source of the problem.

The bond with a mother and a child stimulates the growth and development in a child. The quality of this attachment plays a crucial role in the way in which the child’s personality is shaped. If infants are deprived of adequate love and attention in the first 24 months, the attachment style of the infant is affected and can result in an insecure attachment style. Insecurely attached children grow up to be insecurely attached adults. Studies have shown that these individuals suffer from a fear that their partner will abandon them and often resort to cosmetic treatments to get over their insecurity.

The presence of an insecure attachment style increases the risk of postpartum depression and also increases the risk of persistent depression. It is difficult to gain clarity of these issues and the patients tend to be in denial, by not acknowledging these problems roots of which, are at a deeper level and not the physical level. Cosmetic surgery does not fix the psychological issues. It is important to seek professional help to fight depression and undergo psychotherapy to solve the issues that are associated with an insecure attachment style.

3. How Did I Get This Muffin Top And How Do I Get Rid Of It?
Once your tummy was like a lotus blossom but now it resembles a muffin top. What on earth happened and what should you do about it? Let’s try to understand why it happened and what can be the best way to fix it.

Your obstetricians probably didn’t prepare you for the after-effect of your c-section. Their focus is the safe deliver of a healthy baby and make sure that your health is fine, and not so much how you will look in a bikini a year later. It is a common practice amongst obstetricians to place their hand on the lower tummy, just above the public bone to lift the up the tummy fat. This enables them to perform a smooth c-section incision without the obstruction of the tummy fat. This maneuver reduced the time it takes to perform the surgery. Unfortunately, at the end of the delivery when the wound is closed, the fat that was pushed up by this maneuver gets trapped above the c-section scar – hello muffin top!

The most widely circulated myth is that only a tummy tuck can fix the muffin top. In reality, a tummy tuck is not necessary to get rid of this localized fat. If your skin integrity is good, and the muscle wall was properly repaired at the time of the c-section; localized liposuction is all you need to make a vast difference. This can be done comfortably and safely in the office by a Dr. Steinsapir under local anesthesia with virtually no down time. On the other hand, if you have miles of stretched skin and a weakened stomach wall, then it is appropriate to consider a tummy tuck. Take home lesson; don’t have more surgery than you really need.

4. How to Tackle Weight Loss After Pregnancy?
Weight gain during and after pregnancy, is a natural phenomenon. However, retaining that extra weight after pregnancy is a personal choice. Cosmetic procedures like liposuction and tummy tuck do not help in weight loss. A lot of Moms take care of everyone else in their family, but neglect their own health. Simple exercises like going for a walk with your baby in a stroller or exercising to a video workout when your baby is napping, can help you to keep your weight in control. A healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise will help you in losing all those extra pounds. The key is to be consistent. Also, there are several studies that show that that breastfeeding helps to shed some of the weight gained during pregnancy.

Now, let’s talk about one of the most widely accepted cosmetic methods – Liposuction. It is critical to understand that liposuction does not cause weight loss. It is not a quick fix for your weight problem. Liposuction is a body sculpting mechanism and not a weight reduction procedure. Liposuction improves your silhouette by getting rid of the fat that is localized to only certain areas of the body. It is good for removing fat from areas like thighs, hips, abdomen, face, neck, and arms. Removing fat from these problem areas will result in a better, more pleasing silhouette.

The amount of fat that your body carries is only determined by what you eat and how much you exercise. Liposuction is great if you have stable weight and a limited number of problem areas, which persist despite following a healthy diet and a regular exercise regime. The fat removed will eventually find its way back into the body but it will be more evenly distributed, retaining the contouring effect of liposuction in the problem areas for a long period.

5. How Do I Choose The Right Cosmetic Surgeon?
A well qualified cosmetic surgeon should be board certified in one of four fields: general plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, ophthalmology, or dermatology. Ophthalmologists should be fellowship trained in oculoplastic surgery and should be affiliated with the American Society for Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Dermatologists should have additional fellowship training in dermatologic surgery or cosmetic surgery. Additionally, the best qualified surgeons have gone on to do additional fellowship training in cosmetic surgery. Your surgeon should have hospital privileges and medical malpractice insurance for the procedures they perform. A teaching affiliation with a medical school establishes that the surgeon is academically respected in their community.

Also look to see that your potential doctor lectures other surgeons, publishes and establish new procedures like Dr. Steinsapir.

Most state medical boards publish physician profiles on their website. It is a public platform to find out information about your doctor including any lawsuit settlements, board actions or any other issues regarding your doctor. Many practice websites post the resume of the surgeon. It is a bad sign if you can’t figure out what your doctor was trained in. Ethical doctors will always be very proud of their training. Be wary of doctors that offer services which are completely unrelated to their training. For example, radiologists and anesthesiologists who offer cosmetic services like liposuction, or family practitioners who offer non-surgical office based cosmetic services.

It is worth stating that not everything you read on the Internet is trust worthy. The Lifestyle Lift® is a good example. This firm heavily promotes their facelift procedure that promises immediate effects and a fast recovery. However, the Attorney General of the State of New York, Andrew Cuomo, in July 2009 settled a lawsuit against this firm for $300,000. It seems that employees faked a flood of positive reviews on the Internet.

In addition to providing unique personal service to his patients, Dr. Steinsapir also regularly contributes to Realself.com, a website that puts consumers in direct contact with plastic surgeons for straight answers about cosmetic surgery. He also volunteer his time once a month as a surgeon at the Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, one the Los Angeles County Hospitals that provides the best possible care to the public without regard to the ability to pay for services. Contact Dr. Steinsapir today for a consultation tailored to your needs.

October 1, 2009

The Straight Talk About Liposuction

Filed under: Dr. Steinsapir, Liposuction Beverly Hills — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 6:27 pm

At times the “The Battle of the Bulge” becomes extremely challenging to conquer, despite regular exercise and a healthy diet. Liposuction is an effective cosmetic procedure that addresses the excessive fat that gets accumulated in certain areas of your body, which is difficult to remove by natural means.

The areas that commonly concern women include the inner and outer thighs, inner knees, stomach, and flanks. In men the common areas of concern are the love handles, stomach, and flanks. Less common areas include the tail of the breast in women and the breast area in men. Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures. However, it is essential to understand what liposuction can and can’t accomplish. How liposuction is performed, and what factors contribute to make liposuction unsafe.

Even though liposuction is one of the most widely performed cosmetic methods, there remains a lot of confusion about the best way to perform liposuction and when it should be performed. Dr. Steinsapir, a renowned Eye Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon in Los Angeles and Beverley Hills, provides his input on liposuction by presenting the following valuable facts…

Liposuction: Not a Quick Fix for Your Weight Problem
Liposuction is a body sculpting technique and not a weight reduction procedure. Liposuction improves your silhouette by getting rid of the fat that is localized to only certain areas of the body. As such, the surgery is best for individuals with stable weight. If you regularly yo-yo in weight more than 15 pounds, then liposuction is probably not right for you.
It is a misconception to think that you will lose weight from liposuction. You will not. While fat is removed from the body surgically, the swelling that follows usually more than compensates for the fat removed. The reality is that only two things determine our weight: How much we eat and how much we metabolize.

It is completely normal to regain the fat that has been removed, but due to the sculpting of the body with liposuction the fat that returns is more evenly distributed over the entire body, rather than getting disproportionately re-deposited in the problem areas. Your body weight primarily depends on two factors, the quantity and quality of the food that you consume and your metabolic rate. The only way to lose weight is to increase your metabolism by regular exercise and follow a healthy diet. No form of liposuction will cause you to weigh less.

Tumescent Liposuction: The Safest Liposuction Technique
Pure Tumescent Liposuction under local anesthesia is the safest technique to eliminate those stubborn fat cells. Widely acclaimed for his minimally invasive treatments, Dr. Steinsapir practices tumescent liposuction in Los Angeles because it causes minimal tissue trauma, nearly no blood loss, and a fast recovery. To execute this procedure, Dr. Steinsapir uses a dilute local anesthetic, which is infiltrated gradually into the fatty areas, and the fat is removed by micro-cannulas or very small cannulas. A microcannula takes out smaller amounts of fat with each pass offering a highly refined method to control how fat is sculpted.

Liposuction: Under General Anesthesia or Local Anesthesia?
The major difference between liposuction under general anesthesia and local anesthesia is safety. Liposuction under general anesthesia is much more profitable for the surgeon than doing liposuction under tumescent local anesthesia. The same liposuction that can be done in 45 minutes under general anesthesia may take about 3 hours to perform under local anesthesia. This means that surgeons who do liposuction under general anesthesia can do 3 times the number of cases in the same time frame. This is why liposuction is still performed this way.

However, you pay a huge price for your doctor’s convenience. The death rate due to liposuction under a general anesthesia has been estimated as 1 in 5000 cases, which is alarmingly high. Compare with the death rate associated liposuction under a local anesthesia, which is estimated as 1 in 500,000. This proves that liposuction performed under local anesthesia is much safer than performed under general anesthesia.

There are additional benefits for doing liposuction under local anesthesia. For one, with much few drugs in your system, you recover much faster. Instead of being hung over for days with a general anesthesia, you feel very much yourself the next day. There is far less trauma with liposuction under local anesthesia. The reasons for this are straightforward. When you are under general anesthesia, surgeons tend to do very aggressive liposuction with larger cannulas. This means that you are severely beaten up during surgery. It can take 6 to 8 weeks before the body recovers from this type of trauma. Blood loss can be so severe that a blood transfusion and hospitalization are needed. Not so with tumescent liposuction under local anesthesia. Liposuction is done with very small micro-cannulas and a pace that is comfortable for you. This means much less trauma, much more rapid recovery, and minimal blood loss. Hospitalization and blood transfusions are not reported in large studies of this technique. Most people return to their work out in two days with some soreness.

Laser Liposuction vs. No Laser
Laser based liposuction systems are being touted in marketing as the greatest thing since sliced toast. The marketing proposition is very compelling: lasers are sexy. It is practically a sure fired sales pitch. It works equally well on doctors and the public. However, think about another laser service: CO2 laser resurfacing. This has been and continues to be a huge disaster for the public. There are literally thousands of women out there with scarred or depigmented faces out there. Even after these complications were recognized and there was a public backlash, docs were out their performing these awful procedures. The reason was simple. Once you sign a 6 year lease or buy these very expensive machines, every one coming into your office has to be pushed into the service whether it is right for them or not. I know one doc who tells his patients that their faces will be depigmented by the service and there will be a line between where the face was treated and the neck skin where treatment stopped. At least he is honest about what this treatment does.

We are seeing a similar type of hype with the laser based liposuction machines with unrealistic before and after pictures. Typically these show a flabby stomach in the before and a rock hard etched 6-pack stomach in the after picture. Sure, this could be the same person but it is impossible that the only difference was laser liposuction. Try laser liposuction plus a carbohydrate free diet, hundreds of hours in the gym, and a little photoshop. Again, these machines cost over a hundred thousand dollars. Once a doc buys the machine, everyone is going to be pushed into this procedure. There is no evidence that the device is better than tumescent liposuction or any other form of liposuction. The incisions needed to insert these devices under the skin are larger than those needed for the microcannulas. The bottom line here is that you will be bearing the expensive of this pricy machine with no evidence that it is any better that pure tumescent liposuction under the safety of local anesthesia.

Liposuction: The After-Effects
It is common to experience a lumpy firmness after liposuction due to the inflammation caused by the surgery in the fatty areas. This inflammation gradually subsides in 4-6 weeks, as the body begins to heal from the surgery. Due to long term remodeling of the fat, the body continues to improve over a period of 4 to 6 months. It is common to experience soreness and bruising after the procedure. Generally most people take two or three days off from work and return to their work out in two days. Compression garments are provide with the procedures and are used for 5 to 6 days. Compare this with other liposuction techniqueswere compression garments need to be worn for 6 to 8 weeks.

Contact Dr. Steinsapir today for a Liposuction consultation and discussion that is perfectly tailored to your needs, concerns and desires.

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