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What is the difference between a Breast Reduction and Breast Lift?

Breast reductions and Breast lifts are very similar operations. In a lot of cases the incisions are similar, both serve to lift the breast and re-position the nipple. But there are some significant differences.

The reasons women seek the operations differ. Both want their breasts lifted but reduction patients also tend to complain of neck, shoulder, and upper back discomfort. They also complain of shoulder grooving and of developing rashes under their breasts.

The obvious is that reductions significantly downsize the breast. I don’t know that there is an average, but most women will drop 2 or 3 cup sizes after a reduction. After a lift, most women experience a slight decrease in their bra size. In fact, a lot of times women who have lifts elect to have an implant placed in order to re-establish the fullness at the top portion of their breasts.

Finally, reductions tend to be considered medically necessary and covered by insurance. Lifts are considered cosmetic and financial responsiblity lies solely with the patient.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Kentucky Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

If you’ve just had breast augmentation

I know this sounds crazy and I know you are going to get in front of that mirror asap, but don’t take too much stock in what you first see. This is one of those “trust me” things. After doing over a thousand Breast Augmentations in Louisville, I just know.

Why am I saying this, because of swelling. When we put these implants in the breast starts to swell before you even leave the operating room. Now, if we use silicone implants that go on top of the muscle, the swelling is much less and goes away more quickly. So, after 4 or 5 days, when you look in the mirror, you should get a pretty good idea of how things are going to look.

Saline is a whole different ballgame. At the 3 to 5 day period you are maximally swollen. That muscle will swell and you will look like you have implants up to your collar bones. The soft tissue under your arms will swell as will the breast itself. The skin will be stiff and shiney. So don’t even look because this is NOT how your breasts will be once you are healed. Now, healing varies from person to person. Some women have lost most of their swelling at 2 to 3 weeks, others take 2 to 3 months. I don’t even think about recommending you buying nice bras until after your second post op visit, which is at the 2 month point. Even then I tell some of you to hold off.

The bottom line is that even though everyone knows she is going to be swollen, the swelling is a lot worse than some of you anticipate. That triggers pure panic for some women that is just unnecessary. If you have saline implants, pay no attention the shape and size of your breast for the first 7 to 10 days…it’s all going to change and change for the better!

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

Bras after Breast Augmentation

Plastic Surgeons all have differing opinions on bras after breast augmentation. Some prefer no bra, some bind the breast with an Ace wrap, others use a bandeau, and some will recommend a specific bra that they feel helps.

My recommendation is to use a sports bra beacuse they are comfortable. But that’s the only reason, for comfort.

If you end up with a result you love or one you hate after your augmentation, I can tell you one thing about your result…what kind of bra you wore post op has nothing to do with how things turned out.

If you have a question or concern, call your doctor.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville Cosmetic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including breast augmentation, breast lifts, and breast reductions.

My eyes make me look so tired! What can I do?

No one feature says more about us than our eyes. So it’s no surprise that when we start to experience aging in this area people, and most importantly, you, notice it!

There are a few options that can help aging around the eyes.

If the problem is fine lines on the lower lids, and this is usually what people see first, skin care is the answer. A little Retin-A and some prescription strength skin care product and most women see a big improvement.

Botox is very helpful for Crow’s Feet. Two or 3 injections on the side of each eye can go a long way to smoothing out your crow’s feet. You will need to be re-treated every 3 or 4 months but it does work and the cost isn’t too high, around $120- $160 per treatment.

If you lower lids show bags and skin excess, you will be best benefited by surgery. The operation is called a blepharoplasty and is designed to get rid of your ‘bags’ and tighten up the skin.

Now, the upper lids can be a little more tricky because your brow, or forehead, comes into play. More often than not, in my experience with Louisville Blepharoplasty patients, I find that most have some component of brow droop and upper lid skin excess.

Ideally, most patients would have an upper lid bleph and a brow lift. The reality is most people don’t want their brow lifted. That’s ok and we just do their upper lids.

In summary, your options, as is true for most facial aging, start with skin care and end with surgery and there is a lot in between. You just need to pick the starting point you are comfortable with and get started!

Lee Corbett, MD
www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com
502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville, Kentucky Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

How can I get rid of these sun spots?

Well, my first recommendation is to stay out of the sun. Sun is the culprit here so make sure you wear a hat when possible, use sunscreen and/or use make-up with sun screen in it. This is your best defense against getting more of them.

To get rid of them you have a few options. First, and the easiest, is to try hydroquinone. This is a prescription strength skin care product that is commonly used to fade dark spots. It doesn’t work for everyone or for every dark spot, but it helps and can help quite a bit.

Next, there are masks, namely a product called Cosmelan. This is a mud mask that you wear for several hours one time only. In the next 4 or 5 days you will peel and your skin should be much more uniform and even. It is very effective for those who battle melasma, which is a skin condition that causes brown patches over the cheeks and nose.

Lasers are also a good option. Fraxel and Pearl lasers are non-ablative resurfacing techniques that are done outpatient with only topical anesthesia. These too result in some redness and swelling for a couple of days followed by an exfoliation. After the peel, your skin should be more uniform in color and most if not all of the brown gone.

Remember though, that sun is the culprit so you must protect your skin. Also, to get the most out of your treatments, it’s probably best to do the Cosmelan or Lasers in the Fall or Winter months when the sun isn’t quite so strong.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including Botox, Juvederm, Restylane.

Why do breast implants get hard?

The answer is they don’t. Instead, your body forms a hard shell around the implant in the form of a capsule.

Whenever we implant something in the human body, be it a breast implant, pacemaker, or a chemotherapy port, your body makes a wall of scar around the foreign object. Your immune system knows ‘you’ and ‘not you’. When it encounters your implants, the immune system checks it out and it knows it’s not ‘you’. If the implants were living things your body would attack it and try to kill it. Since it can’t kill it, it forms a layer of scar around the implant. Think of it as your body trying to quarantine the implant.

So capsule formation is a 100% natural, expected event. You get an implant, you’re going to get a capsule. Normally the capsules are paper thin and inconsequential. In 12 to 13% of the cases the capsules thicken. In these cases the capsule can range from something you can only feel to a situation where they cause the breast to appear misshapen, very hard and even uncomfortable to the patient. We call this capsular contracture and this is what makes the breast feel so firm.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0030

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Louisville Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

What can I do to make my skin better?

This is a pretty common question I hear in my office. Women will come in with come concerns about their facial aging and want to know their options.

After eleven years of doing Face Lifts in Louisville, I have come to realize that there are a lot of women who want to look as good as they can, without surgery. In response, I have come up with a treatment plan that you through your options from least to most.

The ‘least’ end of the spectrum is better skin care products. I have a blog on prescription strength skin care products and I recommend you take a look at it. In brief, whatever you are buying at the cosmetic counters can’t compare to the skin care you can get from your plastic surgeon. Why? Because, by law, we can sell you products that are much stronger and thus much more effective. And, some component, like Retin-A, aren’t available without a presciption. So step 1 is to start on some good skin care.

After skin care, you are looking at deeper chemical peels and lasers. Though the methods by which they work are different, they have a common endpoint. That being that they wound your skin and when it heals it is better than it was before. Now these treatments carry a bit more downside on the recovery arena, particularly with the lasers. I deep peel or laser treatment can put you out of commission for 3 to 5 days.

If you have tried all of the above, and still aren’t seeing the improvement you would like, fillers and botox are options. Fillers and botox are office treatments that are quick, easy, and very effective. They are not permanent options but the cost has gotten low enough that many can afford to re-treat when necessary.

Last but not least is surgery. On the face we offer brow lifts, face lifts, eyelid tucks (blepharoplasty), and rhinoplasty (nose reshaping). For some, surgery is just never going to be an option, and that’s fine. But, there are a lot of possibilities and significant improvements are achievable. Of course the cost and downtime are greater, but the flip side is you do get what you pay for.

You can’t have a mini procedure, with a mini cost and a mini recovery and expect a maximum result. Sounds good but like most things in life, it doesn’t work that way…except for botox. That stuff is magic!

Lee Corbett, MD

www. CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Louisville Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

Is there really a new wrinkle smoother?

It looks likes come July, Botox is going to have some competition here in the U.S. The name of the new product is Dysport. It is made by a company called Medicis, who make Restylane.

As an experienced Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon here in Louisville, KY I have performed thousands of Botox injections and am very pleased with the results, as are my patients. Point is, personally, I don’t see a need for more botox but it’s coming regardless. So, let’s check it out!

Are there any differences? I don’t know because I haven’t used Dysport yet. Supposedly, the new toxin starts to work faster, lasts slightly longer and will be slightly less expensive than botox. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen but the product does have FDA approval. In addition, the problems associated with the injections are of the same type and frequency as those found with botox, at least in the control group the FDA studied.

Look for the product around the first of July. We will run an introductory special so check your e-mail. If we don’t have your e mail please call the office and we’ll add your address to our blast list.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

Vaginal Rejuvenation?!? What is that?

Vaginal rejuvenation procedures are definitely more common on the coasts. Apparently the procedures are often sought out in California. In Louisville, Kentucky the requests are few and far between. I do believe one of the doctors on the reality show Dr. 90210 has an entire practice built around these procedures. Personally, I have read about the procedures but have yet to perform any of them.

In any case, Vaginal Rejuvenation is broken down into internal and external procedures.

Externally, the procedures that are performed include laser skin tightening of the vulva which produces a smoother tighter appearance. Labial reduction of the labia minora is also commonly done for those women who feel their labia are too large. Some women experience discomfort during sex, others when they are exercising, and some simply do not like the appearance.

The internal procedures amount to a tightening of the vagina to reverse the changes experienced from child birth. These procedures are typically performed by Gynecologists and are really out of the realm of traditional cosmetic surgery.

Typically, patients will experience an improvement in their sex life, but experts are quick to point out that these procedures are not intended to correct sexual dysfunction.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are authored by Kentucky cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction, and tummy tucks.

What is the difference between a Breast Reduction and Breast Lift?

Monthly Archives: June 2009