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Do I need to massage my breasts after I get Implants?

I think this is a debatable topic on which Plastic Surgeons will vary including Louisville, KY breast augmentation surgeons.

Some surgeons feel like massage, particularly with silicone gel implants, is crucial. I think some others are of the opinion that it is of no benefit.

The reason we suggest massage it to avoid capsular contracture. This is a process whereby the body surronds the implant with scar which can leave the breast unnaturally firm. The risks of contracture are higher when implants are placed above the muscle and silicone implants typically go above the muscle. That is why we recommend with gel implants.

The theory is that if you start to massage the breast, thereby moving the implant around within its’ pocket, you will make it more difficult for the body to organize the scar shell. I recommend that you start massage as early as you can tolerate it comfortably, usually after the first 2 or 3 weeks. The massage process involves applying pressure to the breast in a side to side and top to bottom manner. This technique will keep the implant mobile and help avoid contracture.

Some surgeons will tell you this is a waste of time because some women still get capsules with massage. My take on it is that yes, that is true, but it causes no harm and even if it is only helpful some of the time, it’s worth the minimal amount of effort it requires.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All blogs are presented by Louisville Breast Implant surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett

What happens to my belly button if I have a Tummy Tuck

Nothing actually.

I am writing this blog because a lot of people think that if they have a tummy tuck they get a ‘new’ belly button. You don’t. You get to keep the one you’ve always had.

When we do a tummy tuck we make an incision that sits low like a C-section and goes from hip to hip. We go down thru the fatty layer until we hit your muscles. That’s all the deeper we go. We then work up to the belly button and lift the skin/fat layer off of the muscle.

When we get to the belly button we come back to the skin surface and make a circular incision around it. We core straight down around it, like an apple corer would do. All that your belly button is, is a stalk of scar tissue. So, we isolate it and continue to undermine the skin/fat layer. Then we remove the skin from belly button down and the remaining skin pulls down like a window shade.

At this point your tummy tuck incision is closed but your belly button is buried. So, we make a new circular incision, remove a plug of skin/fat and Voila, your belly button pops thru like that button on your turkey when it’s done!

So in the end your belly button is the same one you’ve always had, but the skin around it is new.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Tummy Tuck surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.

What type of implants are women using?

Silicone Breast Implants for Louisville Breast Augmentations are on the rise.

From 1992 until November of 2007 Saline Implants were the only choice available for women considering augmentation in the U.S. The moratorium on the gel implants was lifted at that time after satisfactory safety data was submitted to the F.D.A.

In March of 2008, sales of the implants were still tilted in favor of the saline variety. About 55% of implants being used were saline and the other 45% were the silicone gel. In just a little over a year the ratios have basically flip-flopped. Now sales show about 60% of women are choosing silicone gel implants and 40% saline.

My practice stats show its about a 50:50 split.

I think a couple of important points are 1) that silicone implants are proven safe and a nice addition to your choices if you are considering augmentation and 2) that both implants are good, safe devices each with its own merits.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

All posts on this blog are presented by Kentucky Breast Implants surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett

Low Deflation Rates on Silicone Implants reported.

Recently one of our implant manufacturers released the newest stats on their silicone breast implants. It’s very good news!

Deflation rates after a 6 year time period were very low, only 1.1% for breast augmentation patients. For the ladies with implants placed for reconstruction, the number for the same time period was only 3.8%.

In addition, the rates for scar capsule formation and subsequent hardening of the breast are very low as well. The capsular contracture rate was 9.8% for augmentation patients and 13.7% for reconstruction patients. While these numbers may seem high, the capsular contracture rate for previous versions of silicone gel implants was reported as high as 30% making todays implant a huge improvement.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville, KY breast implant surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.

I had a Lap Band, can I have my tummy done without hurting my fill port?

Absolutely. A panniculectomy or any version of a tummy tuck is possible.

This is a pretty good question that my post Lap Band patients pose when we are talking about doing their skin tightening procedures. The ports are safe for a couple of reasons.

Most of the patients that I see have ports that are fairly high up on the left upper quadrant of the abdominal wall. This puts them well out of the way of most tummy procedures. Now if we need to make a lower side to side incision and remove a vertical segment of skin, the port does come more into play but it typically still stays out of the way.

In the event it does come into play, and it has on several occasions in my experience, it’s not a big deal. First, as you know, the thing is pretty easy to feel so we know where it is. As I get close to it I just slow down and pay close attention not to hurt it. In fact the port itself is pretty indestructible. It’s the fill tube that can be injured and that is what I am really on the look out for. The body also does something that helps us, it surronds the port with a layer of scar tissue called a capsule. The capsule is dense, tough scar tissue that envelopes the port and adds yet another layer of protection.

All of this being said, as careful as your surgeon is, the port can be broken or may need to be moved and this possiblity needs to be part of your discussion with your Plastic Surgeon. Sometimes, your Plastic Surgeon may ask your Lap Band surgeon to help out.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Abdominoplasty surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.

Skin and Exercise

I see lots of women, most of them Moms, who are completely frustrated because their skin won’t tighten up despite their working out like crazy. So they come to inquire about a Louisville Tummy Tuck or Louisville Liposuction. The bad news I have to deliver is that skin will not tighten up in response to exercise.

With exercise, especially resistance training (lifting weights), you can certainly loose fat and add muscle which is a great thing. As this process occurs, your skin will tighten up to some degree. Skin does have elasticity and so it will snap back. We see this all of the time with significant weight loss and after pregnancy. The skin is actually pretty amazing and tones itself back up rather nicely. But there is a limit and there isn’t much you can do to affect the process.

So, if you have lost a lot of weight and have been at a stable plateau for 6 months or more or if your last baby is more than 6 months old and you have lost your baby weight, what you see skin wise is probably what you are going to be left with. For some women with thicker more resilient skin, this can be taught, stretch mark free skin. For most though, there will be some residual laxity.

Age is also a huge factor. Our skin is more capable of snapping back the younger we are. Not much more explantion needed here.

So all you have to do is never age, never gain weight, and never have kids and your skin will be perfect! Just kidding 🙂

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Tummy Tuck surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.

How long does it take breast implants to ‘settle’?

In reality, breast implants usually don’t really have to settle. They are usually in the proper position from the get go. It looks like they are sitting high at first because the muscle swells so much. The pec muscle that covers the implants attaches to the edge of your breast bone from bottom to top and and along your collar bone from side to side. When we lift it up and place the implant under it, it will swell. In some patients the swelling can be pretty dramatic. That’s why it looks like the implants are sitting so high.

Sometimes the implants do sit high on the chest wall. This is more common with larger implants and implants placed via an underarm incision. In these cases your doctor may have you wear a bandeau or a strap of some sort. In these cases, the implants almost always come down and do so in the first 6 to 12 weeks if not sooner. If they are still too high after 6 months or longer, you may need a revision.

If however it is just the swelling, from what I have seen over the last 11 years, it will mostly go away in the first 6 weeks. Swelling can last as long as 3 to 6 months but this would be rather unusual for breast implant surgery. If you are unsure of your situation, ask your doctor. The good thing is that gravity usually wins and those implants will come down and the swelling will go away keeping revisions for this type of problem at a low %.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville Breast Augmentation surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.

On Line Beauty Treatments…Buyer Beware!

Please be careful when you buy beauty treatments on line.

Case in point. Today I saw a patient for an Internist friend of mine. The patient thought she had burned her face using a chemical peel kit a friend bought off the internet.

Chemical peels are great. The one she used was mainstream stuff and perfectly fine…but it was the perfectly wrong peel for her to use based on her skin type.

Prescription strength MediSpa treatments are potent products. Assuming you actually get what is advertised, these products need to be used by someone who has knowledge and experience! Otherwise, you very well may get a result you didn’t bargain for! Worse case scenario is the product is bogus and then who knows what you can end up with.

It’s your FACE! Spend a few dollars more and get your facials, botox, lasers etc…from someone you know and trust! It’s worth the extra.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

All posts on this blog are prensented by Louisville Skin Care physician, Dr. Lee Corbett

I had Breast Augmentation last week. The sides feel different. Is something wrong?

This phone call comes into our office every day after Louisville Breast Augmentation, so I wanted to address it. The answer is there is probably nothing wrong. This can be totally normal.

Each breast has it’s own nerve supply and it’s own blood supply coming to it. The nerves come off each side of your spinal cord. They travel along with your ribs and as they do, they shoot off branches into your soft tissues. As the nerves come around under you arm they send off branches into your breast. Well, when we are making the pocket for your implant to live, we can irritate the nerves. That is why the side of the breast can get do tender.

Because each side has its own nerve supply, one side can be more sore than the other. It’s that simple.

If you have this problem, I recommend massage, non-steroidals (ibuprofen) and sometimes heat can help. The good thing is that it will go away and should get a little better each day.

Lee Corbett, MD

www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

502.721.0330

All posts on this blog are presented by Louisville, KY Breast Augmentation surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett.

Can I breast feed after a Reduction?

There is no doubt that having a Louisville Breast Reduction will affect future breast feeding.

When we do a breast reduction, the breast is truly ‘dis-assembled’. Typically a segment of the breast which supports the blood supply to nipple remains undisturbed. This segment we call the ‘pedicle’. The tissue around the pedicle is then removed to effect the reduction. When we do this the milk duct system is disrupted to some degree and this is the problem. The breast that we leave behind will still make milk after the pregnancy, but the question is will it make it to the nipple to feed the baby.

I have read studies that reported interference with breast feeding running as high as 80% after a reduction. This is what I quote my patients when they consult. If breast feeding is really important to you, you may want to wait until after you have had all your kids.

Lee Corbett, MD
www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

All posts on this blog are presented by Kentucky Breast Reduction surgeon, Dr. Lee Corbett

Do I need to massage my breasts after I get Implants?

Monthly Archives: July 2009