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Gauged Earlobe Repairs

Gauged Earlobe Repairs

More and more I am getting requests for closure of gauged earlobes. Many patients are entering the Military, where the rule is you cannot have a hole in the earlobe that you can see through. Others are just tired of wearing their gauges for a variety of reasons and are ready to ‘move on’.

The repair is done as an in-office procedure under local anesthesia. It usually takes about 15 minutes per ear. There is really no downtime after the procedure. You will have to have your sutures removed about a week later.

From the patient perspective, I think the procedure should be viewed as a reconstructive one. Depending of the size of the gauges, I am able to restore a normal appearance to the earlobe. However, it is unlikely that the lobes will be perfectly symmetric (see my last blog on symmetry) and there is a small scar left after the repair. The larger the gauges the more likelihood of more scarring and the greater chance for asymmetry. That being said, I have not had to revise any of the repairs due to patient dissatisfaction.

The cost for repair, assuming both ears are being treated, is typically $1000. I will occasionally lower that if the gauges were very small, but you should assume it will be $1000.

If you are interested in the procedure call our office at 502.721.0330 or you can contact us through our website at www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

Lee Corbett, MD

Medical Director, Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MedSpa

Perfect Symmetry…is it possible?

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges I face when operating on paired structures, usually breasts, is making both sides perfectly even. Why? Well, because if you divide the body into right and left sides, we are all uneven. It’s just the way we are made. So, creating identical breasts, via implants, a lift or reduction isn’t really possible. Think fraternal twins, not identical. Of course my goal is perfection every time, but some degree of asymmetry is always going to remain.

Lee Corbett, MD

Medical Director Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa.

Skin Care 101…Do you have the right products?

G-R-A-S-S : This is the acronym that one of our skin care lines, Skin Medica®, uses to remind us of the components everyone’s daily skin care regimen should include.

Grass breaks down this way…G: Growth Factors R: Retinols A: Anti oxidants S: Sunscreen S: Specialty products

Growth factors are proteins that are normally found in your skin. They are important because they help the skin repair and remodel itself, help prevent collagen breakdown, and prevent aging. The problem is levels tend to decrease as we age, which is when we need growth factors the most. Thus the prescription strength product lines such as SkinMedica® and SkinCeuticals® should be included in everyone’s skin care regimen to help replace this key to youthful skin.

Retinoids are derivatives of Vitamin A and are excellent exfoliants. They help rid you of the top layer of dead skin cells that lead to more fine lines and overall a more dull complexion. This not only leaves you with healthier, younger looking skin, it also allows your other skin care products to reach the healthy skin cells.

Anti-oxidants are very important in protecting your skin from environmental stresses like UVA light and pollution. Sun is probably the single most destructive external element that damages skin. As the skin is damaged the cells change and free radicals result within your cells causing oxidation. Anti-oxidants stop this process and protect the skin from the environment. Common examples of topical anti-oxidants include Vit. A, C and E which are found in many skin care lines.

Sunscreen is critical to any skin care regimen. Nothing is worse for your skin than excess sun exposure and tanning beds. UVA, which accounts for most of the sun’s rays, is the dominant cause of skin aging and even skin cancers. Protecting your skin from these damaging rays is essential.

Specialty Ingredients are the products that treat particular issues such as acne or things like hyper-pigmentation (brown spots)/melasma that tend emerge as a result of too much sun or hormone changes or pregnancy.

There are several prescription strength product lines that incorporate some or all of the components mentioned above. In our MediSpa, we have carefully chosen specific products from the SkinMedica®, SkinCeuticals®, NeoCutis® and Obagi® lines that we feel offer the best result for the best value. If you have any questions about your skin care feel free to contact our East Louisville office at 502-721-0330.

Lee Corbett, MD

Medical Director Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa

 

 

 

 

 

Which is better, SmartLipo or LipoLite?

We had a great week in the office and saw lots of new patients interested in Liposuction, specifically our SmartLipo™ Triplex laser liposuction option. I did have one patient ask about the difference between SmartLipo™ and LipoLite™ so I thought I would go over that on our blog.

The SmartLipo™ Triplex laser liposuction machine is the most powerful and technologically advanced, from a safety standpoint, laser liposuction machine available. From a performance standpoint, SmartLipo™ offers 3 lasers in one platform. The 1440nm laser targets fat cells and melts them more readily than any other laser wavelength. It also offers a 1060nm and a 1320nm wave length of lights which are blended to coagulate vessels, which minimizes bruising, and heats the under surface of the skin to tighten loose skin. The Triplex is also very powerful. It offers 46 watts of power which allows your surgeon to put a tremendous amount of energy, which translates into heat, into the fat for the tightening effect. The power allows for any size area to be treated from something as small as the area under the chin to the entire front of the abdomen.

With all of this power comes some very sophisticated safety technology. There are two safety features with SmartLipo™ that are unique. First, the laser wand that melts the fat and heats has a motion sensor built in. So if the laser wand is not moving, the laser will not fire. This prevents dents from being created and helps create a more smooth contour. It also has a thermometer built into the tip. While I want to heat up your skin, I don’t want it to get it too hot or a burn will result. So, the Smart Lipo wand is set so that the lasers will automatically shut down as the temp gets past 46º C which is the ‘magic temp’ for heating the dermis. No other laser lipo machine has these advantages.

The LipoLite™ is one laser, the 1060nm wavelength, and is intended for small isolated areas of fat. There are also no safety cutoffs to protect you from burns or contour problems.

So in the final analysis, these are two very different laser liposuction options with vastly different capabilities and safety features.

If you have questions about Laser Lipo please contact our office at 502.721.0330 or feel free to e mail my Aesthetic Coordinator, Misty, at [email protected]

Lee Corbett, MD

Medical Director, Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa

How do I make sure my breast augmentation looks natural? I want “natural”.

This is probably the most common theme I encounter when I meet a new patient who is considering an augmentation. Getting a natural result after a breast augmentation depends on two main factors. First, we have to take into consideration how much breast tissue you have to start with. Secondly, we have to think about what size implant you are considering.

So, lets look at your starting point. If you have no chest, I mean a small A cup, you will have a more round look than you may like. There’s just no way around it. The implants are round and if you have no tissue to cover the implant that’s what you will get. Now, you can opt for the Allergan 410 implants that are contoured. These will give a bit more natural shape as they have less upper pole fullness. The downside to these is price, they cost a lot, and they require a larger incision to place them. But they can help minimize that really round look. Now if you have any amount of breast tissue things get much much easier. Basically your breast will maintain it’s natural shape just more full. So if you pick an implant size that fits nicely behind your breast you will have a natural look.

Size. Size matters! I get a whole lot of women who come in and tell me they want to look ‘natural’ and then they chose this great big implant. You cannot, and I don’t care what your starting point is, you cannot put in a huge implant and look natural. It doesn’t work. You need to choose an implant that fits within your breast’s native boundaries. In other words, if your breast is 15cm wide, we need to stick with an implant that is 15cm or less. Then we need to find one with a volume that balances out your figure. Now, it’s ‘ok’ to get a little greedy. So say you really like a 375cc and the 400cc implant, then pick the 400cc one. The difference is minimal. In general, it takes about 150cc of implant to change a bra size so you can use this as a rough guide as you consider size.

Finally, both saline and silicone and smooth and textured implants can produce natural results. The factors above are much more important than implant type. UNLESS you are very very slender and have very small breasts. Then in my opinion a gel implant is the better choice due to its feel advantage.

Your best bet though is to let your plastic surgeon meet with you, examine you, and you explain your goals. Then together you can make the best implant choice for you.

Lee Corbett, MD
Medical Director of Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa

Tummy tuck or Liposuction? Which one do I need?

This might be one of the most common body contouring questions I answer. And the answer is really pretty straightforward…sometimes. So lets explore this one.

Basic issues:

Liposuction removes only fat, and if you choose SmartLipo, it will tighten skin.

Tummy Tucks remove skin and fatty tissue and tightens your muscles.

So, they are really very different operations and which is right for you depends on what your expectations are.  If you are looking for maximal tightening of your abdomen, a tummy tuck is the right choice. Now, with this comes an expanded procedure, more recovery, more downtime, more costs, but more result. Its a very powerful operation that produces very dramatic results.

I really like my Smart Lipo. In my opinion, this is truly the best option if you are considering lipo. It reduces the amount of pain, swelling, bruising, and overall recovery associated with lipo. Smart Lipo works by using lasers to both melt your fat cells and to heat the under surface of your skin to give a tightening effect. It is basically a “kinder, gentler” way to re-contour and it has the benefit of tightening your skin more than traditional lipo can.

Which option is best for you depends on your starting point and your goals/expectations.

Lee Corbett, MD, FACS

Member, American Society of Plastic  Surgeons

Certified, American Board of Plastic  Surgery

 

Can Liposuction help me lose weight and lower my blood pressure?

Over the weekend I had a good question posed about what liposuction can and cannot do. So, I thought I’d answer that question on my blog to help clear up some pretty common misconceptions about Liposuction.

First, there are several liposuction techniques. Tumescent lipo, ultrasoninc lipo both internal and external, and laser lipo such as the SmartLipo® technique that I prefer. Although all are a bit different, the end result of any of these techniques is a contouring or sculpting effect. Liposuction is a tool we use to remove fat that will  not go away with a reasonable amount of exercise and when maintaining a healthy diet. Common areas are under the chin, the back of the arms, bra line, tummy, love handles, inner and outer thighs or saddlebag area. The goal when treating any area is to bring that problem spot back into proportion with the rest of your figure. I compare it to a nail file. It is a tool we use to smooth out a “rough spot”.

Liposuction is NOT a way to lose weight. It will not lower your blood pressure. It will not lower your cholesterol, raise your HDL or lower your LDL. It will not help your diabetes. It is not a way to shrink yourself. Again, it is a sculpting tool that we use improve your shape and perhaps trim off a dress size of so by ridding you of a bulge on your tummy or hips for instance.

So why cant we use Lipo to just suck out 30 or 40 pounds of fat? Well, fat is not very dense as a tissue. Think of the “pound of feather, pound of lead” concept. Well, fat falls into the feathers category. It is not a very dense tissue so it takes a whole lot of fat to add up to even 5 pounds. Liposuction is a very safe procedure, in fact it is the second most commonly performed cosmetic surgery in this country behind breast augmentation. That is because Plastic Surgeons use it properly. We remove maybe 2 or 3 pounds of fat with a typical lipo case. In contrast, trying to remove 30 or 40 pounds of fat would NOT be safe and could lead to very serious complications. So the reality is that while removing a tummy bulge or saddlebags may change you a dress size or make your clothes fit a lot better, that’s not enough of a weight change to help with BP or cholesterol or diabetes.

Hope this explanation helps.

Lee Corbett, MD

Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa

Breast Augmentation Recovery…how long does it take to get better.

With Spring Break and the summer bathing suit season a few months away I am seeing the usual ‘Spring rush’ for breast augmentation, which is the most common cosmetic operation in the US. Recovery period is a common concern for the patients and so I wanted to go over so generalities about return to work, exercise, swelling etc..

The biggest determinants of recovery are 1) placement location 2) Implant size and 3) your starting point. Implants that are placed below the muscle lead to more recovery than above the muscle. When the muscle is lifted and manipulated it swells and gets sore. Under hurts more than over. Larger implants stretch your tissue out more and so the more stretch the more pain. And the final aspect is how tight your skin is to begin with. If you have had pregnancies and your skin has stretched it will feel much less tight than say an A cup woman who has never been pregnant. Again, more stretching means more discomfort.

So how long will you be sore? Well, assuming you go under the muscle as most people do, the first two or three days post op are the worst. These first few days you will need to use your pain meds and muscle relaxants. These will help a lot and keep you comfortable but the side effect is you will be groggy. You will be mobile and able to do basic day to day things but you will be sore if you try to do too much to soon. Most patients, if they have a  desk job, are able to get back to work within 5-7 days. If you have a job that involves heavier lifting, pushing, pulling etc…you might need several weeks to recover. As far a exercise, you can start some light aerobic stuff at 2 weeks, but start slow. Full bore exercise is probably more likely at the 4-6 week point or longer.

Bras and Bikinis. Do NOT run right out and buy a whole slew of new bras and bikinis! It takes at least 6-8 weeks to even start to see what your final size and shape will be. Go buy some inexpensive bras at first to ‘bridge the gap’ from where you started to your end result. Your surgeon will be able to tell you when you can go shopping based on your exam.

Considering Breast Augmentation? Check out our websites at www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com or www.KentuckyBreast.com

Lee Corbett, MD

www.kentuckybreast.com

Split Earlobe repair. What’s this entail?

Split earlobes are fairly common, particularly amongst the women who had their heyday back in the ’80’s when larger, heavier earrings were the style. A second wave is also starting to hit my office with all of the gauging of earlobes. While a gauge deforms the lobe shape more than a common split, the repair process is fundamentally the same.

So what does the repair involve? Well, it’s actually a pretty quick procedure. I do it in the office and use local anesthesia. So the split or gauge area is injected with lidocaine®. The lidocaine stings a little bit but this only lasts a matter of seconds. The area is numb almost immediately. We clean the ear off to sterilize the skin and then the repair is begun. You can’t sew skin to skin, it would separate the minute the sutures were taken out, so I need to cut away the skin that  lines the split or gauge. This literally takes about 20 seconds. Then the earlobe is sutured back together with a very fine stitch. You will have stitches on the front of the earlobe and on the back. Total repair time is usually 10 minutes or less and then you’re on your way!

Sutures come out in one week and you can re-pierce in 3 months.

Lee Corbett, MD

Medical Director Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa

Preparing for your plastic surgery consultation…

I met a very nice patient a few days ago and we had a very different but very fun type of consultation. She was a 40ish lady and wanted to know what could be done about her face. The thing is, she couldn’t really tell me what she didn’t like, she just knew she “looked older” and didn’t like that part. She wanted me to analyze her face and help her figure it out.

Sooooo…off I went and we broke down every aspect of her face from top to bottom. We found a couple of minor issues that were easily addressed with a little Botox® and a couple of syringes of filler and she left the office happy BUT with some homework before her next visit.

Her ‘homework’, and I would recommend this to anyone before their facial aging consultation, was to sit down in front of her makeup mirror and simply make a list of what she saw that she didn’t like. I also asked her to do this with a photo in hand of her when she was in her mid 20’s so she could compare and really see what changes had occurred.

If you can give your plastic surgeon a very specific, detailed list, we can offer a list of “fixes” starting from easiest/least complicated up to surgery and that way you can decide which approach you want to take.

Lee E. Corbett, MD

Corbett Cosmetic Aesthetic Surgery and MediSpa