Dr. Hakki's feature inclusion in the May 10, 2010 issue of OK! Magazine in a story regarding celebrity plastic surgery trends.

Dr. Hakki was asked for his input regarding Demi Moore and Tori Spelling. Read all about it in the next OK! Magazine

Liposuction 101

For more information, please visit the Luxxery website at:

http://www.luxxery.com/body-plastic-surgery/liposuction.aspx 

Saddle bags, muffin tops, love handles, banana rolls, meetliposuction.  But, what techniqueshould you choose?  Liposuction,Tumescent Liposuction, Vaser Lipo System, Lipodissolve™, Smartlipo™, etc...  Read along and earn a few credit hoursas you embark on the road to eliminating bulging fat.

Liposuction

Traditional liposuction is a surgical procedure invented in 1974that involves anesthesia, an incision, a few hours to perform and several daysfor recovery.  Most importantly,liposuction is best performed by a board certified plastic surgeon and not yourdermatologist or your gynecologist. Liposuction is the actual physical removal of fat allowing for dramaticreduction in both circumference and body contouring.  Your surgeon inserts a metal tube, called a cannula, throughan incision in the skin and into the fatty area.  As your surgeon suctions, the unwanted fat is led to acontainer attached to a suction pump. Liposuction remains until today the gold standard to shrink specificareas of the body that do not respond to overall reduction in body weight and resultsof traditional liposuction remain better than any other technique whenperformed on the ideal patient.

Lipodissolve™

Also known as mesotherapy, lipolysis orlipostabil, Lipodissolve™ initially began in Italy in the 1980’s and hasrecently become available in the U.S. The procedure involves a series of injections with the promise ofmelting away unwanted small localized areas of fat.  The chemical cocktail used in the medicated injectionsvaries from doctor to doctor as well as the area to be treated. The mainingredient used in the cocktail, Phosphatidylcholine, is not approved by theFDA .  Phosphatidylcholine is asoybean extract, FDA-approved as an agent that breaks down blood fats but notas a substance for injection to promise fat melting.  Lipodissolve being a noninvasive procedure with thelikelihood of achieving no positive results is has no set regulations on who isallowed to perform it; it is an experimental procedure and has not received theendorsement of  the AmericanSociety of Plastic Surgeons.

Tumescent Liposuction

Liposuction was revolutionized in 1985 with the tumescenttechnique.  Tumescent liposuctioninvolves injecting a fluid, mostly a mixture of lidocaine, saline andepinephrine, to expand the fat compartment before cannula insertion.  This technique makes suction easier andmore effective, but mainly contributing to less bleeding and bruising andeliminating the need for general anesthesia.

Ultrasound &Laser Assisted Liposuction

Vaser Lipo System, Lipodissolve™, Smartlipo™, Ultra-Sculpt,Pro-Lipo, Lipolite, etc…are all new systems that include cannulas that emiteither ultrasound waves or laser wavelengths.  The purpose is to further liquefy fat prior to removal.  Keeping in mind that best results areachieved when the liquefied fat is suctioned out, the purported benefits to thepatient are that fat is easier to remove with less swelling and bruising.  While early ultrasound and laserassisted systems led to some side effects such as skin burns and nerve damage,I found that the third generation devices addressed these side effects.  These systems require multipletreatments performed within weeks or sometimes once a week, they can be thoughtof as popular adjuncts to traditional liposuction or post traditionalliposuction.  Both ultrasound andlaser assisted liposuction can be combined.

The gap between the dramatic results of liposuction and thesubtle results of the noninvasive, “skin smoothing” ultrasound or laserassisted liposuction gets even wider when the added cost of these new systemsis considered.  From a costperspective to the patient, the multiple sessions required with the noninvasiveapproach can add up to the cost of one traditional liposuction.

If you are overweight, you need a lifestyle change and notliposuction regardless of the technique used to perform the liposuction.  You may benefit from combo techniquessuch as liposuction and abdominoplasty (tummy-tuck) if you have excessivelyloose skin.  If you are notoverweight but have those unattractive lumps around your hips, thighs or buttocksthe liposuction is just what the doctor ordered.

So what’s a patient to do?

Do your research, be a well informed patient, set realisticexpectations and most importantly choose your experts wisely and then, be onyour way to perfect curves.

For more information on Breast Augmentation, please visit the Luxxery website at:

http://www.luxxery.com/breast-plastic-surgery/breast-augmentation.aspx 

To women in their 20s, 30s, 40s and even 50s, breast size isno small issue.  First comes thedecision to join the ranks of the “surgically endowed”, then comes the harderchoice of getting the size right.

With the abundance of preconceived negative ideas aboutelecting to have plastic surgery, to join or not to join the ranks of thesurgically endowed becomes an issue of self-esteem and plain humansexuality.  With the number ofwomen undergoing breast augmentation increasing in staggering percentages yearafter year, understanding the benefits that occur from undergoing breastaugmentation has been the subject of many studies. Numerous studies have beenconducted showing a direct correlation in the improvement of women’s selfesteem and sexual satisfaction and an absolute psychological improvementfollowing breast augmentation surgery. These studies show that patients seekingbreast augmentation merit respect, compassion and understanding instead ofdismissal and stereotyping.

Ideal patients are women who do not view plastic surgery andbreast augmentation as the end-all cure to their sexual afflictions and selfesteem.  An ideal plastic surgeon hasthe ability to screen patients with serious underlying psychological issues andelects not to operate on patients who feel that their life will completelychange after plastic surgery.  Thecombination of the ideal patient with the ideal plastic surgeon leads to whatthe doctor ordered, “Just the right size breast” from the first time.

Augmented breast have a spherical shape with an outwardprojecting areola and nipple, a rounded contour, narrow base with a wider cleavageand fullness on the top of the breast. Enhanced breast have a natural more youthful appearance when the size isright.  The one decision aboutbreast augmentation that often goes wrong is size.  A size satisfied patient is a patient who feels confidentabout her ability to evaluate her own plastic surgeon’s ability andadvice.  Factors such as the 34Cideal cup size stigma, ill advice from friends, the wrong surgeon or the wrongperception of the ideal final results can lead to dissatisfied patients. In mytwenty years of consulting patients in the field of plastic surgery, and in apractice with over two thousand satisfied breast augmentation patients, I havebeen able to accumulate a few pearls in order to help you get it right thefirst time on  “breast sizematters”:

1.    Let your body structure dictate the cup size andnot some celebrity chosen implant size. This is not a one size fits all matter.

2.    The implant size your best friend chose mightnot be the size you should blindly choose

3.    Talk with your surgeon about your goals and baseyour goals on your original breast size and shape

4.    Check out your surgeon’s own patients  beforeand after photos

5.    Check out the nuances that separate your plasticsurgeon from the next and make sure you like his philosophy towards yourprocedure, as well as his personal and professional profile

6.    Check out your surgeon’s artistic ability. Canhe or she draw or illustrate your procedure and your options or rely oncomputer generated images.  Aplastic surgeon with no artistic talent is like a painter with no brush.

7.    Get a breast sizing consultation and try ondifferent size implants or call us for our -at home pre-consultation kit-

8.    Most dissatisfied patients regret going toosmall, so whatever size you finally decide on, going a little larger will makeyou happier in the long run.

Interestingly enough, your breast implants come with amanufacturer’s warranty.  Ten yearsof financial assistance of up to $1200 for out of pocket fees and a life timeimplant replacement is the standard warranty with the two major breast implantmanufacturers.

So what’s a girl to do? Follow the above guidelines, do yourresearch, be a well informed patient, set realistic expectations and mostimportantly choose your experts wiselyand be on your way to perfect curves.