Considering breast aug or fillers? You need to know about biofilm!
Like movies? Biofilm is the most important film you’ve never heard of! Biofilm is the technical name for the slime that bacteria secrete. It’s a problem in the case of breast implants and fillers. We generally worry about blatant infections from bacteria but in the case of implants and fillers, biofilm can cause problems other […]
Smokers and Surgery
Courtesy Getty Images. As a plastic surgeon I require patients to stop smoking before their cosmetic surgery. Since the surgery is elective, I can delay their surgery in case they continue to smoke. Check smokers’ compliance There are urine and blood tests that can screen for the by-products of nicotine to ensure compliance. While […]
Do I need a foley catheter for my surgery? [video]
While it’s normal to be squeamish about a foley catheter, it’s actually a very important device. For those that don’t know, a foley catheter is a silicone tube placed into the bladder to measure urine output. Many think it’s just for bed-ridden patients that can’t get up to go to the bathroom. But it serves […]
Are your surgeon’s hands clean?!
The building where I work just installed Dyson Airblades, like this one, in the bathrooms. While we use hand sanitizer and paper towels in our own office, I was curious if these Airblades made a difference. Once I started doing some research, I learned they do make a difference but for all of the wrong […]
Strange plastic surgery requests
Do you split tongues? Can you place my foreskin back on my penis? What about injecting fillers into the balls of my feet so I have more cushion in high heels? Can you remove the hole from my navel piercing now that I don’t want it pierced anymore? These are some of the strange plastic […]
Preoperative Clearance Before Cosmetic Surgery
During a consultation for a cosmetic procedure, we ask patients about their medical history. Diabetes. High blood pressure. Medications. If they have more than one major medical illness, we require preoperative clearance from their primary doctor or cardiologist. The patients, at least lately, are taken aback and aggravated that there’s another hoop they have to […]
Did the 5th Vital Sign Lead to Opioid Addiction?
For those of you not in the medical field, there are typically four vital signs the nurse or doctor takes of the patient: blood pressure, respirations, heart rate and temperature. But in 1996, the American Pain Society coined the phrase, the 5th vital sign, which is pain. The only problem is that while the first […]
Cosmetic Surgery is Real Surgery
It’s natural to assume that cosmetic surgery isn’t “real” surgery. After all, it’s not heart surgery, it’s just cosmetic. While that’s true that the underlying reason for cosmetic surgery isn’t necessary surgery, the surgery gods don’t really care. Regardless of the necessity of surgery, surgery is still surgery…with the same ensuing risks. Medical History […]
What Botox will and will not do!
After talking to one of my nurses the other day, she pointed out how many of her friends have an inaccurate view of what Botox does. Often times, they seem to think that any “botched” or bad plastic surgery is due in part to Botox! Let’s set the record straight. BOTOX® Cosmetic, or its […]
Brazilian Butt Lift with Implants vs Fat [video]
With the recent rise in interest for the Brazilian Butt Lift, many questions come to mind. What makes it Brazilian? Should I use implants or use my own fat? Those answers and more will be answered below. Thanks to Kim Kardashian and J. Lo., everyone wants a fuller derriere. Regardless of what anyone thinks, […]