February 7th, 2010
Don’t laugh. If you don’t look good in jeans because of your genes, getting that shapely figure may require cosmetic surgery
.
There are several surgical options for buttock sculpting and butt augmentation.
One option is to sculpt the shape of the buttocks with targeted liposuction and to add volume to the desired areas with fat micrografting.
Other options include buttock lifts with tissue augmentation – a popular option for people who have lost volume in that area because of weight loss. Buttock implants are also an option.
Most plastic surgeons will recommend the first option – liposculpting and fat injections, a procedure often called the “Brazilian butt lift.”
Tags: brazilian butt lift, buttock sculpting
February 1st, 2010
With all the marketing out there for different liposuction platforms, it’s easy to get mixed up about the different techniques.
First, all liposuction techniques are surgical procedures. Therefore, for your safety, it is critical to check the credentials of your surgeon and their board certification status.
Now, the liposuction performed by most plastic surgeons involves the tumescent technique. This procedure infiltrates (filling) the areas to be treated with a solution that helps constrict blood vessels and makes the fat cells more “swollen.” Doing this minimizes blood loss and facilitates aspiration (sucking out) of the excess fat.
Tags: tumescent liposuction
January 25th, 2010
Obagi Medical Products (OMP) says it will vigorously defend a lawsuit filed by a 
competitor alleging that the company has engaged in anti-competitive practices and other wrongful conduct. Beverly Hills based ZO Skin Health, a company founded by Dr. Zein Obagi, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking an injunction and damages against Obagi Medical. Specifically, the suit alleges that Obagi Medical interfered with the distribution of a new line of anti-aging products developed by ZO.
According to reports, OMP (a company also founded by Dr. Obagi but later sold to outside investors), contacted a would-be e-commerce distributor that was ready to do business with ZO, alleging that it had a valid non-compete agreement with the former owner. The suit alleges that this action interfered with the distribution of the new product line. Regarding the non-compete, ZO maintains that, unlike OMP’s products which are physician prescribed, its new line of anti-aging products are marketed directly to the consumer, thereby avoiding the restrictions of the non-compete agreement. ZO also believes that the non-compete clause is void and unenforceable under California law.
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Tags: obagi
January 24th, 2010
Plastic surgeons will often use different terms for the same procedure, causing confusion for prospective patients.
We’ve seen terms such as body lift, lower body lift, belt lipectomy, and circumferential body lift interchangeably used. Usually, for my patients who have lost a significant amount of weight, the first choice is a circumferential body lift = belt lipectomy = lower body lift. This procedure is 3 procedures all in one:
1. tummy tuck
2. waist/lateral thigh lift
3. buttock lift +/- buttock augmentation
These procedures require about 5 hrs of surgery and an overnight stay at our Houston practice.
Tags: Body Lift
January 20th, 2010
A reader on RealSelf.com asks, “Will smoking as little as 2 or 3 cigarettes a day have an effect on 
my Tummy tuck?”
The answer is yes. Smoking greatly increases the risk of complications after your tummy tuck. Problems you definitely want to avoid can occur: poor healing, incisions opening up, skin necrosis, and more.
In fact, Dr. Basu will not perform a tummy tuck (an elective procedure) in an active smoker. He makes sure his patients have been tobacco free 4-6 weeks before surgery. We also perform a urine nicotine test to make sure the effects of the nicotine are gone.
It’s often hard to kick the habit, so we also recommend that a smoker see their primary care physician to get formal assistance with smoking cessation programs.
As you probably know, quitting is not only important for your tummy tuck, it’s good for you anyway. Smokers should consider cessation the first step towards a flatter tummy.
Tags: smoking, Tummy Tuck
January 18th, 2010
The latest plastic surgery news appears to be following a “do-it-on-a-budget” trend, 
which is understandable given the economic environment. However, safety should always be priority one – that’s the other lesson in the news that seems to repeat itself.
Patients are learning to prioritize their treatments, while surgeons are offering financing and even money back guarantees, says the LA Times.
Minimally invasive procedures are way up, not only because they’re priced lower, but because some of them are just plain effective. What are the most-cost-effective procedures right now?
People in North Texas are doing scary things to save money on cosmetics. Some are buying generic injectables and administering them at home with instruction via youtube. DIY Plastic Surgery? No thanks.
Of course, while the rest of the world is pinching pennies, celebrities are getting ten cosmetic surgery procedures in a single day.
January 11th, 2010
On Saturday, a broadcast of Sirius Doctor Radio featured a program called The Dean’s List: A Decade in 
Medicine, discussing the major medical breakthroughs that occurred during the past decade. Host Dr. Andrew Brotman and other physicians discussed them in depth and some of them were directly related to plastic surgery.
Along with the procedure, drug, and medical discovery of the decade, The Surgery of the Decade was “Minimally Invasive,” including advanced techniques that utilize “smaller incisions, laparoscopes, robotics and computer-aided surgery.”
Cosmetic procedures like TUBA breast augmentation, the endoscopic brow lift and others would fall into this category
Tags: endoscopic, tuba
January 7th, 2010
Scientists in Australia are hoping it can as they research an incredible new procedure that may facilitate breast redevelopment after a mastectomy. If the procedure is proven successful, it could replace breast reconstruction with implants.
The procedure is said to stimulate regenerative growth of breast tissue, and trials are set to begin – with real human patients – in less than 6 months.
How it Works
A biodegradable chamber is placed within the chest, containing stem cells obtained from the patient’s own fatty tissue. As the cells divide and grow, the natural fat of the breast is recreated.
Phillip Marzella from the Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery, told ABC radio that the trials were “a proof of principle trial with about five to six women just to demonstrate that the body can re-grow its own fat supply in the breast.”
It may take several years to fully develop this procedure, but scientists are optimistic about its potential to replace the current procedures in breast reconstruction, which use saline or silicone breast implants to recreate the breast after mastectomy. The science of breast reconstruction seems to be progressing rapidly in recent years, causing some writers to say we are “winning the war on breast cancer.”
January 4th, 2010
In Houston, we all like to start the New Year on a positive note. Many of us take stock of what we’ve accomplished and focus on aspects of our life we hope to improve. If time has etched lines, wrinkles and grooves into your face, finding a solution may be near the top of your self-improvement wish list. BOTOX to the rescue!
By now, you probably know that BOTOX is a highly diluted form of the botulinum toxin used to correct certain facial lines and wrinkles. FDA-approved in 2002, BOTOX injections may be the single most popular non-surgical procedure to reduce or eliminate facial lines, wrinkles and grooves.
Wrinkles emerge over time
Crow’s feet, lines and even deep grooves appear on our faces over the years, the result of our natural expressiveness, lifestyle habits, and the tendency to move our facial muscles in habitual ways. For instance, you may squint a lot (when you’re concentrating, when you’re worried, when the sun is bright, or when you are trying to focus your vision.) As the years go by, this repetitive motion begins to carve lines in your face and can eventually result in a permanent expression of worry or intense concentration.
We frequently notice these facial lines and wrinkles on friends and strangers alike. At times, we also find ourselves looking at someone and wondering, “Why is she so angry?” or “Why is he so uptight and stressed?” We’re talking about that vertical line that runs down the center of the forehead: one of the most obvious facial flaws, in otherwise attractive men and women.
Why BOTOX?
BOTOX injections are a quick and cost-effective way to improve your looks. Performed by a highly experienced hand, the results are truly gratifying, softening the appearance of common lines and wrinkles:
- Around the eyes (crow’s feet)
- On the forehead (both vertical and horizontal lines and creases)
- Around the mouth (smile lines)
For days after BOTOX is administered, you will look in the mirror and continue to see increased improvement in your face as the treatment reaches its full effect. BOTOX requires only local anesthesia, if any at all. The procedure effectively blocks signals relayed between certain nerves and muscles, causing a temporary paralysis in specific facial muscles.
After Botox treatment, you’ll still be able to smile, frown, and make normal facial expressions. BOTOX generally lasts 4-6 months before it needs to be replenished. Over time, many of our patients notice that their facial wrinkles continue to diminish even when they have BOTOX treatments less often. It almost seems to “train” the muscles to be more relaxed, resulting in a more serene, pleasing image as time goes by.
You only have one face
A word of caution: You may have heard about “BOTOX parties,” where the treatment is administered to a group of women in someone’s home. We strongly recommend that you avoid this route. You only have one face. Don’t place it in the hands of someone whose knowledge of facial anatomy may be insufficient. Just because someone can inject BOTOX doesn’t mean he or she can do it properly or with an eye trained to give the best aesthetic result. A trained plastic surgeon will administer the treatment with your very own unique face taken into consideration. The only BOTOX party worth attending is the one done safely in our Houston office.
If you are between age 18 and 65, are not pregnant, nursing or living with a muscular disorder, you’re probably a good candidate. Talk to us about BOTOX and start the New Year on a brighter, more attractive note. We’ve got Botox appointments available in Cypress, The Woodlands, at our Medical Center office, and Sugar Land.
Tags: botox, crows feet, wrinkles
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