Month: October 2015

Both women and men have areas on their bodies where they would rather not have hair grow. Options for hair removal include waxing, shaving, and depilatory creams – all of which provide only temporary results.

There are two treatments that can offer permanent results: electrolysis and laser. Both treatments provide permanence by disabling hair follicles preventing hair regrowth. Electrolysis works by providing an electric shock one hair follicle at a time.

This painful method is preferable when there are only a few stray hairs or when the hairs are white or gray. When an area has many hairs that have color (blond, brown, red, or black), lasers are the most efficient and effective treatment.

What is Hair Reduction?

Before we proceed we need an explanation of terminology. The FDA uses the term “permanent hair reduction” instead of “permanent hair removal” because lasers can disable only those hair follicles that are in the early growth phase called anagen. Since only about 1/3 of hairs in any area are in anagen at any one time, multiple treatments are needed.

It is possible in some patients that in spite of a course of treatments, there may still be a hair or two that regrows – hence the term reduction rather than removal.

So how does laser hair reduction work? The hair shaft absorbs the light of a specific wavelength causing heating of the hair follicle. Skin contains two substances that compete with the hair to absorb the laser light: skin color (melanin) and blood (hemoglobin).

Memphis Laser Hair Reduction

The Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis has just acquired a hair reduction laser, the LightSheer by Lumenis that manages the “competition”. The LightSheer hand piece gently draws up and stretches the skin. This draws the hair follicle closer to the light source, temporarily reduces the concentration of melanin contain cells, temporarily pushes hemoglobin out from under the skin surface, all while providing light anesthesia. 

The large size of the hand piece allows faster treatment. For additional information regarding the lasers, click here for the Lumenis website.

Men and women of all skin tones can have laser hair reduction using the lasers available at the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis. The speed and minimal discomfort of the LightSheer permits many areas to be treated that previously were not options, such as men’s backs and beards, and women’s underarms and bikini areas.

If you want to break free from the routine of shaving and waxing, make an appointment for a laser hair reduction consult today.

On the October 13 episode of E! Entertainment Television’s plastic surgery reality show, “Botched”, Drs. Dubrow and Nassif saw a woman who had “E” cup sized breasts after augmentation. She said she had sought treatment of her saggy breasts 4 years prior.

The plastic surgeon this woman visited inserted very large breast implants, advising that they would lift her breasts. She was unhappy with the results because now her breasts are so large that they fall out of her clothes and yet they still droop. Dr. Dubrow correctly stated that using bigger implants to treat ptosis (droop) never works.

If you are unfamiliar with the show “Botched”, the premise is that Dr. Terry Dubrow (a plastic surgeon) and Paul Nassif (an ENT/facial plastic surgeon) are sought out by people who are displeased with the results of other doctors’ work. Between consultations the “Botched” repair doctors chitchat about their exercise routines and attire. For reasons that are not clear, the ENT doctor gets to watch while the plastic surgeon examines women’s breasts (must be a clause in his contract).

What Can a Breast Lift do?

Dr. Dubrow correctly advised the unhappy, over-augmented 32-year old DJ that sagging breasts need a breast lift (mastopexy). Giant implants alone will not fix the problem and if anything may make it worse. The breast tissue will now sag over the implant.

Dr. Dubrow went on to remove the large implants, insert smaller ones (the show does take place in Beverly Hills after all), and perform a breast lift. The patient was happy with her smaller (D cup-see above re: location of show), perky breasts.

Memphis Breast Augmentation Procedures

At the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis, we perform breast lifts, breast augmentations, and breast lifts combined with augmentations. Schedule your consultation to discuss how we can make you feel happier about the appearance of your breasts. You can rest assured there will not be an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor looking over our shoulders.

The “Angelina Effect” on Breast Cancer Reconstruction

A study from Austria just published in the journal Cancer shows that women’s awareness of breast reconstruction increased after actress Angelina Jolie announced in May 2013 that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy and reconstruction. Ms. Jolie carries the BRCA1 gene which gives her a 60-80% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

The researchers from the Medical University of Graz (Austria) had fortuitously surveyed 1000 women about their knowledge of breast reconstruction one month before Angelina Jolie’s announcement. Realizing the educational potential of the media focus on a celebrity’s breast cancer and reconstruction, they conducted a poll of another 1000 one month later.

In the first prospective study of the media’s influence on the public’s breast cancer knowledge, they found that the percentage of women who knew that reconstruction was an option after mastectomy increased from 88.9 to 92.6. The awareness that reconstruction can be performed at the same time as mastectomy increased an even larger percentage from 40.5  to 59.5.

Breast Reconstruction in the U.S.

In the United States, federal law mandates that breast reconstruction after mastectomy, including surgery on the opposite breast for symmetry, be covered by health plans. We have encountered Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) policies that do not cover preventative mastectomies to reduce a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Reconstruction after partial mastectomy (lumpectomy) was not specifically required by the 1998 law passed by Congress, so some insurers cover that surgery while others do not.

Breast reconstruction surgery is available to Mid-South breast cancer patients through the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis. If you are interested in learning more about your options with mastectomy surgery, please contact us for a breast reconstruction consultation.