Author: Plastic Surgery Group

It seems like everywhere we look lately, people are talking about SculpSure! We’re excited to host a SculpSure open house on October 18th to share the amazing procedure with Memphis.

With state-of-the-art technology, fast results, and zero downtime, SculpSure is a simple and effective attachment system that permanently eliminates stubborn fat comfortably and quickly. One treatment only takes 25 minutes! The patented technology targets fat cells under the skin with such precision that a single procedure can permanently destroy up to 24% of treated fat for seriously impressive fat reduction.

So don’t miss our upcoming SculpSure open house! On October 18th, we’re opening our doors from 4:30-7:00 p.m. to anyone interested in SculpSure. Everyone who attends will receive $200 off their first and second SculpSure sessions if paid for at the event.

We’ll also be raffling awesome prizes, from half-off treatments to free laser sessions to free ZO products. There will be live demonstrations and refreshments available as well! RSVP soon to save your spot and lock in special one-night pricing only.

Start holiday season off right by trimming that tummy and losing those love handles! Call our experienced Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis team today at 901-761-9030. The sooner you RSVP, the sooner you’ll be on your way to learning about all the benefits SculpSure has to offer you. We can’t wait to see you there!

Have you ever felt frustrated by a lack of progress in fat reduction, even when you’re eating well and exercising regularly? It can be disappointing to spend hours counting calories and doing cardio only to find stubborn lumps and bumps that refuse to budge. Tummies and thighs, hips and bottoms – there are some areas that seem determined to hang onto every pound! While liposuction is often an option, many of us would prefer a non-invasive approach that requires no surgery and no downtime. Introducing SculpSure!

SculpSure is a procedure that uses cutting-edge technology to target fat cells under the skin with precision, giving you impressive results in as little as six weeks. Because SculpSure is non-invasive, there’s no surgery, which means no recovery time. Not only that, but due to its precise targeting, it gives you the fat reduction you’re looking for in significantly less time than other treatments.   

How exactly does SculpSure work? To put it in simple terms, it targets, disrupts, and melts fat cells under the skin. These damaged cells are then absorbed, and over a few weeks, your body will remove the melted fat. The procedure itself is a breeze — your provider here at the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis will apply the SculpSure applicator over the desired treatment area. The applicators are flexible and non-suctioning, able to treat larger areas and areas that are flat or convex. Because your tissue isn’t being suctioned into a device, SculpSure is significantly more comfortable than other treatments. In fact, it’s such a straightforward procedure that it can even be done on your lunch break!

Wondering if SculpSure is right for you? It’s ideally suited for patients with stubborn fat deposits on the abdomen and flanks (love handles) with a BMI of less than 30, as well as patients who don’t want or can’t have surgery or any recovery downtime. It’s a comfortable and well-tolerated treatment with most patients feeling nothing more than a slight warming sensation, so it’s a great choice for those with a lower pain tolerance or fear of painful procedures. SculpSure also leaves less deep-tissue scarring than other treatments since melted fat is easier for the body to remove. In fact, SculpSure can even help improve irregular areas left over from previous liposuction procedures. 

SculpSure is fast becoming a patient favorite, thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, fast results, and zero downtime. The simple and effective attachment system also gets bonus points — one treatment only takes 25 minutes! Because SculpSure is simple, quick, and painless, we’re finding this procedure to be in very high demand. If you find yourself struggling with stubborn fat you just can’t shift, get in touch with us today for a SculpSure consultation.

Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis is one of the first to offer SculpSure technology, and our experienced and caring staff would love to talk with you about all the benefits it has to offer. Call today, or click here to set up your consultation. We look forward to helping you be your best you!

Crystal Hefner, Hugh Hefner’s current wife, was in the news recently for electing to have her massive breast implants removed.  Now, most plastic surgeons don’t keep track of Playboy Bunnies’ implant status, but Ms. Hefner’s contention that she was being “slowly poisoned by her implants” has caught the profession’s attention.  Cosmetic breast augmentation is performed to make the woman happy, so if they no longer please her, no one would criticize her.  However, if a prominent woman chooses to remove her implants for irrational reasons and goes public with her decision, it may adversely influence other women’s decisions.  Crystal Hefner decided to have her implants removed after reading on Facebook that other women with aches and pains, fatigue, allergies, and thyroid dysfunction attributed their symptoms to breast implants.  In 2012 Crystal announced she had the same symptoms that she then said were caused by chronic Lyme disease, even though she could not recall ever having been bitten by a tick.

Forget the numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers evaluating thousands of women that proved that there was no association between the presence of breast implants and any collagen vascular or autoimmune disease.  Forget the findings of the Institute of Medicine confirming that silicone breast implants do not pose an increased risk of cancer or autoimmune diseases.  Why should well-controlled medical studies be given more weight than the musings of Facebook followers? 

Crystal Hefner thinking brings to mind Jenny McCarthy, the adult film actress who has a son with autism.  In spite of the volumes of scientific studies showing no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) and autism, Ms. McCarthy and her fellow anti-vaxxers continue to believe that the vaccine their children received caused their autism. 

People are free to make their own medical decisions-informed or not.  They should not allow their celebrity to influence other people to make uniformed choices.  This would include removing breast implants that are not causing them any harm.

We wish Crystal Hefner the best of health.

Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis is pleased to announce that we are now offering SculpSure noninvasive fat reduction.  SculpSure, a laser from leading manufacturer, Cynosure, has been shown in studies to reduce fat in treated areas by as much as 24%.  Treatments are quick taking only 25 minutes and require no anesthesia.  In less than the time it takes other noninvasive devices to treat one love handle, SculpSure can treat both.

As plastic surgeons, Plastic Surgery Group doctors can tell you whether your best option would be noninvasive fat reduction, liposuction, or a tummy tuck.  Unlike gynecology, dermatology, Ear Nose and Throat doctors, or medi-spas, our broad training and expertise allow us to tailor the treatment to the patient’s issues and needs.

After SculpSure treatment it take 6-12 weeks to see the maximal improvement.  Treatments can be repeated after 6 weeks to achieve additional fat reduction.  Abdominal fat, love handles, bra rolls, and thigh bulges can all be treated with no downtime and no anesthesia.  The results are permanent.

What are you waiting for?  Call (901) 761-9030 today to schedule your SculpSure consult with one of our plastic surgeons and get a step closer to having the body you always wanted.

 

In April 2016, Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis plastic surgeon, Dr. Ellis Tavin, joined nine of his colleagues from the South and Midwest and five residents to lobby Congress on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Although cheap unregulated Chinese breast implants were not on the agenda (where was Donald Trump when we needed him), issues of importance to doctors and patients were. The two plastic surgeons from Tennessee met with aides to Senators Alexander and Corker, aides to Congressmen Fincher and Cooper, and member of Congress Marsha Blackburn.

(Memphis and Nashville
Plastic Surgeons Ellis Tavin and Kye Higdon meet with Member of Congress Marsha
Blackburn)

Among the issues we discussed were the need for additional funding to increase the number of residents being trained to be doctors. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 froze the number of residents while the US population has continued to grow and age. This has created a doctor shortage affecting all specialties.

The ability of Ambulatory Surgery Centers to continue to provide quality outpatient surgery procedures at a lower cost than hospitals was also a concern. We lobbied for cost of living adjustments for the surgery centers to be based on the same formula used for the hospitals.

Our meeting with Congresswoman Blackburn went over the scheduled 30-minute time frame as she used the opportunity to hear first-hand examples of how problems such as opioid abuse and government regulations were affecting the health of Tennesseans.

We must thank the ASPS and their lobbying firm, Hart Health Solutions, for arranging the appointments and briefing us. We otherwise could not have gotten so many meetings in done in one day. We are also grateful that we as Americans have the right to lobby our members of Congress. That day in the halls of the House and Senate office buildings we encountered long-haul truckers, Pizza Hut franchisees, osteopathic students, and people with disabilities exercising their Constitutional rights to petition Congress.

The use of fat to add or restore lost volume has become increasingly popular in plastic surgery. Fat grafting is used to improve the results of breast reconstruction where hollow areas may exist just beyond an implant. 

Transferring fat to the buttocks (Brazilian Butt Lift) provides a safer alternative to buttock implants for achieving a shapelier behind with the added benefit of removing excess fat where it is unwanted. Fat is also used as a permanent alternative to dermal fillers for facial folds and hollows.

History of Fat Grafting

Sidney Coleman, a New York City plastic surgeon, can be credited with developing principles that have made fat grafting successful.

Coleman recommended that the grafts be small (1-2 mm in diameter), and spread within surrounding fat or muscle so that they can gain blood supply and be introduced from more than one direction to produce a smoother result. Fat grafting now produces results that are permanent, soft, and look natural.

How Does Fat Grafting Work?

To successfully add volume, the transferred fat must be separated from the liquid used to harvest it. How effectively this is done varies among surgeons so that 500cc of concentrated fat transferred by one plastic surgeon can not be compared with 500cc of watery fat transferred by another. 

The patient’s body will absorb the liquid that is not removed during the surgical procedure within a few days, making the initial results seen with watery fat only temporary.

FDA Proposed Regulations on Fat Grafting

Unfortunately, this safe, widely performed procedure is now under threat from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed regulations. Largely in response to unscrupulous doctors who are claiming miracle-like results from stem cell treatments and platelet rich plasma, fat grafting is getting ensnared within the government regulators attempt to stop the “snake-oil salesmen.”. 

The FDA has proposed that if the patient’s cells are more than minimally processed, the cells being transferred will be considered a drug and the operating room subject to the same degree of scrutiny as drug manufacturers, such as Pfizer and Merck.

In addition, the FDA plans to institute strict oversight if the cells transferred to a new area serve a different function that the recipient location. They are defining fat as structural, but the female breast as purely an organ that produces milk. 

Plastic Surgeons in Support of Fat Grafting

Any plastic surgeon who performs breast procedures can attest that female breasts are composed of primarily fat cells in which are dispersed islands of glandular cells, which during brief periods in a woman’s life, will produce milk. 

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons will be testifying at the FDA hearings currently scheduled for September 2016. Check back to see if the ASPS prevails or if a procedure that is safe when performed by trained plastic surgeons gets regulated out of existence.

In the 19th century, purveyors of snake oil elixirs purported their potions would treat a variety of complaints. Rheumatism, kidney issues, and even “female problems’ were all treatable by these cure-all potions.

The creation of the FDA (Pure Food and Drug Act 1906) under President Teddy Roosevelt should have put an end to such unsupported medical claims that defrauded the consumer. Yet today modern scientific terminology is being used to market creams and even invasive procedures without scientific studies to prove they work.

The Truth About Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is being touted as a fountain of youth. Platelets are cells produced in the bone marrow that are essential in forming blood clots. PRP is derived by drawing a patient’s blood and spinning it in a centrifuge to separate the portion containing the platelets. There is no requirement to check the actual concentration of platelets in the PRP. 

Procedures developed by an internist in Alabama, (who was previously cited by the Alabama Board of Medicine for improperly prescribing estrogen and thyroid hormone) use PRP injections to perform nonsurgical face-lifts, breast lifts, and treat both “male and female problems”. 

Taking a page from the snake oil salesmen (snake oil was also called “patent medicine”), the creator of the “P” (PriapusTM) shot for male enhancement, “O-shotTM” (Orgasm) for vaginal dysfunction, the Vampire Breast LiftTM, and Vampire Face-LiftTM has trademarked the terms. He then sells licenses to doctors, nurses, or others to use the names for PRP injections for $997 (to join the American Cosmetic Cellular Medicine Association which he created) along with a $97 monthly fee. For a mere additional $4897 the doctor or nurse can learn the technique directly from the creator himself in a 1½-day course.

So how do these “procedures” work? Quoting from the inventor’s website (vampirebreastlift.com), “first the injector (1) isolates growth factors from the patient’s blood (italics in the original). (2) When these growth factors enter the breast (injected by the physician), then multi-potent stem cells become activated to grow new tissue. This new tissue includes collagen, new fatty tissue (for smoothness), and new blood vessels (for a healthy glow). These growth factors work like magic to cause increased collagen & new blood flow. (3) Injecting the Magic into Your Breast…These growth factors then activate multipotent stem cells already in the skin.”

FDA Regulations to Come

The FDA has announced that the era of unregulated and unsubstantiated claims for stem cells is coming to an end. The Agency is holding hearings in April 2016 to develop new regulations to protect patients from practitioners who use scientific terms to lure unwary consumers.

With April 15th rapidly approaching, it seems appropriate to discuss the deductibility of some types of plastic surgery. First a disclaimer: we are plastic surgeons, not accountants. Please consult your tax advisor before taking any deductions for plastic surgery based on information provided in this article.

Medical Expenses Tax Deduction

 

According to IRS Publication 502, in order to deduct medical expenses they “must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness. They do not include expenses that are merely beneficial to
general health, such as vitamins or a vacation.” (On the last point, see our blog on medical tourism). So any money expended to cover a medical insurance deductible is tax deductible.

Plastic Surgery Tax Deduction

 

There are some plastic surgery operations where the individual might not meet insurance company criteria and hence may not be paid for by the patient’s insurance. Chief among these is probably breast reduction surgery for a woman with back pain secondary to large breasts. Insurance companies set their own rules including weight of breast tissue that needs to be removed based on a woman’s height and weight. If
a woman with back, neck, or shoulder pain had to pay for breast reduction surgery out of pocket, she should be able to deduct the cost of the surgery on her tax form.

Now what about cosmetic plastic surgery? According to the IRS “you cannot include in your medical expenses the amount you pay for unnecessary cosmetic surgery”. Examples that Publication 502 frowns upon include “face lifts, hair transplants, hair removal (electrolysis), and liposuction.” However, medical expenses for cosmetic surgery do pass muster with the IRS if “it is necessary to improve a deformity arising from or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from and accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease.

Then there is the case that has reached epic proportions (pun intended). Cynthia S. Hess, a “self employed professional entertainer and exotic dancer”, known by the stage name, “Chesty Love”, underwent implantation
of custom-made silicone breast implants that increased her bust size to 56N (not a misprint). She attempted to depreciate the cost of her implants on Schedule C of her 1040 as a reasonable and necessary “stage prop”.

The United States Tax Court (Docket No. 11036-92S) in 1994 ruled in favor of Ms. Love stating that “her freakishly large breasts” were “part of her costume.” Whereas clothing, hearing aids, and personal
grooming, even when they help promote one’s business are not depreciable as they benefit the individual, getting 56N size breasts was not done for “the convenience, comfort, or the economy of the individual in pursuing [her] business”. It seems then, that in the eyes of the IRS – you either go big or go home.

In August 2015, a retired fire fighter who had previously undergone multiple facial reconstruction surgeries while at the Elvis Presley Burn Unit of the Regional One Medical Center in Memphis, TN, received a full-face transplant. The plastic surgeons at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City performed the most extensive face transplant to date, replacing all skin and facial muscles from scalp to neck on the 41 year-old man who sustained his injuries while in a burning house. 

About two dozen face transplants have been performed worldwide in the decade since the first partial face replacement was performed in France on a woman whose nose and lips were bitten off by her own dog.

A Plastic Surgeon Pioneer in Transplantation

Most people are probably unaware of the leading role plastic surgeons have played in the development of the field of transplantation. In 1954 plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Murray, performed the first kidney transplant. He transferred a healthy organ from a man whose identical twin was dying from kidney failure. In the days before DNA testing, Dr. Murray compared the brothers’ fingerprints to insure they were identical and would not suffer immune system rejection. 

Murray had become interested in the possibility of transplanting organs while treating burned soldiers during WWII. He noted that cadaver skin, used to replace burned skin, would survive for 8-10 days before it would “melt around the edges”. At the time, the possibility of organ transplantation was deemed impossible so that Murray’s research at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now called Brigham and Women’s) was “considered a fringe project”. 

Although the initial transplants were performed in identical twins, Joseph Murray and his team continued their research until they were able to achieve their goal of using “tissue from a dead person to save a human life”. Dr. Murray was awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1990 for his pioneering work in organ transplantation.

Where Plastic Surgery and Transplants Overlap

Plastic surgeons along with orthopedic surgeons now perform hand transplants almost routinely so that the Mayo Clinic advertises its hand transplant services on Google. Life saving transplants of kidneys, hearts, lungs, livers, and other organs have become standard practice at many major medical centers. 

New frontiers are opening up with the first uterus transplant performed at the Cleveland Clinic this month and a team of plastic surgeons and urologists at Johns Hopkins preparing for the first penis transplant on a veteran maimed by a bomb.

Many of us develop spots on our skin that we do not like. Here at the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis, we have non-surgical skin care treatments available to remove these blemishes leaving no (or virtually no) trace. Before we talk about treatment though, let’s go over the different types of spots that might appear on your skin. 

Cherry Angiomas

Red spots, called cherry angiomas, are benign, flat or slightly raised growths that appear primarily on the trunk of your body. They may appear alone or in multiples, and cherry angiomas have a tendency to run in families.

Venous Lakes and Spider Veins

Blue spots, called venous lakes, are dilated superficial veins. Spider veins (telangiectasias) are thread-like dilated capillaries or small veins. Facial telangiectasias are often associated with a condition called rosacea.

Freckles

Brown spots, called lentigos, are commonly known as freckles. Freckles run in families and usually increase in number in response to sun exposure.

Skin Care Treatments Available

Our skin care experts here at the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis can address any of these spots with the Lumenis Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). This device functions similarly to a laser, but has broader applications because it contains multiple wavelengths. It is as if there were multiple lasers in one box. The laser nurse selects the wavelength that targets the color of the spot to be treated by inserting a specific filter into the hand piece.

Schedule a Skin Care Consultation

To schedule a consultation with our laser nurse, Carla Mask, call (901) 756-3838. Remember – spots are for leopards- so shed your spots today!