Will a Tummy Tuck Remove Stretch Marks?

For many people, stretch marks are a part of life. They occur when the dermis is stretched and torn, which can occur as we grow during puberty or as we experience fluctuations in weight. Particularly after pregnancy, many women experience these stretch marks. Unfortunately, there is no proven treatment that will completely remove these marks without excision. Other stretch mark removal methods usually just help improve the appearance of scarring, and do not actually remove the scar.

For women who experience stretch marks from pregnancy, a tummy tuck in Los Angeles can remove stretch marks below the belly button my removing excess or loose skin. But stretch mark removal certainly is not the only benefit of a tummy tuck. In addition, the procedure tightens loose abdominal muscles and can be combined with liposuction to remove unwanted fat in the midsection.

I’ve seen many women who feel self-conscious about their stretch marks and are looking for a solution that actually works. For now, stretch marks on the belly can be removed successfully with a tummy tuck, and I hope that sometime soon a less-invasive approach to stretch mark removal is developed.

Tags: tummy tuck los angeles
Posted in Tummy Tuck

Tummy Tuck: Not a Weight Loss Method

A tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that can help remove excess fat and skin around the midsection. This procedure is helpful for contouring the body as well as tightening the underlying muscles of the abdomen. Tummy tucks are particularly popular among mothers who experience sagging or excess skin around the midsection following pregnancy. But while a tummy tuck can help Los Angeles women and men improve the shape of their bodies, it is not meant to be a substitute for eating a proper, healthy diet or exercising regularly. In fact, it is helpful for those considering the procedure to be close to their ideal body weight beforehand.

Some common benefits of a tummy tuck include:

• Removal of excess skin and fat
• Tightening of the underlying muscles
• Improvement in overall body contour

A tummy tuck can also be combined with liposuction for optimal results. Combining liposuction with a tummy tuck is particularly helpful for those who have lost a significant amount of weight and experience loose, sagging skin. A tummy tuck also can be combined with other cosmetic surgery procedures after weight loss for more complete sculpting of the body.

Tags: tummy tuck los angeles
Posted in Tummy Tuck,Body Contouring

CoolSculpting™ vs. ZERONA®

In my experience, there are plenty of women and men who are searching for liposuction alternatives in Los Angeles. With multiple options, confusion about which techniques can give optimal results is understandable. Some of the newest lipo alternatives – CoolSculpting™ by ZELTIQ™ and ZERONA™ – are making headlines and while these treatments share some similarities, their methods of treatment differ significantly.

CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ

CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ is a non-surgical liposuction alternative that freezes fat cells, which are then subsequently eliminated through the body’s natural cleansing process. People interested in this treatment usually are experiencing stubborn fat deposits that resist diet and exercise. In addition, common characteristics of CoolSculpting candidates include:

• People who are within 10 to 15 pounds of their ideal weight
• Those who want to look better without going “under the knife”
• People who want a procedure with minimal downtime

CoolSculpting uses a treatment method called Cryolipolysis™. This method targets, cools, and eliminates fat cells, without damaging the surrounding tissue. This procedure is relatively quick, with treatment lasting about 1 to 3 hours.

ZERONA

ZERONA is also a non-surgical liposuction method. It uses laser technology to liquefy targeted fat cells, which are subsequently removed through the body’s natural cleansing process. While this may sound similar to CoolSculpting, ZERONA uses laser technology instead of Cryolipolysis to eliminate the fat cells. However, like CoolSculpting, this treatment is worth considering for people who are close to their ideal body weight and have bulges of fat that do not respond to exercise and diet. Some of the benefits of ZERONA include:

• No bruising or swelling after treatment
• No scars
• No recovery time
• Minimal to no discomfort

Which Method Is Right for Me?

To find out whether you could benefit from one of these treatments, find a practice near you that offers both CoolSculpting and ZERONA. A practice offering both treatments will be most likely to give you an honest opinion about which one is most likely to provide the greatest benefit given your cosmetic goals.

Tags: liposuction los angeles
Posted in Body Contouring,Liposuction

Liposuction – More Than Just Fat Removal

Liposuction has become one of the country’s most popular cosmetic surgery procedures, because when performed properly by a skilled surgeon, it is quick, safe, and it works. With the tremendous growth in the demand for this procedure, it seems like doctors everywhere are offering liposuction. In Los Angeles, it is not uncommon for dermatologists, gynecologists and general practitioners to offer liposuction procedures. Although liposuction may seem simple, it isn’t, and you should trust only a board-certified-plastic surgeon to perform this procedure.

Liposuction involves so much more than fat removal. My Los Angeles liposuction patients come to me for body sculpting, not just fat removal. What’s the difference?

• Fat Removal is just about extracting fat from the body. On its own, it does not require an artistic eye or a technique that minimizes bruising, swelling, or scarring.
• Body Contouring requires a combination of knowledge, technical skill and artistic vision to sculpt targeted areas of the body. These come only through extensive education, training, and experience dedicated to liposuction – not a weekend course.

Other considerations involved with liposuction include evaluation of skin tone, the patient’s weight, advanced sculpting techniques, treating smaller or more difficult areas, and above all else, patient safety. All of these factors are additional reasons why it matters a great deal who is performing the liposuction procedure.

There are also numerous types of liposuction available, and it important that your doctor understands the best type of liposuction for your particular needs. I teach liposuction courses to other surgeons, and cannot emphasize enough that the combination of a skilled, knowledgeable surgeon with the right contouring technique for your cosmetic goals is essential for a pleasing outcome.

Tags: los angeles liposuction, liposuction los angeles
Posted in Body Contouring,Liposuction

Addressing Concerns about the Expense of Combined Procedures

It is not uncommon for people to decide they’d like to make broad changes to their appearance that cannot be accomplished with a single procedure. This is often the case when women decide that they would like to rejuvenate their appearance after childbirth with a Mommy Makeover. For moms from Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, abdominoplasty, breast lift, face lift, and liposuction are high on the list of Mommy Makeover component procedures.

When people consider combined procedures, one of their major concerns is often cost. They think that having more procedures means spending more money. However, there are a few things that patients should take into consideration:

• When the procedures are performed at the same time, as they are with a Mommy Makeover, they cost less than each of the procedures would cost if they were all performed separately.
• When procedures are performed together, you are under anesthesia for less total time than if all were performed separately, and you do not have to go through multiple recovery periods. And, as several of my journal publications have shown, the risk associated with combining abdominoplasty and breast surgery is not significantly different than when performing each procedure alone.

If cost is still a concern, you may want to consider cosmetic surgery financing as an option. You can read more about cosmetic surgery financing here. Most patients feel that the great improvement in their appearance is well worth the expense of having combined procedures all at once.

Tags: beverly hills abdominoplasty
Posted in Abdominoplasty,Body Contouring,Breast,Facial Cosmetic Surgery

Larger Breasts, Smaller Fat Deposits

The desire for larger, fuller breasts is very common among the women I see at my practice. As a response to the demand for breast enlargement in Los Angeles, a variety of techniques have been developed. Of course, you have your traditional saline or silicone implants, new “gummy bear” implants, and a variety of other methods. And, as a part of the push for new ways to enlarge breasts, some surgeons have been trying fat transfer.

The Procedure

It’s actually pretty simple. Here’s how it works: fat is removed via liposuction from your butt, thighs, or other areas with excess fat deposits. That fat is then purified before being injected into your breasts.

The Facts

Sure, the thought of “natural” breast enlargement sounds appealing, but is it too good to be true? The truth is:

• The technique has been used with relative success after a breast lift or breast reconstruction or in conjunction with breast implants to provide a fuller, more natural appearance.
• A study that used fat transfer as the primary method of breast augmentation showed that women only saw a very slight increase in breast volume.
• The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) currently does not endorse this breast enlargement technique and is awaiting results from additional studies before reconsidering their position on the procedure.

The Future

I don’t want to completely rule out future potential for the use of fat transfer for breast augmentation. But, the fact remains that there are a lot of things to get sorted out before this technique enjoys widespread application, such as whether or not fat transfer could affect the results of mammograms, whether or not injected fat will actually survive the transfer, and if the injection of fat cells could actually encourage the growth of cancer cells.

There’s a lot to be said for the use of traditional breast enlargement methods. After all, my patients are thrilled with the beauty of their results from breast augmentation with implants.

Tags: breast enlargement los angeles
Posted in Body Contouring,Breast

Los Angeles Body Contouring with ZERONA™

For decades now, patients have taken it for granted that if they want a cosmetic procedure to improve their body shape, they’ll need to go under the knife. Effective body contouring methods like liposuction have helped millions of Americans address stubborn areas of unwanted fat. While liposuction requires very small incisions, it is nonetheless a surgical procedure with downtime and the potential for discomfort.

Is body contouring really a “no pain, no gain” proposition? Well, with a new technology available at my practice, it doesn’t have to be. We recently added ZERONA™, a completely noninvasive body contouring procedure that can take inches off areas such as the hips and thighs.

Here’s what you need to know about ZERONA at our Los Angeles practice:

• Completely noninvasive (no surgery)
• Laser energy treats surface fat cells
• Your own body removes the dissolved fat naturally
• Results validated through scientific study
• In studies, patients lost 3 to 4 inches on average in treated areas
• No anesthesia needed, and treatment lasts under an hour
• Series of treatments is completed over a 2 week period

ZERONA is light years beyond the “miracle” treatments you might see on late night TV. This isn’t a fad diet or slimming cream – it is a tested and trusted cosmetic laser technology that is being adopted by even the most discerning surgeons nationwide. After using ZERONA, I trust this revolutionary treatment as an alternative to liposuction for many of my Los Angeles body contouring patients who want to enhance their body shape without surgery.

Think noninvasive body contouring is too good to be true? For those who have had a ZERONA treatment, I encourage you to share your experience!

Tags: Body Contouring, zerona
Posted in Body Contouring