When most people think of plastic surgery of the breast, the first things that come to mind are procedures for women. However, male breast reduction surgery is a more common procedure than you might think.  It is estimated that 40 to 60 percent of men are affected by gynecomastia, a medical term for overly large breasts in males.  No one can say for sure what causes gynecomastia (some attribute it to heredity, others a hormone imbalance), but if you’re a male who’s ever been to the beach or pool during the summer, you can see why this can be an embarrassing and unsightly problem.

Gynecomastia can occur in one or both breasts and affects men of all ages.  Some younger boys affected by this condition will eventually grow out of it naturally. For others, the problem will remain no matter how much they exercise or work to sculpt the pectoral muscles.

Luckily, this problem can be easily fixed.  The answer?  Male breast reduction surgery.  The procedure involves the surgical removal of excess fat, glandular tissue, and skin surrounding the breast area by excision or liposuction – to give men a more sculpted and masculine chest.  Some men seeking this surgery also complain of the size of their nipple area, which may have been stretched due to the effects of gynecomastia.  Therefore, the size of the areola, or the dark skin around the nipple, can be reduced and reshaped during surgery.

Great advancements have been made in the field of plastic surgery, creating surgical techniques that are safer, simplier, and more effective than ever.  Nowadays, inconspicuous incisions for breast augmentation surgery can greatly the appearance of scarring.  At our office, we can make incisions in the armpit, the inframammary (or the crease under the breast), or even around the areola (the dark skin around the nipple).  We also offer the new TUBA approach, one of the least invasive techniques yet, with the implant being inserted through an incision made in the patient’s bellybutton!

The implant itself can either be placed beneath the breast tissue or beneath the muscle of the chest.  If placed under the chest muscle, you can reduce the risk of post-operative tightening around the implant (known as capsular contracture).  Also, this type of placement will not interfere as much with the results of your yearly mammograms.  On the flip side, placement under the chest muscle can cause more pain post-surgery and can create the need for drainage tubes in some patients. (It’s important to note that, using the TUBA approach, placement under the chest muscle is not an option).

The most important thing to know about the breast augmentation procedure is that each patient is unique in their situation. What works for one patient, may not be the best plan of action to give you the kind of results you’re looking for. So… ASK QUESTIONS!  Dr. McCluskey will be happy to meet with you to answer any questions that you may have.  It is his goal to make sure every patient is fully-informed and comfortable throughout the entire surgical process. 

For information on how to set up a consultation with Dr. McCluskey, click here.

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular procedures performed in the office of the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, so it was no surprise when the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced that breast implants are now the number one most perform cosmetic surgery in the country.  Last year alone, plastic surgeons everywhere performed over 307,000 breast enhancement surgeries.  This trend can partially be attributed to the 2006 FDA approval of silicone implants, which after technological advancements and a 10 year long study, the FDA deemed “safe and effective.” Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two:

Saline:  A saline breast implant consists of a strong, silicone elastomer shell that is filled with salt water that has been sterilized.  An advantage to this type of implant is that, in the rare case that an implant is ruptured, the salt water will be able to dissolve natural into the body – causing little health concerns.  Also, some saline implants contain a tiny valve whereby your surgeon can increase the size of the implant if you desire them to be bigger, or reduce the amount of saline solution if you decide you want to minimize your bust. However, saline implants can have a less natural look and feel than their silicone counterparts. Especially in women who are very thin or have limited original breast tissue to cover the implant, silicone may be a more natural-looking option.

Silicone: Recently approved by the FDA in 2006, silicone implants are filled with a silicone gel, whose texture closely resembles the texture of natural breast tissue.  Silicone implants give the breast a much softer and more natural look and feel than saline-filled breast implants. The downside is that it is much harder to detect when a leak occurs in a silicone implant.  Also, once you have had breast augmentation surgery, you cannot change the size of your implant without another procedure. Long-term testing has proved that, under the care of a qualified physician, both silicone and saline implants are very safe and effective.

At our office, we use both saline and silicone implants for breast aug patients, carefully weighing the options to decide which plan of action is best for them.  Visit our breast augmentation page for more information about this procedure.   Stay tuned for Part 2 (The Procedure) of this series coming soon!

After months of having the Fraxel® laser in the office of the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta – our patients and I couldn’t be happier with the results. As evidenced in the before and after pictures below – we are consistently blown away with the Fraxel® laser’s capability to give you smoother, more even toned skin, without having to undergo surgery.  As many of you know, the Fraxel® laser can be used to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles; but that’s just the tip of the iceberg in laser treatment options.  Say you have pigmented lesions (age spots) on your hands; the Fraxel® laser can be used to lighten the affected areas – making your hands look years younger. The full list of Fraxel® treatment and repair options include:

·                Wrinkles

·                Fine lines

·                Furrows

·                Acne Scars

·                Surgical scars

·                Bumpy or uneven skin texture

·                Discoloration and uneven skin pigmentation

·                Pigmented lesions (sun or age spots)

·                Sun-induced redness

·                Laser Blepharoplasty (eye-lid surgery)

·                Skin resurfacing

·                Fine lines around the eyes and mouth

·                Melasma (mask of pregnancy)

In honor of our Fraxel® success we at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta are offering Fraxel® laser treatments for half price!  Call our office for more information or to set up a consultation.

It’s one of the more obvious features of the face we’ll talk about today. It is a feature that neither a front nor profile view of your head will hide. I’m talking about our ears. There are many people who are dissatisfied with the look of their ears; too large or sticking out too far or even being irregularly shaped or pointed. Unfortunately, a large segment of these people consist of children – as all parents should know, playgrounds can be among the more cruel places that force a child to become self-conscious.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery’s 2008 Procedural Survey showed that nearly 28% of all Otoplasty procedures are performed on people ages 13-19. Otoplasty involves reshaping the ear through small incisions, reshaping, or trimming cartilage to give definition to the ear and have it bend in a different way. This is actually a very good thing; physical maturity has not quite finished at those younger ages and Otoplasty procedures benefit from this; the cartilage in the ears is still flexible at those ages and can lead to a great result.

The only thing is children at that age need to show signs of maturity enough to understand what they are getting into, as well as support from their parents or guardian who are giving the OK for the procedure.

Source

A recent study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) compared the aging rates of identical twins. Because the participants compared were identical at birth, they are genetically programmed to shows signs of aging at the same rate. However, the twins who had gone through a divorce in the study looked an average of 2 years older than those who did not – highlighting how environmental factors, such as stress, can severely contribute to the development of wrinkles and other signs of aging. Researchers in the study also suspect that the continued use of antidepressants, that cause the muscle in your face to relax, can, over time, contribute to sagging in the face, making you look older than you might otherwise.

Luckily, there are easy and virtually painless ways to help reverse these signs of aging, no matter what your personal history. Click on the continued reading link to find out how!
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