FAQ ARC Plastic Surgery

Breast reduction surgery can help to reshape, lift, and reduce the weight of the breasts to enable patients to lead more active lifestyles. Most women in this situation who undergo this procedure wish that they had done it sooner!

Scars do occur in breast reduction, as with any surgery. The question is how well you tend to heal, what type of scar patterns you are willing to tolerate on your breasts, and whether or not you want to trade scars on the breast for improved shape and decreased back pain. if you have it. The scars fade nicely for most people.

Four months is usually enough time for most of the swelling to resolve after breast reduction surgery. Occasionally, there can be some fluid buildup after surgery (seroma), which might increase the time for apparent swelling to resolve. The other thing to note is that bra sizes are very different between companies, and there is no great way to guarantee an exact postoperative size. Hopefully, you are happy with your new overall breast shape. You should continue to follow up with your plastic surgeon regarding any concerns that you might have.

I often postpone surgery until breast growth is complete with stability in size for approximately one year. I have done surgery for 16-17 year old girls previously because they were in significant pain related to their large breasts. For those girls, this often requires a hormone evaluation and trying conservative measures such as core strength exercises, pain meds, and wide bra straps before surgery.

Yes, it's very common. This procedure addresses sagging, deflated breasts by removing the skin, raising the nipple location, and sometimes readjusting the shape of the breast tissue itself. The patient trades a scar on the breast for an improved overall breast shape. This surgery is often combined with breast implants for augmentation and improved upper breast fullness.

If this was early in your postoperative course, your symptoms could be related to persistent swelling, which takes a few weeks to resolve. If you are already a few months post-op, you should return to your surgeon for re-evaluation. It is possible that your trouble is coming from collapsing ala, large turbinates, allergies, or other reasons.

A septoplasty is performed to correct damage to the septum, the bridge of cartilage that divides the nostrils. Nasal obstruction arises due to many issues, including compensatory hypertrophy, trauma, and congenital disabilities, and more.

Nasal septum surgery is most commonly done in two ways:

1. If there was a recent fracture to the septum, a “closed reduction” can be performed in which a blunt instrument is inserted in the nose, and pressure is applied along the septum until it straightens.
2. In the more common scenario, there is a long-standing curve to the septum. In this case, an incision is made inside the nose along the septum, where it cannot be visualized. The covering layer is lifted away from the midline, and offending portions of cartilage and bone are removed. The septum cover (mucoperichondrium) is then replaced, and splints are often left inside the nose for a week.

Sixteen to seventeen years is the average age of nasal maturity. The age at which rhinoplasty can be performed has to do with the time at which nasal growth is complete. If surgery is performed too early, the growth centers of the nose can be disturbed, and the nose might not develop fully. Nasal growth is usually complete around 16 years old, on average. Another necessity is that, until you are 18 years old, your parents should be involved in the consultation.

Deviated nasal septum surgery, also called a “septoplasty,” is a medical procedure that corrects breathing problems resulting from damage to the septum, the bridge of cartilage that divides the nostrils. The damage could be the result of many issues, including severe allergic reactions, trauma, or congenital disabilities. The procedure can be performed either “open,” meaning the skin is opened during surgery, or “closed,” meaning the surgeon works through the nostrils to avoid leaving a scar on the nasal bridge. The surgery is relatively quick, sometimes just 60 minutes, and requires a few weeks for recovery.

The benefits of septoplasty are the improvement of breathing through the nose and sometimes changing the cosmetic appearance of the nose. However, very infrequently, the latter can be a risk or unintended consequence. The more common risks are bleeding, intranasal scarring, failure to improve nasal breathing, and smell sense or voice changes.

Stretch marks occur due to cracks in the dermis skin layer. Some of these will fade with time. If the red color does not go away, a pulsed dye laser can help to fade the color. Laser is less helpful for white marks. Otherwise, the most definitive treatment is a tummy tuck, which completely removes as much of the damaged skin as possible while restoring smoothness to the abdominal contour.

Tummy tucks can feel tight for a while and can hurt, just as with any other surgery. I often use special catheters after surgery that give extra local anesthesia to the abdominal wall postoperatively and help with the pain. Whether or not it is “worth it” is a personal decision, since you have to weigh the risks of surgery with the benefits. Most patients are quite happy after getting this done!

Fillers are not FDA-approved for use in changing nasal shape. Temporary ones are usually safe if the filler is placed deeply against the cartilage or bone. Temporary fillers do not spread systemically. They do not migrate locally unless manipulated a lot after injection. If injected too superficially, they can cause irregularities in the soft tissue or get infected, causing a scar. I do not recommend using any permanent fillers or any temporary filler other than a hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Juvederm, etc.) product if you are getting injectibles in your nose.

Plastic surgery should not be used as a means to lose weight. You should try to lose weight with diet and exercise. If you are obese and the former does not help, you should consider speaking with a bariatric surgeon. The best plastic surgery results with few complications are achieved with patients who have attained their weight loss goals and have only excess hanging skin left over to be removed.

A thigh lift and liposuction address two different problems that can occur in the lower body. Liposuction is ideal for patients who have tight skin with minimal laxity. This is particularly useful when fat deposits are localized to a certain area. A thigh lift, on the other hand, addresses the skin laxity that occurs as we age or after significant weight loss. This allows the surgeon to tighten the thigh by surgically excising and redraping the area of loose skin, which may have a component of fat associated with it as well. These two surgeries are sometimes combined to obtain optimal results.

Abdominoplasty is the technical term for a tummy tuck. The procedure removes the excess, unwanted skin, and abdominal fat to restore a flat contour to the tummy. A tummy tuck can help you achieve that hour-glass, bikini-ready figure you have been waiting for!

Blepharoplasty is a plastic surgery operation for correcting defects, deformities, and disfigurations of the eyelids and aesthetically modifying the eye region of the face. Find out more in our eyelid surgeries section.