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“Fanny Pack” Lipo Featured on The Doctors
They’re called problem areas: parts of the body where fat endures despite your best efforts at diet and exercise. One of the worst problem areas is your lower back, just above the tailbone, which often carries a fatty deposit popularly known as the “fanny pack.” Fortunately, with liposuction, you can fight back against the pack. One woman’s journey through weight loss and surgery was recently profiled on The Doctors.
“I’ve been overweight for most of my life and I recently lost 70 pounds and I feel amazing,” says Christina, who appeared on the hit ABC show.
“Even though I’ve lost all this weight, I still have a problem area which I call my fanny pack. It’s the little area of fat that’s just above my butt. I have so many pairs of jeans that I wish that I could wear but the only things that will fit me are leggings. Fanny packs are not flattering and I’m ready to get rid of mine.”
Technically known as the lumbosacral fat pad, the fanny pack is usually impossible to remove with diet and exercise alone, says Dr. Travis Stork. After everything else had failed, Christina sought the help of a cosmetic surgeon to remove her fanny pack with liposuction.
Liposuction to remove a fanny pack is a relatively quick plastic surgery that can take place under local anesthetic. After liposuction surgery to remove the fanny, the fatty deposit is gone for good, as long as you maintain a decent exercise regime to avoid gaining more weight. Liposuction that targets problem areas is often performed after major weight loss.
Christina’s recovery after her liposuction was relatively fast and comfortable. She wore a compression garment for about a week and was able to return to regular exercise within 10 days.
« Previous Page — Next Page »Exercise May Prevent New Fat From Forming After Liposuction
A recent study by researchers from the University of São Paulo has revealed that exercise after liposuction surgery may do more than simply maintain the results of the procedure. According to the study results, which were published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, a lack of exercise after recovering from liposuction can cause an increase in harmful visceral fat.
The Brazilian researchers, who wanted to learn about the health benefits of exercise after liposuction surgery, followed 36 women in the months after they received the liposuction to remove abdominal fat. The women all admitted to not having engaged in regular exercise before the surgery. Two months after their liposuction surgery, half of the women were asked to begin a regular exercise routine, working out three times per week.
Four months after the surgeries, the researchers found that all of the study participants still had flatter bellies. However, the women who had not exercised experienced an increase in visceral fat, which did not develop in the group that had exercised.
What is visceral fat?
These are fatty deposits that surround the internal organs, especially the liver. They lie deep within the abdominal cavity and can often go undetected; unlike subcutaneous fat, they cannot be pinched. Visceral fat has been linked to a number of health issues, including:
- metabolic disturbances
- heart disease
- diabetes
- breast cancer
- gallbladder problems
The researchers concluded that “if one should choose to undergo liposuction, it is very important [to] exercise after surgery.” Of course, preventing an increase in visceral fat is only one among many benefits of regular exercise
It’s commonly believed that liposuction is a miracle weight-loss strategy, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, as this and other studies attest. Liposuction is a surgical procedure designed to remove fatty deposits in places that have not responded to diet and exercise. Although often used for body contouring after major weight loss, it is no substitute for a healthy lifestyle.
« Previous Page — Next Page »Liposuction Doesn’t Reduce Obesity-Related Health Risks
The belief that liposuction can help to reduce the risk of obesity-related health problems is a widespread misconception. In fact, liposuction cannot reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and similar conditions. Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure that can remove persistent fatty deposits that have not responded to proper diet or exercise. This myth was recently highlighted in a recent post on the ASAPS website.
Two Types of Fat
People have two types of fat: the time that lies just beneath the skin, and the time that lies deeper within the body. The former is the type of fat that is targeted through liposuction, while the latter presents the greatest obesity-related health risks.
Subcutaneous fat. Located beneath the skin in parts of the body such as the abdomen, thighs, and hips, subcutaneous fat is the tissue that is targeted through liposuction. It’s easy to identify by appearance.
Visceral fat. Located deeper within your abdomen, visceral fat lies close to your internal organs, such as the liver, heart, and lungs. It’s almost impossible to identify by appearance.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004, female patients who underwent liposuction experienced no positive changes in their cholesterol levels, blood sugar, or blood pressure. However, another study indicated that some liposuction patients experienced a reduction in triglycerides and white blood cells, which are both indicators of heart disease and other health problems.
As a result, while the possible health benefits of liposuction are still being investigated, you should not count on liposuction as a substitute for healthy diet or exercise. If you’re considering liposuction, or other types of body contouring surgeries, you should make sure that you have attained a stable, healthy body weight. This can help to ensure that your results will last for many years.
« Previous Page — Next Page »BMI vs. Waist-to-Height Ratio
Bye-bye, BMI. While this measure of body fat and associated health risks remains in widespread use, its days may be numbered, according to a recent article by WebMD Health News. Recent research suggests that your waist-to-height ratio is more accurate in assessing your body fat and health risks. It’s also easier to measure than BMI, so that people looking to lose weight can put away their calculators.
Body mass index (BMI) is based on ratio of weight to height. It has been used for over 150 years to assess whether someone may be underweight or overweight. It requires you to take your weight in pounds and divide by the square of your height in inches. This method has been widely criticized as being cumbersome, especially since you have to multiply by another number whenever using non-metric units (such as pounds and inches).
But that’s not the only problem with BMI. Bodybuilders and athletes with significant muscle mass are often shown as “obese.” This is because muscle weighs more than fat. People who are exercising to lose weight are often surprised to find that they gained some weight in the short term, because of muscular development.
New research shows that your waist-to-height ratio might be more useful in determining your health. By reviewing 31 studies, researchers found that waist-to-height ratio proved to be more accurate than BMI in predicting health risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Taking your waist-to-height ratio is easy. For the most accurate measurement, you should place the tape measure at the level of your belly button. Ideally, your waist measurement should be half or less of your height. If your waist is more than half your height, you may want to consider modifying your diet and exercise regime.
Many overweight individuals are pursuing weight-loss surgeries that can help them shed excess pounds when diet and exercise have not helped. After bariatric surgery, patients often benefit from body contouring surgeries that remove excess skin. These include the arm lift, breast lift, body lift, thigh lift, and tummy tuck. Liposuction is also sometimes used to better contour problem areas.
« Previous Page — Next Page »Selphyl Can Enhance Cosmetic Fat Grafting
Autologous fat grafting is one of the most promising – yet also perhaps the most challenging – developments in the field of plastic surgery in recent years. Research on more effective ways to transfer fat continues with a recent study that indicates improved results with Selphyl, a platelet-rich fibrin matrix, in a discovery that could improve the prospects of tissue survival after autologous fat grafting.
By using the patient’s own unwanted fat to enhance other bodily features, autologous fat grafting has provoked a great deal of excitement since it was initially introduced as a widespread alternative to injectable fillers. During a fat grafting procedure, liposuction can be used to extract fat from one part of the body. The fat is then specially treated before being injected into the target site.
Unfortunately, fat grafting has some disadvantages, the most significant of which is that due to insufficient blood supply, some fatty tissue will likely not survive the grafting process. There have been a number of different studies engaged in finding new ways of grafting fat that will minimize the chances of tissue necrosis. This latest study was published in the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery.
Richard Goldfarb and Aaron Shapiro, the MDs who conducted the study, examined the surgical results for a 37-year-old woman who had fat from her outer thighs injected into her lower tummy. Two separate injections were used – one with fat and the other with a mixture of fat and Selphyl – so that the results could be compared side-by-side in the same patients.
An examination 8 weeks after the surgery revealed that the Selphyl had produced a greater number of blood vessels in the transplanted tissue. The authors concluded that Selphyl offered better results because of increased neovascularization, which enhances the chances of long-term results. “The result of this case study indicates that fat mixed with Selphyl may improve graft survival by increasing both neovascularization and total cell number.”
« Previous Page — Next Page »Talking with Celebrity Surgeon Andre Aboolian
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Andre Aboolian is well known in California for his numerous television appearances, most notably when he performed a full body lift on “The Biggest Loser” winner Erik Chopin. The post-bariatric “body expert,” renowned for his skills in liposuction and body contouring, recently took some time to talk about his profession with an editor of the Los Angeles Health Directory.
A father of two, Dr. Aboolian is sensitive to the needs of his patients, and feels that “it is very important for a woman – and not because of a man but for herself – to feel comfortable in her body and feel attractive.” Plastic surgery is about vanity, Dr. Aboolian says, “but so is putting on makeup in the morning, coloring hair, applying nail polish and so on. It’s all about making you look better.”
“I want people to know that there is a lot of GOOD plastic surgery and the good plastic surgery is the one you don’t see and don’t notice because the outcome is so natural and flattering… If you can’t tell that the person’s undergone plastic surgery and looks great, that’s a plastic surgery well done. Unfortunately, the media portrays one bad plastic surgery after another.”
Dr. Aboolian addressed some of the disturbing stories about plastic surgery that have emerged in recent years. He was the doctor who declined to perform body contouring surgery on Donda West, Kanye West’s mother, in 2007 because she had hadn’t obtained clearance from her physician. Mrs. West later died from complications after finding another surgeon who agreed to perform the procedure despite these misgivings.
« Previous Page — Next Page »“The most important thing to know is that plastic surgery is no different than any other surgery. There is the misconception that plastic surgery is somehow different (safer) than a surgery performed in a hospital… I’m no different than any other doctor, be it a heart doctor, or an urologist. I’m a physician. It’s about the human body; it’s no different; it’s not risk-free.”
Botched Surgeries on the Rise Among Non-Specialists
Botched cosmetic surgeries are on the rise with a growing number of practitioners who practice beyond their specialty, according to a recent article in the New York Times. Doctors who are board-certified in fields such as otolaryngology, gynecology, and general practice are marketing cosmetic procedures as part of their services, which is perfectly legal under US law.
More patients are seeking revisionary surgeries to correct the damage caused by botched cosmetic procedures, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) president Dr. Malcolm Z. Roth. “The public needs to be protected from doctors who are not upfront about what board certifications they have,” he told the Times.
One of the victims of this trend, named Joan, was interviewed by the Times about her experience receiving a facelift and tummy tuck from a board-certified doctor. A financial-services professional, she was treated by a Beverly Hills doctor whose board certification turned out to be in otolaryngology. She received thick scars on her temples and a wavy abdomen that probably could have been avoided by a certified plastic surgeon.
“I had to use all my savings to get a real plastic surgeon to fix what he did to me,” Joan told the Times. “I have an M.B.A. I’m not stupid. But when the doctor has a nice clinic and all those diplomas and certifications on the wall, you think he knows what he’s doing.”
Unfortunately, US laws make it difficult for patients to distinguish top-quality care from the practices of non-specialists who frequently lack experience:
- Forty-six states do not require that doctors who advertise themselves as being “board-certified” must specify which board has certified them. Only Texas, California, Louisiana, and Florida require that doctors must do this.
- Doctors who practice beyond their specialty aren’t required to report this fact to any oversight authority.
- Non-specialists are not required to report complications to any oversight authority.
Members of ASPS, who have received special training and certifications in plastic surgery, are subject to stringent rules and oversight from the society. Patients who want to minimize their risks and achieve the best results from surgery should be sure to ask about board certifications and always seek second opinions when surgeons aren’t specially trained and licensed for plastic procedures.
« Previous Page — Next Page »VIDEO: Plastic Surgery Turns Around Life for “Biggest Loser”
One woman who competed on The Biggest Loser chose body contouring to further slim her physique, according to KXAN.
In an interview with KXAN, plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Walden discussed body slimming procedures she performed on a noted Biggest Loser contestant who lost 129 lbs. on the reality weight loss show.
After losing the weight, Olivia Ward struggled with the excess skin many weight loss patients deal with. Dr. Walden described how many patients may look “deflated” or feel like a “sack of skin.” It can be difficult to fit into certain types of clothing, like lingerie and health issues can also come up. These conditions can include rashes that form in skin folds.
Due to these concerns, Dr. Walden stresses that body contouring for patients who have lost a dramatic amount of weight is not a vanity surgery—she would classify it as reconstructive.
To remedy Olivia’s redundant skin, Dr. Walden says she performed a tummy tuck and breast lift. In both of these surgeries, the excess skin is separated from the tissues and removed. The plastic surgeon may also use liposuction to remove small, stubborn pockets of fat. The remaining skin is then tightened to ensure a more taut-looking appearance. In the case of a tummy tuck and breast lift, the bellybutton and nipple areola may need to be moved to a higher position, respectively.
Though later pregnancy can affect the look of the body, those who have undergone previous body contouring after major weight loss will only require a smaller procedure post-baby, if they desire.
To learn more about body contouring in Denver, please email plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
« Previous Page — Next Page »Body Contouring After Weight Loss A Vital Procedure
Body contouring after weight loss may not even be on the radar for some weight loss patients, according to Reuters.
Oftentimes after a patient has undergone bariatric surgery which results in dramatic weight loss, they come face to face with the reality of loose skin. When the body has lost such a great amount of weight, the skin has often lost its elasticity and cannot conform to the new, slimmer body shape. Because of this body contouring after weight loss is often necessary for patients to regain ease in their lives.
Plastic surgeons from the ASPS, however, have found that patients may not often know about procedures for body contouring after weight loss or may not be able to afford them. In a paper he presented last month at the annual ASPS conference, plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Spector shared the results of a recent survey he conducted.
According to Spector, nearly 300 patients participated in the survey. Spector found that only about a quarter of the patients who underwent bariatric surgery discussed options for body contouring with their surgeon prior to the bariatric procedure. Just more that 10% of patients went through with body contouring after weight loss.
The main reasons patients gave for not undergoing body contouring after weight loss? Being unaware of their options or the cost of the potential procedure. If they had been better informed, nearly 40% of the patients said they may have made a different decision about body contouring.
Though body contouring after weight loss is categorized by most health insurance providers as a cosmetic procedure, plastic surgeons often regard it as reconstructive. They may compare it to breast reconstruction.
Loose skin after dramatic weight loss can result in a range of health issues for patients. The folds can become infected or develop skin rashes and it can get caught in tight spaces. Patients with loose skin after dramatic weight loss also have difficulty exercising and finding clothing that fits their new frame.
To learn more about body contouring after weight loss, we encourage you to join the mailing list of Denver plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
« Previous Page — Next Page »Surgical Adhesive TissuGlu Seeks FDA Approval
TissuGlu, a new surgical adhesive, may remove the need for surgical drains after some plastic surgeries, pending FDA approval, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Most often when patients who undergo a procedure like a body lift, in which excess fat and skin are removed circumferentially around the midsection, the incisions are closed with sutures. A side effect of a surgery like this is that fluid can build up in the areas around the sutures. As such, patients must often wear surgical drains for days and sometimes even weeks following treatment. This can leave the incision open for infection and the tubes themselves can be bothersome for patients.
TissuGlu, the surgical adhesive which was recently approved for use in Europe, is administered quickly and can greatly improve patient experience. The product, which does not require mixing or refrigerating, is applied by the plastic surgeon who places drops of it along the incision. The process takes just a couple of minutes and achieves a full bond in 30 to 45 minutes. In some cases, it may reduce a patient’s recovery time.
In testing of the surgical adhesive in 2009, none of the 40 patients tested at three different hospitals experienced complications. The ease of use and lack of complications in this testing of the surgical adhesive may be due in part to its components. While similar to other adhesives, TissuGlu is primarily made up of amino acids. These components are absorbed by the body as water, sugar and carbon dioxide.
Though European approval has already taken place, clinical testing is scheduled to take place in the US in early 2012 and the application for FDA approval is to be submitted by the end of this year.
To learn more about advances in plastic surgery, like this surgical adhesive or specials on non-surgical treatments in the meantime, please join the mailing list of Denver plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
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