The Difference Between a Plastic Surgeon and a Cosmetic Surgeon

The term “plastic surgeon” and “cosmetic surgeon” are frequent sources of confusion amongst plastic surgery patients. These terms are often used interchangeably, but actually have significant differences in their meanings.

Plastic surgeons have undergone residency training in plastic surgery. This involves upwards of 7 to 8 years of training in this area of endeavor. The vast majority have undergone testing to obtain board certification in this specialty as well. 

Cosmetic surgeons are individuals who perform cosmetic surgery. This may include plastic surgeons along with a large number of physicians from varied specialties including dermatology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, oral surgery, and gynecology. In our community, we even have family physicians and emergency room physicians who now call themselves cosmetic surgeons. In this situation, these physicians don’t even have basic surgery training, let alone specialty surgery training.

The bar is relatively high for a physician to use the term plastic surgeon. In contrast, anyone who performs or wants to perform cosmetic surgery can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon. Unfortunately, there are many practitioners with minimal training and experience performing these procedures with very little regulation. It’s not uncommon to see aggressive advertisements that make claims that just can’t be substantiated. In this environment it’s truly buyer beware and for this reason board certification is extremely important.

Even the issue of board certification can be confusing because not all boards are created equal. It’s important that the board be certified by the American Board of Medical Specialist. This organization ensures that the board is reputable. These boards require residency training, testing, and certification. 

It’s important that your surgeon be board certified by a specialty that’s dedicated to cosmetic surgery. Although the vast majority of “cosmetic surgeons” are board certified, in many cases these boards don’t traditionally have anything to do with aesthetic surgery.

Many factors should be considered when choosing a surgeon. These include training, experience, reputation, and certification to name a few. The selection of your surgeon is the most important decision you will make when considering aesthetic surgery, so make it carefully. 

Plastic Surgery Financing

For many patients, cosmetic surgery wouldn’t be possible without some type of financing. For this reason, the vast majority of plastic surgeons offer some type of financing program. With the availability of this type of program, plastic surgeons don’t typically take installment payments. They usually require full payment before surgery is performed.

In our practice, we almost exclusively utilize Care Credit. This is currently the most commonly used source of plastic surgery financing in the United States. The company is run by GE Capital. It’s reputable and you can apply for a loan online. It takes approximately thirty minutes to get a response. In some cases, you may be able to get a twelve-month interest-free loan.

Financing isn’t for everyone; make sure you understand the fine print in your contract. Don’t take on more than you can handle. At some point, you will have to repay the loan. It’s important to have all your financing questions answered before proceeding with cosmetic surgery. In our office, we have financial consultants who can help you with this very important issue.

The Ideal Weight for Mommy Makeover Surgery

Weight gain often accompanies the typical changes that occur following pregnancy. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for women who want a mommy makeover to be overweight at their initial presentation. There’s no question that being close to your ideal body weight improves the results from mommy makeover surgery. It also decreases the potential for complications with this type of surgical procedure. For these reasons, we prefer that patients be within 10% of their ideal body weight at the time of surgery.

Rhinoplasty Recovery

Recovery following rhinoplasty for most patients is less difficult than they expect. In the immediate post-operative period, they can anticipate pain, swelling, bruising, and congestion associated with difficulty breathing through the nose. Pain following rhinoplasty is easily controlled with narcotic pain medications in the first 48 hours.  After 48 hours, most patients are switched to double strength Tylenol.

Patients typically have bruising and swelling following rhinoplasty and this is more noticeable if the nasal bones are fractured. This typically lasts one to two weeks following surgery. The swelling and bruising obviously affects the patient’s appearance postoperatively. It also leads to swelling of the internal nasal structures, which leads to congestion and difficulty breathing through nose.

Can I Have a Breast Reduction if I’m Overweight?

For many patients, breast reduction surgery is a life-changing experience. Symptoms such as back, neck, and shoulder pain seem to improve almost overnight. Patients note that clothes fit better and over time, their self-esteem and self-image improve as well.

Patients who are overweight don’t differ from other patients in this regard. They note similar improvement in quality of life and significant improvement in symptoms.

When patients who are overweight undergo breast reduction surgery, they often experience additional benefits. They often note increased exercise tolerance and subsequently become more physically active as they adopt a healthier lifestyle. In many cases, this results in significant amounts of weight loss.

Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

It’s important for patients to be comfortable with their choice of plastic surgeon before proceeding with cosmetic surgery. When choosing a surgeon, several issues should be considered. These include the surgeon’s training, certification, and experience.

Completion of a plastic surgery residency is an essential requirement when picking a surgeon. Although it seems obvious that cosmetic surgery is a procedure that should be performed by someone trained in plastic surgery, this is not always the case. There are many physicians who perform cosmetic surgery who haven’t completed plastic surgery training. They frequently refer to themselves as cosmetic surgeons and have trained in a variety of other areas.

Board-certification is also extremely important. This means that your surgeon has undergone testing and peer review. He or she has satisfied certain criteria that are associated with surgical excellence.

One of the most important factors is your surgeon’s level of experience. Surgeons who have extensive experience with aesthetic surgery tend to have higher success rates.

Mini Tummy Tuck vs. Full Tummy Tuck

Pregnancy has a significant impact on a woman’s body, and nowhere is this more noticeable then the abdomen. This area develops excess, saggy skin, weakened muscles, and stretch marks. Despite diet and exercise, most women are unable to reverse these changes and this ultimately affects their self-image and self-esteem. Treatment options are limited and in most cases involve either abdominoplasty or mini abdominoplasty.

Abdominoplasty is performed by making a lower abdominal skin incision and then lifting the skin and subcutaneous tissue to the level of the rib cage. This typically requires detaching the belly button, which allows more skin to be removed. The muscles are then tightened, excess skin removed, and the belly button re-attached in proper position.

Recovery Following Facelifts

Facelift recovery varies from patient to patient and depends on a large number of variables. Just as every patient is unique, the chosen procedure for he or she is unique as well. The differences in wound-healing characteristics and the type of procedure performed account for variations in facelift recovery.

Most patients feel pretty good in about four to five days, but their primary concerns are when they will look good enough to go out in public. Recovery following facelift surgery may last for months, but most patients feel they can go out in public in about two weeks. At this point, most of the bruising and swelling have resolved. Many patients adjust their hairstyle to hide their incisions and use make-up as well.

Breast Augmentation & Under Wire Bras

We generally avoid using under wire bras for six to eight weeks following breast augmentation. There are two reasons for this approach. First, when patients undergo sub muscular placement of breast implants, the pectoral major muscle may undergo spasm in the early post-operative period. This may force the implant in an upward direction and lead to malposition. When this situation arises, we utilize compression to force the implant in a downward direction. An under wire bra would have the opposite effect.

Another reason for avoiding under wire bras in the immediate post-operative period is the potential for the bra to irritate a fresh surgical incision.  An infamammary incision would be directly beneath the under wire bra and this might lead to irritation of the incision.

Signs of Breast Implant Leakage

In the majority of patients undergoing breast augmentation, implants last a lifetime. Occasionally, implants deflate and need to be replaced.

Current data suggests that implants deflate at a rate of 1% at one year and 3% at three years. Over time, this number can be expected to grow. Implants may deflate with no apparent cause or may deflate secondary to trauma.

When saline implants deflate, the diagnosis is relatively easy to make. These implants lose volume and flatten quickly. Silicone implants present a much more difficult problem when they deflate. Rupture of silicone implants may not be apparent for years.

Signs of deflation include soreness, redness, loss of volume, change in shape, and sometimes, capsular contracture. These signs may be subtle and a history of trauma may be the only early indicator.

Can Liposuction and Tummy Tuck be done at the Same Time?

Following pregnancy, it’s not uncommon to see women who have abdominal skin sag with stretch marks. Many of these patients also have fat collections of their hips and thighs. At Aesthetic Surgical Images, we frequently perform liposuction of the hips and thighs at the time of abdominoplasty; however, we avoid liposuction of the abdomen at the time of abdominoplasty because of the increased potential for wound-healing problems.

When performing abdominoplasty, the lower abdominal incision and the elevation of abdominal skin flaps interrupt several sources of blood supply to the abdominal skin. When liposuction of the abdomen is done during abdominoplasty, there is the potential to damage the remaining blood supply. This potentially could result in skin necrosis and wound-healing problems. If patients need liposuction of their abdomen, we prefer performing this procedure at a later date.

There are significant advantages in performing liposuction of the hips and thighs in combination with abdominoplasty. These include synergy, cost-savings, and one recovery period.  Attempts to perform liposuction of the abdomen in combination with abdominoplasty potentially can result in an increased complication rate.

Weight Loss & Abdominoplasty

There’s no question that being close to your ideal body weight improves the results from tummy tuck surgery. It also decreases the potential for complications with this type of surgical procedure. For these reasons, we prefer that patients be within 10% of their ideal body weight at the time of surgery.

Unfortunately, reaching an ideal weight is easier said than done. The vast majority of patients are unsuccessful at losing this additional weight. It’s also important to realize that even when patients are over weight, they can potentially benefit from abdominoplasty. We therefore evaluate every patient on an individual basis.

Plastic Surgery and Insurance Coverage – Do They Go Hand in Hand?

Patients who visit Surgical Images often wonder if their cosmetic surgery in Omaha will be covered by their insurance policy.

It depends!

If your insurance company deems your procedure as “medically necessary,” your surgery will probably be covered. In some cases, a portion of your surgery will be covered, since there will be a functional improvement, while the cosmetic enhancement will not be covered. Sometimes, a “medically necessary” procedure will not be covered, due to your insurance contract exclusion.

Tummy Tuck Recovery Tips

The recovery period after a tummy tuck in Omaha may take several weeks.  Here are some tips to help make your recovery as comfortable and short as possible.

1) Take all prescribed medicines. Your surgeon will prescribe postoperative pain medications and antibiotics which you should take as directed, especially in the first 24 to 36 hours.  Strict adherence to the pain medication regimen is necessary in order to avoid severe discomfort as the doses “wear off.”  Many patients also find that stool softeners are helpful because of the constipating effect of the narcotics.

Plastic Surgery on the Rise for Those 55 and Over

It’s true you can feel good and look good at any age.  According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more patients over the age of 55 are undergoing plastic surgery now than in years past.

The greatest number of surgeries which this demographic tends to opt for are "… surgical body contouring procedures (liposuction, tummy tuck), eyelid surgery and breast augmentations,” according to ASPS President Dr. Michael McGuire.  Men are showing an interest in body enhancements, while facelifts remain a popular choice.

4 Myths about Liposuction

Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures in the United States with over 203-thousand cases performed in 2010 alone. It’s important to learn about this procedure before deciding if liposuction in our Omaha practice is right for you.

Myth #1: Liposuction is Only for Women

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons documented 24,000 cases of men undergoing liposuction procedures in 2010, which is a 7% increase over the previous year, and the numbers continue to rise. Fatty tissue typically rests on the thighs, hips, buttocks, and abdomen for women; while men see this excess tissue around their flanks, abdomen and back.

Three Benefits of Breast Reduction in Omaha

Many patients visit Aesthetic Surgical images to learn more about their options for an Omaha Breast Reduction. Below are three benefits of undergoing a breast reduction procedure.

1) Reduced or Eliminated Pain
Overly large breasts can cause pain for women in their neck, back and shoulders. Some patients even experience migraine headaches and notice deep grooves in the shoulders from bra straps. When breast tissue is reduced, much of this pain is eliminated or significantly decreased.

Surgical Correction for Patients with Breast Asymmetry

Often unrecognized, the vast majority of women have mild to moderate asymmetry of their breasts. Caused by genetics or hormonal fluctuations, asymmetry occurs during adolescence or pregnancy. Depending on the degree of breast asymmetry, you have options to correct your condition.

Women with a large size difference in breast size find appropriate clothing and bra fitting extremely difficult. Some women may also feel self-conscious or embarrassed about their condition which affects their sense of body image. Cosmetic surgery may be a viable solution to their problem. Surgical options include breast augmentation, breast lift or breast reduction – or a combination of any two or all three.

5 Steps to Improve the Health of Your Skin

Even on cloudy days, UV rays can negatively affect your skin. Such rays cause long-term damage whether you’re outdoors, or sitting by an office window, or driving your car. The first type, UVA rays, are very long and affect the lower layers of the skin where new cells, collagen and elastin begin to form. UVA rays differ from UVB rays, which are short and do not have a direct affect on the skin.

What to Look for When Evaluating Before and After Photos

Selecting a plastic surgeon to meet your aesthetic goals requires careful investigation. Asking your own physician and/or friends for a board certified plastic surgeon is a good beginning. Once chosen, do you know if he or she is able to provide the results you’d like to achieve?

Spending time to review before and after photos on the surgeon’s website allows you to compare examples of his or her work with your aesthetic expectations. When viewing the images, don’t “ignore the forest through the trees.” Look for: