Q. Tell us about yourself and your practice.
A. I am a board certified Plastic Surgeon that specializes in aesthetic surgery. My practice is almost entirely cosmetic, although I do occasionally take a reconstructive case to help a patient in need. My practice is conveniently located near the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
Q. Please explain the primary procedures performed by your practice.
A. I perform a variety of facial cosmetic surgeries, including facelift, browlift, blepharoplasty, facial liposuction, otoplasty, and chin augmentation. I also specialize in breast and body contouring procedures, including breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, liposuction, tummy tucks, and body lifts.
Q. Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
A. Yes
Q. Do you have hospital privileges to perform this surgery?
A. I have privileges at The Methodist Hospital.
Q. What types of Insurance do you accept?
A. I accept private medical insurance for selected cases.
Q. What is breast augmentation?
A. Breast augmentation is currently, the most commonly performed aesthetic surgery. In most patients, the procedure uses an implant, either saline or silicone to augment the size of a woman’s breasts. In select cases, a woman’s own tissues can be used but this is usually during a breast reconstruction. In the future, fat may become the "implant" of choice. There are several authors doing work on this.
Q. Who is a good candidate for breast augmentation?
A. Any woman over the age of 18 for saline implants and 22 for silicone implants that is in good health may be a candidate for an augmentation. Implants should not be placed in any woman that has an active infection anywhere in her body, in a woman with pre cancer or cancer of the breast that has not been adequately treated, or in a woman that is pregnant of breast feeding. The safety of the devices has not been established in women with autoimmune disease, who are immunosuppressed, or who have a history of depression or other mental health illness.
Q. How should one prepare for breast augmentation surgery?
A. A woman preparing for breast augmentation should educate herself as much as possible about the procedure so that she can make a good decision for herself. There are many sources of information available: implant manufacturers, online sources, friends or other women that have undergone breast augmentation, and of course her surgeon. A woman needs to understand that size and shape cannot be guaranteed. Near the time of surgery preparation includes eating healthful foods, controlling medical conditions such as asthma or high blood pressure, and avoiding certain medications and supplements under the direction of her surgeon.
Q. How is a breast augmentation surgery performed?
A. Breast augmentation should be performed in an accredited facility under general anesthesia. The approach for the surgery may be from the breast fold, around the edge of the areola, from the arm pit, or the belly button. There are two broad categories to consider where Implants are positioned. They may be placed in front of the pectoralis muscle (subglandular) or behind it (subpectoral). There are modifications to these broad categories that involve different dissections at the time of surgery and these would include the subfascial, dual plane, and totally submuscular positions. Each of these incisions or positions has a benefit and tradeoff and this discussion should occur between a woman considering surgery and her surgeon.
Q. What is the recovery time for breast augmentation?
A. In general, most women can expect to return to work after a week of recovery. Many surgeons will ask patients to avoid strenuous activities for the first two weeks after surgery, with a gradual return to baseline in the following weeks. Swimming or soaking in a tub is avoided until the incisions are fully healed. Each woman’s recovery is individualized and a surgeon’s instructions will take this into consideration.
Q. What are the risks associated with breast augmentation?
A. A discussion about risk must occur between a woman considering surgery and her surgeon. Here are some of the risks that I discuss with my patients: As with any surgery, bleeding, infection, poor healing or unattractive scarring, damage to near organs, blood clots, and anesthetic complications can occur. Specific to breast implants, the more common complications would include rupture or deflation of the implant, capsular contracture, implant malposition, asymmetry, changes in nipple and breast sensation, difficulty with breast feeding following surgery, unsatisfactory result, thinning and descent of the breast tissues, extrusion and loss of the implant. There are other reported complications and conditions, but this discussion would need to occur in the surgeon’s office. A woman considering breast augmentation needs to understand that implants are not lifetime devices and that in the future she will very likely need to undergo additional surgery to address some issue attributable to them.
Q. How much does breast augmentation cost?
A. Breast augmentation typically costs between $4500 - $6000 depending on the choice of implant.
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