January 2012 Case of the Month: Revision Breast Augmentation and Lift
January 3rd, 2012
This young woman had had a previous breast augmentation and lift by another surgeon several years ago and over time had developed a hard capsule formation (capsular contracture) as well as drooping of the breast (called ptosis). I performed a revision breast augmentation where I removed her old implant and capsule and placed a new cohesive gel implant into the pocket, and then did a new breast lift with incisions around the nipple, down the breast and in the fold. This has created a more youthful, perkier appearance to her breasts, as seen in the postop photos taken several weeks after her procedure.
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December 2011 Case of the Month: Breast Reduction
December 22nd, 2011
As 2011 winds down, patients are getting excited about the possibilities for 2012, including travel, fashion and a healthier more active lifestyle. We see a lot of patients in our practice that are not able to enjoy life to the fullest because of significant upper back and neck pain due to the weight and size of their breasts, and for many of these patients a breast reduction is an excellent option. This patient in her late 50s had wanted a breast reduction for a long time and after a consultation decided she was ready to move forward. My goal for a reduction is not only to reduce the size of the breast but to create a lifted more youthful appearance to the breast, and I think we accomplished this for this patient, as seen in her postop photos taken 6 weeks after her procedure. Over the course of the next few months her incisions will continue to fade and become less noticeable, but this process can take up to 6 months or longer.
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November 2011 Case of the Month: Mommy Makeover
December 6th, 2011
This patient was interested in a Mommy Makeover, specifically a tummy tuck and a breast lift. What was unique about her case was that she didn’t have a belly button (it had been removed by another surgeon during a surgery years ago, leaving just some scar tissue). So in addition to the tummy tuck and the breast lift, I also created a new belly button for her– the belly button is a really important part of a woman’s tummy and the abdomen can look a bit unusual if the belly button is missing. Our goal for each patient is have them look and feel their best, and for this patient I think by creating the belly button in addition to the regular Mommy Makeover, we were able to do just that.
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Dr. Salemy Receives Seattle Magazine’s 2011 Reader’s Choice Award as “Seattle’s Best Plastic Surgeon”
December 6th, 2011
Dr. Salemy was honored to receive the 2011 Seattle Magazine Reader’s Choice Award as “Seattle’s Best Plastic Surgeon”! The December 2011 issue of Seattle Magazine is dedicated to highlighting the best our city has to offer, from restaurants and bars to salons, spas, and even plastic surgery, as voted on by not only the magazine editors but also by it’s readers. Dr. Salemy and his staff would like to thank the readers of Seattle Magazine for this honor!
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October 2011 Case of the Month: Breast Reconstruction
November 8th, 2011
October is Breast Cancer awareness month so I thought we could look at an example of breast reconstruction after mastectomy. This patient had breast cancer on her left breast and underwent a nipple-sparing mastectomy, after which she was sent to me for reconstruction. I performed a breast reconstruction in two stages: At the first procedure, I inserted a tissue expander in the left breast and over the course of several weeks slowly filled this expander with saline to create a pocket for her final implant. At the second procedure, I removed the tissue expander and placed a cohesive gel silicone implant, and the performed a breast lift with a small implant on the right side to give her more symmetry and balance in clothing. The After photos are taken 6 weeks after her final procedure.
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September 2011 Case of the Month: Revision Breast Augmentation
September 2nd, 2011
This patient had had 3 previous breast augmentation surgeries by another surgeon, which had left her with hard, painful and uneven breasts with implants sitting in front of her muscle. I performed a breast augmentation revision by removing her old implants and the hardened capsules and placing new silicone implants behind her muscle to create a much more natural and even appearance, as seen in her postop photos taken 4 weeks after her procedure.
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(more before and after photos of this patient as well as others are available in our photo gallery)
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Tummy Tuck 101: Five Keys to Getting the Best Results
August 9th, 2011
A tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty) is a really common procedure with the goal being to improve the contour and shape of the abdomen. Often the abdomen really changes with age, weight loss, or pregnancy, and although diet and exercise can help, sometimes it’s not enough. Each tummy tuck involves removing excess skin and fat and also tightening up the abdominal muscles to achieve the optimal shape and contour. There are a few things however that patients can do both before and after surgery to get the best results possible:
1) Be close to your target weight: If you plan on losing a significant amount of weight, try to do so before your procedure instead of after. It will not only help in your recovery but it will likely give you a superior result as the surgeon will be able to remove more excess skin during the procedure.
2) Pregnancy and Tummy Tucks: In general, we recommend that our patients start their families and be fairly certain that they do not want to have any more pregnancies before having a tummy tuck. While you can certainly become pregnant after a tummy tuck, the pregnancy will really change the appearance of the abdomen and almost certainly require another procedure down the road.
3) Ask lots of questions: Just as not all tummy tucks are performed the same, not all surgeons performing the procedure are Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons. So in addition to looking at your surgeon’s Before and After Photos, I would recommend asking several questions not only about incision length and placement, if they plan on tightening the muscles, recovery, drains, and pain management after surgery, but also about their training, certification, and experience.
4) If you smoke, Quit!: There is no doubt that nicotine is harmful for a number of reasons, but smoking and tummy tucks don’t mix. The nicotine puts the healing process at risk, so most of us will not perform this procedure on patients who are smoking, and we require being off of all nicotine products (including the gum and patch) for at least 4-6 weeks before surgery and 4-6 weeks after.
5) Listen to your surgeon after your procedure and don’t overdo it: It’s really important to follow your surgeon’s orders for activity, lifting restrictions, and time off from work. You will have invested time and money into the procedure so it’s important to protect that investment, and that means giving your body time to heal.
These 5 simple steps are a good start, but in the end take the time to find a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon to meet in person for a consultation– this, more than anything else, will give you the best chance at a great result!
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August 2011 Case of the Month: Brazilian Butt Lift
August 1st, 2011
The Brazilian Butt Lift continues to be a really popular procedure for our practice. In the procedure, we are removing excess fat from parts of the body that our patients want to slim down (like the tummy, hips, or thighs) and using that fat to reshape and enhance the buttocks, creating a lifted, fuller appearance. It’s a procedure that is popular both among younger women as well as women who have lost the youthful appearance of their buttocks with time, weight loss or pregnancy. The patient below is a great example of the kind of results we can get– what’s an added bonus of the procedure is that we have not only enhanced the buttock but we have also slimmed the areas around it, such as the waistline, creating a very natural result:
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July 2011 Case of the Month: Closed Rhinoplasty
July 10th, 2011
This patient was interested in refining her nose to be more in balance with the rest of her face. I performed a closed rhinoplasty to create a softer, more refined nasal contour, which can be seen on these before and after photos of her profile:
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June 2011 Case of the Month: Facial Rejuvenation
June 12th, 2011
This woman was interested in refreshing her appearance but still maintaining a nice, natural look. I performed an endoscopic browlift, upper and lower eyelid surgery, and a lower face and necklift. This has created a balanced appearance between her eyes and her lower face, cheeks and jawline, as seen in her before and after photos:
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