Park Plaza Plastic Surgery - George Lefkovits M.D.

The traditional methods for breast reduction involve incisions that leave scars on the breasts. For most patients, these scars heal well with proper postoperative care, but in other patients, especially those with darker skin, such as African-American women, the scars resulting from breast reduction may be seen as a significant barrier to getting the procedure. Using liposuction-only breast reduction surgery may provide an alternative for these patients that is effective and results in less scarring, according to some studies.

Breast reduction is often a medically-necessary procedure. In addition to the self-consciousness that some women with hypertrophic (large) breasts feel, they may present with a number of significant secondary effects, including:

• Back, neck, and shoulder pain
• Shoulder ruts
• Breathing difficulties
• Intertrigo (skin inflammation and/or infection) of the breast crease

For these women, a breast reduction will represent significant relief. However, many of them are prevented from having the procedure by fear of scarring.

A recent study suggests that for these women liposuction can be used as a primary modality for breast reduction, if the hypertrophy is primarily the result of fatty tissue and not glandular tissue, the same circumstances under which gynecomastia may be treated with liposuction only. The study, published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, showed that all patients who underwent liposuction breast reduction saw a significant improvement in breast-related symptoms. The study was small, however, and, although suggestive, does not constitute definitive proof of a clinical technique. Other studies of liposuction-only breast reduction have been similarly small, and the technique is not generally practiced.

To discuss breast reduction, liposuction and other procedures, please contact Park Plaza Plastic Surgery today for a consultation.

As a cosmetic surgeon with many years of experience, Dr. Lefkovits knows that the surgery is only part of the secret to achieving excellent body contouring results with liposuction. To help you achieve the best results, Dr. Lefkovits knows that what you do after surgery is very important.

Rest, of course, is key to recovery. Don't rush back to work or back to exercise. You should plan on taking three days or a week off from work.

Dr. Lefkovits practices a precise course of post-operative treatment to help expedite the healing process and to enhance the cosmetic result. This course includes massage and ultrasound treatment. You will also wear compression garments to help healing and complete the body contouring results of liposuction.

Rest does not mean complete inactivity. Light exercise such as walking can stimulate healing in the body, but you should be careful to not overdo it. You should be able to start easing back into your exercise routine about two weeks after the procedure.

If you would like to learn more about how Dr. Lefkovits takes care of you before, during, and after your liposuction surgery, contact Park Plaza Plastic Surgery today to set up a consultation.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), liposuction is the most popular cosmetic surgery treatment practiced today. One reason for its popularity is its universal applicability. Both men and women can benefit from liposuction. There is virtually no area of the body that cannot be treated using liposuction. Areas commonly treated using liposuction include:

• Face and neck
• Arms
• Male breasts
• Abdomen
• Flanks
• Back
• Buttocks
• Thighs
• Knees

Many patients have multiple areas treated. These areas can be treated during successive sessions, or, sometimes, during a single session.

Liposuction can remove excess fat, but it cannot remove excess skin, so persons with poor skin elasticity may need a tummy tuck, thigh lift, or other body lift to achieve optimum results.

To learn more about liposuction, contact Park Plaza Plastic Surgery today to set up a consultation.

At a recemt American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) conference, doctors discussed the possibility of using a woman's own fat, rather than breast implants, as the material of breast augmentation.

Autologous fat transplantation, the moving of fat from one part of the body to another, has been used in some procedures, including the Brazilian Butt Fill practiced at Park Plaza Plastic Surgery, and transplanted fat is sometimes used as a facial filler. The possibility of using autologous fat harvested during liposuction for breast augmentation is still under evaluation in clinical trials but has received much praise from its proponents. According to these doctors, breast shaping with fat "allows for dramatic or subtle shaping of the breast in a manner previously not attainable," and they note that the "telltale signs of implants and surgery are absent--the resultant breast is completely fluid and natural appearing."

In recent studies of breast reconstruction, reconstruction with body tissue has shown a far lower rate of infection and other complications than breast reconstruction with implants, so transplanted fat might reduce complications associated with breast augmentation as well.

However, there are still many unanswered questions relating to the long-term questions about the safety and efficacy of the procedure. The main concern is the low survival rate (from 50-75%) of transplanted fat cells. The dieback of fat cells may lead to malformation if used in breast augmentation, or may require retreatments to achieve satisfactory results. In addition, some are concerned that the procedure may lead to the development of cysts, calcification, and scarring, while others fear that the transplanted fat can lead to an increased incidence of cancer.

Until the efficacy and risk of breast augmentation with autologous fat are determined, breast implants will continue to be used for breast augmentation. Still, some day in the not-too-distant future, a woman may be able to move the fat in her body around to make her figure exactly how she wants it.

If you are interested in breast augmentation, liposuction, or other body contouring procedures please contact Park Plaza Plastic Surgery today for a consultation.

Laser hair removal is one of the most effective treatments available for semi-permanent hair removal. After 5-6 treatments, the average patient sees up to an 80 % reduction in hair density in treated areas. Laser hair removal is effective on both men and women, and can be used to treat hair in nearly every part of the body.

Although anecdotally patients and doctors claim that the procedure works better on people with fairer skin, clinical studies show that it is effective for people of all skin types, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved it for use on all skin types. Effectiveness is more dependent on the hair color, and persons with darker skin may experience more burning as a side effect.

The reason why effectiveness depends more on hair color is that laser hair removal works by a process known as selective photothermolysis. That is, the hair follicles, dense in melanin, tend to absorb more of the light energy from the laser, transforming it into heat that kills the follicle. However, in the past dark-skinned people were also subject to serious burns because the laser light was also absorbed by melanin in the epidermis.

The CoolGlide laser used by Park Plaza Plastic Surgery represents an important innovation in laser hair removal that bypasses the epidermal melanin. The CoolGlide laser is a ND:YAG laser that emits radiation at 1064 nm, in the infrared portion of the spectrum. For a long time, this wavelength was considered ineffective in laser hair removal, because it is not well-absorbed by melanin, but this turns out to be the secret to its effectiveness. Because it is not well-absorbed by melanin, the radiation does not immediately impact even the darkest skin, allowing the photothermolytic gradient between the hair and the skin to work over time. With pulse lengths optimized for your skin and hair color, CoolGlide can kill the hair follicles while sparing the skin.

In addition, the efficient gold-plated copper skin-cooling mechanism prevents the buildup of heat in adjacent areas of the skin, so that as the laser wand moves over the skin only the treated area is heated, again minimizing the chance of thermal damage to the skin. Laser hair removal should not be confused with laser skin resurfacing, which actually ablates (removes) the outer layers of the skin.

Laser hair removal is not completely permanent. Virtually everyone who has the treatment experiences permanent hair reduction, but to maintain hairlessness may require maintenance treatments every six months or year.

To learn more about laser hair removal and how effective it is likely to be in your case, contact Dr. Lefkovits at Park Plaza Plastic Surgery to set up a consultation.

Gynecomastia revision or male breast reduction, is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures sought by men, especially men aged 39 and under, and experienced a 5 % growth from 2006 to 2007, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

What is Gynecomastia? Gynecomastia is Greek for "woman’s breasts," and it refers to a condition in which men's breasts are enlarged and embarrassing. Gynecomastia proper (as distinct from weight-related gynecomastia) is a hormonal condition, although many cases of gynecomastia have no known cause. In other cases, the most common causes are:

• Medication that includes hormones or affect hormone pathways, including:

Cimetidine (marketed as Tagamet) and omeprazole (Prilosec)

Spironolactone (Aldactone, Novo-Spiroton, etc)

Imatinib (Gleevac)

Risperidone (Risperidal) and other antipsychotics that affect dopamine levels

• Hormone fluctuation during puberty
• Increased estrogen production (sometimes related to testicular cancer or hyperthyroidism)
• Kidney or liver disease

When seeking treatment for gynecomastia, it is important to determine whether any serious health conditions are the cause of the enlarged breasts. In most cases, the condition can be corrected by first identifying and addressing the underlying cause, then utilizing liposuction to shrink the man's breasts. In some cases, it is also necessary to remove glandular tissue.

Sometimes, weight gain can cause a man's breasts to become enlarged. This is not technically gynecomastia, and should be treated cosmetically as part of a body contouring program. In addition, weight gain can sometimes lead to an increase in estrogen levels, creating gynecomastia in the true sense.

To learn more about gynecomastia, its causes and treatments, contact Dr. Lefkovits at Park Plaza Plastic Surgery today for a free initial consultation.

Although the brain gets a lot of credit, the face is one of the most highly-evolved parts of human anatomy. From both verbal and nonverbal communication to eating, breathing, and perceiving the world, nearly every human function depends on the face, which not only accomplishes its job, but does so with style and beauty. Unfortunately, there's a price to pay. As they say, the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long and for many of us the face begins to look old suddenly, dramatically, and at a dismayingly young age. However, plastic surgery is able to rejuvenate the appearance of the face in many cases, helping you to look younger longer.

Although some fear that cosmetic surgery may make their face look stiff, fake, and plastic, the opposite is more likely. Cosmetic surgery can correct your perpetually angry or tired appearance and allow you to better express yourself with your face.

Some treatments can improve the appearance of the whole face, such as laser skin resurfacing, which can reduce age spots and fine wrinkles across the entire face. In considering the effects of age on your face, it is often useful to consider the face in terms of three regions, the brow/forehead, the eyes/cheek, and the mouth/neck region, which experience particular effects of aging, and are treated together.

Brow/Forehead
As you age, the constant action of your muscles in the brow, constantly contracting and releasing, can lead to a habitual conditioning of the nerves so that they signal the muscles to remain contracted, leading to deep, dynamic wrinkles in the forehead. Botox injections block these habitual signals and allow your brow muscles to relax into a more natural expression. In addition, gravity pulls your brows down, making them hang low and contributing to the angry or tired appearance of your face. For some deep furrows not easily correctable with Botox and for this low-hanging brow, a brow lift is the answer.

Eyes/Cheeks
Aging produces similar conditioning of the muscles around the eyes as in the brows, leading to crows' feet, also correctable with Botox. The hanging eyelids that become more pronounced as the skin loses elasticity with age can be corrected with eyelid surgery, at the same time that you address the puffy lower eyelids. In addition, fat transplantation can address the hollows underneath your eyes. As you age, you lose fat in the face, which can be corrected with cheek augmentation.

Mouth/Neck
The loss of fat has a profound impact on your lips, which grow thinner as you age, which can look very unattractive, especially in women. Facial fillers can address this thinning of the lips, and can also correct the smile lines or "parentheses" around your mouth.

In the lower face, the effects of gravity have a serious impact, drawing the skin and muscles down. This can lead to hanging jowls and a wrinkled "turkey neck." However, a facelift can pull up the jowls and neck, correcting the sagging of skin and muscles.

This is obviously just a brief rundown of some of the major problems many people face as they age. If you have noticed the effects of aging on your face and would like to learn how they might be corrected, contact Dr. Lefkovits today to set up your initial consultation.