Posts Tagged ‘tummy tuck’

Reader Laura on Post-Extreme Weight Loss Plastic Surgery

July 28th, 2010

Reader Laura’s Comment:
“This story is about one of the contestants who was on The Biggest Loser. After losing 140 lbs she is looking into getting plastic surgery to remove her excess skin. She mentions that she is going to wear a bikini the next time she goes to the beach. Can someone who lost that much weight still look good after the major surgeries they have to go through to remove the excess skin? Wouldn’t there be a lot of scarring?”


“I worked so hard to lose the weight,” Phillips said. “I never thought I’d be a candidate for plastic surgery but I am so for it. I worked so hard, I want this to be the total package. I’m growing older — I’m going to be 50 this June — and I want to feel and look the best that I ever did. And I do, I feel it, but with this extra skin, it’s like it’s not good enough … with the surgery it will be.”

Phillips plans to have a tummy tuck and work done on her breasts this summer. Thomas had surgery about two months ago to raise and reduce her breasts and remove skin from her stomach and arms. She also had some liposuction to remove fat stored in her hips.

Source: http://www.ourmidland.com/news/article_8eb71a2a-072d-5710-8e64-7d4e417cfc2d.html

Many of my post extreme weight loss plastic surgery patients would say “Yes.” It is true that the operations some of these women choose can make finding the right swimming suit a bit more work than usual. On the other hand, these operations frequently make the choice of a bikini possible whereas it might not have otherwise been.

The woman in the news story will probably be better served by a lower body lift than a straight tummy tuck, but some women compromise at an extended tummy tuck and are quite happy. Below is a link to an example of an after extreme weight loss extended tummy tuck in one of my patients.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Related:

A Dr D Extreme Weight Loss Patient After Her Extended Tummy Tuck Surgery

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Reader Question: Fleur-de-lis or Inverted T Tummy Tuck for Weight Loss?

July 7th, 2010

Reader Question:

I have lost about 100 pounds and am looking at having a tummy tuck. What is a Fleur-de-lis Tummy Tuck? It it what I need?

A “Fleur-de-lis or Inverted T Tummy Tuck” is a version of the tummy tuck operation in which there is a vertical incision (and later a scar) to take in some of the extra skin in the lower abdomen. These procedures have good points and bad points. On the good side, they do allow more skin to be removed allowing tightening especially in extreme weight loss patients. They also interrupt the circulation more than the alternative procedure increasing the chances for poor wound healing and skin loss (skin necrosis.) It is your surgeon’s judgment as to the risk/benefit ratio here.

Remember that part of what you are paying for with a plastic surgeon is experience and judgment.


Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Related:

Dr D’s Web Site “Tummy Tuck Index”

Originally posted 2009-08-24 07:30:08.

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Debrahlee Lorenzana Wants “Tits on A Stick?!”

June 10th, 2010

(from her Facebook page)Pic from her Facebook Page


Just when you thought (hoped?) the story of buxom banker Debrahlee Lorenzana was running out of steam, the tabloid turned up a four-part Discovery Health Channel series chronicling Lorenzana’s search for a plastic surgeon. It’s unclear what this has to do with her legal action against Citigroup, but who cares when we’ve got our hot heroine saying stuff like, “That’s what I want to be: tits on a stick.”

Gothamist

Despite those warning that really large breast implants lead to problems over the long term, they do get you media attention. Look at sexy banker Debrahlee Lorenzana who claims she was fired by Citibank for being too sexy. It turns out she is very into plastic surgery to the tune of two boob jobs, liposuction and a tummy tuck.

I have never heard a patient ask for large implants as “tits on a stick,” but it doesn’t surprise me. The fact is that she will be back for more surgery. Bigger implant results take staged surgery to stretch the tissue slowly.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Reader Question – Botched Tummy Tuck?

May 6th, 2010

I was reading your blog and I was wondering, What should someone do if they received a botched tummy tuck? Other surgeons say it’s borderline malpractice and unfixable “unless a whole lot of skin grew magically from somewhere”.. Yes the doctor was Board Certified and supposedly a reputable doctor. Everything discussed during consult was significantly different the day of/following the surgery. Poor after care as well.

Most patients don’t know a quack when they see one, but in all seriousness it is very hard to prove malpractice. Tummy Tuck results even in the best hands vary quite a bit. I am not saying there aren’t many “Dr Quickies” out there who do mediocre at best work, but they do not define malpractice unfortunately.

You have several options:

(1) Go back to your original doctor and try to find a compromise that works. Maybe you should check him out thoroughly if you didn’t before your surgery to make sure he is the “real thing.” Tummy tuck surgery is not for amateurs.

(2) Find another doctor who is willing to take on a secondary operation. Have a long talk first regarding what is possible in this operation before you decide to have it.

You can also pursue the legal route, but unless things are truly substandard you will probably find this route long and questionable. A poor result is not malpractice and care varies significantly.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Related:

Checking Out Your Plastic Surgeon

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Can You Redo My Endoscopic Mini Tummy Tuck?

April 15th, 2010

I had a Mini Tummy Tuck with an endoscope with a tiny cut near my pubes a few weeks ago. My upper abdominals are kinda loose. Should I have had a full tummy tuck?

Endoscopic tummy tuck surgery is kinda a paradox to me. A big part of the average tummy tuck patient’s ideal goal is tightening of the abdominal wall. This is partly accomplished through muscular tightening and partly through skin tightening via removal. You can’t remove much skin without an incision. Endoscopic surgery minimizes incisions.

Treating upper abdominal skin is part of the job of a full tummy tuck. I would probably have recommended one to you if I had seen you before your endoscopic adventure. It might still be possible to do one, but I would need to see you to see how things appear at this point. You will also want to wait until wound healing is mature to have additional surgery anyway.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Reader Question – Vein Clot Prevention with Tummy Tuck?

March 25th, 2010

I’m having a tummy tuck soon and have been reading about DVT vein clots travelling to my lungs. It scares me. My PS has given me Lovenox injections to administer daily after surgery to prevent DVT blood clots. But they can cause bleeding.

Is this safe?

As you have surmised, DVT is a rare but potentially serious problem that can follow a tummy tuck. In some patients the risk can be high and some form of prophylaxis is indicated. Some of us use prophylaxis in all patients. The question is what sort of prophylaxis should that be. There are many different types of treatment each with its own risk:benefit profile.

As an injectaed blood thinner, Lovenox has a risk of bleeding and in each individual case this should be weighted against the risk of developing an unwanted clot. In higher risk patients that risk can be reasonable.

Tummy tuck surgery is one of the largest scale plastic surgery operations a plastic surgeon can perform. It is also amongst the most gratifying in the right patient. Make sure you have discussed the procedure and your options thoroughly with the right choice of surgeon.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Tustin Hospital “Monkey Business” No Surprise

March 5th, 2010


A former Tustin Hospital executive pleaded guilty Tuesday to paying kickbacks to recruit homeless people who underwent unnecessary treatment billed to Medicare.

OC Register

I used to use Tustin hospital years ago for Tummy Tuck surgery back before I started using pain pumps and the patients required hospital admission. There was a case in which my office arranged payment up front with the hospital. The patient paid for her hospital and operating room charges on the day of surgery, but still a few months later the hospital had billed Medicare and her secondary for tens of thousands of dollars. I remember calling the hospital CFO and getting an argument. The patient reported the incident to Medicare and we curtailed our use of the hospital and their surgical center.

When reports like this come out, sometimes it is not all that surprising.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Ajay Rochester Cops to Cosmetic Surgery Makeover

February 16th, 2010

Reader Laura’s Comment:

While most celebrities lie about how they got their figure Australian Biggest Loser ex-host Ajay Rochester talks about her plastic surgery after losing weight.

Herald Sun

With images like these floating around what would be the point of denying it? Then again look at Octomom.

Many if not most gastric bypass and extreme weight loss patients consider plastic surgery. Most start with a tummy tuck or extended tummy tuck.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Related:

Plastic Surgery After Gastric Bypass / Extreme Weight Loss

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The Dawn of the Mommy Makeover

February 10th, 2010

In the last decade or so plastic surgery has seen an increase in the “marketing BS factor” with the propagation of quite a few terms more geared toward promotion than medicine. “Mommy Makeover” is one of those terms. It does not refer to any particular operation, but to any of a series of procedures usually geared toward the correction of the changes of pregnancy.

These can include Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Breast Augmentation and Breast lift.

If you go to a number of surgeons for consultations for such surgery be sure that you get details of the individual operations planned and more importantly a clear description of risks and benefits of the planned procedures.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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OctoMom In Bikini Denying Plastic Surgery

January 22nd, 2010

OctoMom has once again surfaced like the media submarine that she has been now with a bikini body. Images show hints of photoshop and her body has absolutely (my opinion of course) seen a knife or two to get this way:

Pic Source

Click here to view a pregnancy image at the OC Register Blog. It is just not really all that conceivable to go from here to the above bikini image without some surgical help.

My money would be on lower body lift plus breast implants and a lift minimum.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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