WeilMD

Postoperative pain management is always a major factor when considering any type of surgery. Abdominoplasty is an intensive surgical procedure, and it may be performed using either general or local anesthetic. If you have a local anesthesia, you will also be sedated intravenously. After surgery, there is pain involved, which is managed through the use of a pain pump. The pain pump delivers a continuous infusion of bupivicaine (if indicated) pain medication over a period of two to four days based on your postoperative needs.

Gone are the days of lying around for two weeks after surgery, with nurses catering to you. Even after the most intense surgeries, the nurses are getting you out of bed just hours after you wake up. The pain pump not only allows for better pain management, but it aids with healing by allowing you to be mobile quickly after surgery. By reducing the pain, the pain pump allows you to get out of bed and walk to increase blood flow and stimulate your body's natural healing processes.

Using a pain pump is safe and effective and shows minimal risk for narcotic side effects. Please schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Weil today to find out more about abdominoplasty and the pain medications available for managing postoperative pain.

Cancer is a common concern for prospective breast augmentation patients. Health risks associated with breast implants were once a hot media controversy, but the fuss has calmed since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the widespread use of silicone gel implants in the fall of 2006.

Numerous studies conducted by the FDA and reputable scientific organizations conclude that no breast implants, neither silicone nor saline; increase a patient's risk of cancer.

Breast implants do make it harder for a technician to see your breast tissue on standard mammograms. The implants show up white on the mammogram, making them more difficult to read. But additional x-ray pictures called "implant displacement views" can be used to more thoroughly examine your breast tissue.

Women who have had a mastectomy for breast cancer prior to implant surgery are at lower risk during routine mammograms because they have very little breast tissue left. A mammogram on their reconstructed breast would not be relevant.

For self-breast exams or those performed by your doctor, breast implants should not impede the ability to feel the glandular tissue for lumps - it lies on top of your implant. Following breast augmentation surgery, you should familiarize yourself with the new shape and feel of your breasts. This will help you to monitor changes and check for future abnormalities.

Some studies have even said women with breast implants showed a lower risk of cancer, but the reason for this is not certain.

To learn more about plastic surgery and which procedures and treatments are available to you today, please contact Dr. Weil today to schedule your initial consultation.

Breast implants do not have an expiration date or certain amount of time by which they should be replaced. If you are healthy and there are no problems with your implants, they don’t have to be swapped out unless something happens to them.

It is important to keep in mind that breast implants do not last indefinitely. If you have implants, chances are you will need additional surgeries throughout your lifetime. Some reasons for this include:

• Asymmetry
• Unsatisfactory size or change in tastes
• Wrinkling or rippling
• Pain or rupture
• Pregnancy
• Numbness or hardness

Every breast implant will eventually break. That day is different for every patient. Some studies of silicone gel-filled implants suggest that these types last an average of seven to 12 years. However, some women who receive breast implants have experienced a rupture with in the first few months, while others have had their implants in tact for 15 years plus.

A study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that women average at least one broken implant in 11 years.

To learn more about plastic surgery and which procedures and treatments are available to you today, please contact Dr. Weil today to schedule your initial consultation.

Monitoring the health of your breasts is essential to your health and well-being. If you have breast implants, they were either placed underneath the soft tissues of your breast or beneath your chest muscles.

Breast implants will affect how your annual mammogram is performed. You will have to visit a radiology center where the technicians are trained to perform mammograms on patients who have breast implants.

When scheduling your appointment, you should:

• Ask for a comprehensive or diagnostic mammogram instead of a regular screening.
• Make sure your X-ray technician is experienced with breast implants.
• Inform the technician of your implant type—saline or silicone
• Inform the technician of where they are located—behind or in front of your chest muscle.

The process of taking a mammogram, which includes squeezing the breast, may increase the chance of rupture. On the flip side, limiting the compression may compromise the quality of the picture. Therefore, even with an experienced technician, there is the possibility of rupture.

Additional X-rays should be taken from various angles to ensure an accurate reading. If the breast implant is placed under the muscle, about 90% of the breast tissue will be visible. If the implant was placed over the muscle, only 75% of the breast tissue will be visible.

Breast implants may also delay the detection of breast cancer by either hiding suspicious tumors or injuries. You should be aware of this before deciding to move forward with implant surgery.

To learn more about plastic surgery and which procedures and treatments are available to you today, please contact Dr. Weil today to schedule your initial consultation.