These are some of the more popular procedures I do and a brief description of how I perform them.
First of all I do all of my cosmetic surgery at North Texas Hospital which is on the very southern border of Denton on I-35 East. This a partially physician owned hospital of which I am one of the physician owners. I do not use a nurse anesthetist to put you asleep, I only use board certified anesthesiologists and therefore I virtually have no anesthetic problems. This is something many people aren't aware of and it should be one of the first questions asked to the plastic surgeon. Also, if someone either requests or needs to stay overnight there are mostly Intensive Care trained nurses on hand to take care of your every need.
Breast Augmentation
All of my breast augmentation procedures are done "under the muscle". I use either Mentor saline or memory gel (silicone gel) implants depending on the wishes of the patient and my recommendations due to anatomical factors. Usually the incision is in the fold or crease below the breast. For saline implants the incision is less than 2 inches and for silicone gel implants is slightly longer. I use other approaches to place the implants such as around the areola (around the nipple region) or in the armpit (axilla area), but these incisions are much more visible. I don't use drains. Complications are rare. It's a great procedure with almost instant satisfaction!
Breast Augmentation and Lift
Again, all of my lifts with augmentation are done "under the muscle" and I use either saline or silicone gel implants depending on the wishes of the patient and my recommendations due to anatomical factors. I use an incision (lolli-pop incision) around the areola and then a vertical incision from the areola down to the breast fold. I don't make a long horizontal incision in the breast fold. The nipple is not removed in any way - it is only moved superiorly and loss of sensation is extremely rare. The most common adverse event, although rare, is for the scar around the areola to widen but this can be corrected with a small office procedure. Again, no drains are used. The results of this procedure are usually quite remarkable!
Abdominoplasty
A wonderful procedure. I remove as much skin as possible and also tighten the abdominal muscles that may have have been widened from pregnancy. You may have to be bent over for about a week following the surgery but it is well worth it. I usually place one drain and always remove it in 7- 10 days, no later. There is some swelling post-operatively but the results are quite obvious immediately.
Breast Reduction
I use incisions very similar to my breast augmentation and lift with an incision around the areola and a vertical scar from the areola to the breast fold. Again, no long incision is made in the breast fold and for this reason the post-operative discomfort is truly minimal. Not only are the breasts reduced in size but are also lifted significantly, sometimes from the level of the belly-button to around the new breast fold. This procedure is sometimes covered by insurance, but more and more policies are either excluding it altogether or make the criteria so strict that few women qualify to be covered. I have found that no matter how much breast tissue I remove all of my breast reduction patients feel much better and feel better almost immediately. They also look very good!
Breast Lift
This procedure is good but usually looks much better when used with an implant or a reduction. Again, I use an incision around the areola and then a vertical incision from the areola down to the breast fold. I don't make a long horizontal incision in the breast fold. The nipple is not removed in any way - it is only moved superiorly and loss of sensation is extremely rare. The reason an implant makes this a much better procedure is because the implant gives fullness to the upper part of the breast whereas without it the upper pole of the breast will drop. The amount it drops depends on the elasticity of your skin. So, this is a good procedure but has its limitations!
Face Lift, Neck Lift and Forehead Lift
These three procedures are usually done together but occasionally I will do one or two without the other. All of the incisions for these procedures are well hidden. The particular way I do these there is usually minimal to no bruising and the down time is usually 3-4 days. If I have to do some liposuction in the jowl areas then there will probably be some bruising and if I have to do a "full" neck then the chances of bruising are increased. This does vary quite a bit depending on each individual. Smoking increases the chances of poor wound healing and possibly more scarring. All three are great procedures and the results speak for themselves!
Eyes
My philosophy on eyelid surgery is to have the most qualified person available to do this surgery. This is why I have Dr. Mark Alford, an Oculo-Plastics surgeon do all of my eyelid surgery. He is an ophthalmologist who did two extra years of cosmetic eyelid surgery training. He has an office in Denton and Grapevine. He does the cosmetic eye surgery at the same time I do my portion. He is an excellent surgeon and I trust him so much that I had him do surgery with me on my 82 year old mother. When my time comes around to have eyelid surgery he will definitely be the one to do mine.
