One of the most common complaints patients express about their appearance is the shape of their neck. The neck is one of the most visible areas in the body, and its loss of shape and contour is a telltale sign of age.
With weight gain, there can be fat deposits below the chin which obscure the youthful angle of the neck. The underlying muscle also weakens and splits into bands, which contributes to the loss of neck shape and contour.
Necklift procedures typically involve an incision below the chin and behind the ear. The skin is “undermined” to allow it to move freely. The muscle is sewn tightly in the middle from the collarbone to the chin, and the excess skin is removed from behind the ear. Excess fat can be removed through the chin incision. This procedure is best done in conjunction with a facelift, so that the youthful neck will match the face.
A less invasive way to restore a more youthful appearance to the neck is with liposuction (see above photo). The incision is less than a centimeter, and is concealed below the chin. There are several methods to remove the fat, including laser liposuction (Smart liposuction or SLIM liposuction), ultrasound liposuction (VASER), and traditional tumescent liposuction. After the liposuction is complete, the patient wears a compression band for a few days. The recovery is very quick, with minimal pain and swelling. The results are immediate and improve for up to 6 months. The skin will recontour to the underlying neck muscles to improve the shape of the neck and restore the youthful appearance of the neck.
Dr. John Burns, a Dallas plastic surgeon, would love the opportunity to discuss your cosmetic surgery goals with you. To schedule a neck contouring consultation with Dr. John Burns, just call his office at 214-515-0002 or send him an email through his website or at Info@DrJohnBurns.com.
Fat Grafting for breast enhancement is still a controversial procedure. Some doctors are using the Brava system, which uses negative pressure to enlarge the breast with fat injections.
Fat grafting, while natural, can obscure mammograms since the fat is injected directly into the breast and can mimic suspicious areas on mammograms. The fat will only give a modest increase in size and won’t give a “lift” like an implant can.
Given these limitations, it is safe to say that breast augmentation with implants is still the time-tested procedure of choice.
Dr. John Burns, a Dallas plastic surgeon at the prestigious Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute, would love the opportunity to discuss your cosmetic surgery goals with you. To schedule a consultation for breast augmentation with Dr. John Burns, just call his office at 214-515-0002 or send him an email through his website or at Info@DrJohnBurns.com.
Butt augmentation has gained widespread popularity as plastic surgery techniques have evolved to match the increasing demand. Importantly, butt augmentation should be viewed as both a volume and shape procedure. The idea that bigger is better is simply not true. The art in this procedure is to give both the proper size and shape in proportion to the height and weight of the patient.
The two methods of butt augmentation are implant placement and fat grafting. The advantage of implants is that they can be used in patients who might not have enough fat to harvest for injection. They are also permanent. However, implants also have many common side effects including chronic pain, infection, seroma formation (fluid collections around the implants), and hardening with unnatural feel. Because of these possible complications, many surgeons prefer fat injections.
Fat grafting has the advantage of being completely natural. Liposuction is used to “harvest” the fat by removing fat from unwanted areas such as the abdomen, love handles, thighs, and around the buttocks. The liposuction part of the procedure can be used to shape the butt and to improve other areas of the body. The fat is collected in a sterile container then washed and centrifuged to remove unwanted impurities. The “pure” fat containing the best fat cells is then carefully injected into the butt to give it a perfect shape. The technique for harvest and preparation of the fat is extremely important and can determine the success of the procedure.
There are several limitations of fat grafting. Only some of the total volume of injected fat will survive permanently. For this reason, many patients will need additional fat grafting to maintain the result. As a very general rule, about half of the injected fat will be permanent. Fat grafting is also limited in thin patients who do not have adequate fat for harvest.
Currently, most surgeons prefer fat grafting due to the natural look and feel and to avoid the complications of butt implants. For those women who desire a more shapely and full figure, butt augmentation with fat grafts is the natural choice.
If you would like to schedule a butt augmentation consultation with Dr. John Burns, just call his office at 214-515-0002 or send an email to: info@DrJohnBurns.com. Dr. Burns and his staff look forward to helping you.
Dr. John Burns, of the prestigious Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute, recently spearheaded the U.S. clinical trials for a non-invasive ultrasound-assisted fat reduction and body contouring device. The device, known as Contour1 from UltraShape, has shown promising early results as a non-invasive alternative to liposuction. It is already approved for use in Europe. The Ultrashape device does not subject patients to injections or to traditional invasive liposuction techniques. No anesthesia is required and there is little downtime. Dr. John Burns will keep his patients advised of develpments with UltraShape!
Are you interested in body contouring procedures? Dr. Burns’ website features before and after patient photos for liposuction, tummy tucks, and procedures following massive weight loss. To schedule a consultation, just call the office of Dr. John Burns at 214-515-0002 or send an email.
