Dr. Louis Mes

I have a personal dislike for the “butt lift” procedure because I anticipate problems with implant failures down the road. However, when it is done by properly trained, and I emphsize PROPERLY trained, surgeons, it seems to be a safe and effective choice for many patients. Just choose your surgeon carefully!
The implants are in serted into the buttock muscles and do not move about and for that reason it probablyfeels a lot like sitting on your wallet, but that is a choice only you can make for the long term.

Dimples form from an attachment of the skin close to the mouth to the smile muscles. In theory, one should be able to reproduce this with surgery, but it is not as easy as it might seem and the chances of disfiguring the smile are very high. This produces a “Joker”- like appearance.
I strongly suggest that you NOT pursue this. Responsible surgeons would probably turn you down as a candidate and irresponsible surgeons could permanently ruin your face and you could end up on “Botched.”

Sincerely,

Dr. M

Dear patient,

A laser is simply an instrument that produces a very coherent, focused beam of light, that can be used to burn organic material such as human tissue.

The operative word here is "burn." There is no real magic to a laser, although the advertising hype would make one think otherwise. So, if you take one scar, such as an acne scar, and replace it with another caused by a burn, you will still have a scar. Maybe even a worse one.

Laser treatments can be tailored to help burn away unwanted pigmented birthmarks and excess blood vessels in others and the burn effect can tighten loose, wrinkled skin if used correctly. Burning out blood vessels in very active scars can sometimes help the scar to resolve and soften more quickly than by relying on time alone, but results are very variable.

Specifically for acne, lasers can be used to equalize uneven areas of scarring, but usually at the expense of bleaching the involved skin. It is a calculated trade-off.

You need to find a doctor very experienced in laser surgery who will use very good judgement in his/her recommendations before having your scars treated. You may do very well, but please choose carefully and ask pointed questions. Expect honest answers. Board certification of your surgeon is imperative.

Dr. Mes

There is a small additional risk of infection and other wound healing problems when a diabetic patient has surgery, but your proposed surgery is "clean" and so your surgeon will probably simply use an antibiotic as a precaution and you should have no problems.

The answer is, "maybe." From your description, it might be possible to revise the scar in such a way as to disguise it better, but it is impossible to completely eliminate the blemish. You need to go to a reputable Board Certified plastic surgeon and have him/her give you an honest opinion.

Good luck,

Dr. Mes

The simple answer is, as usual, that it depends. The reason for the discoloration may be inflammatory and in that case chemical peeling would probably make it much worse. You need to let a qualified dermatologist diagnose your problem and listen to his/her advice. Be careful.

If your diabetes is well controlled, there is no reason for you not to have surgery. However, your doctor will probably do your surgery with an antibiotic “cover.”

There is always a small risk of symptomatic nerve damage when undergoing surgery, but what is being referred to by your doctor as regards breast augmentation is a little different.
Nerves which control sensibility to the nipple run in grooves under the ribs and send branches up to the skin as they go. These are next to the breast bone in front and at the side of the chest. Breast implants lie between them, but the nerves can be damaged when the surgeon is opening the pocket to house the prosthesis.
Numbness of the nipple is a rare, but definite possibility post-operatively and may be permanent. They may interfere with breastfeeding, sexual gratification, etc., and, small though the risk may be, you should weigh this in your decision to have the surgery.

I hope this helps,

Dr. M

There is a myth out there that plastic surgery can erase scars. I wish it were so.
Certainly scars can often be improved, function restored and comfort increased, but totally removing scars is for science fiction or the fairly distant future.
If your scars are 15 years old they are likely to be soft and to have regained some of their natural color. I would advise caution regarding any radical form of treatment but please do yourself the favor of having a consultation with a board certified Plastic Surgeon. Someone who can give you “hands-on” advice after assessing your situation.
Good luck.

The answer like so many things medical is simply, it depends, much more often than not, even if the deformity does not obviously affect the bony skeleton of the face. Often, the dental issues show up much later. Typically, when teeth are erupting and the face is maturing. Children with cleft problems usually have to stay with their “team” of surgeons and dentisits for many years.

There is no effective way to completely erase stretch marks because they are caused by a tear is the dermal layer of the skin. Lasers, creams and many other modalities have been used and at best, merely offer a mild improvement.
Be careful of undergoing expensive procedures that cannot live up to the "sales talk".
Your fresh, post pregnancy, stretch marks will improve on their own but will not disappear completely.

Any surgery exposes the patient to risks of infection, bleeding, wound healing problems, nerve damage and complications from the medicines used before, during and after the surgery. All operations leave scars somewhere and everything is a "trade-off".
Cosmetic surgery is no different, except that it is elective in most cases and the patient has to decide whether or not they can live with the consequences should things go wrong, or the outcome not be what was expected.

Liposuction should NEVER be a treatment for obesity. It very effectively handles localized problem areas of fat such as "saddle-bags", "love-handles" and so on. However, most surgeons put a limit of about 10 pounds (usually less) on the operative fat removal even if there is very little blood loss during the operation.
That makes it a very expensive and ineffective way to lose weight.
Your diabetes, if properly controlled, not necessarily a contraindication to liposuction.

The easiest way to improve wrinkles that are produced by muscle activity is to use Botox or one of its equivalents to relax the muscles. Sometimes, laser skin tightening or even surgery has to be added to the mix. You should let an experienced Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist evaluate your concerns and make recommendations.

Surgeons who bill themselves as “Cosmetic Surgeons” almost always are not trained Plastic Surgeons and try to disguise this fact by using the Cometic Surgeon label. Such surgeons can even buy a so called board certification through their membership in their society. There is NO Board of Cosmetic Surgery recognized by the controlling American Board of Surgical Specialties. Be VERY CAREFUL of such clinics and their deceptive advertising.

Botox would probably not help the issues mention. You need to consult with an experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist about some other approach to you skin damage, such as laser ablation etc.. Your diabetes need not be a contraindication but must be taken into consideration.

Botox and its equivalents relax overactive muscles. In doing so, it improves wrinkles produced by such activity, very safely and effectively. However, it does NOT remove or improve loose skin. There are other treatments available for those problems.

Liposuction is primarily aimed at improving problem fatty deposits and is very effective when used correctly, but it relies on the skin’s ability to shrink after the underlying fat has been contoured. There are some modalities such as “Bodytite” that enhance such shrinkage, but fat removal must always take into account this process to avoid dimpling and wrinkles post-operatively. So excessive fat removal aiming at weight loss usually is not recommended and is usually unsuccessful, given that only four or five pounds of fat can safely be removed at a time in most cases.

A very expensive way to try to loose weight.

It all depends on what you are trying to achieve and often the two procedures need to be combined. Both are permanent but do different things. Tummy tucks remove excess skin and enable muscle tightening, whereas liposuction allows contouring of problem fatty deposits.

There are many ways to treat a birthmark but all will leave some form of alternative blemish. You have to view treatment as a trade and this may or may not be worth it to you. Consult with a Board Certified plastic surgeon to get an honest opinion as to what you could reasonably expect and go from there.