CosmeticSurg blog: Expert insights from Dr. Ricardo L. Rodriguez

Since several patients have called recently inquiring about the “Lifestyle Lift,” I just had to put my thoughts online about the XYZ-lift phenomenon. Patients and surgeons are intensely curious about procedures that promise to deliver great results with minimal discomfort and downtime. After all, what could be better?– great looks, minimal bother! As with everything in life, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is not. But every once in a while, something does come up that is both much better than what was previously available, and true. It’s called innovation.

Kae posted a very good question, because it helps understand how fat transfer works. The question relates to where you gain weight after a fat transfer: the donor area (where the fat came from, let’s say the belly) or the recipient area (where you put the fat in, let’s say the butt)? The short answer to the question is: YES, after the fat graft takes, you will gain weight in the recipient area. In the case of the Brazilian butt lift, the recipient area is the buttocks. If you took most of the fat cells from the donor area, you would gain very little weight in the belly. If you want to know the technical explanation for this, read on.

I went to see Dr. Rodriguez on Sept 25th for Lip Advanta Implants and Sculptra. I was greeted by the nicest staff and made to feel very comfortable. I was more than briefed on every option that I asked about to ensure a confident choice in procedure. After my procedure, I was a bit terrified by the immediate effects of surgery (swelling), but the entire staff assured me that the swelling was completely normal.

A few days ago I was seeing a patient who was thinking about having the Brazilian butt lift. Two things struck me about the conversation – One was the fact that so many patients are now requesting a procedure that is relatively new. The second was that I am doing the procedure more frequently on women of all ethnicities. As I was showing the patient my collection of pre op and post pictures I noticed quite a few Caucasians and Orientals. This makes me think that for whatever reason, there is a cultural shift going on about what constitutes an attractive figure.

In my last blog post, I went over briefly how the silicone implant moratorium came about. This week I’ll tell you why it is such a good thing that silicone implants are back as a choice for all breast augmentation patients. Remember, silicon implants weren’t really banned, as we have been using silicone implants for cancer patients, those with congenital defects, and patients needing a breast lift. Over the past 14 years they were just not available for cosmetic surgery patients. However, now all patients will have the choice to use saline or silicone implants.

Most times, when doing a Brazilian butt lift, I end up using every last drop of fat I can get to get the best possible butt augmentation. This is because after the meticulous extracting procedure, only a fraction of the fat is suitable for fat transfer.A few patients, however, store a lot of their fat predominantly in their abdomen and flanks, with very narrow hips proportional to their body.I had always been very good at getting their waist as narrow as I could to highlight the buttock, but the hips remained untouched.

The size of the cannula used in tumescent Liposuction can make a difference in the surgical result. You are more likely to get a smooth result if your surgeon uses a thin cannula . Read about the types of cannulas from Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez in Baltimore, Maryland.

High profile breast Implants have a smaller base diameter so it preserves the appearance of a narrower chest, and you get more anterior projection from the same 400cc volume. High profile implants have a more up front look.

In practical terms, for a Westerner, a Rhinoplasty usually means taking the bump out of the nose, making it thinner, and making it look straight from the side view. The Asian nose usually does not have a hump, but instead tends to be flat in appearance. Thus Asian patients ask for more projection. Surgeons enhance the nose by augmenting it with a silicon insert to get it to look “straight” from the side view. This enhancement eliminates the flat look. When the nose is remodeled with a silicone insert, it will make the nose look thinner. Surgery of the tip is also different because in the western patient one has to reduce the size of the tip cartilage and put sutures in it to narrow the shape. When using the silicon insert in the dorsum, the tip is usually pulled up and the shape of the nostril is refined as it becomes narrow and taller. In a few cases the tip cartilages may require sutures, but usually the procedure is simpler than in the western nose.

Fat injection techniques are now being used in reconstructive breast surgery. Dr. Rodriguez, a Yale trained plastic surgeon explains why Breast reconstruction with fat injections may be a good choice for lumpectomy patients. Read about this new frontier of Plastic Surgery in his Cosmeticsurg Blog.

An emerging alternative for breast reconstruction after lumpectomy with radiation is fat grafting to the breast. Fat grafting has been successfully performed for years, but the full healing powers of your own fat is a new frontier in Plastic Surgery. Read Dr. Rodriguez’s CosmeticSurg blog to find out more.

In order to get your desired surgical result for a Rhinoplasty (nose surgery), you should explain the nose you want using certain descriptive terms with your plastic surgeon in your initial consultation. Dr. Rodriguez explains how surgeons think about the nose and what terms you should use to describe the things you want to change about your nose.

The primary goal of a Facelift is to achieve a natural, refreshed appearance, not a ‘done’ look. Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, a Yale trained board certified plastic surgeon, explains more about achieving a great face lift and his unique approach.

Yale Plastic Surgery Residency was unique in that they taught via the Socratic Method instead of the Great Master’s Method used by other teaching programs. In the Socratic method you arrive at knowledge through a process of questioning and answering. The process stimulates logical thinking and illuminates ideas.

Plastic Surgeons have been harvesting stem cells for years. Your own unwanted fat is loaded with precious adult stem cells. Dr. Rodriguez talks about fat injections and your own fountain of youth.