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

One of the biggest concerns patients have with any surgery is the amount of pain they will have to endure afterwards. This is especially true in cases of Breast augmentation and other cosmetic surgery procedures since the patient is undergoing elective surgery and wants the best experience possible. Pain itself can have a negative impact following surgery. In fact, it’s the main cause for readmission to a hospital after cosmetic surgery. When patients are in pain, they tend to breathe in short, shallow gasps which results in poor oxygen delivery tot he tissues that, in turn, affects healing. Besides, when the lungs don’t fully expand, patients are more prone to additional complications such as pneumonia. To prevent this, patients need pain relief. The traditional way is pain pills but there’s a better, less nauseating method for treating post-op pain.

What are the most common sizes of breast implants used in Breast augmentation? To find out, we did an analysis of the last 125 cases of Breast augmentation procedures performed by Dr. Rodriguez in our surgery center located in Baltimore, Maryland. So what styles and sizes of implants were most popular? Glad you asked!

While the decision to augment your breast is usually an easy one, the decision to have a Breast Lift with Implants is not always so obvious. To help you better think this through, I have come up with some questions that you should think about. These questions should help you decide IF you need a lift with your Breast Augmentation.

Very often a patient will ask me ” How much fat do you take out during Liposuction?”. The answer is dependent on two things: 1. liposuction area 2. patient height and weight Therefore, to answer the question, I will give my answers for a body frame type that I see most frequently. We’ll use as an example a woman of average height (5’3”-5’6”) who weighs about 150 pounds.

Patients today are doing a lot of research about the upper Lip lift,. One of the most frequent questions I get is if the surgery involves the muscle of the upper lip. Patients want to know if my technique involves only the skin, or if I lift the muscle in any way. My Lip lift technique involves lifting the skin only, and I do not involve the muscle. It seems one of the biggest proponents of technique incorporating the muscle is Dr. Randall Heyworth in California. In 2008, he and I met on a trip to China representing the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and I enjoyed his company. But I have a different approach to the upper lip lift and I will explain why.

We get quite a lot of questions regarding Lip lifts, so here’s a quick video of me talking about what techniques I consider to be the key for getting the most successful Lip lift. The goal of the upper lip lift procedure is to raise the upper lip to a more youthful.

Since the 1990’s Plastic Surgeons have reliably used fat grafting as a way to improve and enhance the cosmetic appearance of the face, breast, hands, feet, hips, and buttocks. However, more recently, clinicians have documented the therapeutic benefits of fat grafting in the healing of wounds and scars, as well as fat’s ability to repair damage to breast tissue following radiation treatment.

Following surgery, in an effort to repair damage to your dermis, your body forms new collagen fibers – which results in a scar. This new scar tissue will look and feel different than the surrounding tissue. A normal scar will generally appear somewhat flat and pale and will typically fade with time. In fact, many scars eventually become undetectable to the naked eye. However, some scars follow a more disruptive path, and can even get worse as time goes on. When the body produces too much collagen in an effort to repair the damage it can result in a ‘raised’ scar. These are considered ‘bad scars’ or ‘adverse scar conditions’ and they can unfold following any incision, including an incision made during a Plastic Surgery procedure.

Patients contemplating a Brazilian butt lift procedure should be aware of the risks, specifically the risk of PFE, and should consider the following to minimize the risk involved. As a BBL patient, you should be sure to:

1. Choose a board certified plastic surgeon (American Board of Plastic Surgery)
2. Have your surgery performed in an accredited surgery center (AAAASF, JCAHO)
3. Ask your surgeon about injection technique details
4. Use IV sedation with tumescent solution instead of general anesthesia

n this video I discuss the difference between two types of liposuction: tumescent (suction) liposuction with suction assisted cannulas vs. laser/ultrasonic assisted liposuction. Both of these techniques remove fat, but they differ in technique and results.

 In the Liposuction procedure, the cannula is the long slender rod which is used to extract fat from unwanted area. I will explore the evolution of the liposuction cannula and discuss why cannula size is important to get a good Liposuction result.

Adipose tissue has a higher population of stem cells than bone marrow. Enough said. The tissue which has the highest population wins. Read more about this in Dr. Rodriguez’s CosmeticSurg blog.

Many young women come to my office when they start noticing a little bit of ‘extra skin’ on their eyelids, or sagging upper eyelids. They have heard about Eye lifts (blepharoplasty), and how easily it can be performed under local anesthesia. Naturally, they are very interested because the procedure is performed in the office and takes only 1-2 hours. However, the Upper eyelid lift is not an ideal procedure. I don’t think the results are as good as a brow lift. Furthermore, if too much skin is taken off, the eye lids will have a had time closing and the patient can suffer with dry eye syndrome. In fact, I usually prefer to perform a Brow Lift instead of an Eyelift in order to achieve a better result. The Brow Lift will elevate the brow to it’s youthful position, and in the process it will lift the upper eyelids. The result is a refreshed natural appearance.

The Brow lift is the new Eyelid lift.  If you want to refresh the upper eyelids, the Brow lift is oftentimes a better alternative than the traditional upper eyelid surgery. Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, a Yale trained Plastic Surgeon explains why the brow lift is a better alternative than the eye lift in his Brow lift video.

The Botox Detox procedure is the endoscopic Brow lift. The Brow lift not only permanently smooths the forehead wrinkles, but you get the added advantage that your upper eyelids become lifted to yield a longlasting, youthful, and refreshed appearance. The modern day brow lift or forehead lift is a two hour procedure done thru small incisions behind the hairline. An endoscope is used to lift the brow to a more youthful position. The procedure can be done under IV or twilight anesthesia in an outpatient surgical facility. Recovery is very quick- within one week you should be back at work. During the post operative week, you will have minor bruising which can be covered with makeup.