Procedure Glossary
Breast Augmentation (enlargement) is a surgical procedure to enhance the size of a woman's breast.
Breast lift (mastopexy) is a surgical procedure to raise a breast, reposition the nipple-areolar complex, and reduce the nipple-areolar complex diameter. If you lost breast volume and want an increase in size simultaneously, implants may be inserted during a breast lift.
Breast reduction surgery is a surgical procedure to reduce a patient's breast size but simultaneously maintaining breast shape.
Male Breast Reduction, also known as gynecomastia, is the surgical correction of over-developed or enlarged breasts in men. There is no known cause in the majority of cases but certain drugs and medical conditions seem to be associated with the condition.
Tummy Tuck or abdominoplasty removes excess fat and skin, and in most cases restores weakened or separated muscles creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer.
Liposuction is a surgical technique developed to remove persistent fat deposits from parts of the body that don't respond to dieting and exercise. The fat that is removed is gone forever resulting in a new contour and shape of your body. This procedure is recommended for men and women who want to improve their body contour and still have good skin and muscle tone.
An Arm Lift or brachioplasty, reshapes the under portion of the upper arm, from the underarm region to the elbow.
A face lift is a facial rejuvenation procedure that is tailored to each patient's needs. Facial skin stretches over time and is pulled down by gravity resulting in skin wrinkling and sagging. Face lifts correct this problem by pulling the loose skin back up (and sometimes underlying tissue) and restoring the volume in the face through various techniques. A face lift can be done alone, or in conjunction with other procedures such as forehead rejuvenation, eyelid surgery, or laser.
Eyelid Surgery or Blepharoplasty is a rejuvenation procedure for the upper and/or lower eyelids. Eyelids can appear tired and droopy due to excess skin and/or fat. This can make you look tired constantly despite sleep and makeup.
Forehead lift (or brow lift) is a rejuvenation procedure that lifts the muscles and skin to smooth the forehead, raise the upper eyelids and minimize frown lines that can make a person appear angry, sad, or tired. It is often performed in conjunction with other facial rejuvenation procedures.
Ear Pinning or Otoplasty, is used to correct the size and/or placement of an individual's ears. Generally, an ear pinning involves making an incision in the fold behind the ear, removing some skin and/or cartilage and pinning the ear with permanent sutures.
A medial thigh lift reduces excess skin and fat on the upper portion of the inner thigh. It is designed for patients who are dissatisfied with the shape of their legs or who would like to remove excess skin after an extreme weight loss. During a medial thigh lift procedure, an incision is made in the groin that goes to the back of the crease of the buttock. Skin in then lifted and excess skin and fat are removed to improve the shape of the leg and tighten the skin.
Neck Lift is a procedure done to enhance the appearance of the neck. Common concerns about the neck are weakened or loose neck muscles, excess fat or too much skin.
Cervicoplasty is the procedure used to remove excess skin and Platysmaplasty removes or alters neck muscles.
Scar revision is plastic surgery performed to improve the condition or appearance of a scar anywhere on your body. The type of scar you have will determine the technique used to improve its appearance.
Laser Hair Removal is a procedure that uses pulsed light to target, break down and destroy the melanin (dark pigment) in hair. Light at a specified wavelength is delivered into the skin. This causes thermal and/or mechanical damage to a hair follicle while sparing surrounding tissues. Laser hair removal is 98%- 99% effective in removing unwanted hair. Laser works best with dark coarse hair. Light skin and dark hair are an ideal combination, but new technologies are now able to target dark black hair even in patients with dark skin.
Laser Resurfacing is a relatively new treatment for reducing facial wrinkles and skin irregularities, such as blemishes or acne scars. The technique directs short, concentrated pulsating beams of light at irregular skin. Skin is removed very precisely, layer by layer. This popular procedure is known by several other names, including lasabrasion, laser peel or laser vaporization.
Microdermbrasions is a family of cosmetic procedures in which the dead outermost surface of the skin is partially or completely removed by light abrasion. The technique mixes gentle dermal abrasion with suction in order to remove the outer skin layer. The goal of treatment is to remove sun-damaged skin, to remove or lessen scars and dark spots on the skin, or improve the condition of enlarged pores or uneven texture.
Botox Injections were initially used for strabismus (lazy eye), blepharospasm (inability to move the eye in certain ways) and cervical dystonia (wry neck). In the last decade, Botulinum toxin (BOTOX®) has been used for improving and relaxing frown lines in the area between the eyes on the forehead (the glabella). A common misconception is that BOTOX® actually paralyzes the muscles in the face. Rather, a physician injects just the amount that allows the patient to have some limited activity but not so much that they have over activity of the areas.
Professional Skin Care can reverse past damage to skin, fight existing skin problems and protect skin from future damage. With professional skin care treatments damaged skin can be renewed. Wrinkles, sun spots and age spots can be diminished. Specialized skin care products can eliminate acne and restore moisture to dry, rough areas to help patients improve skin texture and overall complexion.
Breast Cancer Reconstruction involves using muscle, fat and skin from other areas of the patient’s body, such as the abdomen or back in an attempt to restore a breast to near normal shape, appearance and size following mastectomy. Occasionally, that flap can reconstruct a complete breast mound, but more often provides the muscle and tissue necessary to cover and support a breast implant. The process is then completed through a variety of techniques that reconstruct the nipple and areola.
One-stage immediate breast reconstruction is performed at the same time as mastectomy. Two-stage reconstruction or two-stage delayed reconstruction is begun if your skin and chest wall tissues are tight and flat. A tissue expander, which is like a balloon, is put under the skin and chest muscle. Through a tiny valve under the skin, the surgeon injects a salt-water solution at regular intervals over the course of 4 to 6 months to fill the expander. After the skin over the breast area has stretched enough, a second surgery is done to remove the expander and put in the permanent implant; however, some expanders are left in place as the final implant. The two-stage reconstruction is sometimes called delayed-immediate reconstruction because it allows options. For instance, if the surgical biopsies indicate that radiation is needed, the next steps may be delayed until after radiation treatment is complete. If radiation is not needed, the surgeon can start right away with the tissue expander and second surgery.
Skin Cancer Restoration is performed to restore the normal skin appearance and function following surgical excision of the cancerous cells. The choice of technique in reconstruction is dictated by the size and location of the defect. Generally if the skin defects are small in size they can be repaired with simple repair where skin edges are approximated and closed with sutures resulting in a linear scar. Larger defects are commonly repaired with a skin graft or local skin flap. Less commonly a pedicled skin flap or a microvascular free flap may be employed.
Obagi Skin Care consists of the use of prescription-strength topical products. When administered by your physician substantial improvement to skin related conditions can be seen. Obagi products work to restore your skin at the cellular level, restoring your skin’s natural glow. Any one of the following may indicate that you are a good candidate for Obagi Skin Care:
- Age spots
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Rough skin
- Skin laxity
- Erythema (Redness)
- Sallowness (Complexion)
- Hyperpigmentation (Discoloration)
- Acne
- Vulgaris
- Rosacea
Chemical Peels (Facial Peels) are performed on the face, neck, or hands and can be used to:
- Reduce fine lines under the eyes and around the mouth
- Treat wrinkles caused by sun damage, aging, and family history
- Improve the appearance of mild scarring
- Treat certain types of acne
- Reduce age spots, freckles, and dark patches due to pregnancy or taking birth control pills
- Improve the look and feel of skin that is dull in texture and color
A chemical solution is applied to improve and smooth the texture of the facial skin by removing its damaged outer layers. A chemical peel can be performed in a doctor's office or in a surgery center as an outpatient procedure.
JUVÉDERM® XC is the smooth gel filler that is used to instantly smooth away wrinkles around your mouth and nose. JUVÉDERM® XC is manufactured using HYLACROSS™ technology, creating a smooth-consistency gel. It is infused with lidocaine to improve comfort during treatment.