Breast Lift: Enjoy a new summer wardrobe
Posted in: Breast Lift | July 27, 2010 | 15 Comments »
I saw a few patients this week that I had performed a breast lift or “mastopexy” on. They truly looked amazing and shared with me how happy they were in the new bikini or bathing suit they had bought for summer. My patients really felt that their surgery changed their life. One of my patients shared with me how since her surgery she finally was able to sleep. Her breasts used to fall into her armpits and she had constant discomfort. Another patient excitedly told me how she could finally wear summer dresses and everyone complimented her on how she looked more confident since she now was comfortable standing up straight. Another patient finally wore a bikini for the first time in 10 years.
One of the things I always spend extra time talking to my patients who undergo these surgeries about are the scars. The scar will be a full circle around the nipple and then a vertical line from the nipple to the breast fold. Sometimes there is another incision in the fold as well. The scars can be best described as a lollipop or an anchor. All of my patients so far have not been bothered by their scars. In most people it heals extremely well. For photos – please log onto my website http://www.makeyouperfect.com/services/breast-lift/ to see examples.
Dr. Catherine Huang-Begovic, M.D.
Breast Augmentation 101
Posted in: Breast Augmentation, Q&A | July 18, 2010 | 8 Comments »
I’ve recently had several girlfriends of mine come in for a breast augmentation consultation. Even in this day and age where information about anything can be found on the internet, it is often still confusing for patients. I remember when I got my breast implants, I felt a little overwhelmed by all the information that was out there. Therefore, I use a simple algorithm for my patients to help them through the process.
1) Saline vs. Silicone
Silicone breast implants have recently been FDA approved. Whether a woman undergoes augmentation with saline or silicone implants is a personal choice. The benefits of saline are that if there is a rupture, saline is absorbed by the body. The downside is that they feel less natural than silicone, especially if the patient has little breast tissue. The implants feel quite different – in my office I have my patients feel both a saline and silicone implant to help them make a decision. I also have a silicone implant where I’ve poked a small hole so they can see how the cohesive nature of the gel helps contain the leak
2) Incision
Breast implants are placed through three different incisions. Inframammary fold (in the crease beneath the breast), periareolar (around the nipple), trans axillary (through the armpit). This decision will be made on an individual basis and depends on each patient’s anatomy and the implant size. Overall, all heal well. My implants were placed around the nipple and are barely perceptible. Many of my patients have an inframammary incision and their scar is barely visible.
3) Size
Most of my patients come in and tell me they want to be a “full C”. However, because bras are sized differently, distorted by padding, and the cup size varies based on the chest width a “full C” is often not what most women think. In general, because I’m a women, I can get a good idea of what my patients are visualizing and it’s easy for me to estimate what size implant they want. We then do the fine-tuning by trying different implants in the office. This is the fun part – to see what you will look like with implants!
4) Implant placement
Implants can be placed under or over the muscle. In general, studies have shown that implants placed under the muscle have decreased incidence of capsular contracture (hard scar tissue forming around the breast causing distortion) but sometimes implants are placed over the muscle create a little breast lift in patients who have mild droop. The decision where to place the implant is made on an individual basis based on the patient’s anatomy.
When you come in for a consultation, I’ll take you through a hands-on, step by step process. There is nothing like feeling the implants in your hands or seeing how they look under your clothes. I personally feel that having breast augmentation was one of the best decisions I ever made. I loved not having to wear padded push up bras under EVERY outfit and even as an active person I actually felt MORE comfortable running and working out in a sports bra not being so flat chested. Living in LA where the average woman spends more time than most in a bikini, tank top or halter dress, I felt so much more versatility in my wardrobe. Honestly, I could talk about breast implants for hours and I truly love being part of this life-changing experience for my patients.
Dr. Catherine Huang-Begovic
Being a surgeon, a woman and a patient in a man’s world
Posted in: Uncategorized | July 6, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Welcome to Make You Perfect and thank you for visiting my blog. As a plastic surgeon, I always try to put myself in my patients’ shoes as I listen to them. I remember myself standing half naked in front of a plastic surgeon for the first time ten years ago. As a bikini model and fitness model, I have never been shy or modest, but somehow, under the fluorescent lights being scrutinized by a male plastic surgeon, I felt exposed, vulnerable, and embarrassed. I felt like I had to give an excuse for wanting plastic surgery and felt embarrassed pointing out things I wanted to change about my body. I remember thinking, “there have got to be more female plastic surgeons! This is just too humiliating!” Even though I was in medicine at the time, I still felt anxiety about having surgery, fear of my results not being exactly the way I wanted, nervousness about not having asked all the questions I wanted to, and uncertainty about being judged by my professional peers for having undergone plastic surgery. I always think back to my own experience and things I wished my surgeons had done to make me feel more comfortable.
One of the things I emphasize in my practice is always being available to answer questions. I make sure to take the time with diagrams and reading material to help my patients understand their procedures and what to
expect. I want my patients to feel 100% comfortable going into surgery and to be excited for their new look.
I respect everyone’s desire to look better, to feel better about themselves, and sometimes to start a new chapter in their life.
There is nothing more rewarding to me to see my patients smiling as they see themselves in the mirror after their surgery. I love chatting with my patients about the new bathing suit or new outfit they plan on buying for themselves. Honestly, I get just as excited as my patients do talking about bra shopping after surgery. In the end, I just want my patients to feel great about themselves and how they look.
Plastic surgery doesn’t change who you are but it can be the start of a healthier, happier, more confident you. Trust me, I’d know!
