Body Lift Questions

December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

What is involved in a body lift?

The areas treated with a body lift are the arms, thighs, hips, buttocks, abdomen and breasts. A full body lift, including breast lift would probably be done in two or more sessions because the breast lift alone can take two hours or more, and the remaining body lift procedures up to six hours. The procedures involve surgically removing skin, multiple incisions and excisions that need time to heal, muscle tightening, and can involve liposuction and fat transfer. Recovery often involves drains, tight garments and wound care. Your daily activities are best kept to a minimum for optimal results.

Is a face lift one of the body lift procedures?

A face lift is not usually considered to be one the body lift procedures. Face lifts are treated separately. Like the breast lift, the time and recovery involved in these procedures should be allocated separately, where the body lift procedures are often done to compliment the adjacent areas.

Does a body lift involve liposuction?

Very often liposuction is used in the body lift procedure to remove stubborn areas of fat that just do not go away with diet and exercise. Where fat transfer is done, liposuction may be used to collect fat to be used to plump or shape other areas of your body.

If you would like to learn more about body lift in Friendswood, Sugar Land, Pearland, or Houston, Texas, please contact Dr. Lapuerta at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas today.

Filed Under: body lift

Body Contouring Questions

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

What are considered body contouring procedures?

When people talk about body contouring it gets confusing because the body can be contoured in several places, and can involve several different procedures. Body contouring procedures include any of the following:

•     Hip lift

•     Buttocks lift

•     Upper arm lift

•     Tummy Tuck

•     Body lift

•     Buttocks augmentation

•     Liposuction/liposculpting

•     Fat transfer

Most of the lift procedures involve surgically removing excess skin to eliminate any sagging. In the case of a tummy tuck, the abdominal muscles are also tightened.

Fat transfer procedures involve removing your own fat with a syringe, processing it, and then injecting it so to plump areas that need more volume and contouring.

What procedures are not considered to be body contouring procedures?

Although Dr. Leo Lapuerta does breast lifts, lip augmentation, face lifts and fat transfers to plump various facial areas or calves, these are not normally considered to be among the body contouring procedures. A breast lift technically is a body contouring procedure but is usually considered separately because it is more closely related to other breast surgery.

If you would like to schedule a body contouring consultation at one of our clinics near Houston, Texas, please contact Dr. Lapuerta at Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas today.

Filed Under: Breast Lift (Mastopexy), cosmetic surgery, Tummy Tuck

Breast Augmentation Incision Options

December 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you are considering breast enhancement, you will have many decisions to make about your surgery. It should be comforting to know that Dr. Leo Lapuerta will take his time going over the various breast augmentation incision options with you, and discuss how each is likely to affect your procedure and outcome. Of the several approaches, each has distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Incision Options for Breast Augmentation

  • Inframammary Incision – Made in the crease below your breast where it meets your chest, allowing the scar to be virtually unseen and easily hidden by clothing.
  • Periareolar Incision – Made around the areolaso that scarring blends in with the darker skin. Drawbacks include residual numbness of the nipple and a higher risk of complications with regard to breastfeeding.
  • Transaxillary Incision – Made in the armpit so the scarring is very inconspicuous. This incision type is the most difficult for breast implant placement.

Dr. Lapuerta will explain how all of these factors work together to give you superior breast enhancement results, and how your choice of incision will affect your outcome. He will also explainhow to avoid complications by following proven post-operative recovery routines and techniques.

If you would like to learn more about breast augmentation incision options, please contact experienced plastic surgeon Dr. Leo Lapuerta at The Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas, serving Houston, Pearland, Sugar Land and Friendswood, Texas today.

Filed Under: Breast Augmentation, breast implants, cosmetic surgery

Breast Augmentation Risks

December 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As with all types of surgery, there are risks that you should be aware of prior to undergoing the procedure. Cosmetic surgery procedures, including breast augmentation, are no different. Risks common among all types of surgical procedures include:

•     Infection

•     Inflammation

•     Pain

•     Bleeding or fluid accumulation

•     Scars

•     Risks associated with anesthesia

Unlike most cosmetic surgery procedures that are removing fat or extra skin, breast augmentation surgery requires the insertion of breast implants into your body. This automatically adds some unique potential issues. Breast augmentation risks specifically include:

•     Capsular contracture

•     Decreased sensitivity of nipples or breast skin, usually resulting from very large augmentations

•     Asymmetry

•     Saline leaks (harmless, but requires re-implantation or removal)

•     Wrinkling

•     Sagging

Fortunately, breast augmentation risks are so well understood that precautions have been established to reduce their occurrence, if not to eliminate them altogether. Dr. Lapuerta is a highly qualified plastic surgeon who will work with you to ensure the best outcome possible. He will talk with you in depth about your goals for breast augmentation, make optimal recommendations and will be sure you understand all risks and complications prior to committing to this or any other cosmetic surgery procedure. In addition, Dr. Lapuerta will detail what you will need to prepare for your breast augmentation surgery and the guidelines for recovery so you can have the best results possible.

If you are ready to schedule your breast augmentation surgery and would like to learn more about breast augmentation risks from one of Houston area’s finest cosmetic surgeons, please contact Dr. Lapuerta at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas, today.

Filed Under: Breast Augmentation

Fat Transfer Surgery

December 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes, less is more. That is exactly the case with fat transfer surgery. It is a less intense cosmetic surgery procedure than other enhancement options. Fat transfer surgery is also less invasive, less painful, requires less recovery time and uses less artificial implant material. In fact, there is no artificial implant material because the fat that is transferred is entirely native to you. It is your own fat.

Much can be achieved with little fat in fat transfer surgery. Lips can be plumped, sunken cheeks filled to a healthy fullness, eye lids filled, buttocks plumped and rounded, arms, calves and hands filled out to look full, healthy and youthful again.

Recovery time is less with fat transfer surgery and you will heal faster and resume normal activities sooner. Bruising and discomfort is minimal and resolves quickly so you will begin to enjoy the benefits of your fat transfer procedure sooner.

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lapuerta can transform your appearance with the “less is more” fat transfer surgery. In just a few hours you will be enjoying your new, more youthful appearance.

To learn more about fat transfer surgery in Friendswood, Sugar Land, Pearland or Houston, Texas, please contact plastic surgeon Dr. Leo Lapuerta at The Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas to schedule your consultation.

Filed Under: Fat Transfer

Questions about Fat Transfer

December 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Also known as fat injection, fat transfer uses your own fat to restore volume to areas of your body that have lost definition or plumpness. Fat transfer is a cosmetic surgery procedure that is used to improve the fullness of your lips, chin, neck and buttocks. It also treats wrinkles and areas like cheeks or hands that tend to look sunken with age or weight loss.

How long does is a fat transfer procedure takeperformed?

To begin the process, Dr. Lapuerta will give you a local or topical anesthetic to numb the areas for fat removal and reinjection. Once fat has been removed from areas such as your abdomen, it is purified and processed to the consistency of a facial filler. Using a different needle, Dr. Lapuerta injects the refined fat into the new areas to recontour your face or body. This process is continued until all areas you selected meet your desired outcome. The entire fat transfer procedure takes just a few hours.

How long with the fat transfer last?

As with any cosmetic surgery procedure, the results of fat transfer tend to vary by patient. In general, you can expect your results to last a very long time, if not permanently. Since the fat transfer procedure uses your own fat, you can have refinements as needed without any worry.

To learn more about fat transfer, please contact plastic surgeon Dr. Lapuerta at The Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas, serving Houston, Friendswood, Sugar Land or Pearland, Texas.

Filed Under: Fat Transfer

Choosing a Body Lift Plastic Surgeon

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dr. Leo Lapuerta encourages those of you considering a body lift to learn all you can about choosing a body lift plastic surgeon. Plastic surgery is always a major decision and your outcome can be affected by a variety of factors. While your cosmetic surgeon’s skill, creative talent, experience and training are vital to your outcome, your relationship and comfort with him or her are considerable factors as well.

Training and Board Certification

Dr. Lapuerta has gone above and beyond to ensure that he has the training, expertise, and experience necessary to achieve the best outcomes for his patients, whether they need hand, face or body surgery. He is certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the American Board of Surgery (ABS), and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), ensuring patients of his qualifications in all areas that he treats.

Dr. Lapuerta has also passed the stringent competency requirements for cosmetic surgeons who practice at the finest accredited Houston area facilities. If you are not aware of the importance of this validation of your plastic surgeon’s competency, know that facilities are highly accountable for the privileges they grant to surgeons, and are especially cautious in assessing the competency of those who are awarded such privileges.

Dr. Lapuerta currently has privileges or professional appointments at six different Houston area facilities.

Other Body Lift Surgeon Qualifications

You want to feel confident in the care of any medical practitioner, so it is important that your cosmetic surgeon makes you feel safe and at ease. Dr. Lapuerta’s patients consistently compliment him for immediately making them feel that they can trust him.

He gives you the opportunity to speak with former patients as well as seeing before and after photos of his work. He stays current with state-of-the art procedures, giving you the benefits of the latest methods that have proven successful.

If you would like to schedule a body contouring consultation with Dr. Lapuerta in Friendswood, Sugar Land, Pearland, or Houston, Texas, please contact the Plastic Surgery Institute of Southeast Texas today.

Filed Under: body lift