Dr. Polsen Featured on KHOU 11, Breast Explant Success Story

Breast explant surgery has been in the news lately in part because of its recent increase in popularity. More and more patients are electing to remove their implants. In some cases, patients make this decision for aesthetic reasons. In other cases, such as the one recently featured on KHOU 11, the decision comes about for medical reasons.
 

Dr. Charles Polsen, a board certified plastic surgeon, was recently featured on that KHOU 11 story because he helped his patient identify and remove problematic implants.

What is Breast Explant Surgery?

Nearly all breast augmentation procedures are performed using either a saline or silicone breast implant (the exception to this is a breast augmentation performed with autologous fat, called a fat transfer breast augmentation). In general, saline and silicone implants are considered to be both safe and effective.

However, in some cases, it’s possible that implants can become an issue. For example, in the case of Cindy Leach, featured on the KHOU 11 report, a bad rupture of one implant resulted in several possible long term health impacts.

During a breast explant procedure, the previous breast implant will be removed and the breasts will be returned to their natural size. In most cases, this can be accomplished simply by removing the implant; the breast tissue will then return to its old size and shape. In some cases, however, a breast reduction or breast lift will be necessary in order to achieve the patient’s desired final result. This is always discussed thoroughly with the patient during each breast explant consultation.

A Case of a Ruptured Implant

Leach had undergone a breast augmentation two years before her breast explant procedure. After having four children, the body builder wanted to address some of the aesthetic changes of her body. After the surgery, she started feeling a variety of symptoms–and generally ended up feeling unwell.

A mammogram revealed that one of her implants had severely ruptured. Dr. Polsen recommended a breast explant and was able to remove both implants (as well as debris caused by the rupture). Once the implant was removed, Leach noticed an immediate improvement in her symptoms. (Whether the two were truly related is difficult to prove scientifically.)

A Valid Option

Breast explant surgery has quickly become a valid option for a wide variety of patients who are looking to get back to their natural breast size. The motivations of these patients vary widely, depending on the person and on the circumstances. But the relief that our patients feel–once they’ve returned to their natural breast size and shape–is often quite similar.

If you have questions about breast explant surgery, or you’d like to know more about what your options are, contact our offices to schedule a consultation with Dr. Polsen. As one of the area’s leading experts on Breast Explant surgery and a board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Polsen will be able to answer your questions.

With the right breast explant options, relief, comfort, and happiness could be just around the corner.

Facial Procedures Available

When it comes to the face, sometimes it can be challenging to know just what facial procedure you need to undergo. That’s why Dr. Polsen works with all of his patients to find the optimal facial procedure for your desired results. You’ll discuss all of your facial surgery options–in the context of your desired results–during your initial consultation.

Part of the challenge for patients is that there are a wide variety of facial procedures available. So even when you have a crystal clear idea of what you want your final results to look like, it’s not always immediately clear how you might get there.

That’s why today we’re going to take a look at some of the facial plastic surgery options available through South Shore Plastic Surgery, in Clear Lake, TX.

Rejuvenating Facial Plastic Surgery Procedures

Facial procedures are often, in conversation, divided into two separate categories: rejuvenating and aesthetic. Rejuvenating facial plastic surgery procedures are designed to help make you appear younger–more athletic, more radiant, more youthful. This is usually accomplished via one of the following procedures:

  • Blepharoplasty: One of the most popular facial plastic surgery procedures, blepharoplasty surgery can eliminate lines, wrinkles, and excess skin from around the eyes. This skin tends to accumulate as you age, interfering with your ability to emote and sometimes even obstructing your field of vision. Wrinkles around your eyes can also make you look much older than you actually feel, so blepharoplasty (or eyelid lift) can help make you look significantly more youthful.
  • Facelift: Perhaps the most famous facial rejuvenation surgery, facelift is designed to eliminate unwanted excess skin from around the face. This excess skin can droop, sag, and form various wrinkles. When the combination of wrinkles and drooping skin becomes widespread, a facelift can be used to make the entire face appear more youthful again. Once your facelift is complete, you’ll notice that your skin contours your features much more closely–you’ll look a bit more athletic. And there will be fewer wrinkles around your face.

There are several other rejuvenating facial plastic surgery procedures available from South Shore Plastic Surgery, including a mini facelift (which is just like a facelift but on a smaller scale for faster recovery) and a neck lift (which eliminates lines and wrinkles from around the neck).

These procedures can help make you appear younger, more energetic, even more alert.

Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgery

But some patients don’t necessarily want to look younger–they just want to look different. They want to address a particular area of the face that they feel uncomfortable with. This is usually (conversationally, anyway) referred to as “aesthetic” facial plastic surgery.

Some common aesthetic facial plastic surgery procedures offered by Dr. Polsen include:

  • Rhinoplasty: The so-called “nose job” is easily one of the most popular and famous plastic surgery procedures in the world. During this procedure, Dr. Polsen will make desired changes to the nose in order to alter the way the nose looks. This could include straightening the nose, adding volume, removing volume, or even changing the shape of the nostrils. Rhinoplasty is also commonly used to reconstruct the nose after the nose has undergone a trauma (such as in the case of a broken nose).
  • Otoplasty: Much less known than rhinoplasty, otoplasty (or ear surgery) is no less important a procedure. This surgery is designed to alter the shape, size, or orientation of the ears. Sometimes otoplasty is used in cases where the ears flare out. In other cases, you might undergo “earlobe surgery” in order to alter the size or shape of your earlobes. (This particular approach has been in much higher demand in recent years.)

Dr. Polsen will discuss your desired aesthetic transformation with you during your consultation and help you select the procedure that will best accomplish the results you’re after.

What About Fillers and Injectables?

Botox and dermal filler injections are also approaches that can help you achieve your desired facial transformation. Because there is such a wide variety of fillers and injectables, selecting the right one can be a challenge. However the benefit of fillers is that there is virtually no recovery period in most cases.

Patients are typically able to arrive, undergo their injections, and return to their normal activities, all within a short timespan. Injectables cannot produce the bold or permanent transformations that surgery can, but they are a compelling option for many patients.

Many Facial Surgery Options

Ultimately, there are so many facial plastic surgery options because patients want individualized, natural looking results. Each procedure is tailored to create a different effect, so finding your perfect facial surgery option is a matter of aligning those effects with your desired outcome.

During your consultation with Dr. Polsen, you’ll discuss how you want your face to change–subtly, boldy, or a mix of both–and for what reason. Then, together, you’ll be able to figure out the best way to proceed.

Contact our Clear Lake offices to learn more about facial plastic surgery.

What Are Your Long Term Breast Enhancement Options?

Breast enhancement procedures are typically referred to as being “effectively permanent.” That’s because these procedures will permanently change your body in ways that, left to their own devices, would not be reversible. But that doesn’t mean the effects of those procedures are equally permanent.

Your Long Term Breast Enhancement Options

The other reason that the term “effectively permanent” is deployed is simple: results from breast enhancement procedures are designed to last for decades. And, for most people, that’s permanent enough.

That’s only one of the reasons why patients want to know what their long term options are. In some cases, patients want to know whether certain procedures are reversible or can be altered at a later date. That may be possible for some breast enhancement options, but it depends on the procedure itself. The results of breast augmentation may be reversible in a sense. But the results of a breast reduction would not be reversible in the same fashion. In most cases, your decision about which breast enhancement option to undergo will be governed by your desired final results. But it’s nice to know how long you can expect those breast enhancement results to last.

Breast Lift and Breast Reduction Results

The results of a breast lift or breast reduction will likely last several decades, but there are several factors that may complicate that timeline. In many cases, breast reduction and breast lit procedures are performed to reverse specific signs of aging (those signs of aging may be accelerated by life events, such as pregnancy).

  • Breast Lift results will be effectively permanent and lasts for many years, in most cases. However, the factors that lead to a change in breast orientation (gravity and a loss of elasticity in the skin) will continue to impact you. But, having reset your “starting point,” you’ll have many years to enjoy perkier, more youthful looking breasts.
  • Breast Reduction is used when a patient wants to eliminate excess tissue from the breasts. This excess tissue can develop due to genetics, weight loss, weight gain, or any number of factors. So it’s possible that if those underlying issues do not change, breast tissue can again accumulate. But usually that takes time–a lot of time, giving patients years to enjoy their results.

Both breast lift and breast reduction are permanent plastic surgery procedures that will make lasting changes to your body. It’s entirely possible that, should you undergo one of these procedures, you would never have to worry about excess or sagging breast tissue again.

Breast Augmentation

In order to perform a breast augmentation procedure, an implant of some kind is required. In the vast majority of cases, a silicone breast implant is used to achieve the desired final results (silicone implants offer a range of benefits, including a more natural look and feel). Breast augmentation is an effectively permanent plastic surgery procedure, but the look of the results can be (more or less) reversed by removing or replacing the implant.

This is accomplished in one of two ways:

  • Breast Implant Revision Surgery: In some cases, patients want to remove and replace their breast implants. This can occur for a wide variety of reasons. Some patients may simply want to move to a smaller implant size (to better reflect changes in their personality, for example). In other cases, the implant might be approaching its shelf life and be recommended for replacement. When an implant revision procedure is performed, the old implant is removed and a new replaces it.
  • Breast Explant Surgery: In some cases, it might be appropriate to remove a breast implant that is no longer wanted. That’s when a procedure called “breast explant surgery” is usually used. During a breast explant, implants are removed and the breasts are allowed to return to their original size. This option is often employed by patients who no longer feel their implants reflect who they are as a person–so they get them removed! There are a wide variety of motivations that make breast explant a tempting option for patients–each one depends on the individual involved.

How long your breast enhancement results last will depend significantly on which procedure you undergo and how well you follow through on self care items. However, all of these procedures will make permanent changes to your body. For most patients, the goal of any plastic surgery procedure is to enjoy those results for as long as possible–no matter which breast enhancement procedure you’re looking into.

Every patient is different, so if you want personalized information on how long your breast enhancement procedure will last, schedule a consultation with Dr. Charles Polsen, a plastic surgeon serving the Clear Lake and Houston areas.

How Does the Heat Affect Your Plastic Surgery Recovery?

As a plastic surgery clinic located in Clear Lake, TX, we know heat. And we know just oppressive the classic Texas heat can become. That’s why there are plenty of ways to adapt and stay cool–and lots of air conditioning. But how does the heat affect your plastic surgery recovery?

The answer to that question can vary wildly, depending on your physiology and the procedure that you’ve undergone. Every patient receives individualized recovery instructions from Dr. Polsen that are designed to optimize their comfort and protect their results. The summer heat may impact some of your recovery instructions, but the basics will remain the same.

What Happens to Your Body During Recovery?

Plastic surgery is transformational. Most procedures are capable of making substantial changes. Body contouring surgery can make you look slender and fit. Facial rejuvenation can help take years off your face, eliminating troublesome lines and wrinkles.

Swelling and bruising after your plastic surgery procedure is finished is both normal and common. Typically, swelling is a manifestation of your body’s natural healing and defense mechanisms. The team at South Shore Plastic Surgery will help prepare you for swelling that may occur as a result of your procedure (this will be part of the detailed instructions you may receive).

It may take several days to several weeks for the swelling to fully subside after your procedure. After the swelling recedes, you’ll be able to see (and appreciate) your overall transformation. Recovery for most procedures will generally take several weeks, during which period you’ll likely have several follow up appointments with Dr. Polsen.

How Can Heat Impact Your Recovery?

In most ways that matter, the heat will have in itself very little impact to your plastic surgery recovery. It’s your body’s reaction to the heat that can be the problem. In addition, the intense sunlight of the summer might be something to avoid as well.

  • Your body’s response to sunlight can exacerbate inflammation. This can increase the amount of recovery-related swelling.
  • Your healing skin is relatively exposed after surgery, meaning you’ll likely want to keep yourself out of the sun as much as possible.
  • Some recovery garments, such as pressure garments, can become quite uncomfortable in the summer heat.

Many patients will often ask about recuperating pool-side. That’s not generally recommended for the reasons listed above. Most patients are instructed to spend at least the first week or two (again, depending on the procedure and the health of the patient) indoors. The bonus is that you get to enjoy air conditioning instead of the sweltering Texas heat!

You should always ask Dr. Polsen about any recovery concerns you might have. These conversations can take place as early as your first consultation with Dr. Polsen, when you first discuss your plastic surgery transformation.

The Best Way to Recover From Plastic Surgery in the Summer

There’s no single best way to recover from plastic surgery in the summer months. Every patient is going to have their own unique challenges and strengths. Generally speaking, however, it’s a good idea for patients to remain indoors and away from harsh sunlight as much as possible. This means that most patients are encouraged to stay in their cool, air conditioned homes during the initial stages of their recovery.

It’s also usually recommended that you keep your incision covered when outdoors in the summer. This is because direct sunlight can cause issues with your incision, sometimes even making any scarring more prominent over time. Keeping your incision out of direct sunlight should help alleviate this problem and, as always, patients should follow Dr. Polsen’s instructions as closely as possible.

Can I Get Plastic Surgery in the Summer?

Yes! Many patients undergo plastic surgery during the summer months. In fact, there are some things that make summer the perfect time to undergo a procedure, depending on your desired result and your schedule. Some of the benefits of undergoing plastic surgery in the summer include:

  • Often, it’s far too hot to go outside during the summer anyway. For some patients, therefore, might not be missing out on anything by spending a couple of weeks inside (in the air conditioning).
  • Summer vacation! Many who elect to undergo plastic surgery over the summer do so because they have available time to take off of work over the summer. For teachers, summer vacation provides an excellent recovery window.
  • You can explain away your absence! If you need to stay away from work for a couple of weeks but you don’t want it widely known that you’re getting plastic surgery, you can always just let people assume you’re taking a long summer trip.

There is no universal “best” time to undergo a plastic surgery procedure. For some patients, summer will be optimal. For others, the season or time of year might not matter all that much. But if you have scheduling questions or concerns, you can bring up those issues as early as your initial consultation.

If you have questions about your plastic surgery plans, contact our Clear Lake, TX, office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Charles Polsen, a board certified plastic surgeon.

Get Ready for Summer!

The heart of summer is fast approaching, and you might be wondering what you can do to be ready for it. After all, summer is that time of year when you want to look your best. It’s the time of beaches and parties and vacations—the most fun activities of the year.

How to Get Ready for Summer with Plastic Surgery

So it’s not surprising that summer is also that time of year when a lot of patients want to look their best. How, exactly, they get to that “best” summer body, however, varies from patient to patient. It all depends on what you’re trying to address. Each patients is going to have his or her own desired outcomes.

The procedure that’s best for you will depend on how you want to look—and when you want to see those results. Quick procedures to help you get ready for summer might be able to help you a boost of transformational confidence when you go on all those high summer adventures! The trick to these procedures is that you can recovery relatively quickly—making them perfect for summer even when it’s late spring.

Procedure Number 1: Dermal Filler Injections

In most cases, dermal filler injections do not require any recovery time. Patients can resume almost all normal activities after injections are complete. You just come in, get your injection, and then go about your day (that’s why they sometimes call these types of injections “lunch hour facelifts”). How can a dermal filler injection help get you ready for summer? Well, there are a couple of different ways:

  • Dermal fillers can help mitigate lines and wrinkles. In the summer sun, lines and wrinkles tend to show a little bit more. This way you can look more youthful on all your summer adventures.
  • These injections are designed to fill volume in the skin. This can make your skin look more radiant—and a little less transparent (that can make a difference in the harsh summer sun).
  • Dermal fillers are often used to make aesthetic changes to the face. If you want your lips to look just a little more plump for the summer, dermal filler injections might be the perfect choice.

Dermal fillers come in a wide variety of types and brands. Choosing the best one for you will depend largely on your desired final outcome (and how long you’d like those results to last). By their nature, dermal fillers produce only temporary results, although those results can last anywhere between twelve and eighteen months depending on the type. The almost immediate results and short turnaround time make dermal fillers an excellent choice for those who want to hurry up and get ready for summer.

Procedure Number 2: Blepharoplasty

Your skin tends to expand as you age. This happens for a number of reasons, but it’s usually a combination of two factors: the loss of elasticity in your skin and the constant pull of gravity. Excess skin can be especially prevalent over the eyes, causing two generally negative developments:

  • The excess skin around the eyes can quickly form unwanted wrinkles, lines and bulges. These features can make the eyes look older, sadder, and more fatigued than you actually feel—and this is a key concern for most patients.
  • Excess skin around the eyes can also start to interfere with the vision of patients. As the excess tissue builds up, in actually start to droop into your field of vision. You may not even be aware that it happens! If you’re getting ready for a big summer vacation, that loss of your field of vision can be a major bummer.

Blepharoplasty, sometimes called an eyelid lift, is a relatively minimally invasive plastic surgery procedure. Most patients are able to return to normal activities within a matter of days (or a couple of weeks) depending on the extent of the procedure.

Patients who undergo a blepharoplasty procedure usually report looking and feeling significantly more youthful after the procedure—exactly how you want to feel before a summer filled with fun activities.

Procedure Number 3: SkinCeuticals

SkinCeuticals is a high end line of skincare products, and they’re a great investment when it comes to your summer fun. That’s because the harsh summer conditions can take a significant toll on your skin—and the more damage caused by summer, the faster your skin will end up looking and feeling worn out.

SkinCeuticals products can help your skin look its best, especially when used over a long period of time. This kind of protection over the summer is especially key if you’re looking to prevent the formation of lines and wrinkles. The right skin care regimen can go a long way in ensuring your skin looks joyful and vital.

It’s Never Too Early to Think About Next Summer

Of course, these procedures are just the tip of the iceberg. There are surgical procedures that can help you get ready for summer, from tummy tuck to liposuction to breast lift. But these procedures do require some recovery time, so there’s no guarantee they could have you ready for this summer. But they could help get you ready for next summer.

If you want to know more about what procedures can help get you ready for summer—either this one or next—don’t hesitate to contact our Houston area offices, located in League City, TX, to talk directly to our front desk staff. Schedule a consultation today to get started on your summer transformation.

The Benefits of a Breast Reduction

It’s well known that breast augmentation is one of the most popular–and most well known–plastic surgery procedures annually. But what’s less well known is that breast reduction surgery is always right behind it. Breast reduction might not crack the top five every year, but nearly 200,000 patients every year will undergo a procedure designed to mitigate excess tissue in the breasts.

In large part, that’s because the benefits of a breast reduction procedure are so pronounced. Those benefits range from aesthetic to physiological, and are generally widely appreciated by breast reduction patients.

It’s not unusual for the benefits of a plastic surgery procedure to drive the popularity of that procedure (in fact, that’s pretty typical of just about anything). But it’s worth taking some time to really dig into those benefits because they are, in large part, what makes breast reduction relatively unique among plastic surgery procedures.

What is a Breast Reduction?

A breast reduction procedure is designed, simply, to eliminate excess tissue from the breasts. As the name implies, this means reducing the overall size and volume of the breasts. Excess tissue can develop for any number of reasons:

  • Genetics can simply cause one to develop overly large breasts, even from a younger age.
  • Diet and exercise don’t have a huge effect on breast size, but they can make a slight difference one way or the other.
  • Pregnancy and nursing can both influence the overall size of the breasts in a permanent way.
  • Gravity combined with the normal and natural aging process can also increase the size and volume of the breasts over time.

Whatever the reason for overly large breasts, many patients want breasts that are more in line with their proportions. This is accomplished by making a small incision in each breast and removing excess tissue. In some cases, a breast lift is performed concurrently in order to give the patient the best possible results.

What are the Benefits of Breast Reduction?

There are multiple benefits to breast reduction procedures–and those benefits come in physiological, emotional, and aesthetic forms. Those benefits include but are not limited to the following:

  • Reduced chronic neck pain: Breasts that are too large for your frame can, in effect, tug and pull on your neck and back muscles. This strain can cause chronic pain issues. Breast reduction patients have noted that they often feel relief from chronic neck pain once their reduction procedure has been completed.
  • Reduced chronic back pain: Just as overly large breasts can put a strain on your neck, they can also put a significant strain on your back. Breast reduction surgery can often reduce this strain and, as a result, mitigate the chronic back pain associated with that strain.
  • A more youthful profile: Overly large breasts are often associated with the aging process. Which means that sagging, larger breasts are often seen as being a sign of age. By reducing the size and volume of the breasts, you are also giving yourself a more youthful looking profile.
  • More proportional look: Breast reduction procedures also work to ensure that your final look is proportional–that the final size of your breasts is in proportion to your hips, waist, and the rest of your body.
  • Increased confidence and self esteem: As with other plastic surgery procedures, patients often articulate a feeling of confidence and self esteem once their procedure and recovery have been completed. Breast reduction is no different. Patients feel more confident in themselves and happy with their appearance.

Often Coupled with a Breast Lift

A breast reduction is designed to mitigate volume, but in some cases patients would like their breasts to take on a perkier orientation as well. In those cases, breast lift procedures are employed to augment the results of a breast reduction. Patients will often undergo both procedures concurrently in order to achieve the best possible results. In those cases, we might expect the breasts to look smaller, perkier, and more youthful.

Finding the Right Procedure For You

Breast reduction procedures are popular in large part because they work and patients are happy with the results. If you want to know more about what a breast reduction can do for you, or you have questions about how this procedure might change your appearance, contact our offices to schedule a confidential consultation with Dr. Charles Polsen.

As a board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Polsen has a significant amount of experience and expertise, and he’s always happy to answer questions from patients. There are a significant number of benefits of a breast reduction procedure. If you think those benefits might apply to you, contact us today to get the process started.

Should Your New Year’s Resolution Include Plastic Surgery?

New Year’s Resolutions are a funny thing. Some people will wait until New Year’s Day to announce their resolutions, while other people might start making preparations for their own New Year’s Resolution in June. It all depends on the person and on the resolution (after all, some New Year’s resolution take a little more planning than others). But should your New Year’s Resolution include plastic surgery?

Should My New Year’s Resolution Include Plastic Surgery?

The short answer is that it’s certainly a possibility! However, it’s important to emphasize that most patients who use plastic surgery to achieve a New Year’s Resolution are also meeting other, long term goals. The plastic surgery itself is done in a thoughtful and intentional way, with an eye on long term transformations.

In other words, yes, patients can and often do use plastic surgery to meet their New Year’s Resolutions, but they do so in a way that meets the same standards as any plastic surgery decision. Transformations large and small, subtle and bold are possible depending on the procedure and the patient’s desired outcome. Should your New Year’s Resolution include plastic surgery? Maybe–it all depends. That’s why we’re going to look at some instances in which New Year’s Resolutions and plastic surgery go well together to create fantastic outcomes.

What is the Purpose of a New Year’s Resolution?

It might help if we start back with the initial premise of this topic: New Year’s Resolutions. For those of you who don’t know, a New Year’s Resolution is, essentially, a goal that you make for yourself. People usually create this goal around the turn of the new year (hence the name), and it usually but not always involves some sort of significant life change.

At least, that’s the plan. The funny thing about New Year’s Resolutions is that they are a notoriously unreliable motivator. Most people, in fact, end up failing at their resolutions. Which means those resolutions tend to generate a wide range of emotions, from hopefulness and determination, to fear and foreboding.

The most common New Year’s Resolutions involve diet and exercise. People will often resolve to exercise more or to diet more strictly. The goal of these activities is usually to refine the body in some way: to lose weight or add muscle. Study after study has shown that people often have more success achieving these goals when they are incorporated into an overall lifestyle change rather than sought out with a New Year’s Resolution.

When Does Plastic Surgery Enter the Mix?

Whether you’ve been trying to lose ten pounds for ten years or this is your very first New Year’s Resolution, one of the reasons why success is not always guaranteed is because you only have so much control over your body.

Fat, especially, can have a tendency to stubbornly stick around, even when you don’t want it to–ignoring all of your diet and exercise-based attempts to eliminate it. These stubborn areas of fat can show up anywhere, really, and they can be exceptionally frustrating.

And this shows one of the best cases in which to use plastic surgery to help you achieve your New Year’s Resolution. As with any plastic surgery procedure, Dr. Polsen and his staff here at South Shore Plastic Surgery will be looking to make sure that plastic surgery candidates meet certain criteria for any procedure to meet a New Year’s Resolution goal:

  • The “resolution” is part of a long term goal, which the patient has had for some time
  • The patient is generally healthy enough for surgery
  • The patient has a clear idea of what to expect from surgery
  • The “resolution” has been approached in a thoughtful and conscientious way
  • the patient has a desire to undergo plastic or cosmetic surgery

It’s incredibly important that patients have a strong desire to undergo plastic or cosmetic surgery. If you want to discuss your options with Dr. Polsen, contact our offices to schedule a confidential consultation.

Procedures Common for “New Year’s Resolution” Plastic Surgery

Patients who use plastic surgery to achieve a “New Year’s Resolution” are, in most cases, also likely using the surgery to address something that has been a long source of discomfort. That’s why there are definitely some procedures that are popular year after year. Those procedures might include:

  • Liposuction: This body contouring procedure can eliminate stubborn areas of fat. Dr. Polsen uses a liposculpting technique to ensure your results contour seamlessly with the rest of your body.
  • Tummy Tuck: Sometimes your body just develops a bit of excess skin, especially around the tummy. No amount of diet or exercise can mitigate this type of excess skin, so many patients opt instead for a tummy tuck to achieve a slender-looking belly.
  • Mommy Makeover: A procedures that is usually aimed to address problem areas created by motherhood and pregnancy, Mommy Makeover is a popular choice for New Year’s Resolution inspired plastic surgery. This procedure typically combines tummy tuck, liposuction, and breast lift, but the specific procedures are always up to you and your plastic surgeon.

There are other procedures that are often employed in helping patients reach their New Year’s Resolutions, so if you have questions about what’s available, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask our staff.

Using a plastic surgery procedure to help you meet your New Year’s Resolution goals is possible, but it can also be tricky. That’s why it’s best to proceed with thoughtfulness and with caution. If you want to know more about how Dr. Polsen can help you meet your New Year’s Resolution goals, contact us today to schedule a consultation.

How Long Will Breast Enhancement Last?

Plastic surgery is an effectively permanent way to transform your body. Even still, results don’t necessarily last forever, as normal aging processes still occur gradually and over time. That’s why many patients want to know how long their breast enhancement results will last. It turns out that there are some simple and not so simple answers to this question.

Just How Long Will Breast Enhancement Last for Patients?

As always, this blog post is intended to provide a general overview and is not intended to be used as medical advice. Only Dr. Polsen or your plastic surgeon will be able to answer questions that pertain to your specific procedure or results.

There’s one procedure where this question is relatively easy to answer, and that’s breast augmentation. If you undergo a breast augmentation with silicone or saline implants, your results will generally last as long as you keep your implants in. Once you undergo a breast explant procedure, your breasts will generally return to a size similar to their original. So, that particular breast enhancement will last for as long as the implants are left in. Things get a little harder to predict when you move on to other breast enhancement procedures, such as breast lift and breast reduction.

What Happens During a Breast Lift or Breast Reduction

Breast lifts and breast reductions are procedures that have a significant amount of mainstream appeal. Indeed, a breast lift is often performed concurrently with breast augmentation or breast reduction. But a breast lift and breast reduction accomplish two very different things:

  • A breast reduction is a surgical procedure designed to eliminate or mitigate excess tissue around the breasts. As you age, excess tissue develops due to a combination of diminished skin elasticity and gravity (weight loss or weight gain is often also partially to blame). In other cases, some women simply develop larger breasts throughout the course of their lives. The larger the breasts, the more strain is put on the body over the years. Breast reduction procedures are usually intended to help women achieve a breast size more in line with what their frame can support, easing chronic pain and discomfort as a result.
  • A breast lift is designed to help women appear more youthful. Rather than addressing excess tissue exclusively, breast lift procedures can change the orientation of the breasts. Sagging breasts are a normal sign of aging, but there are a variety of factors that can cause those signs to develop prematurely. A breast lift is employed to correct sag and return the breasts to a more youthful orientation. Breast lifts are also sometimes used to move the nipple to a more youthful-looking position. Breast lift procedures are often performed alongside breast reduction or breast augmentations and are commonly incorporated into a mommy makeover procedure.

In some cases, a breast lift is going to be the preferred option for a patient. In other cases, a breast reduction is going to best serve the patient. During your consultation with Dr. Polsen, you’ll be able to discuss which procedure might best serve your intended goals.

How Long Does Each Procedure Last?

Because the underlying causes of larger breasts or sagging breasts are sometimes created or exacerbated by the normal aging process, it’s natural to wonder just how long you’ll be able to enjoy your results for. Generally speaking, results from these procedures will last at least for a number of years.

But there are some variables that patients should be aware of.

Variables with Weight

One of the most profound variables that patients need to consider are those that have to do with their overall weight. Patients will be able to maintain the best possible results when they maintain a consistent weight after their procedure. Wild fluctuations in weight will typically result in diminishing returns on both breast lift and breast reduction procedures.

Variables in Wardrobe

When it comes to maintaining your breast lift results, most surgeons–including Dr. Polsen–recommend that patients be sure to have the right wardrobe options. This means finding a supportive bra in the correct size. It’s true that many breast lifts will add a certain amount of structure and support back into the breast itself, but using the right kind of bra can help ensure your results will enjoy a longer duration.

Hydration

It might sound a little funny, but ensuring you stay hydrated can actually help preserve your results in the long run. That’s because staying hydrated can improve your skin elasticity. And loss of skin elasticity can lead to sagging breasts and excess skin (again, over time–but you also want to make sure you’re preserving your results over time).

How Long Do Most Patients Enjoy Results?

Results from breast lift and breast reduction procedures are effectively permanent. This means that you won’t have to worry about your results somehow reversing themselves. But the effects of aging will continue to accumulate, even though a breast lift or breast reduction will effectively reset the clock.

Exactly how long your breast lift or breast reduction results will last depends largely on factors that are quite personal and unique. During your consultation with Dr. Polsen, you might be able to get a more accurate window in terms of how long you can expect to enjoy your results. However, most patients continue to enjoy breast lift and breast reduction results for years after their procedure has been complete.

To find out more about breast lift and breast reduction procedures, contact Dr. Charles Polsen at Clear Lake Plastic Surgery to schedule a confidential consultation.

The Benefits of Liposuction

Year after year, liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures performed throughout the United States. In fact, there has hardly been a year in the past two or three decades that hasn’t seen liposuction sitting in the top five most popular procedures. That’s because there are benefits of liposuction surgery that extend beyond the obvious weight loss.

Weight loss is usually the most pronounced and obvious benefit of any liposuction procedure. That said, the term “weight loss” is something of a misnomer, as liposuction isn’t a procedure designed to control a patient’s weight, perse.

Most patients who have not been able to achieve results via diet and exercise and who want massive weight loss begin with some type of bariatric surgery. It’s relatively common, then, for those patients who have experienced massive weight loss to then undergo body contouring surgery such as liposuction or a tummy tuck. In part that’s because liposuction has an amazing ability to target specific trouble areas of the body. These are spots where stubborn areas of fat just don’t seem to fade no matter what you do or how hard you work. ,strong>Eliminating or diminishing these trouble spots is really what liposuction is best at.

Liposuction Benefits for the Body

Patients usually discuss the benefits of liposuction surgery in terms of mental and physical benefits. We’ll start by talking about the physical benefits because those tend to the first that patients notice.

Liposuction is a body contouring procedure in which fat is removed from the body. Dr. Polsen makes a small incision and then uses a tiny tube, called a cannula, to suction fat out of the body in a highly controlled and precise way. It is, in fact, the precision of modern liposuction technology that allows this procedure to contour the body in a way that looks natural and smooth.

As such, liposuction tends to lead to some of the following benefits:

  • Many patients’ bodies look more proportional after liposuction, as the procedure is able to remove fat from targeted areas. Most patients want to achieve a specific set of proportions, and liposuction gives them some control over that.
  • Liposuction can also help patients achieve many types of weight loss journeys. Patients who are trying to lose weight will often encounter stubborn areas of fat that simply won’t budge, no matter how much diet or exercise is involved. Liposuction can help eliminate these areas of fat.
  • Modern liposuction is designed to contour the body. This means that your results will blend in with your natural shape. It also means that your curves will be preserved where you want them to be, giving patients and surgeons maximum control over your final look. In other words, it won’t look like you’ve undergone surgery, it’ll just look like you’ve lost weight.

As such, liposuction is routinely employed in body contouring and body transformation projects. Patients love the fact that they can finally address those problem areas! It is worth pointing out, however, that the best results often occur when patients are maintaining a stable weight. This will give your surgeon the best chance at properly contouring your results for long term benefits.

Emotional Benefits of Liposuction

The physical benefits of liposuction are not the only benefits of liposuction. As with any plastic surgery procedure, there are certainly emotional benefits as well. Many of those emotional benefits come from the alignment of a patient’s body image, self image, and mirror image.

In other words, patients are relieved that they finally look the way they feel. This has long been one of the benefits of many plastic surgery procedures, but it’s particularly potent with a procedure such as liposuction. Some other emotional benefits may include:

  • Increases in self confidence
  • Improvements in self-esteem
  • More comfort with your body overall
  • The satisfaction of having completed your weight loss journey or accomplished your weight loss goals

In general, the emotional benefits of liposuction are more difficult to catalog than the physical benefits. That’s because those emotional benefits tend to be more personal and more difficult to see, especially in the moment. However, it’s not unusual for patients to report that they simply feel better in their own bodies after a liposuction body contouring procedure.

Individual Benefits Will Vary

Every patient that comes to Dr. Polsen is entirely unique, so there is always going to be some variation from person to person. That’s certainly true with the benefits of liposuction, which will vary from patient to patient. The best way to find out what benefits might apply to your own situation would be to schedule a confidential consultation with Dr. Polsen.

During your consultation, you’ll talk about your liposuction and body contouring goals and the best way to achieve them. These are often procedures that create transformations both subtle and large. Results will, therefore, vary from patient to patient.

To find out more about what liposuction can do for you, contact our Clear Lake TX offices to schedule an appointment with Dr. Polsen!