As the Florida economy warms up, so is the demand for beach body plastic surgery procedures such as lipo and tummy tucks.  Fort Lauderdale plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Wigoda, warns patients to do their homework first, learning the risks and potential results. Last year, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported almost 9.5 million cosmetic procedures; with Liposuction being the second most popular choice for women.

“People need to educate themselves on the difference between cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks versus liposuction,” said Dr. Wigoda, plastic surgeon and Chief of Plastic Surgery at Broward General Hospital.

Liposuction and tummy tucks are procedures performed to contour the body. While they both involve removing excess fat, they accomplish different things.

Liposuction

Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty, is a surgical procedure that involves making small incisions where the fat is to be removed using thin, hollow tubes called cannulas to suction the fat out. Typically, the area is anesthetized using a combination of lidocaine and epinephrine. The person may elect for local or general anesthesia. There are different types of liposuction including ultrasonic, laser assisted, power assisted, and traditional suction assisted. Which one is used often depends on the surgeon’s preference and experience.

Liposuction surgery may be considered to treat areas of excess fat in the stomach, buttocks, hips, love handles, saddlebags, thighs, calves, ankles, breasts (including male breast enlargement), back, arms and neck. Liposuction is equally effective in both men and women.

Good candidates for liposuction

• If you have areas of fat deposits that are out of proportion with the rest of your body and do not go away with diet and exercise –sometimes referred to as “diet resistant fat”
• Areas with minimal amounts of excess skin (Liposuction removes fat not skin) and good skin elasticity

Tummy Tucks

Abdominoplasty will enhance your body contour by making your abdomen firmer and flatter. You may find that you feel more comfortable in your clothing and are more confident about your appearance

Good candidates for Tummy Tucks

If you have

• If you have excess or sagging abdominal skin
• A protruding abdomen that protrudes out of proportion to the rest of your body
• Abdominal muscles that have been separated and weakened
• Excess fatty tissue that is concentrated in your abdomen

In this procedure, a long incision is made in the lower abdomen, just above the pubic area. The abdominal muscles are tightened, excess fat is removed, and excess skin is trimmed away. Tummy tucks, also called abdominoplasty, are great for men and women who have loose sagging abdominal skin, weak abdominal muscles, and excess fact that has settled under the skin around the stomach.

While you can achieve dramatic changes in your appearance, including a change in your dress or pants size, you won’t necessarily lose a significant amount of weight using these methods. If you are looking to lose weight, then it is best to follow a healthy diet routine of diet and exercise.

Tummy tucks and liposuction can be regarded as complementary procedures that, combined with other healthy lifestyle choices, can help you look and feel your best.

In brief:

Tummy Tuck vs Liposuction

• Though both tummy tuck and liposuction are surgical procedures to get rid of excess fat, tummy tucks also address problems with loose skin and muscles.

• Liposuction may be less painful and has a shorter recovery time but will not be the ideal procedure if the primary problem is loose skin and/or loose muscles.

• Liposuction is, in some cases, better for younger patients as the results tend to be better when the skin is firm and elastic while tummy tuck can be suitable for patients of all ages

• Tummy tuck is preferred when there is loose skin or muscles, while for persons who have concentrated areas of excess fat, liposuction is more appropriate.

Barney Frank’s recent mobs scandal racing across the social media networks brings light to this topic. Men are supposed to have flat chests but a staggering number of men are also going under the surgical knife to improve how their chest looks and to correct a common condition called gynecomastia.

Also known as “puffy nipples”, gynecomastia is a condition characterized by excess localized fat and/or glandular tissue development in the chest that is not related to obesity. Although it affects three out of four teenage boys, the condition typically goes away as they mature. But for those few men who are unable to shake the problem, gynecomastia can be a source of unending embarrassment and bad locker-room jokes. But instead of suffering in silence, healthy men can snip the problem away with a simple plastic surgery.

“Gynecomastia surgery is fairly common for men of all ages,” says South Florida plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Wigoda, “The ages of patients I see who request to have their chests made smaller ranges from teenagers to men in their sixties.”

More and more men are viewing plastic surgery as a viable option for improving their overall appearance. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported on the trend earlier this year. About 1.1 million cosmetic procedures were performed on men in 2011, which represented a 2% increase over 2010.

Gynecomastia is a fairly simple procedure, but traditional suction-assisted liposuction is often not adequate. Most patients, however, can be successfully treated with ultrasonic liposuction, which uses sound waves to loosen and liquefy fat in the chest area for easy removal. In some cases, glandular tissue may need to be cut out. In situations like these, an incision is made on the lower half of the areola and the excess tissue is removed. The scar left behind is generally barely visible.

Even men with breasts that are large and ptotic can be treated. This usually requires the removal of excess skin, so greater scarring may occur. Gynecomastia can be performed with local anesthesia and sedation, or general anesthesia depending on the situation.

“Most patients do not have significant pain afterward and can resume normal non-strenuous activities in a few days,” says Dr. Wigoda. “I typically recommend waiting four weeks before exercising.”

Before getting gynecomastia sugery, it is important that you approach the procedure with the right frame of mind. You should do it for yourself, and not to fit someone else’s beauty ideal. Set realistic expectations about what you will look like after the surgery. You should also be physically healthy and at a normal weight, and your breast development should have reached a stable state.

If your breasts are out of proportion to the rest of your chest or you are embarrassed to take your shirt off in public, then gynecomastia surgery may be the answer to your problem. Stop by Dr. Wigoda’s website to see how this experienced South Florida plastic surgeon can help you.

Can you be too old for plastic surgery? Dr. Paul Wigoda, a South Florida plastic surgeon, agrees with recent reports that plastic surgery is an option for healthy seniors!  What does it mean to be 60 or 70 years old today? Certainly not the same as it did even a decade ago. Septuagenarians today are leading lives that are as active in their golden years as they were in their green twenties and thirties. In fact, many seniors in Fort Lauderdale and other Florida cities are waking up to the fact that simply because they are 70 years old, doesn’t mean they have to look it.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports 84,685 cosmetic procedures were performed on people 65 and over, which is a 21% increase over the surgeries performed in 2009. The most requested procedures are facelifts as late age patients seek to nip and tuck their way to more youthful looks.

There are a number of reasons why seniors are willing to go under the knife including:

* Wanting to look as young as they feel

* Availability of disposable income to pay for the surgery they’ve been wanting for awhile

* Improve self-esteem and boost self-confidence

* Increased marketability as a current or potential employee

This last point is notable. More and more seniors are continuing to work past retirement age. The current economic situation makes them more vulnerable to layoffs and dismissals by companies seeking younger, cheaper workers. For some, getting a little work done may mean the difference between keeping a well-paying job and being forced to take an early retirement.

Contrary to popular belief, plastic surgery presents no special risks to senior patients as long as they are in good health. A study done by the Journal of Plastic Surgery finds the risk of complications are about the same for people over 65 as they are for younger patients. As long as patients are cleared by their physician and take good care of themselves they shouldn’t experience any major problems.

Despite the youth-obsessed culture prevalent in America, at the end of the day you have to do what is right for you. Whether you get surgery or not, make sure you are doing it for your own pleasure and because of outside pressure to look younger.

Dr. Wigoda sees patients who are bothered by their stomach every day in his Fort Lauderdale plastic surgery office. Most request information about liposuction and Tummy Tucks, also called abdominoplasties. Dr. Wigoda takes care to differentiate between the two procedures, pointing out that liposuction merely removes fat, while tummy tucks are actually three procedures in one:

1. Removes fat
2. Removes excess skin
3. Tightens muscles

When considering getting a tummy tuck, it is crucial to consider your surgeon’s credentials, facility and reviews. Other key considerations:

• A tummy tuck procedure takes longer than liposuction.
• The tummy tuck recovery period is longer than that of liposuction (approx. 6 weeks)
• A tummy tuck can be more costly.
• A tummy tuck can leave longer scars.

To tuck or not to tuck? If you have good skin tone and no loose skin, you might just need liposuction. If you have loose skin that is hanging, then a tummy tuck may be more appropriate.

As the heat index here in Florida continues to climb and people spend more time in their bathing suits, many Floridians are considering getting liposuction to get the body they want. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Wigoda warns patients to educate themselves on the different types of liposuction and to do their research before choosing their Florida plastic surgeon for any procedure.

What is liposuction? Also known as lipoplasty or liposculpture, the procedure removes excess fat deposits, slimming and shaping specific areas of the body. Liposuction can treat stubborn fat pockets in several places on the body, including abdomen, flanks, back, thighs, inner knees, arms, neck and hips. Liposuction can be performed on its own or combined with other plastic surgery procedures such as breast augmentation, a facelift or tummy tuck.

Contrary to common belief, liposuction is not a weight-loss solution. The procedure was designed to treat small areas of fat. Many patients seek liposuction to remove stubborn fat deposits that linger in spite of diet and exercise.

Considering having lipo done? There are several different types of liposuction procedures:

• Ultra-sonic liposuction
• Smart lipo
• Suction assisted liposuction
• Power assisted liposuction

Dr. Wigoda recommends ultra-sonic liposuction as he believes it to be most effective in achieving your desired results. Despite the current popularity of Smart liposuction, Dr. Wigoda does not feel it is as effective as ultra-sonic liposuction and has only become a buzzword due to heavy marketing.

It is also important to know what type of doctor your surgeon is. While legally any doctor can perform a liposuction, patients should only entrust their bodies to board-certified plastic surgeons for cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Wigoda urges any patient considering liposuction to do their research and consult a Florida plastic surgeon with good credentials and reviews.

Paul Wigoda, M.D. agreed with The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASPS) when it predicted an uptick in elective plastic surgery procedures in 2011. New data released from the ASPS seems to reinforce the idea that increased consumer confidence in the economy translates into more plastic surgery: cosmetic procedures in 2010 jumped to 13.1 million, an increase of five percent.

The top five procedures performed in 2010:

• Breast augmentation

• Nose reshaping

• Eyelid surgery

• Liposuction

• Tummy tuck

As the aging population continues to grow, so does the incidence of face lifts, as well as minimally invasive procedures such as Botox.

With nearly 11.6 million procedures in 2010, the top five minimally invasive procedures were:

• Botulinum toxin type A

• Soft tissue fillers

• Chemical peel

• Laser hair removal

• Microdermabrasion

Get up with the latest plastic surgery news and offers from Dr. Wigoda through our Facebook Fan Page and Twitter @DrWigoda.

Paul Wigoda, M.D. comments on anticipated trends according to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASPS). They’ve made a number of plastic surgery predictions for 2011, centering on increased elective procedures such as facelifts, Botox, and buttocks augmentations.

1. More facelifts as economy picks up

Dr. Wigoda agrees with this sentiment; noting that elective plastic surgery as a whole tends to happen more during better financial times.

2. Additional fillers, Botox, and Injectables

Dr. Wigoda notes that these procedures are more affordable than traditional plastic surgery, especially as more products enter the market. Also, people tend to be happy with the results and continue procedures.

3. Increase of procedures to tighten the skin post weight loss

These procedures, ranging from arm lifts to tummy tuck’s are also usually elective, not covered by insurance, says Dr. Wigoda. Therefore, as consumers’ disposable income returns, so will these surgeries.

4. Changing out breast implants

Many of Dr. Wigoda’s patients see better results with silicone implants, so he predicts that his saline patients will make the switch to painless breast implants surgery. Also, since baby boomers remain the largest age demographic in the US, they may need their implants replaced or choose to have a breast lift done.

5. More botched plastic surgery cases

“Consumers looking for a bargain on cosmetic procedures will unfortunately lead to an increase in horror stories about ‘discount injectables’ bought offshore, cosmetic medicine, and cosmetic surgical procedures performed by untrained practitioners,” predicts ASAPS. Dr. Wigoda’s advice to avoid such catastrophe? Do your homework, and ask these questions before choosing a surgeon.

6. New ways to zap fat

Consumers will increasingly seek non-invasive techniques for fat removal (freezing, zapping, lasering) as an alternative to liposuction. Dr. Wigoda does not endorse freezing or zapping fat.

7. Getting a celebrity buttocks

Dr. Wigoda acknowledges that right now, thanks to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, and Jennifer Lopez, bigger is better. This can be accomplished several ways, he says, from performing liposuction on the areas around the buttocks such as the thighs, injecting fat into the buttocks, implants, or lifts.

Wondering what to expect in Botox, breast implants, dermal fillers and non-surgical improvements in 2010 and beyond?

Last week I posted a review of Fort Lauderdale plastic surgery over the previous decade. We talked about how liposuction, Botox, breast augmentation and dermal fillers have evolved and become very popular over the past 10 years.

As a board certified plastic surgeon, I receive questions all the time about the “latest and greatest” procedures South Florida can look forward to in the coming years.

Check out my video below for the changes I am expecting in both surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures including:

• Botox
• Silicon breast implants
• Dermal fillers
• Surgical and non-surgical improvements

The medical field is always in search of less invasive procedures that allow for quicker recovery times and comparable results. While many South Florida plastic surgeons are already advertising non-invasive tummy tucks or face lifts, the technology has not yet arrived and consumers need to be careful to understand the procedures they are actually having.

For more information on Fort Lauderdale plastic surgery or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Paul Wigoda, visit http://www.drwigoda.com. You can also follow the South Florida plastic surgery news and get updates and specials from the Aesthetics Institute by following Dr. Wigoda on Twitter, @drwigoda, or by becoming a Fan on Facebook.

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Wigoda has been practicing Fort Lauderdale plastic surgery for over 10 years. As we roll into a new decade, Dr. Wigoda is taking a look back at the development of South Florida plastic suregery over the past 10 years.

Check out the video below to hear his thoughts on how liposuction, Botox, breast augmentation and dermal fillers have changed since 2000.

To hear where Dr. Wigoda believes plastic surgery is heading in the next decade, visit The Aesthetics Institute Youtube Channel.

For more information on Fort Lauderdale plastic surgery or to contact board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Wigoda, visit www.DrWigoda.com, become a Fan on Facebook, or follow South Florida’s favorite plastic surgeon on Twitter.

If you live in South Florida and have considered liposuction, chances are you’ve heard about the surgery centers that offer Smart Lipo as an alternative.  Dr. Paul Wigoda, a Fort Lauderdale plastic surgeon, shares his insights on Smart Lipo and discusses the similarities and differences of the procedures.  Check out the video and information below and get smart about liposuction.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, minimally invasive cosmetic procedures increased by five percent over the past year while traditional cosmetic procedures decreased by nine percent. Partially due to the economy and less spending, many patients interested in Fort Lauderdale liposuction seek out Smart Lipo believing it is either less invasive or less expensive than other types of liposuction. Dr. Wigoda, a Fort Lauderdale, board certified plastic surgeon, shares in his Smart Lipo vs. Liposuction video that Fort Lauderdale ultrasonic liposuction is usually the smarter way to go as Smart lipo is equally invasive and typically, equally priced as traditional liposuction. However, it is often not as effective.

“In South Florida, many Smart Lipo doctors advertise the procedure as safe and effective although they are not board certified plastic surgeons,” said Dr. Paul Wigoda. “These doctors open up an office or spa, declare themselves Smart Lipo experts, and perform Smart Lipo without any formal plastic surgery training other than maybe a one or two-day Smart Lipo course.”

As one of the most common Fort Lauderdale plastic surgery procedures, it is inevitable that enhancements or tweaks will be made to the liposuction process, however, when comparing the procedure of Smart Lipo vs. ultrasonic liposuction, the results are usually not similar.

Smart Lipo vs. Liposuction

• Smart Lipo claims to tighten the skin during the procedure; however, neither the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the companies that sell the device, nor anyone else has proven that statement. Similarly, traditional liposuction also does little to tighten the skin.
• A doctor does not have to be a board certified plastic surgeon to perform Smart Lipo. Dr. Wigoda advises clients to always choose a plastic surgeon that is a board certified in plastic surgery and has completed plastic surgery training.
• Smart Lipo was introduced to the market as a ‘lunchtime’ procedure with little pain and minimal downtime, usually to treat very small areas of excess fat. These claims were true when Smart Lipo machines emitted low wattage but as clients complained about minimal results, Smart Lipo increased the machine wattage, which also increased the pain, making the use of general anesthesia more common.
• The results from the highest wattage Smart Lipo machine yield the same recovery time as traditional liposuction yet the results are often not as impressive.
• Ultrasonic liposuction is much more powerful than Smart Lipo and is more successful at removing larger amounts of fat.
• Smart Lipo, traditional liposuction, and ultrasonic liposuction can all be done under local anesthesia, but most plastic surgeons recommend general anesthesia for comfort, especially if many areas are to be treated or large amounts of fat are to be removed. Non-plastic surgeons often cannot offer general anesthesia in their offices, so they tout the use of local anesthesia, when in fact, it is more uncomfortable for the patient.

“The bottom line is that the advantages of Smart Lipo don’t really exist,” said Dr. Wigoda. “If a patient is looking for long term, effective Fort Lauderdale liposuction results they need to look into all of the available options and most importantly, trust the doctor they choose.”

For more information on liposuction in Fort Lauderdale call 954.463.7088.