Southwest Plastic Surgery

Despite the most strenuous efforts with diet and exercise, many of us simply cannot reduce fat in our midsection. Aging, pregnancy, and weight fluctuations all affect the way fat is distributed in the abdomen, often leaving us with stubborn “love handles,” “spare tires,” and “muffin tops” we wish would simply disappear. Fortunately, Southwest Plastic Surgery now offers the ultimate nonsurgical solution to defeat these common waistline woes: Vanquish.

How It Works

Aptly named, the Vanquish applicator eliminates fat from the body without ever touching it. The device is suspended above you as you lie comfortably throughout the 30-minute treatment. You will feel no pain as radio frequency waves target stubborn fat cells with heat, which will lead to cell destruction. Since fat cells are denser and hold less water than other cells, no damage will be done to the skin or surrounding tissue. Patients are advised to drink plenty of water before and after treatment to encourage the dead fat cells to filter through the lymphatic system and leave the body permanently. No downtime is required; patients can resume normal activity immediately after each treatment.

Best Candidates for Vanquish

Vanquish is not a treatment for weight loss, excess skin, or cellulite. (For excess skin removal, patients will experience best results with abdominoplasty.) Those who experience the best results are within ten percent of their ideal body weight and have abdominal fat that is resistant to diet and exercise. After just a few treatments with Vanquish, most patients lose several inches from their waistline without even changing their diet.

Results

The results with Vanquish are permanent; the fat cells that are eliminated will never return. If any weight is gained after treatment, it will be dispersed differently that it would be if the area were never treated with Vanquish. For those who have difficulty with stubborn abdominal fat and are not ready for downtime associated with liposuction, Vanquish is the perfect nonsurgical alternative.

If you would like to vanquish your stubborn abdominal fat for good, please schedule a consultation with one of Southwest Plastic Surgery’s board-certified plastic surgeons. Please call (915) 590-7900 or fill out our online contact form today. We look forward to hearing from you!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 6th, 2014 at 10:12 pm and is filed under Non-Surgical Fat Reduction, Uncategorized, Vanquish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

You’ve probably seen advertisements for gym equipment or exercise programs that will tone and slenderize a particular area of the body. While it’s true that certain exercises increase muscle tone in a given area, exercise cannot “spot reduce” deposits of fat. Unfortunately, there is no way exercise can completely get rid of fat in the most common trouble areas like “love handles,” “saddlebags,” or “muffin tops,” unless overall body fat is reduced. But for the vast majority of us, every effort to reduce body fat percentage overall – even with a strict diet – is still not effective for getting rid of those stubborn, fatty deposits.

The only way to target fat in a particular area is with liposuction. Unlike diet and exercise, which can slenderize your appearance by shrinking the size of fat cells, liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the body so they never return. The fat suctioning device used in liposuction can remove fat from the most common trouble zones, as well as smaller or more complex contours of the body like the face, neck, knees, and calves. As such, liposuction is the best and most effective “spot reduction” treatment. In fact, most patients get the best results with liposuction when spot reduction is their main goal. While liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, it can help those who want to see tone and definition in an area that is covered with an unwanted layer of fat.

Liposuction takes between one to three hours to perform, depending on the size and number of areas treated, and there is a recovery time of about a week. Since liposuction requires minimal incisions, there will be minimal scarring. Any small scars are typically hidden within the folds of the skin and fade with time.

If you are interested in liposuction, we encourage you to contact Southwest Plastic Surgery. Please call our El Paso office at (915) 590-7900 or our Las Cruces office at (575) 520-5041 to schedule your consultation with one of our board-certified plastic surgeons. For your convenience, you may also fill out our online contact form.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2014 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Liposuction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about breast reconstruction after cancer treatment with mastectomy. In a previous post, we mentioned that the cost of breast reconstruction is covered by most health plans, which is a fact that many cancer patients are unaware of. Today we will discuss the important decision-making process along with a few of the techniques offered at Southwest Plastic Surgery to provide the most natural breast appearance.

According to the most recent statistics, one in eight American women will develop breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. Although the disease is common, it is no less emotionally taxing for victims and their families. Breast cancer claims the lives of tens of thousands of women each year and is the second leading cause of death in women. After treatment with mastectomy, some women choose to live without breasts or with only one breast because it serves as a reminder of their victory over cancer, while other women feel that an important part of their femininity is now missing. Here at Southwest Plastic Surgery, we understand that the decision to undergo breast reconstruction is a very personal one. At your initial consultation for reconstruction surgery, we will provide you with all the options and help you decide if breast reconstruction is right for you.

What are my options?

While there are several options available, it is important to know that not all patients are candidates for all types of reconstruction. If you have had or will have radiation therapy, it may influence the type of reconstruction as well as the timing of your procedure. While timing depends on several factors, it is never too early to talk to your physician about breast reconstruction. In fact, those who have just received their cancer diagnosis can begin talking to their doctor about their options for reconstruction right away.

There are three methods of breast reconstruction:

• Reconstruction with implants
• Autologous reconstruction (using the patient’s own tissue)
• Autologous reconstruction with implants

Autologous Reconstruction

The patient’s own tissues are used for autologous breast reconstruction, which often results in a more natural breast look and feel. Tissue is taken from either the abdominal muscle (TRAM Flap technique) or from the upper back (Latissimus Dorsi Flap) to create the new breast mound. Many patients prefer the TRAM Flap technique because of the added benefit of the improvement in the abdominal contour with the procedure.

Implant Reconstruction

When implants are used for reconstruction, they can be placed at the same time as mastectomy surgery (known as one stage immediate breast reconstruction) or with a tissue expander that involves two separate procedures (two stage breast reconstruction). In all implant reconstruction procedures, we use a biologic mesh to allow for better breast contour and shape by supporting the implant.

Since Southwest Plastic Surgery has one of the highest volumes of breast reconstructive surgeries in the southwest, our staff has the experience necessary to provide you with a wealth of knowledge on this procedure. Whether you have had a mastectomy or you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and will have a mastectomy, please schedule a consultation with our practice. Our surgeons can inform you of all your options and answer any questions you may have. Please call (915) 590-7900 or fill out our online contact form to book your appointment.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 at 4:45 pm and is filed under Breast Reconstruction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.