Madry Plastic Surgery

How to Prepare for a Plastic Surgery Consultation

Thousands of people receive plastic surgical procedures each year.  Your first consultation with a plastic surgeon should set the stage for a satisfying experience and outstanding results. The following points will help you with your initial consultation…

• Define your goals
  By far, the most important aspect of the consultation is the definition of your goals.  A plastic surgeon can help describe what procedures and what treatments are available; but the patient should also define what they are unhappy with.

A plastic surgeon will rarely entertain the question… "What would you do to me?” without knowing what you are looking for.  Honesty with your specific goals will allow the surgeon to offer treatment plans that will offer you the look your desire.

• Learn about options once the goal has been clearly defined
  The surgeon can explain what your treatment options are and the expected results for each type of procedure.  This will be the longest portion of the consultation.  Some areas of plastic surgery can be very complex and require a significant amount of time to explain the potential  treatment plans, expected results, and risks.  You will know when you have found the right surgeon when you feel comfortable asking questions, and that you have truly learned something from the conversation.  It is common to require two office visits to understand your options, the procedure details, expected results and risks.  You should also feel comfortable asking the surgeon about his certification and experience.
   
• Be informed prior to any plastic surgical procedure with a detailed consultation
  We offer a full spectrum of treatment options; surgical and non-surgical, to meet your goals.

For more information, or to arrange a consultation Call Dr. Madry’s Office at (888) 843-0094.

Plastic Surgery & Breast Cancer

The diagnosis of breast cancer can be a devastating event.  There are obvious concerns about survival, the trauma of surgery, and the potential effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.  Patients may also be concerned about the potential change of body image.

Plastic surgeons can offer valuable information, so that the patient can make decisions about what surgical procedure is best for them.  This does not just refer to reconstruction after a mastectomy; but the decision between a lumpectomy or a mastectomy; a single or a bilateral mastectomy.

The plastic surgeon can also restore the symmetry between the breasts by offering procedures such as a lift or a reduction to the unaffected breast.

It is important to know that federal law now mandates that the insurance companies must cover not only reconstruction after a mastectomy, but also procedures to the unaffected breast to restore symmetry.

Breast reconstruction may be broken down into three categories.

• Using a breast implant
   
• Tissue transfer from another part of your body
   
• Oncoplastic procedures

Breast reconstruction using a breast implant is commonly performed as a multi-step process; starting with a temporary, inflatable implant to create a space for a permanent implant, to be placed at a later stage.

Breast reconstruction using your own skin and far is a complex operation in which skin and fat are transferred from other parts of the body to the chest.  The blood supply of the skin and fat comes from underlying muscles to the transferred skin and fat.  The blood vessels must also be moved to supply blood flow to the tissue being transferred.  The most common area to harvest tissue is from the lower abdomen, (a tram flap) or from the back (a latissimus flap). This can also provide an outstanding result but is a significantly more complicated procedure.

Oncoplasty is a relatively new field of reconstruction.  This procedure allows the breast surgeon to remove the tumor from the breast through incisions that allow the plastic surgeon to either lift or reduce the breast; giving a more youthful appearing breast.

The Myths of Vitamin E on Wounds

When reconstructive and cosmetic surgery is performed, the healing process varies depending on the after care. Certain home remedies, like vitamin E, are said to be cure-alls for healing wounds and minimizing the appearance of scars. Unfortunately, vitamin E is no miracle cure-all and there are several studies to prove it.

Studies show vitamin E has no benefits: A 1986 study by The Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation followed 159 patients who had suffered minor to major skin burns. Over the course of the year, several random individuals were advised to apply vitamin E solution to their scars on a regular basis while others were advised to use a different topical cream. After the study had commenced, the individuals who used vitamin E solution demonstrated no noticeable improvement of the appearance, size, or thickness of their scars.

Another study by the University of Miami in 1999 followed a group of patients who had recently undergone minor surgery; each patient was given two different ointments, one with vitamin E, the other without, and advised to apply both ointments to separate halves of their scars for four weeks. The study showed that the portion of the scars coated with vitamin E not only showed no change, but actually made the scars significantly worse. In fact, nearly one-third of the patients experienced contact dermatitis, or an allergic reaction, from the ointment containing vitamin E.

When it comes to healing wounds and minimizing the appearance of scars, it is best to use a trusted doctor’s advice. Learn how to eliminate the look of scars and minimize wound healing time after surgery by contacting Madry Plastic Surgery at (888) 843-0094. With several years of experience, Dr. Stephen Madry provides exceptional surgical skills for even the most complicated cosmetic and reconstructive surgery procedures.

How to Deal with Your Insurance When Getting Breast Reduction Surgery

There is no harder patient in medicine than a breast reduction patient.  A breast reduction is truly a reconstructive operation.  Breast tissue and fat is not scooped out of the breast, leaving a loose envelope of skin.  Skin, fat, and breast tissue is removed and the nipple is repositioned in a higher position; the breast is reshaped to form a smaller and more youthful appearance.

It is very rare to actually remove and replace the nipple.  Generally the nipple is left attached to the breast tissue which is then pushed up from under the breast to a new and higher position.  Scars are hidden around the areola and under the breast. 

There are multiple surgical techniques to reduce the breast.  The type of technique and resulting scars is determined by the size of the breast and the amount of droop.  The goal of the reduction operation is to reconstruct the breast to the ideal shape.  This is defined as the nipple and breast being above the inframammary fold; the bottom of the breast-where the underwire of a bra rests.

Dr. Madry's office works hard to obtain insurance approval for this procedure.  Insurance companies will require a letter of approval.  This means that they require a letter from the doctor explaining why the patient needs a reduction mammoplasty.  Each insurance company has a set of criteria that the patient needs to obtain the approval.  The criteria vary between insurance companies.  The insurance companies offer the operation to alleviate back, shoulder, and neck pain.  They will also want documentation of rashes, shoulder notching and guarantee to remove a certain amount of tissue from each breast.  The amount of tissue required is based the patients height and weight.

Some insurance companies require documentation of failure of conservative therapy.  This means that the patient has seen a physical therapist for their back/ shoulder pain.

The hardest part of this operation is receiving insurance approval.  The operation is usually less than two hours and is done as an outpatient procedure.  Most patients return to work within a week.

Dr. Stephen Madry works with several insurance companies to help women in need. Call (847) 382-9902 to schedule and appointment with Madry Plastic Surgery.

What Exactly is a Mastopexy?

Breast lift, also known as a mastopexy reestablishes the position of the nipple and the breast to a higher position.  The ideal position is considered to be above the inframammary fold.  That is the bottom of the breast, where the underwire of a bra rests.

The size and amount of droop of the breast is considered when choosing the best surgical technique to use.  The operation removes skin from around the areola and under the breast; essentially, to push the breast up.  There are basically three types of lifts:  

• Donut Lift: An incision just around the areola is used for a small lift in a small breast.  This is often referred to as a donut lift because the skin that is removed looks like a donut.  This leaves a scar around the areola.
  
   
• Lollipop Incision: If the breast is larger, or the amount of droop is more, then skin is removed from around the areola and from under the breast; leaving a vertical scar from the bottom of the areola incision for the inframammary fold.  This lift is commonly referred to as a lollipop incision.
  
   
• Anchor Incision: If the breast is much larger or has a significant droop, then a horizontal incision is added to the operation, leaving a scar around the areola, down from the areola to the inframammary fold and horizontally along the inframammary fold.  This is commonly referred to as an anchor incision.

It is important to understand that a breast augmentation does not lift the breast.  An augmentation only increases the size of the breast.  A breast lift only minimally changes the size of the breast.  A breast augmentation can often be done at the same time as a breast lift, but, each patient must be evaluated before the decision can be made. To schedule a consultation, contact us via our website or call Dr. Madry at (847) 382-9902.