(Dr. Levens’ monthly column is carried
by the Coral
Springs Forum newspaper.)
Dear Dr. Levens: I want a facelift but my
husband has read articles about deaths during cosmetic surgery and
doesn’t want me to take the risk. How risky is it? --RM
Dear RM: Deaths during cosmetic surgery
are very, very rare, but like any surgical procedure, a facelift
is serious business and every precaution must be taken to protect
the patient’s safety. A facelift should only be performed
in an accredited medical facility and by a fully trained and qualified
surgeon. An anesthesiologist should be ideally be present. Communicate
freely with your surgeon about your medical history well prior to
surgery to identify any factors that can increase the risk such
as heart or lung disease, diabetes and cigarette smoking. If conditions
are stable and under treatment, then it may still be safe to proceed, but
sometimes it is not worth the risks for a purely elective procedure.
Dear Dr. Levens: My daughter
is 13 and wants to have her nose done. Several of her friends
have had it done. I think 13 is too young. What do
you say? ---ZM
Dear ZM: I say you’re absolutely right. Children
don’t mature physically until at least 18-24 months after
reaching puberty and any cosmetic surgery before that is premature
in my opinion. When reshaping the nose, the goal is to bring
the nose into balance with other facial features. You want
to make sure those features have fully matured at the time of surgery. I
also believe that even a quite sophisticated girl of 13 is not emotionally
developed enough to make a decision which will alter her lifelong
appearance. At 15 or 16, most girls are.
Dear Dr. Levens: My breasts were always
small but became very small with age. Worse yet, they have “migrated
south”. I don’t want implants but I hate the sagginess
which requires that I wear an uncomfortable underwire bra. If
I had a breast lift without implants, would the result be acceptable? --JP
Dear JP: That depends upon what you consider
acceptable. Pregnancy and aging can cause deflation of the
breast tissue, which results in sagging skin. When there is sagging
but still some significant volume, a lift without implants may be
appropriate. However, with the very small breasts you describe,
a lift alone could produce an extremely “flat chest” look
for which the addition of implants would likely be much more “acceptable”.
Dr. Levens: Where are incisions made for
a thigh lift? Can the patient walk afterwards? Are both legs
done at one time? –-BC
Dear BC: In many cases, the only incision is
made in the crease between the upper thigh and groin and the scar
can be concealed under a bathing suit. In a patient following
massive weight loss, it may also be necessary to place incisions along
the inside of the thigh which has the potential for more significant
scarring. Both legs are done at one time. Patients are encouraged
to get up and walk right away but complete recovery can be lengthy,
especially before any vigorous activities are permitted.
Dr. Levens is a Board-certified plastic surgeon. He has served
as Vice Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Coral
SpringsMedicalCenter.His
column appears monthly. Send questions to Cosmetic Surgery
Today, 1725 University Dr., Suite 440, Coral
Springs, 33071 or email info@DrLevens.com
Interested in seeing past questions? Please
see our archived Q
& A section.
Dr. Levens has been providing plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive
surgery procedures for patients in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach,
Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Davie, Delray Beach, Ft.
Lauderdale, Hollywood, Lauderhill, Margate, Miami, North Lauderdale,
Parkland, Plantation, Sunrise, Tamarac, West Palm Beach, Wellington,
Weston and throughout South Florida since 1989.
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Dr. Levens has been providing plastic, cosmetic
and reconstructive surgery procedures for patients in Boca Raton,
Boynton Beach, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Davie, Delray Beach,
Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, Lauderhill, Margate, Miami, North Lauderdale,
Parkland, Plantation, Sunrise, Tamarac, West Palm Beach, Wellington,
Weston and throughout South Florida since 1989.
