Cosmetic Surgery Center

At a scholarly conference last week, cosmetic surgeons discussed the possibility of using transplanted fat as the raw material of breast augmentation. The procedure, which is still being evaluated in clinical trials, has received much praise from some doctors. According to fat grafting pioneers, breast shaping with autologous fat transplantation "allows for dramatic or subtle shaping of the breast in a manner previously not attainable," and added that the "telltale signs of implants and surgery are absent--the resultant breast is completely fluid and natural appearing."

Recent studies of breast reconstruction have shown that reconstruction with body tissue has a far lower rate of infection and other complications than breast reconstruction with implants, so it is possible that augmentation with transplanted fat might reduce complications associated with the procedure.

However, there are a number of long-term questions about the safety and efficacy of the procedure. The main concern is that transplanted fat cells have a low survival rate, which can be accounted for in doing micro-transplantation such as is used when utilizing transplanted fat as a facial filler, but may lead to malformation if used in large quantities such as would be necessary for breast augmentation. In addition, the procedure may lead to calcification, the development of cysts, calcification and scarring. And some have expressed concerns that the transplanted fat can lead to an increased incidence of cancer.

As a result of these concerns, it is likely that breast implants will continue to be used for breast augmentation for the foreseeable future. However, it is possible that some day in the not-too-distant future, a woman really will be able to take the fat from stomach and move it to her breasts.

If you are interested in breast augmentation, please contact the Cosmetic Surgical Center today to set up a consultation with Dr. Rai.

You are all probably aware that the housewife seeking further enlargement for her already FFF breasts is from our own great state of Texas. Fortunately, the laws of the state of Texas prohibit her from receiving more silicone in her breasts. Although we as cosmetic surgeons help people achieve their personal ideals, but there is a point at which all ideals have to be balanced with reality, and the reality is that too many cosmetic surgeries can be damaging to a person's mind and body.

We had spoken several weeks ago on this blog about body dismorphic disorder (BDD), in which a person's view of his or her own body is so far out of line with reality that it is impossible for him or her to ever achieve an appearance that will be compatible with good self esteem. However, it does not seem that this woman has that problem. It is not that she believes she looks bad in her current appearance, but, according to her statement, "I want to look better each day, every day. Everybody's got a dream inside, you know? And it's good when you can make your dream come true."

If we look at her statement, it seems more likely that she is suffering what might be termed a true "addiction" to cosmetic surgery. While some people have repeated surgeries to correct one or another flaw, others may have repeated surgeries to experience the neurochemical rewards associated with the outcome of her surgery. It's not that she's dissatisfied with her past surgeries. On the contrary, she has been so satisfied with the results that she wants to repeat the experience of getting those good results again and again.

The two reasons for getting cosmetic surgery might become clearer if we compare them to people with gambling problems. The BDD-afflicted person is like a gambler who plays because he or she believes that gambling can provide a solution to debts, and, for example, buys hundreds of dollars in lottery tickets instead of paying down credit card bills. This housewife is more like the gambler who is addicted to the feeling of winning, and continues to gamble to regain that feeling of coming out on top. Both types of gamblers create financial problems where none had existed before, and, as a result of their addiction end up worse off than ever.

At the Cosmetic Surgical Center, in Dallas, Texas, we believe that cosmetic surgery should contribute to a person's overall well-being, and we will not practice surgery that we believe to be harmful. However, we also believe that there are legitimate issues of mental and physical well-being that can be addressed through cosmetic surgery. If you want to learn more about how cosmetic surgery can be a positive influence in your life, please contact Dr. Rai today for a consultation.

The first time I heard it, it surprised me. A young woman complained that her butt was too small. Her boyfriend was always looking at stars like Beyonce, whose large buttocks have taken over from Jennifer Lopez' as the derriere du jour. She also complained that if she put on weight it went exactly where she didn't want it, her abs and thighs, leaving her rear abysmally flat. Since then, it has become a more common complaint among women, that they wish they could make their buttocks bigger.

Fortunately, they can. With buttock augmentation, they can put junk in their trunk without adding load elsewhere. To learn more about how you can get that ba-donka-donk you've always wanted, contact the Cosmetic Surgerical Center in Dallas, Texas today for a consultation.

In considering breast augmentation surgery, many women are concerned about a scar that can tell the tale of the surgery. Although Dr. Rai uses the best techniques during surgery and recommends a good regimen of post-surgical care to minimize the scarring, some scarring is inevitable following all surgery.

Most of the time, scars are made more subtle by making incisions around the nipple (periareolar incision) or under the breast (inframammary incision), but for some women these scars may be a concern. If you are worried about scars on the breast following augmentation surgery, you should consider endoscopic breast augmentation.

In endoscopic breast augmentation, a tiny incision is made either in the underarm area (transaxillary incision) or in the navel (transumbilical incision). A tiny tool known as an endoscope is used to clear a track to the breast, then put the breast implant, which is deflated and rolled, in place. Once in place, the breast implant is inflated. This procedure cannot be performed with silicone breast implants, which come pre-filled from the manufacturer.

Endoscopic breast augmentation also has the advantage of minimizing the risk of loss in breast sensation that sometimes occurs following augmentation surgery. It also has a shorter healing time than more traditional breast augmentation surgery.

If you would like to learn more about endoscopic breast augmentation surgery, contact Dr. Rai at the Cosmetic Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas, today.

Women in their 20s are the fastest-growing group of breast augmentation patients, comprising nearly a third of all breast augmentation patients. These women, most of them in college, decide to get their breast augmentation for many reasons. The most commonly listed ones were:

Improve self esteem
Look better in clothes, including swimsuits
Feel more feminine
More attention from men was not generally listed as a reason for seeking breast augmentation, but was more likely to be considered a fringe benefit, and among this group of women was not generally seen to be untoward or undesirable.

College-aged women also found that the adjustment period following their breast augmentation surgery was a little difficult. Some people thought that the new size was "just not them." The women also discussed not feeling natural at first, but said this passed fairly quickly. For women of this age, family opinion is also important. For some women, families are supportive, and will even pay for implants as graduation presents, but for others the family may be reluctant, and even question why the student can't pay for tuition if she can pay for her breast implants. To head off problems of this type, women are encouraged to discuss their plans with close family members beforehand.

If you are considering breast augmentation, please contact Dr. Rai at the Cosmetic Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas, to set up a consultation, and he will help you talk through your reasons for wanting the surgery and how to help those around you accept your decision.

You may be considering getting a tummy tuck to help you look your best for the summer swimsuit season, but have hesitated because you were afraid that you would have scars that would keep you from wearing your bikini anyway. If this has been holding you back, do not wait any more. If you understand the tummy tuck procedure, you'll see that it can help your abdomen look great and will not prevent you from wearing most swimsuits.

In an abdominoplasty, the main incision is just above the pubic area, which allows access to the abdominal muscles to be tightened and fat deposits that may be removed with liposuction or other means. In a full tummy tuck, a second incision is made around the navel, which allows you to keep your own navel following the procedure, as opposed to previous practices in which either the navel was removed or reconstructed. Once the muscles have been tightened and the fat removed, skin is also removed. However, it is always removed adjacent to the main incision so that when your skin is repositioned you still have only one incision site, just above the pubic area.

Although the exact position of your incision depends on subtleties of your anatomy, for most people the incision site and therefore any scar from the procedure will be in an area concealed by most bikini bottoms and swimming trunks. To see examples of likely incision sites, have a look at our tummy tuck before and after gallery. Most of these women would never be able to wear a bikini before the operation, but afterward could wear many bikinis without ever giving away their tummy tucks.

If you are considering a tummy tuck operation to get in shape for summer, time is running short. Please contact the Cosmetic Surgical Center today to set up a consultation with Dr. Rai.

Whether you are a man or a woman, your look is not complete as long as your arms and legs are flabby and unattractive. It may seem that the arms and legs should be easiest places to sculpt with exercise. After all, there are so many exercises available for those areas. Weight lifting, pull-ups, and pushups for the arms; running, jogging, even squats for the legs. All these exercises can build up muscle in our arms and legs, but they will not necessarily give them the proper contours.

Fat distribution is determined more by genetics than by lifestyle, according to recent research. While diet and exercise are often successful at reducing the overall level of body fat, they are not necessarily successful at removing undesirable fat deposits. Women, in particular, may find they are losing fat from their breasts and buttocks before losing the fat from their flabby arms.

Then, even if a person is able to get rid of fat from the arms, he or she is often left not with taut, muscular arms, but with loose-hanging skin around the muscles.

Body contouring can provide relief for excess skin and fat in the arms and legs, however. If you have stubborn fat deposits in your arms that are not responding to your exercise, liposuction can reduce them. If you suffer from skin laxity as well, an arm lift can make your skin tight and give definition to the muscles you have worked hard on building up.

To learn how body contouring can complete your look by taking care of the fat and excess skin that you cannot change yourself, please contact the Cosmetic Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas, today to set up a consultation.