Choosing Breast Enhancement: Focus on Photos
It's no secret that photo galleries are the most popular part of any plastic surgeon's Web site. Dr. Romanelli enjoys sharing his patients' results with Web visitors who want to get a better sense of the results possible through cosmetic surgery on Long Island.
For those women considering breast enhancement procedures, Dr. Romanelli has some tips about what to look for as you view a surgeon's photo gallery. Sure, you might be able to give a quick thumbs up or thumbs down to a particular set of photos, but here are a few details to keep in mind so you can better judge the talents of a surgeon and the results you are looking for.
Time Since the Procedure
Your surgical results will look much different the day after surgery compared to 6 months down the road. In that time, scars will begin to heal, swelling and bruising will resolve, and the breasts will begin to take on their final shape. Ideally, "after" photos will be taken once recovery is complete so that they can best reflect a surgeon's skill. Dr. Romanelli makes an effort to wait and take "after" photos when each breast surgery patient has completed her recovery.
Incisions and Scarring
Different incisions can be used for each breast enhancement procedure depending on your anatomy and your cosmetic goals. For breast augmentation, scars should not be very visible in before and after photography. Minor scarring may be evident around the areola if the periareolar implant approach was used, but scars from other incisions types should be well-concealed. In many cases, Long Island breast reduction and breast lift patients will have scars that run vertically down from the nipple to the base of the breast. When evaluating any surgical incisions, pay attention to the time since surgery, as scars should lighten and fade out several months after a procedure.
Other Procedure Particulars
Depending on your procedure interest, there are a few other details worth keeping in mind:
Breast Augmentation:
When it comes to augmentation, implant size is a big part of the equation. But there are many other factors that add up to create a beautiful result. In his photo gallery, Dr. Romanelli has taken the time to list many details about each patient's Long Island breast augmentation surgery, including implant size, implant type (saline or silicone gel), implant placement, incision location, and before and after bra cup size. Without these details, you won't be able to learn as much from viewing the photos. Keep in mind that an implant of, say, 400 ccs, may bring one woman from an A to a C cup, but may bring you from an A to a D cup. Dr. Romanelli and his staff will help you choose an implant size which fits your figure and gives you the result you desire by using implant sizers during your consultation.
Breast Lift and Reduction:
One factor to pay close attention to when you view photos of breast lift and breast reduction patients is nipple size, position, and shape. During these procedures, a plastic surgeon generally has to modify the nipple/areola complex, which sags and stretches along with the rest of the breast skin. A highly skilled and experienced surgeon knows how to create nipples that are attractively positioned at an appropriate place on the breast. If a patient's nipples look irregular or out of alignment after surgery, it may be an indication that the doctor is not very experienced performing these types of procedures.
Dr. Romanelli is happy to share many additional before and after photos when you request a free surgical consultation and come in to his office to talk with him one-on-one. At the consult, he can share more details about particular cases and help you decide whether cosmetic surgery is the right choice for your goals.
Liposuction Alternatives: How Do They Rate?
Over the past year, there has been a lot of press about less-invasive liposuction alternatives. Many doctors out there claim that these treatment technologies represent the "next generation" of body contouring. As an experienced Long Island liposuction surgeon, Dr. Romanelli has kept a close eye on the results achieved with minimally-invasive techniques and has a few thoughts to share with his cosmetic surgery patients considering body contouring.
What makes these procedures different than liposuction?
Dr. Romanelli: The advantages most often promoted about these treatments are the minimally invasive nature and quicker recovery period. Procedures such as VASER LipoSelection®, Smartlipo™, and ProLipo™ all use a smaller medical device to access areas of fat compared to traditional liposuction, which uses a cannula (a hollow wand which breaks up and suctions out fat) that is 4 to 5 millimeters (less than 1/5th of an inch) in diameter. Obviously, the cannula used for a traditional procedure is still quite small.
Patients who choose these liposuction alternatives may experience a quicker recovery for a couple reasons. First, surgery using these new treatment devices is less invasive. Also, smaller areas of fat are treated with these techniques. It only makes sense that if less fat is removed, your recovery should not take as long.
Which treatment is receiving the most attention currently?
Dr. Romanelli: Right now, I'd say that Smartlipo is doing the best job of selling its procedure and the idea of laser-assisted contouring. It's appealing for a patient to think about areas of fat being melted away with lasers. But the reality isn't nearly as dramatic. The laser is fairly small so only smaller pockets of fat can be treated, and so for most patients, regular liposuction must be used at the same time. Also, the laser is very slow, so the procedure can take a long time.
Does SmartLipo really tighten the skin?
Dr. Romanelli: The jury is still out on that question. But at this year's American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting in San Diego the consensus was that skin tightening is an unproven claim of SmartLipo. The buzz about SmarLipo seems to be based on marketing, not science.
So who could benefit from a procedure like Smartlipo?
Dr. Romanelli: If a patient has a very small area of fat that they'd like to slim, this procedure can get results. In certain circumstances, it also may be useful to tailor the results of a full liposuction surgery or to correct asymmetry in the results. But in most cases, these results can be achieved equally well through traditional approaches in the hands of a skilled surgeon.
What do you recommend for your patients?
Dr. Romanelli: In my experience, power-assisted liposuction (PAL) provides high-quality body contouring for a wide variety of patient needs. With PAL, I am able to make precise, controlled movements with the cannula for precision sculpting. This helps to reduce swelling, bruising, and recovery time. Plus, PAL can be used to treat almost any area of the body, including the stomach, hips, thighs, lower back, and upper arms. I encourage every patient to do their own research, but at the end of the day these new treatment technologies fall a little short for many people's cosmetic goals.
Request a free appointment with Dr. Romanelli to hear more about your liposuction options and view before & after photos of patients who chose liposuction. You can also call the office at (631) 424-3600 to schedule your consultation.
