Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Articles

Silicone breast implants were taken off the US market in 1992 in the wake of thousands of lawsuits claiming they leaked and caused connective tissue disorders and cancer. The rupture of those implants was usually silent, which means most went unnoticed until they were detected by an MRI.

Over the course of my career, I’ve helped hundreds of women remove or replace their older silicone implants, and I’ve performed breast augmentations on many others. As with every type of cosmetic procedure, my role as a physician is neither to encourage nor discourage but to ensure that my patient is fully—and objectively—informed of the risks, both during the surgery itself and years later on.

A couple of things to keep in mind if you’re considering breast implants or having trouble with your breast implants:

Your implants aren’t made to last forever.

The life of breast implants, both silicone gel and saline, varies by person. Some may keep their original implants for 20 or 30 years. But, most will need to have them replaced much sooner than that. As a general rule of thumb, the older the breast implants, the greater the risk of developing complications. So, plan to replace them preemptively.

The better the dialogue, the better the outcome.

Breast augmentations have come a long way. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all procedure. Board-certified plastic surgeons today are adept at tailoring every consideration to the patient’s needs and wants, from the size and shape of the breast, to the placement of the implants and the incisions.  We are lucky enough to live in a time where most likely you will not experience trouble with your breast implants. Key to that process is communicating openly and honestly with your surgeon. If, for example, you developed larger than expected scar tissue from an earlier surgery, make sure your surgeon’s aware. It could impact your outcome here.

Keep a close watch!

Following your surgery, your surgeon will provide you with instructions for how to monitor your breast implants, which will include routine mammography screening for breast cancer. The FDA also recommends that those with silicone gel breast implants get MRI screenings three years after their surgery and every two years after that. In between, if you notice any sort of breast pain or other trouble with your breast implants, bring it to the attention of your primary care physician. Breast implants are far less likely to rupture than they once were, but it can still occur, and when they do, it’s usually without any obvious signs.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with a facelift to some degree. But, just to make sure we’re all on the same page, here’s a short description: It’s a cosmetic surgical procedure that lifts and tightens sagging skin on the face and neck to create a more youthful appearance.

The recovery can be relatively intense. A bandage may be placed around your face to minimize swelling and bruising. And small tubes are sometimes used to draw off any excess blood or fluid. You should be able to return to work within a couple of weeks, but it could take up to a year for the all of the residual swelling and bruising and changes to skin sensation to completely subside.

A mini facelift, as you may have already suspected, is a less invasive surgery with a comparatively easier recovery. Essentially, it entails a couple of smaller incisions and less cutting of the underlying tissue. The incisions are typically located along the hairline above each ear or in the natural creases that surround the ears. Through them, the tissue around the cheeks—as opposed to the entire face—is lifted and tightened, improving sagging jowls and refining the jawline.

In some cases, local anesthesia with sedation may even be a better option than general anesthesia. And the recovery time with a mini facelift is much shorter. Most are back to work within a week, some in as little as a long weekend. Thanks to the shorter incisions, there’s also less pain and swelling than there is with a full facelift.

Who’s a good candidate?

The results are obviously milder with a mini facelift because it’s a far less extensive surgery than the facelift. It won’t remedy prominent jowls, nor will it do more for the neck than provide it with a subtle lift. It’s only really able to treat mildly to moderately sagging skin. For those reasons, it’s utilized, largely, as a means to address the early signs of aging before they become too pronounced.

An appropriate candidate is someone in their forties or early fifties who are exhibiting some subtle facial sagging that’s centered in the middle of their face. Once we enter our fifties, skin laxity becomes more significant all around the face and neck—and more difficult to correct. But there are exceptions, such as someone who’s never been overweight. Skin laxity is directly tied to age-related collagen loss. But thin people have less fat on their faces, which places less stress on the skin. So, those of us in good health may be a candidate for a mini facelift into our early fifties.

One step further

It’s not uncommon for mini facelifts to be paired with a nonsurgical procedure, like Botox. It won’t add to your recovery time, and it’ll enhance the parts of your face—the forehead in the case of Botox—that the mini facelift will not, contributing to an outcome that’s bound to exceed expectations. After all, who among us, given the opportunity, would pass on trading a few days to look a few years younger?