Doctor Q&A

Whether it is mandatory depends on the surgeon, facility, anesthesia team, and local requirements where you are having surgery. That said, it is very reasonable to have a basic preoperative breast exam before traveling, especially because it gives you a baseline and may identify anything that should be clarified before you leave the country.

A breast ultrasound is not automatically required for every young, healthy patient with no symptoms or family history, but it may be recommended if you...

Based on the photos, your primary concern appears to be isolated to the nasal tip, while the rest of your nose is well balanced. You may be a good candidate for a conservative tip plasty, which can often improve tip contour and reduce the appearance of the indentation without requiring a full rhinoplasty. Whether this can be performed as an isolated procedure depends on your cartilage anatomy. A detailed examination is necessary to determine the best approach and provide an accurate cost...

I would recommend having your own surgeon examine this directly, since they can see exactly what was done. What you are describing is most likely a swelling or reaction related to one of the sutures placed during your surgery. Right at that corner of the columella, the skin that is cut and lifted while opening the nose in an open rhinoplasty raises up quite easily, which can make the area look like a lump.

Hi, thanks for your question. Based off the degree of change in the photo on the right, you would likely be looking at more comprehensive rhinoplasty. The simulated photo shows that the upper 2/3s of the nose are significantly thinner and the tip is more refined. A tip rhinoplasty would address the tip alone without touching the upper part of the nose. Good luck!

The photos suggest skin looseness with some uneven contour around the umbilicus and lower abdomen. However, fibrosis, residual fat or scar-related tethering cannot be diagnosed reliably from images alone.
If the main issue is excess skin, further liposuction would not be expected to flatten the abdomen and could make the laxity more visible.
A tummy tuck would likely be the more effective option if skin removal and correction of previous liposuction changes are needed.
An in-person...

Congratulations on losing 6 stone, that is a major achievement. A reverse tummy tuck, where the scar is hidden under the breast crease, works well when the loose skin is mainly in the upper abdomen; for most patients after weight loss the laxity is strongest in the lower abdomen, where a standard tummy tuck fits better. Energy and injectable treatments like Morpheus8 and Endolift rarely move the needle on true loose skin, so it is not surprising those made no difference for you. Which lift...

Hello, this is a great question, they are very different procedures and can accomplish different things. A lot of this decision depends on you and your goals and where your skin laxity is. The circumferential tummy tuck can help with the posterior or back of the buttock, waist and hips as well as the abdomen but if there is loose skin on the upper part of the abdomen this is usually better addressed with a fleur de lis. It is best to have an in person consultation with your plastic surgery...

A tummy tuck is not a usual cause of degenerative disc disease. Disc degeneration is most often related to spine mechanics, genetics, aging, prior injury, activity, and other factors, although new core weakness or altered posture after surgery can sometimes make back symptoms more noticeable.

During an abdominoplasty, the rectus muscles are usually not cut. If muscle repair was done, the fascia over the muscles is tightened with sutures. Ongoing weakness can come from deconditioning, pain...

Having a BBL and then a labiaplasty only two weeks later can add meaningful risk, even if each operation is reasonable on its own. At two weeks after a BBL, you may still have swelling, soreness, anemia or fluid shifts, limited mobility, and restrictions on sitting or pressure. Labiaplasty also needs careful hygiene, swelling control, and protection from friction, so the recovery instructions can conflict with BBL positioning and garment use.

It is safer to have both surgeons communicate...

Yes, a hysterectomy and a tummy tuck are commonly done in the same setting, with your gynecologist doing their part and a plastic surgeon doing the abdominoplasty. The advantage is one anesthesia and one recovery instead of two.

#StayBeautiful,

@RealDrWorldWide

Dear Kyla58,

it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.

Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Hello, this is a great question. It is always best to meet with a your plastic surgeon to take measurements and do an exam in person to determine how much breast tissue can be safely removed as well as sometimes the amount of tissue required to be removed in order to be covered through insurance.

I think you are an excellent candidate for a breast reduction. There is always a chance your nipple sensation will be affected, but not always. The benefits of better proportion, higher and tighter breasts with you ripples located centered on the new perky breast mound will meet your expectations. I hope this helps. Thanks for sharing!

Manufacturers recommend regular surveillance imaging to diagnose silicone ruptures. Most are silent. There are rarely external signs of rupture. They will look and feel the same. Patients will demonstrate no clinical sign of rupture.

Recommendations are for MRI at 3-5 years post augmentation and then serially at 2-3 year intervals moving forward.

As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon (ABPS).

It is challenging to really assess the situation based on these photos alone. Your measurements (obtained from physical exam) provide clear guidelines if there is need for a lift or not (which is sometimes hard to determine based on photos alone, as is making any official recommendations). You may want to consider doing a lift first and then attempting to place the very large imlant. This is because placing a very large implant at the same time as attempting to reduce the soft tissue...

Thank you for such a thoughtful and well-prepared question, and congratulations on taking this step. Your dilemma, feeling caught between "natural" and "proportional," is one of the most common and legitimate tensions in breast augmentation, and it is even more relevant on a tall, broad frame with a wide chest wall like yours. The key concept to hold onto is that because all three implants share the same base width, they will all "fit" your chest equally; the only variable you are choosing...

Dear NewBootyCutie101,

I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment, it would be difficult to determine what is wrong. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment or ask for a second opinion. Only after a thorough examination, you can get proper recommendations and advice.

Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Yes, breast implants can often help restore volume after a breast reduction, but the relationship between grams removed and implant volume is not a direct one-to-one conversion.
In your case, having approximately 400 grams removed from each breast does not necessarily mean that a 400–425 cc implant will return you to your exact pre-reduction size. Breast tissue is a combination of glandular tissue, fat, and skin, while implants add volume in a different way and create a different shape. F...

A second surgeon can assess whether the result is consistent with liposuction and fat transfer, but there is usually no simple test that proves exactly how much fat was removed. The most useful information is your operative report, any recorded aspirate volume, before-and-after photos taken in the same position and lighting, weight changes, and an in-person exam of skin thickness, contour, scar sites, and remaining fat. Ultrasound or MRI can sometimes help evaluate fat thickness or...

It is very difficult to evaluate your problem based on these photos. In person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon experienced in facial rejuvenation is recommended. Good luck.

The photos show a visible fold and fullness around the tragus/ear incision area, but a photo cannot tell whether this is swelling, scar thickness, steroid effect, or a structural change. Warmth, soreness, and swelling 24 hours after an injection should be reported to your surgeon's office now, especially if it is increasing.

A small steroid injection is not usually a "time bomb" that destroys the face, but steroid injections can sometimes thin skin or fat, and those changes typically appear...

From your photos, it appears that it has been 1 year since your surgery, which indicates that the majority of the healing process is complete, and persistent fullness under the chin and banding in the neck after an SMAS facelift is most commonly related to residual submental fat and/or platysma laxity; in such cases, a deep neck lift, which focuses on reshaping the deeper neck structures—often including platysmaplasty and, when needed, contouring of deeper fat compartments—may further imp...

Yes, it may be possible to achieve a softer, more rounded eye shape with surgery. Depending on your anatomy, procedures such as lateral canthoplasty or canthal repositioning can lower the outer corners of the eyes while maintaining eyelid support. The exact approach depends on your eyelid anatomy and eye position. An evaluation by an experienced oculoplastic surgeon is recommended to determine the safest technique and whether your desired result is realistically achievable.