Name: The Plastic Surgery Institute
Address: 71-949 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA, 90069
Telephone: 760-568-2211

Face Lift

The secret to a great facelift is a combination of several recent advances in other surgeries.

Now the face can be lifted nearly vertically, whereas in the old days it was more of a backwards pull. That sometimes resulted in that fake “windblown” look. Thankfully, our results today simply repair what gravity and time took away. The result is a more rested, youthful look.

The face has three thirds. The face itself is surrounded by the neck below and the brow/forehead above.

We always have a consult prior to surgery to determine what is “out of place” and how to fix it. Foreheads are often handled with tiny incisions and lifted with the help of a scope, which is a wand with a camera lens running through it.

The operation has improved so much because of the resulting lower impact, faster healing, hidden and minimized scars and improved closing techniques.

We now borrow liposuction techniques such as Tumescent to separate the tissues with minimal trauma to the cells. Often times tissue glue is used instead of or in addition to sutures. The glue also allows me to permit the patient to be bandage free and return to an active life sooner. Most people just take a week off of work, rather than the two or three weeks that used to be the norm. So today’s facelift is a composite operation, borrowing the best components of other surgical techniques.

Sagging skin, excess fat, and loose muscle tissue are all parts of getting older.

Jowls and a double chin may also occur due to the sagging of the skin and facial muscles. If you’re looking in the mirror and noticing any of these unfortunate side effects of the aging process, it’s time to consider a facelift procedure.

Also called a rhytidectomy, a facelift is a way of surgically tightening the face and neck areas. This procedure can make your skin appear smoother and years younger.

Dr. Ordon and Dr. Chopra perform facelifts using the SMAS technique.

Typical facelifts only lift the top layer of facial tissue, which can give patients a too-tight, “worked-on” appearance. But the SMAS technique lifts three layers of facial tissue at once, resulting in a more cohesive lift. The SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) layer is a facial tissue layer below the subcutaneous fat layer and the surface skin layer. Because the SMAS layer has fibers that connect to the other layers, lifting the SMAS layer also lifts the layers above it.

Another advantage to the SMAS facelift is the direction of its pull.

Typical facelifts offer a backwards pull, another contributor to the “worked-on” look. With a SMAS facelift, the vector of pull is vertical – opposite to the pull of gravity – leading to a beautiful, natural lift.

A SMAS facelift begins with either general anesthesia or local anesthesia with IV sedation. You’ll be able to discuss these options with your plastic surgeon during a consultation.

After the anesthesia, incisions will be made in order to allow the surgeon to raise the skin layers of the area upwards.

If it’s appropriate for your procedure and aesthetic goals, your surgeon may use an endoscope, a small tube with a camera and a light, in order to get a better view of the underlying tissues.

Once the SMAS layer is lifted, excess drooping skin will then be trimmed away from the face and neck.

Liposuction may be used to take away fatty deposits, and the underlying muscles may be altered and trimmed.

Once this facial recontouring is complete, the remaining skin is redraped over the area.

The incisions are then sealed. A bandage may be wrapped around the area, and drains may be inserted in order to safely take out excess fluids. In a day or two after the facelift surgery, you’ll be able to come back in and get these bandage and drains removed.

For one to three weeks following your facelift, you’ll need to stay home from work in order to allow the tissues to heal.

It’s best to stay away from any activities that could cause strain and avoid extreme heat during the healing process. You may have some temporary bruising and swelling. Your doctor will instruct on you on how to deal with these.

The beautiful results of your facelift can last for five to ten years. To find out more about the procedure, contact our office and arrange a consultation with Dr. Ordon or Dr. Chopra.

Brow Lift

As we age it is unavoidable that the body begins to show sings of the years. These symptoms often appear most prominently in areas that are most exposed such as the face and specifically the forehead. Because of the intricate musculature that allows for the precise movements that allow us to express emotion the skin of the forehead is often one of the first places that patients notice a decrease in volume, and the effect of gravity, sun light, and exposure. Many patients express how excess skin and wrinkles in the forehead, not only make them look older than they feel, but cause their expression to look angry, sad, or bitter. Patients worried about frown lines, furrowed brows and wrinkles across the forehead often seek surgical options after trying numerous creams, diets, and vitamins to no avail. Dr. Ritu Chopra and Dr. Andrew Ordon the talented and professional cosmetic surgeons quickly making waves in the field of cosmetic surgery for their quality service and expertise. You can contact the doctors for a consultation through their contact page or by visiting one of their local practices today.

The Brow Lift

The brow lift, sometimes also referred to as the forehead lift, is specifically designed to alter the appearance of the brow by removing excess skin and tightening the brow to permanently eliminate wrinkles and fine lines. In some patients the prominent lines of the forehead may be the result of muscles in addition to excess skin. If this is the case, muscles groups can be addressed individually and excess muscles can be trimmed to leave a smoother and more youthful forehead. While many patients who we encounter seeking a brow lift from Ordon | Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, it is not uncommon to encounter patients who are much younger. We can safely perform the brow lift in most healthy individuals and strive to bring all of our patients the best results possible.

Advantages Of The Brow Lift Over Dermal Fillers

While many believe that dermal fillers and the brow lift create the same effect, a brow lift is the only permanent way to address the skin and muscles of the forehead. Dermal fillers work by simply adding excess volume to mask the symptoms, while a brow lift literally removes the problem assuring patients that the problem will not return. Dermal fillers are artificial and because they are a foreign element, they are eliminated by the body’s natural waste disposal system. This means that in order to maintain the results provided by dermal fillers, patients must return for treatments every several months and can expect further treatments for as long as they wish to maintain the effects on their forehead.

Eye Lift

Eyelid surgery is called Blepharoplasty. Most people think they have two eyelids, but you actually have four.

Uppers and lowers. The problems that develop with eyelids over the years are fatty herniations that look puffy and stretch the skin over time. This results in bags and laxity that are easily corrected with surgery to restore a rested, younger look.

Eyes are the window to the soul. But the eyelids are the frame-work to that window.

So they have to complement the individual. Blepharoplasty can make the eyes look “bigger” by removing encroaching tissue from the corners, but the true shape of the eye is not changed with surgery. Your eyes can be done as a solitary procedure, but are most often combined with another operation such as a facelift.

New advanced techniques enable us to provide a beautiful result in less time than you would think.

Often times the eyelid puffs can be removed from an inside-the-eyelid approach for a completely invisible incision. Incision-less surgery sounds kind of futuristic but it’s here now!

Neck Lift

The doctors and expert medical staff at Ordon / Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery are available and patients can schedule a consultation to a neck lift through our contact page, by visiting us at our Beverly Hills or Palm Desert office, or by calling to speak with our friendly representative Monday through Friday.

What Is A Neck Lift

What Is Involved In A Neck Lift?

The neck lift involves incisions below the chin, near the ears, which allows the surgeon to access the fat, muscles and skin of the chin and neck. Through these incisions, fat can be removed by either cutting or with liposuction techniques and the muscles of the neck can be tightened. Once the muscles are tightened and excess fat is removed the skin of the neck can also be cut and re-draped across the neck. The incisions are closed using sutures and medical dressings are applied to provide pressure and a sterile environment for proper healing. Depending on the specifics of the procedures involved the surgeon may need to remove the sutures later, or may use sutures that dissolve on their own. Surgical drains may be placed for several days in order to ensure that excess fluid does not collect beneath the skin.

Recovery From A Neck Lift

Depending on the type of anesthesia used, local or general anesthetic, patients will remain under observation in a recovery room for up to several hours before being allowed to return home. Patients will need to have a responsible friend, loved one, or relative on hand to drive them home and help and monitor them for the first 24 hour period of their recovery. All antibiotic and painkiller prescriptions will be provided prior to the surgery date and should be filled and ready for when patients return home for recovery. Most patients are fitted with compression bandages that will be worn for 7-10 days and will help increase blood flow and minimize swelling.

In Preparation

Dr. Chopra and Dr. Ordon always instruct patients to avoid certain medications including over the counter painkillers and other drugs that are known blood thinners. Blood thinners can lead to sever complications during surgery and recover and are advised against during all surgeries. Patients who smoke should plan to quit for several months before and after. Smoke inhibits the bloods oxygen supply, which can also cause severe problems during surgery and cause the recovery period to be prolonged.

Lip Augmentation

If you follow media or pop-culture, you have probably noticed that it is normal for celebrities to show off their full sexy lips, which they may or may not have been naturally gifted with. It is inevitable that the lips will lose volume and shape as a person ages. Wrinkles and thinning lips may be fine for some, but others demand a clear answer to what can be done to fix this.

Lip Augmentation

Lip augmentation is what we use to refer to any of a number of cosmetic techniques and treatments designed to provide smoother, fuller and radiant lips. Because there are a number of ways to address aging and loss of volume in the lips, Ordon / Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery offers multiple treatments which all have unique abilities to improve the lips.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers have experienced an explosion in patient use since the turn of the century. Some of the most popular dermal fillers are great for more than just facial wrinkles. Restylane and Juvederm along with the new Captique are some of the fillers we offer that provide tremendous effects when applied to the lips.

Restylane

Restylane is a non-animal filler made of stabilized hyaluronic acid that can provide fuller lips and reduce the appearance of wrinkles for as much as 4-6 months.

Juvederm

Juvederm is another hyaluronic acid filler that provides the highest available concentration of the substance in order to provide the smoothest enhancement of the lips for as long as 6 months.

Captique

the newest hyaluronic product, is a soft tissue filler that enhances the lips and has been described as a more natural look. Captique is also non-animal stabilized and is quickly becoming a new favorite among patients for its youthful and long lasting results.

Collagen

Collagen is the chemical naturally produced below the skin that provides volume to the skin and staves off wrinkles. A collagen treatment involves a series of microinjections that introduce collagen to the lips and provide fuller lips. Collagen injections last as long as 3 months, and many patients argue that collagen, second to fat transfer is the safest and most natural means of lip augmentation.

Fat Transfer

A fat transfer for injection in the lips requires very little fat, which can be taken from a wide range of fatty deposits across the body. The fat is treated to separate oils and dead cells, and create a pure concentration of fat cells that will provide the maximum uptake in a patient’s body. The fat transfer is commonly believed to be the most permanent lip augmentation, however, patients may experience lumpiness and more pronounced swelling and bruising until the body accepts the fat.

Rhinoplasty

Few other plastic surgery operations have the impact and benefit of rhinoplasty.

After all, everyone has a nose and it’s right there, in the middle of your face. There is even that old saying: It’s as plain as the nose on your face! So when a nose has distracting or incongruous characteristics, it can be the cause of sadness. But the “nose job” is probably the most famous of all plastic surgery. Everyone knows that noses get “done” so you don’t have to live with a nose you don’t like. Even so, lots of people are afraid of the operation, worried that it won’t come out right or everyone will know they did it.

Natural looking nose surgery results are the norm today.

Ninety-something percent of nose results look so natural that no one knows it’s been done. If anything, the result of nasal surgery creates a nose that “fits in” with the other facial characteristics so that the result looks more natural than the nose you were born with. Natural noses, it’s the expert plastic surgeons mantra.

Advanced techniques have made Rhinoplasty a very low impact, short recovery operation.

Using minimally invasive anesthesia techniques, our patients recover quickly and painlessly. While bruising is possible, it doesn’t always happen and most patients are quite happy with their results in a week. That is not to say that there is no swelling at that time, because there is. But the swelling often mimics the pre-operative appearance, so it’s not conspicuous. Then as the swelling subsides, the beautiful, handsome results kind of sneak up on you so no one notices the change.

Revisional Rhinoplasaty

Revisional Rhinoplasty is a surgery performed to improve or correct results from prior rhinoplasty surgery as a secondary procedure.

It is estimated that as many as 12 percent of patients who undergo rhinoplasty will return to a physician seeking revisional rhinoplasty.

Revisional rhinoplasty is a more intricate and complicated procedure.

Any rhinoplasty comes with an unavoidable formation of scar tissue. While surgeons account for this when the perform a patient’s first rhinoplasty, there is no way of knowing exactly how densely or how extensively scar tissue will be in the nose of a given patient. It is also important to understand that each rhinplasty surgery leads to the formation of additional scar tissue and means that additional procedures will have a smaller and smaller likelihood of providing results that are as dramatic. Dealing with scar tissue formation and knowing how to provide the expected results in noses already altered by a previous surgery are elements of the unique challenge that comes with revisional rhinoplasty. Not every rhinoplasty surgeon has the experience or the skill to offer revisional rhinoplasty and not every surgeon is willing to go through the necessary training.

A number of problems such as pinched nostrils, scar contracture, and progressive nasal obstruction,

as well as internal and external trauma suffered during over aggressive surgery are commonly addressed through revisional rhinoplasty and patients experiences issues not listed here should not hesitate to contact the doctors at either of the Ordon | Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery locations. Patients have often acquired results in line with those initially proposed by the surgeon and have since decided that they are unsatisfied with those results. Such patients can be accommodated as well.

At times surgeons may focus too strongly on one aspect of the surgery only to have another aspect suffer the consequences.

Surgeons often favor the physical results over the functional results only to have the nose look great but for function to be impeded. While a pre-operative evaluation can help identify the problem and help the surgeon decide where it is best to focus efforts during surgery, the formation of scar tissue cannot be predicted and one of the defining characteristics of quality revisional rhinoplasty specialists, like Dr. Ordon and Dr. Chopra, is the ability to compensate for unexpected variables safely and efficiently during the fast paced and high stress environment of surgery.

It is important for patients to understand that due to the fact that every rhinoplasty is highly individualized in order to provide patients with unique results,

the only way to determine the results possible through revisional rhinoplasty is through a personal consultation.

Otoplasty

What Is Otoplasty?

Patients who feel that the ears protrude too extremely, are too large, or are otherwise distorted, may be interested in speaking with Dr. Ordon or Dr. Chopra about an otoplasty. An otoplasty is a surgery designed specifically for the ears, which can address such problems. Otoplasty is also referred to colloquially as ear reshaping or ear-pinning. Because the ears are one of the first features of the body to reach their final physical size and position, it is not uncommon for young patients who face insecurity issues or emotional trauma at school to undergo otoplasty, which is a safe and effective procedure even in children as young as five or six. In fact, many surgeons and patients report that otoplasty performed at a young age may provide better results than when performed in older patients. Otoplasty can also be safely performed in adults and remains a very safe procedure in adult patients as well. Because it is milder than many other forms of cosmetic surgery, adult patients often choose to have otoplasty performed in conjunction with other facial cosmetic surgeries and this can be done without drastically compromising safety or results.

What Happens During Otoplasty Surgery?

An otoplasty involves first determining what issues a patient wants to address. One of the most common reasons for an otoplasty, reducing the angle at which the ears extend from the head, involves first making small incisions behind each ear. Sutures are often used to create antihelical folds, which sets the ears back. For patients who wish to decrease the size of the ear, the skin is open through incisions that are carefully located at points behind the ear that are easily concealed although scarring is usually minimal. From here the cartilage can be shaved and excess skin of the ear can actually be trimmed when the size of the ear is truly excessive. New alternative procedures often allow surgeons to thread sutures through the skin without the use of and large incisions in order to provide almost completely scar free results, with far less swelling or bruising, and a shorter recovery period.

After Surgery

Otoplasty generally requires only local anesthesia, although general anesthesia is may be requested or recommended when the surgery is for a child patient. Whether general or local anesthesia is used adult patients will also need someone to drive them home after surgery and should plan to have a driver ready. While healing is not as problematic or extensive as with other forms of cosmetic surgery, recovery from otoplasty also takes an average of one to two weeks. During this period patients can expect bruising, swelling, redness, and discomfort, which is controlled with medication provided by the surgeon and taken along with antibiotics. Patients will be able to return to life as normal within a week or so and the stitches are generally removed after seven days. But patients will be advised to avoid rigorous activity for several weeks while the ears continue to heal and assume their new position.

Breast Augmentation

The safest and most reliable way to enlarge breasts is with an implant. These soft, round or tear drop shaped silastic prostheses go behind the breast and often behind some musculature as well.

So your natural breast is sitting atop a convex chest wall, rather than a concave or flat one.

Some percentage of your result is implant but often, most of what is seen, felt and caressed is your natural breast…just better.

Implants are all covered with the same material, silastic, which is a medical plastic.

It covers nearly every implantable device ever dreamed of, including heart valves, pace makers, insulin pumps, facial implants and even contraceptive implants. It is very well tolerated by the body and it is the only part of the implant that comes in contact with you.

The filling material is contained within the implant. The implant can be filled with saline (salt water) or silicone.

There are advantages to both, but they are different. What I would recommend for you will vary upon so many factors; the best course is to have a personal consultation on the matter.

Breast Augmentation Lift

Due to the effects of age, gravity and often due to the trauma sustained by the breasts and nipples when feeding during pregnancy, patients may be unsatisfied with the condition, shape, volume, and position of the breasts. While this often happens naturally as a woman ages, things like rapid weight loss and pregnancy can expedite the process and leave women in search of a means to restore the youth and shape to their breasts even in middle age or 20s or 30s. These symptoms are caused primarily by excess skin, which is trimmed away during a breast lift along with excess fat and tissue.

The Breast Lift

A breast lift, even when performed alone, can provide dramatic results, completely reversing the look of sagging or aging breasts. Many women are satisfied with the prospect of a breast augmentation alone. Some potential patients, however, are turned off by the fact that a breast lift, while being able to achieve firmer and more youthful breasts, may actually lead to a smaller cup size and even a slightly smaller appearance. Many patients find the positive change in appearance to be a necessary trade off for breasts that are once again firm and youthful, while other patients will not even consider a procedure that runs the risk of a reduction in the size of the breasts.

Breast Augmentation With Lift

At Ordon | Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery the expert surgeons are able to offer a combination surgery that we simply refer to as a breast augmentation with lift. The surgery includes all of the hallmarks of a breast lift, but includes the introduction of breast implants to add firmness, volume and to address any loss in size that may have been sustained from the cutting away of tissue through the techniques of the breast lift. The breast implants are positioned beneath the chest muscle in order to add fullness to the upper pole of the breasts. It is a delicate procedure, but it is one that our doctors are well versed in and perform routinely. Patients who have small to average size breasts, and who display symptoms of sagging breasts are often the most ideal candidates for a breast augmentation with lift because such patients would go from a smaller than average cup size to an even smaller cup size and are often some of the same patients who have already entertained thoughts of breast augmentation.

Breast Lift

What Conditions Call For Mastopexy Surgery?

Mastopexy, also commonly referred to as a breast lift, is a form of surgery designed to correct for the normal effects of age and gravity as well as to address changes sustained through pregnancy and breast feeding. Patients who have had rapid changes in weight may also experience changes in the appearance of the breasts that can be addressed through breast lift surgery. This condition is called by many names and often referred to in generic terms as droopiness, sagging or downturned breasts, conditions which physicians refer to as ptosis of the breast.

The Goal Of Mastopexy

The goal of mastopexy, in the simplest of terms, is to alter the appearance of the breasts so they appear firm, youthful and attractive. A number of techniques to affect these changes can be appropriated depending on the decisions of the patient and the surgeon. It is common for surgeons to make several carefully placed incisions and to remove excess breast tissue and skin. The areola can also be repositioned higher and more when necessary in order for the nipple to face forward and more ventrally rather than down. A number of more intricate techniques and variations can be employed in patients who have specific concerns, but these steps detail the basic course of action taken with most patients who do not have special concerns.

Who Is A Good Candidate For Mastopexy?

While all patients are welcome to come in person for a consultation, patients who are both physically and emotionally in good health, who understand that the procedure is a major surgery with certain limitations, risks and possible benefits are the best candidates. Women with medium to smaller breasts that have seen a clear change in the firmness and condition of their breasts through the aging process often find the greatest changes through a breast lift. Patients are encouraged to speak candidly with the doctor about exactly what they hope to change and what they expect so that the doctor can help create realistic expectations, and prevent patients from going through with a procedure whose results they will likely find to be unsatisfactory.

Consultation To Mastopexy

Patients can schedule a consultation with Dr. Ordon or Dr. Chopra at either the Beverly Hills or Palm Desert Ordon | Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery offices. After a full medical assessment and review of a patient’s medical record the attending doctor will inform patients whether or not they are good candidates and if so patients will be able to begin paperwork and schedule an appointment for surgery. The doctor will give patients detailed information on how to best prepare for surgery but there are a number of steps patients can take to be in the best condition for their consultation and to improve their chances of being accepted as a patient.

Preparation For Mastopexy

It is important that patients are in good health. While a healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen are not mandatory, these are things that the majority of patients found to be good candidates have in common. Patients who smoke should quit and plan not to smoke for an extended period before and after the surgery. Smoking reduces the oxygen supply to the body and can lead to severe complications during surgery and recovery. Patients should refrain from taking blood-thinning drugs, including OTC medications like Alieve and Advil. These drugs can lead to excessive blood loss during surgery and recovery and should be avoided until patients are given the green light to resume using them by the surgeon. Mastopexy is an outpatient procedure and patients are encouraged to prepare the space in which they plan to carry out their recovery. This area should include a bed or sofa on which patients can sleep and relax comfortably. It should be well stocked with drinking water, all of the medications prescribed prior to surgery, plenty of pillows and excess bedding, a phone or cell charger, and of course entertainment. This area will be most critical during the first several days following surgery and all patients will need a friend or loved one if not a medical professional willing to provide around the clock care for at least the first 24 to 48 hour period.

Breast Reduction

About Breast Hypertrophy

Breast Hypertrophy is a condition that is characterized by an overdevelopment of breast tissue to a point at which a patient is uncomfortable with the size of their breast, has difficulty managing breasts due to the size, and may even encounter health problems. The condition is far more common that many would expect and should be nothing patients are ashamed to consult our doctors with. It is also important to realize that many male patients also suffer from a condition known as Gynecomastia, which is characterized by the same symptoms, often to a lesser degree, but in male patients. The symptoms of breast hypertrophy can also lead to a number of emotional and well-being issues. Patients suffering from larger than normal breasts often feel self conscious, embarrassed and may face a great deal of social anxiety. Oversized breasts can disrupt sleep patterns, cause back and other muscle pains and problems and severely interfere with a normal daily life.

What Is A Breast Reduction?

Breast reduction surgery is concerned with correcting the effects of breast hypertrophy in both men and women. The procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia but less extensive procedures may require only local anesthesia. The surgeon will inform patients what is necessary. The number of incisions will depend on the extent of the condition and the prevalence of the breast tissue. Skin, fat and breast tissue will be removed in a manner that leaves sufficient tissue to reshape the breast to a proper size. The aerola will remain connected to the mammary glands and will be carefully repositioned in an effort to retain function. The remaining breast tissue is carefully repositioned and the breast reshaped before the incisions are closed.

Mammary Function

It is important that patients realize that mammary function is not a given after breast reduction surgery. While the surgeon will do everything possible to retain function it is important that patients who plan to nurse or become pregnant consult the doctor with this information prior to surgery. It is recommended that patients who are concerned with mammary function, plan to nurse, or to become pregnant postpone breast reduction until after doing so.

Recovery

Along with being healthy going into surgery, recovery is the time in which patients can do their part to ensure the best results. Both our Palm Desert location and our Beverly Hills location are equipped with surgical recovery monitoring rooms and patients will be monitored here until they are deemed stable and ready to be transported home. Breast reduction is an outpatient procedure, so barring complications, most patients return home within a few hours after surgery. Due to the lingering effects of anesthesia, patients cannot drive and should have a friend or loved one to be on hand to help transport them home. Patients should also have someone on hand, who can remain with them around the clock, to help and monitor them for at least the first 24-hour period following surgery. After this it is helpful to have someone on hand who can assist in moving around, preparing food and medications, changing surgical dressings and such for up to a week or two.

Full Recovery

Breast recovery has a healthy rate of success and the majority of patients obtain final results that address all of their medical concerns and with which they are aesthetically satisfied. Patients often return to work (jobs that are not physically strenuous) within 2 or three weeks. However, swelling, bruising, and signs of surgery along with the need to wear compression garments and meticulously maintain surgical wounds may endure for as long as 4 months or longer. Every patient’s body is different and regular follow-up appointments with the attending physician will ensure that patients are healing properly and that any complications are dealt with quickly. This information is meant only as general information. During a consultation the physician will outline the procedures for preparation and recovery in detail and patients will be responsible to be in the best health going into surgery so that they can obtain the best results possible.

Breast Revision

For any of a number of reasons statistics show that a good portion of the tens of thousands of patients who undergo breast revision surgery each will year return for additional surgery, both to correct problems and to make additional changes. It is estimated that a large percent of these patients, at as much as 40%, are patients who experienced no complications but instead come for additional volume – larger breasts. However, there are a large number of breast revision patients who do seek revisions for results with which they are otherwise unsatisfied.

Matters For Breast Revision

Aside from addressing patients seeking larger breasts, breast implant revision at Ordon | Chopra Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery can provide changes in patients who find that their breasts have healed with excess or visible scar tissue, uneven breasts, and can also address implants that have shifted, begun to leak, or that have ruptured. Scar tissue also becomes a major concern especially when it forms to close to the skin, resulting in shelving, wrinkles, bulging, and capsular contracture. Some patients seek breast revision as soon as a year after surgery – when the final results become clear. However, it is not uncommon for patients to come 5 to 10 years or more after their primary surgery. Patients who have undergone pregnancy, weight changes, or simply the normal effects of aging often find that their implants no longer look or feel natural and seek for them to be removed. Any and all of these conditions can be addressed through a breast revision.

Is Breast Revision Very Different From Standard Breast Implant Surgery?

Due to the formation of scar tissue in a breast revision surgery, any subsequent surgery becomes far more complicated and should only be performed by experienced breast surgeons with ample experience performing breast revision surgery. Breast revision can take longer because surgeons need to see to the breasts and implants themselves but must first attend to scar tissue, which can vary from patient to patient, but which is generally distributed generously in and around the area of the original incisions.

Preparation And Recovery

While tending to issues created or unaddressed by an initial breast surgery or obtaining results that can more accurately achieve the breasts a patient is searching for can all depend on finding the right surgeon, the responsibilities of the patient are not all together different from those during their first breast surgery. Patients should be non-smokers or be willing to quit for an extended amount of time both before and after, refrain from taking blood thinning drugs including OTC medications like Advil and Aleve, and make their strongest effort to maintain a healthy diet and a regular exercise or fitness regimen.

Gynecomastia

As surgery to address excessive breast tissue in male patients has become increasingly more commonplace, awareness of the condition known as gynecomastia has increased proportionately.

What Is Gynecomastia?

Gynecomastia is described as the enlargement of the glandular tissues that comprise the breast in males. While glandular breast tissue is often responsible for enlarged breasts in males, in overweight patients there is often a fair amount of fatty tissue that can also be held responsible. It is important to understand that fatty tissue and true gynecomastia, caused by glandular enlargement of the mammary glands, are not the same. The onset of gynecomastia may start in infancy but can also begin as late as puberty in young men who are otherwise completely healthy. Gynecomastia is even witnessed in middle-aged and older men who have no other symptoms or disorders.

What Causes Gynecomastia?

Medicine has not been able to pinpoint a single cause for gynecomastia, but research instead points to a wide range of factors that have been linked to the condition. The most likely culprit is a hormonal imbalance, where estrogens and androgens are out of proportion. But again this may also be due to a number of factors. Some of the proposed triggers include medications, recreational drug abuse, thyroid, liver, and kidney conditions, and even the use of several herbal substances such as lavender and tea tree oil.

How Can Gynecomastia Be Treated?

While the medical industry has seen several medications introduced with intentions of treating gynecomastia, doctors agree that the most efficient way to permanently address the symptoms of gynecomastia is through surgical breast reduction. Because the tissues are the same in men and women gynecomastia surgery is essentially a simple male breast reduction. This is good news for male patients as this means that the surgery is far less complicated since the function of the mammary glands is of no concern and because male patients typically display far less glandular tissue than female patients. While breast reduction surgery for women is usually performed under general anesthesia, depending on the extent of the surgery, it can often be performed under local anesthesia alone, which can provide for a safer, faster and easier surgery. The attending physician will make clear the anesthesia type and procedures that will be involved during a consultation. During surgery, excess breast tissue will be removed, and depending on the extent of the surgery excess fatty tissue may also be removed. Excess skin can be trimmed away, and the nipple can be re-centered if necessary. Male breast reduction surgery is an outpatient procedure and while a full recovery can take several months, patients are often able to resume normal and non-strenuous work and activity in as little as one or two weeks.

Tummy Tuck

The suffix “plasty” in the name of many plastic surgery operations means

to shape, mold or form. It comes from the Greek work plasticos. Abdominoplasty is surgery that shapes the abdomen.

A “tummy tuck” as it’s often called uses advanced surgical techniques to tighten the muscles and remove excess skin and fat.

The operation takes about two hours and does what few other plastic surgery operations do. It can result in a fit, rock hard abdomen.

We most often do what we call a “full tummy tuck”, in which the benefit of the surgery goes all the way from the pubis to the rib cage

Abdominal scars and striae (stretch marks) are often removed as a normal part of the procedure. The incision, while the primary concern of every pre operative patient is rarely an issue post-op. It heals well and is easily concealed in even risque’ fashions.

Sometimes a “mini-tummy tuck” is recommended.

It is an abbreviated operation intended for those who just have a problem from the belly button downwards. The incision is shorter too, not unlike a C-Section incision but better, obviously. We sometimes refer to the combination of breast augmentation or lifting and a mini tummy tuck as the “Mommy Make-over”. Because it restores the attributes that childbirth of two or three children tend to take away.

Laser Liposuction

Liposuction has gone through many incarnations over the years.

It was invented in Italy in the sixties, but only became popular after a high profile French surgeon published good results a decade later. In the eighties it was unclear who the best candidates for the procedure were. Was it an operation to make obese people thin? Or was it best suited for those who barely needed it, people with a single “figure flaw” or two? Later in the eighties the health club scene proliferated and more “ideal” liposuction candidates presented themselves.

In the nineties more changes occurred.

Power assisted liposuction came along, as well as “ultrasonic lipo”, which is akin to today’s “smart lipo”. These are all inventions that add something to the tip of the cannula (the liposuction instrument) that dissolves the fat that is to be removed.

My key to success with liposuction has boiled down to two things.

One, developing the talent and artistry of sculpting the body with thin, low impact instruments while using a combination of tumescent and sedation anesthesia. And two, choosing the patients best suited to the procedure, people who have reasonable expectations and are willing to do their part to insure a great result.

At the end of the day, liposuction is sculpting.

It’s an art. And in my practice satisfaction rates are very, very high. Think about it, an outer thigh has four elements to consider but only one of them (the fat) is adjustable with liposuction. The other three elements are skin (it’s elasticity), muscle and skeletal architecture. It takes a lot of experience to know what to do, how to do it and upon whom it should be done. That’s why my practice is filled with so many happy, healthy and shapely people.

Mommy Makeover

There is no joy greater than parenthood.

The pride you have when your child takes their first steps and says their first words are indescribable and give us the perspective to never look at life the same way again. However, there are some changes that come with being a motherhood that many of us would prefer to do without. Most of these involve our body’s reaction to sustaining the life of our little ones as they grow inside us for 9 months in preparation to face the world.

You may have noticed dramatic changes in your body during pregnancy and nursing that have altered the way you see yourself in the mirror and they way you feel about yourself.

The mommy makeover is a procedure designed to address the specific areas on a woman’s body that are affected during pregnancy, birth and nursing. The procedure includes special attention to the breasts through breast lift techniques, consideration to the stomach and abdominal wall through the use of liposuction and tummy tuck surgical techniques, and finally special care given to a woman’s most intimate parts, which often sustain the most intense stress during pregnancy. Vaginal reconstruction can address changes such as tissue that was torn or damaged during birthing.

All of the mommy makeover procedures performed by Dr. Ordon and Dr. Chopra are custom tailored to each individual patient, and there is no need to worry about unnecessary procedures being undertaken.

The physician will carefully outline the goals of the surgery with each patient to be sure that the areas that a woman is concerned with most will be those that receive the utmost attention.

The mommy makeover does more than improve how you feel and how you look, it can help patients regain the confidence in their looks and renew a patient’s desire and drive to look their best.

We understand that women of all ages become mothers and the mommy makeover is safely performed in patients from 21-65. The mommy makeover is about more than your own sense of wellbeing. When you feel confident and happy, your child is sure to feel more comfortable as you relate a positive attitude and good vibes when taking care of them. Just because you are now a mother does not mean that you shouldn’t have privileges and feel good too.

Thigh Lift

One Of The Most Common Problem Areas

One of the most frequently cited problem areas for women is the area between the knees and the butt that many think of as almost a swear word; the thighs. For many women the thighs are the first place they notice changes during weight gain and the most difficult area to address with even the most concerted exercise and diet efforts. It is not uncommon for skin of the thighs to become excessively loose, which results in the appearance of decreased muscle tone and aging. These effects can be caused by normal aging, genetics, and are commonly related to damage from sun exposure. It is no wonder that many women are wear of swimwear, shorts and even modest skirts for fear of exposing their thighs.

About The Thigh Lift

The goal of a thigh lift is to address this condition; excess and saggy skin of the thighs. By a combination of removing and tightening the remaining skin of the things, patients can achieve tighter and firmer legs that will give patients the freedom to wear revealing clothes once again, with more youthful and contoured thighs.

The Details

The medial thigh lift removes excess skin of the upper inner thigh and addresses laxity in the skin by making an incision that runs from the inner thigh near the groin towards the patients back along the crease of the buttock. From here, excess skin can be removed before the incisions are closed and, as is often the case, fat can be removed if liposuction techniques have been requested. This allows excess fat to be removed and provides an even more dramatic improvement in appearance. The thighs will appear much smoother and firm, even when liposuction techniques are not employed.

Aftercare

The thigh lift is a major surgery due to the large amount of skin and tissue in the thighs, and the fact that the process must be repeated for each leg and balanced carefully. Surgery can last three to four hours and patients are required to stay overnight for observation. Trained nurses and a full medical staff will monitor patients closely to ensure safety during this period, after which patients will be allowed to be transported home by a responsible friend, loved one, or relative. Patients are encouraged to get plenty of rest but also to carefully ease back in to physical movement as soon and as frequently as possible to increase blood flow and speed healing. All prescription antibiotics and painkillers will be prescribed by Dr. Ordon or Dr. Chopra and should be acquired in advance to be ready for use immediately after surgery. While the length of recovery varies from patient to patient, most patients are able to return to work within 2 to 3 weeks and are capable of mild non-rigorous exercise, which encourages a faster healing period.

Body Contouring

Individuals who have undergone a major weight loss are often faced with an excess of skin and tissues that results in the unsightly look of saggy skin. Although these individuals often adopt a healthy and reasonable diet and a solid exercise regimen, these efforts are often insufficient to tighten the skin leaving surgery as the only viable option.

Body Contouring

Body contouring, also known as body sculpting, is a cosmetic surgery that draws on a number of various techniques in order to provide patients with firmer, tighter and more voluminous skin all over the body, in the places that need assistance the most. The fat transfer, is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of body contouring because the procedure can be performed faster than other surgeries, requires less recovery time and can achieve impressive results, while allowing patients the luxury of choosing the location from which fat will be removed as well as where it will be applied.

Fat Grafting

Fat Grafting, or a fat transfer, is a process that involves removing fat from a donor site on a patient’s own body to be used as a filler in areas in which patients seek volume and shape. Using liposuction or the gentler syringe liposuction, fat is removed from a donor site. The mixture is treated by first separating the fluid from the fat. It is then set in a centrifuge that separates the living fat cells and those that perish during the suction. The non-live cells are then removed manually leaving a pure concentration of live fat cells that the body is most apt to accept and retain. Finally this pure fat is applied via microinjection to sites on the body to which a patient wishes to fill or add volume.

Liposuction And Tucks

Other options include traditional tucks and liposuction techniques, which are still preferred by many patients. Tucks are one of the oldest forms of cosmetic surgery and can be performed on a number of body parts, including the thighs, stomach, neck, and arms. Tucks involve removing excess skin and tissue while paying close attention to keeping scarring and any signs of surgery to a minimum. For patients with excess fat in problem areas, liposuction is one of the fastest and most permanent ways to address fatty tissue. Tucks and liposuction are often performed together producing fabulous results. Because excess skin often leads to irregular fatty deposits, a liposuction with a tuck often provides the only means necessary to correct a patient’s condition.

Arm Lift

What Is An Arm Lift?

An arm lift, also known as a brachioplasty is a surgical procedure to remove both excess fatty tissue and excess skin. The goal of an arm lift is to provide patients with a youthful, smooth and even contour of the upper arm. An arm lift may include both the trimming of fat and skin and is often combined with liposuction techniques to improve the outcome.

How Is An Arm Lift Performed?

Depending on the severity and degree of excess skin the techniques employed during an arm lift can very substantially, but they are all meant to achieve the same results. Patients who have loose skin are generally dealt with by cutting away excess skin and fatty tissue from the inner part of the arm. This can be done with only a single scar running along the inner portion of the arm from the elbow to the armpit, and the incision is easily concealable. If the condition is less extensive it may require even fewer incisions and can usually be accomplished through a single or double scar in the armpit alone.

Who Is A Good Candidate For An Arm Lift?

Dr. Ordon and Dr. Chopra maintain an impeccable record performing arm lift surgery and the procedure can be safely performed on a variety of patients who are physically and mentally healthy. Some of the most frequently encountered patients are those who have experienced rapid and/or dramatic weight-loss. This change commonly leads to excess skin on the upper arms after patients substantially reduce the fat all over the body. Many of our patients are women who are 50 or older who are self conscious of excessive skin in the upper arms. Patients who are in generally good health are usually good candidates and the doctors are always happy to make an in-person evaluation, which includes an assessment of both the patient’s current health and their medical history.

Preparation For An Arm Lift

Patients seeking an arm lift are expected to be as physically and mentally healthy as possible. Patients who smoke will be required to quit well in advance of the surgery and must agree to refrain from smoking for several months both before and after. Smoking can severely inhibit the body’s ability to heal by limiting the oxygen supply to the blood and tissue. Over the counter medications, including common painkillers like Aspirin and Aleve are blood thinners and must be avoided to prevent excessive blood loss before, during, and after surgery. The surgeon will provide all medications including antibiotics and painkillers that are known to be as safe and effective as possible, and which do not normally create complications. The attending surgeon will also provide thorough instructions on preparing for recovery, finding someone to assist, planning adequate recovery time and creating a suitable environment in which patients can heal most efficiently.

Brazilian Butt Lift

In the past decade the desire for stick thin models has decreased over the past decade, and the stigma against curves has slowly changed to a more natural acceptance of the classic female figure. Women have turned from unhealthy binges and fasts, to more healthy diets that provide nourishment and a better sense of well being. Following our culture’s newfound appreciation for the shapely female form, new procedures that aim to assist individuals who seek freedom from thin and undefined figures have recently witnessed the rise to prominence of a procedure for enhancing the shape, size, and protrusion of the posterior. One such surgery is known as the Brazilian Butt Lift.

What is A Brazilian Butt Lift?

The Brazilian Butt Lift, also known as butt augmentation, is surgery performed to provide patients with a more defined and shapely butt. Patients with naturally small butts and who are naturally thin, who would otherwise have no hope of obtaining an hourglass figure can often benefit immensely from the Brazilian butt lift and often obtain life changing results, fitting into swimwear, form fitting jeans and lingerie better than ever.

What Can A Brazilian Butt Lift Help?

Patients unsatisfied with the shape or size of their butt, who are naturally thin, or who have experienced a loss in volume or firmness with age or after changes in weight or stress, such as having a child may be happy to learn about the possibilities of the Brazilian butt lift.

How Does A Brazilian Butt Lift Change Your Butt?

Using advanced surgical techniques the surgeon carefully extracts live fat cells from (a) donor site(s) on the patient’s body. The fat can be removed through traditional liposuction, however many surgeons now use syringe liposuction, which is gentler and can help the surgeon obtain a larger percentage of live fat cells. This fat is then carefully processed to first separate fat cells from the fluid. The fat is set into a centrifuge where the live cells are separated from the dead cells. Finally the dead cells can then be extracted leaving a pure concentration of live fat cells that ensure the most efficient uptake by the tissues of the butt. Using microinjections, the pure concentrations of fat are then carefully introduced to the flesh of the butt. This step must be carefully orchestrated to ensure that the blood supply can reach the new fat tissues, provide proper irrigation and ensure that the tissues are accepted and retained as overwhelmingly as possible. Surgeons must administer the injections uniformly into a three dimensional space in order to provide patients with the best uptake. Because the liposuction performed is minimal and the fat is applied through microinjection, patients generally experience no more than a few days of down time. Bruising and swelling of the butt are normal and expected, but patients are able to move about pain free within the span of 1 to 2 weeks as the results of their butt augmentation become permanent.

Non-surgical

Facials

there are four basic reasons to treat oneself to a facial; they are known to cleanse, firm, smooth and moisturize the face. even those who are extremely diligent at maintaining healthy skin can benefit from the procedure. pores are often clogged by dead skin cells and oils. not only will it take care of that but also increase the amount of oxygen and metabolic rate of your skin cells. whether it’s to relax or clear up some unwanted flaws, facials are the perfect way to keep your skin looking youthful and radiant.

Thermage

thermage is a non-invasive procedure to tighten the skin on targeted areas on the face, around the eyes, or anywhere else on the body. the process is all about radiofrequency, using heat to stimulate your body’s ability to produce new collagen. the results are practically instant and there is little if any recovery making this procedure great for those of you with hectic schedules and little downtime.

Skin Tightening

skin tightening is the result of thermage but can also be accomplished by using pulsed light. the process works in two ways; first by converting light into heat and then by activating repair cells in the skin. while it may sound similar to thermage the difference lies in the fact that the pulsed light doesn’t go as deep into the skin as thermage but yields the same great results!

Skin Resurfacing

some may be insecure about facial wrinkles, scars or pigment differentiation, but all can be removed by skin resurfacing. the newest technology allows doctors to remove the skin from targeted areas one layer at a time. also referred to as a laser peel, this procedure is best used to treat what has resulted from natural elements such as the sun, birthmarks and other reasons for skin discoloration.

Chemical Peels

chemical peels are one of the most widely known non-surgical procedures to improve the look and feel of facial skin. chemexfoliation, as it is also known as, using a combination of chemicals, including some sort of acid, to remove dead skin which will eventually peel off. your doctor will choose the specific agent that is right for your skin during the consultation. chemical peels have also been successfully used on the neck and hands.

Dermabrasion

dermabrasion is a popular procedure to smooth the skin. a high speed rotating brush, somewhat resembling a toothbrush, removes the top layer of your skin. its the perfect non-surgical treatment for those who have light or fair skin.

Dermaplaning

dermaplaning is similar to dermabrasion but is considered a more intensive procedure. instead of a brush a very fine razor-like tool called a dermatome is used to remove dead skin from the layer of the skin known as the epidermis. with it is considered non-invasive, it is most like a surgical procedure and must be cared for afterwards.

Facial Fillers

also known as a “liquid facelift” this procedure is ideal for someone interested in cosmetic surgery who does not have enough downtime. the doctor injects the filler into defined areas of the face, like botox for example. this adds volume and yields immediate results. however, one must consider the downside being that it is not as permanent and must be maintained more frequently than if tended to surgically.