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Dr. Franklyn Elliott Answers Frequently Asked Questions

  • An arm lift (or brachioplasty) removes lax skin and, if needed, excess fat from the upper arms. The incision and the scar it leaves depends on the individual patient. In some patients, the incision is made along the underside of the upper arm. For patients who are looking for a subtler improvement, however, the incision may be limited to the armpit area. To discuss whether an arm lift can benefit you and what type of incision would be needed, schedule a consultation with Dr. Franklyn Elliott.

  • Patients who are considering breast augmentation have a wealth of options, from selecting the type of implants (like silicone, saline, or gummy bear) to choosing a size. The size of a patient’s breast implants depends largely on the patient’s preference, as well as what is medically safe and feasible. During your personal consultation, Dr. Elliott will guide you through your various options and help you reach a decision that you feel comfortable with.

  • A breast lift procedure focuses on the height of the breasts, and generally does not affect their size. However, many mastopexy (or breast lift) patients do want their breasts to be larger or smaller in addition to looking younger. In this case, Dr. Elliott can often combine the breast lift with either a breast reduction or a breast augmentation. Having both procedures in one surgery can cut down on recovery time and costs and can help patients achieve the results they’re looking for sooner. However, each patient’s cosmetic goals and medical needs are unique, so the first step is a consultation with Dr. Elliott to discuss your surgical options.

  • Not always. It is quite common to combine these two procedures into one surgery, but some women who undergo a breast reduction may not have a large amount of breast tissue removed. A breast lift will only be needed for women who experience stretched skin or breast sagging. We will determine this at your consultation and discuss all your possible surgical options.

  • Bags under the eyes are caused by fat deposits. Genetics are often to blame for these fat deposits, but they tend to grow more prominent with age when the rest of the face loses volume. Lower eyelid surgery, or lower blepharoplasty, removes the fat deposits to create a smoother, more youthful appearance.

  • Fat transfer injections use the patient’s own fat that is removed from areas like the abdomen or thighs during liposuction to help add lost volume to different areas of the face and body. After it has been removed, the fat is then purified and re-injected to restore volume to the cheeks and lips, creating a similar effect to injectable facial fillers. Fat transfer injections can also be used to help patients who want to safely rejuvenate the appearance of the breasts, buttocks, and more.

  • Liposuction removes excess fat cells from a targeted area of the body, and can be a great way for patients who are already maintaining a healthy weight to minimize localized pockets of unwanted fat. The fat cells that have been removed will not return. However, if a patient gains weight after their procedure, the remaining fat cells in the treated area as well as fat cells in other areas of the body can expand, making the patient’s results less apparent. In other words, liposuction results can be extremely long lasting if the patient maintains their post-procedure weight, but subsequent weight gain in the treated area is still a possibility.

  • Each man’s breast reduction is unique based on the type of tissue being removed. For men with the condition gynecomastia, the chest area may have excess breast tissue which creates an appearance similar to female breasts. In this case, the issue can often be resolved using a small, discrete incision around the bottom of the areola to allow for the removal of the breast tissue. For patients whose primary concern is excess fat in the chest area, liposuction alone may be able to produce a satisfying result. Liposuction only requires a few incisions that are large enough for the narrow metal tube used to remove the fat, so the incisions are only a few millimeters long and they leave little or no visible scarring. For men who have also lost extensive amounts of weight and, as a result, have excess skin in the chest that needs to be removed, a scar along the natural creases of the pectoral area may be necessary. Ultimately, it will depend on your unique needs, which I can evaluate during your in-personal consultation.

  • A mommy makeover is a plastic surgery which combines multiple procedures in order to improve the areas of a woman’s body that have been aesthetically impacted by past pregnancies. While every mommy makeover depends on the individual patient’s needs, these surgeries typically involve a breast procedure (whether it be an augmentation, a reduction, or a lift), a tummy tuck, and liposuction. Using a single surgery for multiple cosmetic procedures can allow patients to achieve the end result they’re looking for with less recovery time and expense than several individual surgeries would require, but a consultation is the first step toward determining whether you’re a candidate for a mommy makeover.

Other Facial Procedures:

  • Both of these procedures restore firmness to facial skin that has become lax and wrinkled by the aging process. However, a facelift traditionally uses an incision within the creases of the face and the hairline behind the ear. A short scar facelift, on the other hand, only requires small incisions concealed by the temporal hair and extending downward in front of the earlobe, so the procedure is less invasive and scarring is minimized.

  • Post-weight loss surgery is intended to help patients get rid of their loose, excess skin after their weight loss. For patients who experience sagging skin following their weight loss, post-weight loss surgery can provide comfort and an improvement to the appearance of their skin. While the procedure is not a requirement, it is highly unlikely that their skin will correct itself after massive weight loss without surgery. It’s a matter of personal aesthetic preference.

  • Medically, the nose reaches nearly its full adult size by around age 14-15 (or sometimes a couple of years older for boys), and at this point, surgery may be an option to make cosmetic changes to the shape and/or size of the nose. However, keep in mind that rhinoplasty is a true surgery, so it requires patients to be firmly committed to their health throughout the preparation and the recovery. As a result, a teenager’s maturity level and their comprehension of the procedure will determine whether or not they are a candidate, so some patients may achieve a better result if they wait until their later teen years or into adulthood. All the factors that affect cosmetic nose surgery will be discussed at a pre-surgical consultation, where I can meet the potential patient (and the parents, if applicable), examine the patient’s nose, and make a confident recommendation.

  • Thigh lift candidates are people who experience excess loose or stretched skin on their thighs as a result of considerable weight loss. A thigh lift can help remove excess skin from the inner (medial) thigh region and/or the outer (lateral) thigh. Since a thigh lift is a body contouring procedure and not weight loss surgery, patients should be at or near their ideal weight before the time of their surgery. Thigh lift patients should be non-smokers in good general health who maintain realistic expectations before and after their procedure.

  • Essentially, liposuction specifically removes unwanted fat. A tummy tuck, on the other hand, focuses primarily on removing excess skin on your abdomen, which often becomes stretched due to pregnancy or weight fluctuations. A tummy tuck can also repair abdominal muscles which have changed shape as a result of pregnancy, and which can create a “pooch” on even a slender midsection. For patients who would benefit from skin firming and muscle repair as well as fat reduction, liposuction can often be combined with a tummy tuck for a more comprehensive result.

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