Vancouver, British Columbia — Houston plastic surgeon Thomas Biggs, M.D., says he not only has learned new approaches to commonly performed procedures, he also has learned that some newer procedures — such as the buttock lift — are safe and accepted among plastic surgeons from around the world. Dr. Biggs, who is clinical professor of plastic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and editor-in-chief of the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, moderated a session at the recent meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery during which international researchers presented information on about 30 papers. He offers these pearls:
"For a long time, we would inject fat; then, within six weeks it would all be absorbed," he says. "We now know better ways to do it. One approach is never to let the fat dry out after it has been taken from the injection site. Make sure it stays moist; make sure it is not traumatized. Make sure to inject it in thin strands, so that it can be vascularized in the area. We have also learned that it does much better if injected into a well-vascularized area, such as muscle. (This knowledge) has encouraged me to be more aggressive with fat injection."
"For many years, physicians have been removing skin and fat from the upper lids thinking they were achieving some kind of an enhanced appearance; the truth is that our desire is to increase, not decrease, the fullness in the tissues around the upper lid. We ought to remove less skin and increase the volume," he explains.
"(Now, I understand that) legitimate physicians are doing this and they have done large numbers of these," he says. "The incidence of problems is very low and the incidence of happy and satisfied patients is very high."
The purpose of these international sessions, according to Dr. Biggs, is to "No. 1, learn new techniques from around the world; No. 2, confirm that the technique you are currently using is an adequate way of doing the procedure or in need for more exploration." |