Cosmetic Surgery, Health and Fitness Information - The Adams Center, Boston, MA

Breast Augmentation to Correct Breast Asymmetry

Most people think of a breast augmentation or breast enhancement surgery only as a way to increase breast size.

However, my breast augmentation patients also come to me for help to correct breast asymmetry – differences either in size, or shape. These differences may have been present all along, or changes can occur over time and lead to asymmetry.

While many think of their options as being limited to silicone gel or saline implants, the fact is that your choices are vast. There are over 140 different choices for shape, size, style, materials used, etc.

I prefer placing the implants under the muscle to provide better cover for the implant, and to make mammography to detect breast cancer easier. Implants can still be placed through any of the traditional incisions including under the breast (inframammary), under the arm (transaxillary), or under the areola (periareolar).

Many of our patients say that a breast augmentation has helped improve their self confidence levels, and overall happiness about their bodies.

Don't Believe the Hype About Botox Breast Lifts

Recently, there have been several stories in the media discussing a “Botox Breast Lift.” This non-surgical procedure is highly speculative, and has offered incredibly mixed results for the patients who have undergone this treatment.

Botox works in preventing wrinkles by weakening the muscle that has created the wrinkle in the first place. The principle here is similar. Essentially, Botox is used to weaken the pectoralis minor muscle (one of your chest muscles), which pulls the breast down. This causes the rhomboid muscle (a muscle at the top of your back) to pull up your back slightly, potentially giving the appearance of lifting your breasts, and also putting more pressure on your back.

The procedure requires three injections on each breast, and proponents say that it lasts approximately 10 - 12 weeks. However, injecting Botox into the chest muscles is not only dangerous, but your chest muscles will most likely be unusable for up to six months. Furthermore, the major issue with sagging of the breast is skin and glandular, not muscular.

“Off label,” non-FDA approved practices such as this are not recommended, and unacceptable to most in the plastic surgery community, and to Allergan, the company that produces Botox.

If you, or anyone you know, is considering a breast lift, warn them to stay away from this potentially harmful procedure, and stick with the proven surgical methods available. While they may cost more money, the results last longer, and the danger is lessened when a qualified surgeon performs the procedure.

Are Dark Circles Under your Eyes Making you Look Older

I’m only 40, and my eyes look like my grandmother’s! What can I do?

Non-surgical treatments can be amazing for many areas, but the eyes are one area of the face where results without surgery like blepharoplasty are minimal in more advanced cases for baggy eyelid skin, or dark circles.

Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Dark circles under the eyes can be their own special joy. While many products say they work to correct dark circles, this is only true in limited situations. The causes for dark circles under the eyes are actually quite varied. These include diet, heredity, dehydration, a loss firmness in soft tissue structures, and a decrease in bone mass of the bone under the eye.

Eye Creams
The staff and I are often asked for recommendations on a great eye cream. While a high quality eye cream such as iS Clinical’s Eye Complex, our Firming Eye Cream, or Obagi Elastiderm Eye Cream can be great for correcting puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles, and in some cases, even minimizing dark circles depending on the cause, most are not. I have yet to come across a store bought formula that works well for dark circles under the eyes.

A Treatment the Works
While a blepharoplasty is one of the single best treatments for saggy eyelids, a blepharoplasty alone may not be enough to correct dark circles under the eyes. A total eyelid rejuvenation may be the best way to completely revitalize the areas around your eyes.

This three-step approach blends laser blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), Arcus Marginalis Release, fat grafting, or Tear Trough Implants (depending on the exact cause of the dark circles), and a TotalFX treatment to totally revitalize the areas around your eyes. I’ll sometimes start patients with Obagi’s Elastiderm Eye cream to help lighten the pigment that accents the dark circle prior to surgery for superior results.

Study Shows Women Are More Prone to Facial Wrinkles

A study by a team of plastic surgeons from the Netherlands, that was published in a recent issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal suggests that differences in the skin around the mouth (the perioral area) account for more, and deeper skin wrinkling in women than in men.

The study’s goal was to 1) determine whether or not women wrinkle earlier and more severely than men, and 2) to develop better strategies for the treatment of facial wrinkles.

The study found several contributing factors for more perioral wrinkles in women:

• Women have fewer sweat glands and sebaceous glands than men, which influences the natural filling of potential wrinkles
• The skin around a woman’s mouth contains fewer blood vessels than men, which may speed wrinkle development
• Women have tighter muscle to skin attachment around the mouth then men. This may cause more of an inward pull to create deeper wrinkles

Current treatments for perioral wrinkles include the use of ActiveFX and DeepFX lasers, Botox, and injectable wrinkle fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, and other methods such as Dermabrasion, and chemical peels.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field. 

The Aging Face: Facelifts, Fillers and Total FX

As a plastic surgeon in the Boston area for over 2 decades, I'm constantly impressed with the advancement and constant learning that we have in the field of anti-aging.

One of the things that we're discovering is that a combination of treatments is best for treating the changes that occur with aging. For instance, we can combine a surgical procedure like a mini-facelift to re-define the jawline and soften the effects of aging on the face and neck with a non-surgical procedure like a TotalFX treatment (using the Lumenis laser).

The mini-facelift corrects more advanced cases of sagging skin than the TotalFX treatment does, but it does nothing for problems such as brown spots, and redness which ARE corrected by TotalFX. By combining these two treatments, we improve a wider range of age related issues that includes age spots, fine lines, wrinkles and scarring, along with overall tightening of the skin.

Other great non-surgical treatments include Microfat injections, Juvederm, Restylane, Evolence and Radiesse. These, along with pre operative skin care and pre and post surgery Botox treatments will give the face a more youthful appearance without the stigmata of the "operated look".

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

My Thoughts on Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

As a current or future patient of The Adams Center contemplating a cosmetic procedure, I'm sure that you are concerned about the current state of the economy, as it impacts your personal and professional life.

Given the temporary downturn of today's economy, I realize that patients will continue to price shop for surgical and non-surgical services. The Adams Center's years of experience, and ability to provide quality care under my direct supervision sets us apart from other physicians and spas.

Since I began practicing plastic surgery in 1979, I have dedicated my practice to providing patients with the most positive surgical experience possible. I am especially fortunate to be able to offer patients the privacy, luxury, and safety of having their surgical procedures performed in our state of the art, AAAASF certified, surgicenter in our Peabody location.

My highly qualified operating and recovery room staff, board certified anesthesiologists and dedicated office staff all support our main focus - you, the patient. This devoted team works together to provide the high quality total patient care that my patients expect, and develop individual treatment plans for patients, while helping them investigate the surgical and non- surgical options available.

This total patient care principle even manifests itself in our fee structure. Our surgical fees are all inclusive - we don't have separate anesthesia and facility charges, and in many cases our non-surgical procedure pricing is based on a package of procedures, often including the skin care products required for aftercare. Additionally, all procedures performed at The Adams Center, and all products sold here have been selected by me - if I don't feel that something works, you won't find it at The Adams Center.

I realize that you have many choices available when choosing a plastic surgeon. Please take the time to ask these important questions:

• Is the surgeon board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery? Any other certification (Cosmetic, Aesthetic, Facial Cosmetic) usually indicates significantly less training.
• Is s/he a member of The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery? This society requires that a surgeon be board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, be a member of American Society of Plastic Surgery, and have a practice that is over 50% cosmetic.
• Do you feel comfortable with the surgeon and their staff? Discomfort can affect your outcome, as you may not ask questions important to your surgery and recovery. You should also feel comfortable with the staff, as they are your first introduction to the practice.
• Will the procedure be performed in an AAAASF certified facility?
• Does the surgeon have admitting privileges at a local hospital?
• Is the surgeon reachable if you have questions or problems after surgery?

At The Adams Center, our focus is on you as the patient. Whether we see you for a surgical or non- surgical procedure, we will always provide you with accurate, honest information.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

Combine Liposuction and Tummy Tuck for Better Results

I recently read a great article in the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (Heller, Teng, Knoll, Persing) on combining Liposuction with a Tummy Tuck in a procedure called "Lipoabdominoplasty".

The study compared the satisfaction levels, complication rates, and revision rates for patients who had just a Liposuction, patients who had a traditional Tummy Tuck, a modified version of the Tummy Tuck (called a modified low transverse abdominoplasty), and a combination of the modified Tummy Tuck with Liposuction.

The bottom line was that patients who combined the modified Tummy Tuck with Liposuction 1) were significantly happier with the end result, 2) had much lower complication rates, and 3) had far fewer revisions than those who had traditional Abdominoplasty.

This is just one example of how the field of cosmetic surgery is constantly evolving, and learning better ways to enhance patient outcomes, and add to satisfaction levels.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

What's a "Mommy Makeover"?

Q: What is a “Mommy Makeover”?

A: A "Mommy Makeover" is usually considered to be a combination of procedures like tummy tucks, breast augmentation, and breast lifts, and in some cases Liposuction. According to ASPS statistics, “Mommy Makeovers” saw an 11 percent increase from 2005 to 2006 in women ages 20-39, and were among the most popular procedures.

With women giving birth later, trying to juggle motherhood, while managing their careers and busy schedules, cosmetic surgery has become a great solution to returning to pre-pregnancy shape.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

Can I have Liposuction on multiple areas of my body during one visit?

Q: I'm thinking about having liposuction for my upper arms, front and back of armpit area. I'm not extremely overweight, but these areas have not gotten any smaller with exercise, and are out of proportion with the rest of my body. Can this all be done at once?

A: Liposuction is a great way to treat these areas. All of the areas you mention can be operated on in one session. In fact, many of our patients find doing this all at once preferable to minimize recovery time.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.

Cosmetic surgery outside of the U.S.?

Q: Do you have any opinion on getting cosmetic surgery outside of the U.S.?

A: I've seen several articles recently on people traveling to foreign countries for a "cosmetic surgery vacation."

Most of the people in these reports decided to go outside the U.S. to receive less expensive treatment, or treatments not yet approved by the FDA. Predictably, the majority of these "vacations" did not have happy endings.

While there are certainly good cosmetic surgeons throughout the world, there is often little regulation, and researching qualified surgeons can be difficult.

Here in the U.S., the medical field is highly regulated. But even here, any licensed physician can perform plastic surgery. A surgeon's qualifications can be easily obtained and evaluated. You should carefully review these before considering a particular surgeon, regardless of location.

Some things to look for include:

• Training
• Board certification
• What the certification is for (for instance, are you evaluating a facial surgeon to do a breast augmentation)
• Fellowships and surgical society memberships
• Where the surgery will be performed, and whether it is fully accredited
• The qualifications of nurses and the support staff

The aftercare and recovery programs are other considerations, but in general, the risks outweigh the benefits when traveling outside the U.S. for cosmetic surgery.

Contact me by e-mail, or by calling me at The Adams Center in my Peabody office at 978-531-0550, or 617-262-2208 in my Boston office for more information on this post, or any other information in my Blog.

Dr. Bill Adams is a greater Boston area board certified plastic surgeon with over 25 years of experience in the field.