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.

Patients Lose Up to 15 Inches from Waist with FDA Approved Zerona

The Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of Zerona opens the doors to a whole new world for those of us with a few stubborn areas of fat to lose. There have been several breakthroughs in non-surgical body sculpting for both cellulite reduction and fat reduction recently. The new Zerona™ system from ERCHONIA®, just cleared by the FDA, is one of the most promising.

My typical body contouring patient is someone who has stubborn areas of fat that they can’t get rid of, no matter how much exercise they do. Patients often come to me after trying various exercise programs that include biking, running, weights, etc. These pockets of excess body fat are actually one of the most difficult body issues to correct, and exercise alone often doesn’t work.

Zerona is leaps and bounds ahead of many of the other non-surgical body contouring or liposuction procedures. There are several laser, and other non-surgical products that claim results that, in my experience, aren’t accurate.

Zerona has been used for a couple of years to help break up fat cells prior to a traditional liposuction. However, plastic surgeons have recently begun using Zerona on its own to perform body contouring - no surgery required. Clinical testing of Zerona as a stand-alone procedure have shown that patients treated with the system lost from 3-4 inches; however, some of my patients have lost 12 or more inches.

Donna, a recent Zerona patient, lost an amazing 12 and a half inches. “I’ve always taken care of myself. Watched what I ate, and exercised. I walk five miles a day, but even with that, I still had some areas of fat that I couldn’t get rid of. I’d heard of Zerona, and saw that The Adams Center was one of the few plastic surgeons in the area that offered it. I went through the six treatment sessions in two weeks, and the rest is history.”

Zerona utilizes a low frequency laser scanner to help liquefy fatty tissue under the skin, which then gets passed through the body during the detoxification process. Treatment takes 40 minutes and needs to be administered three times a week over a two week period for best results. Because Zerona uses a low level laser, it produces no heat, making it a very comfortable procedure without interruptions from surgery, pain, wounds or compression garments.

“The Zerona procedure was actually very pleasant,” said Laura, another Zerona patient. “I’ve always exercised. Done kickboxing and weight training for a number of years, and I walk several miles a day. But, I still had areas that I wanted to shape to help boost my results from the exercise. I went through the Zerona treatments, and by the end of the two weeks, found I had lost 15 inches. The Adams Center’s staff and atmosphere made the experience even better. Zerona was terrific, start to finish!”

Right now, Zerona is by far the best non-surgical body contouring treatment available. The rapid developments in effective non-surgical procedures to do things that used to require a surgical procedure have been amazing. The Adams Center applauds the FDA’s approval of this effective, non-surgical body contouring method.

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.

Can I have multiple procedures done during the same visit?

I’ve received several questions from patients really on whether or not they can have multiple procedures done during the same visit.

The short answer is yes, you can. However, the real limiter is the type of anesthesia selected.

Take liposuction for example. We often do smaller areas of liposuction under a local anesthesia with oral sedation. This method allows us a smaller window of time, so larger procedures aren’t possible. However, we can do larger areas under a general anesthesia. This also allows us to do combinations of surgeries.

A recent patient wanted to have liposuction and breast augmentation done at the same time as part of a “Mommy Makeover.” While we only did those two surgeries for that patient, I’ve had patients choose to have liposuction, breast augmentation with a breast lift, and a blepharoplasty. So there are fewer limitations under general anesthesia.

Having multiple procedures done at the same time is actually a smart choice for most of us. There is usually a shorter overall recovery time, a lower overall cost, and in many cases, we’re finding that combination treatments actually provide better results.

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.

Mommy Makeovers

According to ASPS statistics, so called “Mommy Makeover” procedures like tummy tucks, breast augmentation and breast lifts 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.