"Otoplasty specialist" question from the forum

Another one from the forum:


The Question:

Dear Dr. Di Saia
I would like to have Otoplasty to bring the top portion of my ears closer to my head. Should I have someone who specializes in this procedure do it, or can a general facial plastic surgeon perform it?


An Answer:

Be very careful of that which you are told here. Very few if any plastic surgeons specialize in otoplasty. There simply aren't enough of them to support a practice. Some surgeons may have done more of them than others though.

With this being said, your problem might be quite easy to address. Some otoplasties are easier than others.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD


The bottom line here is that surgeons vary with regards to how honest they are. Some will simply tell you that they are specialists as they feel that is what you need to hear to part with your $$$$$.





Tags
plastic surgery specialist
choosing plastic surgeon

Congress Votes Itself More $$$$

Washington Post

I need to be a Congressman. You get to vote yourself a raise.


Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Lindsay Lohan's Breasts - Again?

Awful Plastic Surgery Post

Lindsay Lohan's breasts have been a topic of note on the blog circuit for the past year or so it seems.

Now that she has lost weight (quite a bit of weight), there is an image of her from the side showing what is very likely a consequence of implant descent. She also seems to have a "dent" below her breast. What that may be I do not know. Maybe she was operated through the belly button. This can leave soft tissue dents.

Well, the bottom line is that she still looks implanted (to me at least.) And for those who have inquired, I did not do her surgery.


Happy Thanksgiving (no pun intended),

John Di Saia MD


Tags

Lindsay Lohan Breasts
Lindsay Lohan Plastic Surgery

Pamela Anderson at a Soccer Game?

Pamela Anderson seems like a tiny woman sporting pretty big implants. Personally I think she would look just as hot with a little smaller bust. Nothing is wrong with full breasts (hey folks, I make them for a living), but is where is the point of "too much?"

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD


image credit




Tags

pamela anderson

Aspirin before Surgery?

LA Times Story

The subject of aspirin used before surgery popped up in the LA Times this week. The use of drugs that "thin the blood" is dangerous before cosmetic surgery as it increases the chance that you could bleed shortly after your operation. Bleeding can lead to hematomae (blood collections under the skin) that can wreak cosmetic surgery results and lead to the need for additional surgery. You should always inform your doctor of the medications or supplements that you take before surgery so that the list can be reviewed and modifications (if needed) can be made.

My DO NOT TAKE drug list (don't stop any medication without speaking with your doctor)


Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Tags

aspirin and surgery
supplements and surgery

Often-disputed Truths About Fat and Liposuction

A trip through a local ad-ridden Orange County magazine brought this one on.

What you need to know about your fat:

(1) Unless you have a lot of it, it doesn't weight much. So if you have liposuction, look for change in shape, not a change in weight.

(2) It is not easy to just take a little out here and put it there. It usually just melts away. Fat injections into the lips really don't provide much long term benefit. And you get huge swelling right after it is done too.

(3) Your weight should really be stable before you have a large cosmetic body operation, unless you want new weight gains to end up in areas you might not like. Patients who gain and lose large amounts of weight frequently become less wonderful liposuction candidates for this reason.

(4) According to current thought, you don't get new fat cells after your twenties, but you can "load up" the fat cells you already have with more fat. These buggers can hold alot. Don't get liposuction figuring you can eat all you want afterward and not gain weight. You will gain it back.

(5) Liposuction does not take the place of a good diet or regular exercise.



Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD




Tags

fat
liposuction

Woman dies after undergoing cosmetic surgery

Breaking News.ie

"An Irish woman has died after undergoing cosmetic surgery with a New York plastic surgeon who has made 33 malpractice payments in the past decade."

This story was published earlier in the year, but I wonder if the New York Medical Board reviewed this case?



Until Later,

John Di Saia MD



Tags
plastic surgery complications
plastic surgery deaths

Breast Implant Job Security from Hollywood

A blogger who apparently found this image on a forum post forwarded the link. With Pamela Anderson and Jillian Barberie promoting themselves and their breast enhancements, it would seem I have job security. I should thank them both for funding my reconstructive hobby and my overall well-being by increasing the public awareness of breast enhancement.

Anybody know where these images came from?

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD


Tags

Jillian Barberie
Pamela Anderson

Capitation Medicine - HMO Dr Evil Style

My dad's wife called to ask if I could see a friend of my brother's. This 30 year old woman had been "put through the ringer" by her HMO dermatologist. He looked at her nose diagnosed a "pre cancer" and treated her with freezing. Then he put her on a cream. The "wart" is still there and she can't get in to see the doctor (actually a physician's assistant) for 2 months.

Welcome to capitation medicine.

This evil creation of your local managed care plan pays a doctor a fixed fee to take care of a group of patients. It is sold to the doctor as "money for nothing"...no not the Dire Straits song. The doctor then is paid nothing additional to take care of you. He has an incentive to ignore you (as he keeps all of the money) and none to care for your issues. The amount paid per patient is pretty low....like a couple of dollars. The doctor only makes money if he doesn't provide much care. This is the evil part as far as I am concerned.


I have been very hesitant to deal with capitation medicine. This woman's health insurance coverage will pay nothing toward my involvement as I am a non_Provider. That's what you get with mangled care.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD




Tags

capitation insurance
HMO
HMO secrets

Cosmetic Surgery Tax

Seattle PI Story

I remember when New Jersey passed their cosmetic surgery tax law. I figured that the business would simply find its way around the tax. Well, according to this writer in his piece about a proposal in Seattle for a similar law, exactly that happened.

Legislators need to get a clue that they cannot just add additional taxes to quench their endless thirst for cash. Additional taxes simply cause additional problems. Tax money needs to be more efficiently spent.




Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Tags

cosmetic surgery tax

Why I Resist Making Huge Breasts

At times patients become frustrated when I resist their desires to make them "really big" breasts. There is a method to my madness. This image (not one of my patients) displays a young lady with pretty huge breast implants:


(1) Notice the support bra that is attempting to hold them up.

(2) Notice the fake contour.

(3) Notice that these breast mounds are descending and the nipples are really low on her chest.

By not making your implants huge (and putting them submuscular), we make these problems really unlikely. This lady might have also been appropriate for a breast lift. Not having pre-operative images, we can't know.







Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD


P.S. What's wrong with a nice C or D cup?



Tags

breast implant problems
huge breast implants

Cheap Plastic Surgery

Looking through my local OC Weekly newspaper, it is again obvious why I do not advertise.

The ads I see are those of obvious "chop shops" in which speed and "cutting corners" are undoubtedly centers of focus. I would wager anesthesia services to be little or none and operating facilities to be sparsely outfitted. An emergency in such a place could end you up on Hard Copy.

I never really wanted to be the bargain basement guy. I never liked the idea of having to be done quickly to make a profit. At the prices advertised, quality cannot be the main goal of these outfits. Quality is always high on my list.

I would be very cautious of finding a plastic surgeon via such an advertisement.


Best Regards,


John Di Saia MD



Tags

cheap plastic surgery

Barkin not a fan of cosmetic surgery

Breaking News.ie Story

"Movie star Ellen Barkin has sworn off undergoing cosmetic surgery because she thinks friends who've gone under the knife are living proof it doesn't always make you look better."

Of course, nothing ever always does anything and but I certainly see that which she is saying. Too much surgery is a bad thing. We'll see, however, if she pulls a Robert Redford. Cosmetic surgery is not for everyone but some Hollywood-types take this stance and "flip-flop" a few years later.


Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Tags

celebrity plastic surgery
Ellen Barkin

Brittany Murphy Plastic Surgery

Misc Forum Brittany Murphy Pics

Back-up Link for the Pics



Well it looks like Brittany can join the ranks of the "overinflated" lips. She looks poorly here, but probably because of her expression in the "after" image. She doesn't look too happy. She does have pretty brown eyes, but those didn't come from an operation. A little less hyaluronic acid in the lips would have looked better. I'll bet she looked better a few weeks later as this injection looks pretty fresh.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Tags

Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy Plastic Surgery

Celebrity Plastic Surgery Picture Show

Canadian Daily Celebrity Plastic Surgery Picture Show

A Toronto daily pokes fun at celebrity plastic surgery. This is not a surprise as everyone seems to be doing this; not just bloggers. Their picture show shows some probably operated celebrities. Featured are Hillary Duff's veneers and Pamela Lee's breasts.


Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Tags

Celebrity Plastic Surgery