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plastic surgery

Why is it Called Plastic Surgery?

Plastic Surgery

Do you know why plastic surgery is called plastic surgery? If we were to ask a group of people where they believed the term “plastic surgery” comes from, we’re guessing most of them would say it has to do with the fact that various implants are made of plastic.

It’s a common misconception that plastic surgery was named as such because of the materials used in certain procedures, such as breast implants. In fact, the term plastic surgery was coined way back in 1798 and breast implants themselves were not developed, in their more recent form, until the early 1960’s.

If the term is not named for the type of material used in breast implants, then why is it called plastic surgery?

Plastic Surgery vs. Cosmetic Surgery

In recent years the term “cosmetic surgery” has started to replace plastic surgery, but there are still a lot of people around the world that lump all of these types of procedures as “plastic surgery”.

“Plastic” in plastic surgery is derived from the Greek word plastikos, which means to shape or mold something. So, as you can see, this term fits very well with the types of surgery and procedures that surgeons are performing.

These surgeons are molding and shaping your body in different ways to enhance or change your features. They are considered by many to be modern day artists, just working in a different medium.

Cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery are used interchangeable depending on who you’re talking to. Some doctors like to refer to it as cosmetic surgery these days because of the idea that many people believe that “plastic” is talking about the material used during the procedures, but in theory plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery are different.

Plastic surgery is an all-encompassing term that includes cosmetic surgery as well as reconstructive surgery. These two types of surgery are actually quite different even though there is a bit of an overlap in the methods and procedures used.

Cosmetic Surgery vs. Reconstructive Surgery

Cosmetic surgery typically refers to just that, surgical procedures designed to improve your body in a cosmetic way. This usually means that there is nothing “wrong” with a patient, but they desire to have changes made to their bodies.

These types of procedures would include things like breast augmentation, facelifts, liposuction, and things of that nature.

Reconstructive surgery typically refers to surgery that is required to help correct functional impairments caused by injuries, burns, genetic defects, cancers, and more. These procedures are designed to help a person lead a more normal life when affected by something out of their control.

These procedures can be performed to help a person look a certain way after an accident or gain functionality or mobility that they may have lost due to an accident or illness.

So, while cosmetic surgery is there to provide people with a way to improve their appearance mainly from an aesthetic point of view, reconstructive surgery is designed to repair damage that a person may have incurred from some external source or genetic abnormality.

Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery used to be frowned upon, but more and more people these days have begun to open up to it. We’ve seen a huge influx in the amount of people undergoing plastic surgery procedures and non-surgical procedures, while also spending more money on these surgeries than ever before.

If you have any questions about cosmetic surgery or reconstructive surgery, please contact us today at Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the various cosmetic procedures that we offer.

plastic surgery spending

Are People Spending More Money on Plastic Surgery Today?

Non-Surgical, Plastic Surgery

There’s no doubt that aesthetic plastic surgery procedures have increased recently, but to what extent is kind of mind blowing. With the introduction of non-surgical procedures that can present pretty remarkable results, some people thought that actual surgical procedures might start to slow down a bit, but the numbers reported by The Aesthetics Society for 2021 have shown that not to be the case.

Aesthetic plastic surgery and non-surgical procedures spending combined in 2020 for a total of over $9 billion, while for the first 6-months of 2021 we saw spending of upwards of $8.7 billion on aesthetic plastic surgery alone.

That’s $8.7 billion dollars spent on plastic surgery, not including non-surgical procedures, which continue to see a huge boom in popularity due to their non-invasive, less expensive nature.

Overall, there has been consistent growth in plastic surgery procedures for about the last 10 years, so we expected to see numbers rise as we continue to move forward, however with COVID and the economic impacts of the pandemic, I don’t know that anyone expected the numbers to be quite this good.

Why Are People Spending More on Plastic Surgery?

While the COVID pandemic did force a lot of doctors and surgeons to put their practices on hold, it also created new demand for both surgical and non-surgical procedures.

While a lot of people were left unemployed or struggling to get by during points in the pandemic, it also meant that people couldn’t spend money on the luxuries that they were before. Vacations, restaurants, and other events were put on hold due to the spreading of the virus, so people were left with a little more disposable income that they may have been saving up. Not to mention a few rounds of stimulus checks that people weren’t budgeting for at the beginning of the year.

This extra money saved and coming in meant that some people could now afford those plastic surgery procedures they had been thinking about getting. And once the doctors’ offices started to open back up, and cosmetic surgery was able to move forward again, it brought out a lot of people looking to improve their appearance.

But the money isn’t the only reason that more people have been opting for plastic surgery procedures this year.

Working From Home – More Time to Recovery

In addition to having a little extra income, most office workers were still working from home at the start of the year. This meant that they had more time to recover in the comfort of their own home and there was less need to take time off.

Work could still get done while laying in bed recovering from a breast augmentation, but most people would have taken a couple weeks off to heal had they been going into the office. Not to mention people could recover without having their nosey coworkers asking questions. Some people would love to have a cosmetic procedure done but are afraid of what coworkers and friends may think. So having the ability to recover at home with limited external contact is a great option for a lot of people.

Non-Surgical Procedure Boost

Non-surgical procedures saw a huge boost in 2020 and 2021 and a lot of that has to do with the pandemic, but not the way you may think.

We’ve discussed this before, but we couldn’t talk about the increase in dollars spent on plastic surgery without talking about the “zoom effect”.

Many people were forced to do most of their work through zoom, or video conferences, while being in lock down during 2020 and 2021. This caused people to have to stare at their own faces for longer periods of time than they normally would, which also meant they were able to see more imperfections.

HD cameras and high-def computer screens make it very easy to notice little things about your face that you may not like. And while your coworkers probably never noticed them, the fact that people had to stare at a screen that shows their face in the corner all the time, meant people were able to see those flaws more closely.

Non-surgical procedures are great at helping your face and skin look its best while on camera. They are inexpensive, effective, and usually don’t require any downtime to recover. Doctors saw a lot more patients coming in for quick non-surgical treatments this year than they have in the past and some of that has to do with the new work from home culture.

The Growth of Plastic Surgery

While the COVID pandemic and lockdowns did play a part in the boom of plastic surgery mid-2020 into 2021, it’s important to note that plastic surgery has been growing steadily for the last 10 years.

It used to have more of a negative connotation associated with it, but as techniques, procedures, and technology improve, a good plastic surgeon can make it less obvious that you’ve had work done. All of these things combined have led to incredible growth within this field and we’re excited to see where the future takes us.

If you have any questions regarding plastic surgery procedures or would like to setup a consultation, please contact us at Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery in Dallas, Texas today!

mastopexy breast lift faq

Most Commonly Asked Questions about Mastopexy/Breast Lift Surgery

Breast Augmentation, Chest Questions

Mastopexy, which is also known as a breast lift, is one of the most common forms of breast augmentation surgery available today. This surgical procedure is designed to help raise and reshape sagging breasts and reinforce skin stretch. If necessary, a mastopexy can also reduce the size of your areolas.

Overall, a mastopexy is designed to help restore sagging breasts back to their original level of perkiness. It does not, however, add volume or size to your breasts. The only way to accomplish that would be to add implants or fat injections to the breasts.

There are many reasons why a woman may opt to have a breast lift, or mastopexy, but it’s always important to talk with your surgeon first. They will be able to advise you on whether a mastopexy will give you the results you’re looking for, or if you’ll have to go a different route.

Remember, not everyone is created equal and just because someone you know had a breast lift and it looks amazing, it may not give you the same results. This is why it’s extremely important to talk with a professional before making any decisions.

But before you talk with a doctor about mastopexy surgery, here are some of the most commonly asked questions about breast lifts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Lift Surgery

How Much Does a Mastopexy Cost?

The cost of surgical procedures like mastopexy are going to vary depending on your location, the doctor you’re going to see, and the overall nature of the surgery. Because of this, it’s hard to outline an exact price, but we can give you a price range that a typical mastopexy procedure should fall under.

The average cost of a mastopexy in the United States is around $5,000. Keep in mind that this price is only for the surgery itself, it does not include things like testing, hospital fees, anesthesia, prescriptions, etc.

Depending on where you’re at in the country, and which doctor you go to, you may find prices as low as $2,000 or as high as $12,000. Another thing to keep in mind is that breast lift surgery is considered cosmetic surgery and most health insurance providers will not cover this procedure.

Can You Breast Feed After a Breast Lift?

When it comes to breast augmentation surgeries, like mastopexy, as long as you have a skilled doctor who knows what they’re doing, you should have no problem breastfeeding after the procedure.

If you had trouble breastfeeding before you had the surgery, this procedure will not help with that, but you can rest assured that the mammary glands are typically not disturbed during a procedure like this, so there should be no change to your ability to breastfeed.

How Long Does it Take For a Breast Lift To Heal?

Everyone’s body is different, so the healing process of any surgery is going to vary. Typically when we perform breast lift procedures we see patients back to everyday activities within 2-weeks. This doesn’t mean that you can run out and start exercising and doing sports again, but you should be able to go about your normal daily routine.

Swelling and bruising will be noticeable for about 3 weeks, but this can be easily managed with pain medication and shouldn’t cause too much discomfort if you’re not overexerting yourself.

For up to six weeks after the surgery you may notice some strange sensations around your nipple area. This can include burning feeling and numbness. Rest assured though these sensations typically go away after about six weeks and are very rarely permanent.

After about eight weeks post-op you should be able to resume more high-impact exercises and get back to your regular exercise schedule.

The last thing to heal is going to be your scars. Scars from breast lift surgery tend to change a lot during the first six months so don’t be surprised if they seem fairly noticeable during this time. The incisions themselves should be hidden when you are wearing clothing, even a bathing suit, and will continue to fade as time goes on.

If you wish to help keep the scars from being noticeable, there are scar fading creams on the market that tend to help, but the best thing you can do is keep the scars out of direct sunlight for a while.

If you’re concerned about scarring after the procedure talk with your doctor and they will be able to give you more tips on how to prevent discoloration of the scars.

A breast lift is a great way to return your breasts to their youthful, perkiness, while also helping to boost self-esteem. A skilled, professional, doctor will be able to answer all your questions regarding mastopexy surgery and the results you can expect from it, but it’s always good to go into the office knowing a little bit about the procedure.

Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery in Dallas, Texas is highly skilled in performing breast lift surgery as well as other breast augmentation procedures. Please contact us today to setup a consultation, or if you have any questions about the procedures we offer.

botox hair loss

Can Botox Help With Hair Loss?

Non-Surgical

Botox is well known in the non-surgical world as being a great tool to help reduce wrinkles as well as help provide a more youthful look to the face. Botox is injected underneath the skin and causes the muscles to relax to help produce that smooth look that most people desire. And while that is still the main purpose for using Botox, there has been much testing in regard to what else Botox might be able to help with, and one of those things is hair loss.

Botox and Hair Loss

There are two different methods for using Botox on the scalp that people are claiming will help with hair loss, or help hair grow in thicker. The first method is what we would traditionally think of when talking about Botox and that is injections under the skin. While the other method that has been discussed regarding Botox and hair is using it as a topical treatment.

Do either of these treatment methods using Botox actually help improve hair growth or reduce hair loss? Let’s take a look.

Topical Botox Treatment for Hair Loss

In the hair care world these topical “Botox” treatments for your hair are called “Hair Botox”, but they don’t in fact have any botulinum toxin in them, which is what is found in injectable Botox fillers. This can lead to a bit of confusion when discussing Botox treatments for hair loss.

Simply rubbing Botox designed to be injected into your scalp is not going to help with your hair loss. It’s not going to make your hair appear thicker, it’s not going to promote hair growth in patients that are starting to lose their hair, and it’s not going to show the results you are probably expecting. So, we would advise against getting traditional Botox and rubbing it into your hair. Not to mention it would be extremely expensive to do so.

These “Hair Botox” products are actually just deep conditioning treatments that coat the hair fibers with fillers to help give the appearance of thicker hair.

These flexible fillers can grasp on to the hair and fill in any broken or thin areas to add moisture and shine, as well as soften and repair the hair. These treatments can last up to a few months but are not permanent and use of these conditioners will have to be repeated multiple times a year to sustain the desired outcome.

There are a number of different brands of “Hair Botox” out there, many of which use different ingredients, but the idea remains the same. Oils, antioxidants, and vitamins are rubbed into the hair to help repair and enhance damaged hair, giving it a fuller look.

Botox Injections for Hair Loss

As we mentioned above, injectable Botox has been around for a while. It is mainly used for reducing wrinkles in the skin on the face, but recently more studies have been done regarding other applications for the treatment.

Hair loss has come a long way in the last decade, and it only makes sense that more and more researchers are looking into non-surgical techniques to help reduce hair loss and hair thinning. While hair transplant surgery is still at the top of the list when it comes to hair loss treatment results, non-surgical, medicinal, and even laser light therapies have all shown great promise in helping to stimulate hair growth.

And that’s where Botox injectables may benefit those suffering from hair loss.

A study from 2020 out of China has indicated that injecting Botox (or Botulinum toxin type A (BTA)) into the scalp every 3 months for 12 months showed that it was effective at helping with hair growth. It is thought that since Botox injections help to relax muscles, these injections are relaxing the muscles in your scalp which can enhance blood flow and increase the delivery of nutrients to the hair. This can in turn help promote hair growth and less thinning in the scalp.

Of course, this will only work on hair follicles that are still alive. So if you have areas of your scalp where you have gone completely bald, then there’s a good chance that injecting Botox into those areas will not help and a hair transplant may be your only option.

We know how disappointing it can be when you start to lose your hair, so it’s exciting to see that the continued research into hair loss and hair thinning is showing impressive results using treatment methods that we currently use in other areas of the body.

post surgery depression

What is Post Surgery Depression?

Plastic Surgery

As we move into 2022 we’re going to start seeing a lot of people working on themselves. At the stroke of midnight on December 31st, millions of people across the country have told themselves that they are going to start eating healthier, working out more, and generally living a better life, but the majority of those people will only make it a few weeks before reverting back to their old ways.

In some cases folks will decide that putting in the work is too hard, or the parts of their body they want to change may not improve through typical means. They may need some outside help.

Plastic surgery can be a great way to help get yourself back into the body you’ve always wanted, or the body you had when you were younger. It can help improve your self-esteem, it can help boost your confidence level, and overall, it can just make you feel better about yourself. And ultimately that’s what new year’s resolutions are supposed to do.

But there are some people whose lives don’t improve as well as they might have thought of, or have other circumstances that can lead them to fall into a depressed state after undergoing plastic surgery.

Post-surgery depression is actually more common than you might think, but there are ways to get through it and deal with it that will help you in the long run.

Depression After Surgery

First off, we want to state that depression after surgery is normal and relatively common in a lot of patients. Most of the time it will come and go and once you’re fully healed from your procedure and things are starting to look more normal, you’ll begin to feel better about yourself. But since not everyone deals with depression the same way, and the things causing the depression aren’t the same for everyone, it’s important that we talk about it.

Most depression after surgery stems from unmanaged expectations. Immediately after your surgery, and for subsequent weeks while you heal, you’re not going to feel your best or look your best. Depending on what procedure or procedures you’ve had done, recovery time can be uncomfortable and painful. There is going to be swelling, puffiness, and redness as your body recovers from the surgery.

During this period depression can kick in as patients maybe don’t think that they look as good as they thought, or that they didn’t realize how uncomfortable they might be during recovery. This is all normal. You’re going to have good and bad days post-op and the thing to remember is that your body will heal itself and you’ll begin to feel more and more like yourself as time goes on.

The other thing you need to remember is not to set your expectations too high and to listen to your doctor.

Some people go into plastic surgery expecting life changing results and drastic improvements, but that’s not always the case. If you have a good surgeon, they should be properly helping you manage expectations so that you’re not disappointed after the surgery is complete. A good surgeon will be able to help you dial in exactly what you should expect from the surgery based on your body type and what you’re looking to have done.

Some level of depression is going to be normal after having plastic surgery, but if you’re almost through the healing process and you’re starting to physically feel like yourself again, but your depression isn’t subsiding, then it may be time to speak with a professional.

In some cases people use plastic surgery as a way to help cope with their depression. Maybe they are depressed because of the way they look, which is leading to lowered self-esteem, or something along those lines. And they are looking to plastic surgery as the solution to that depression when that might not be the fix they need.

If you are still suffering from depression after fully healing and getting the ok from your surgeon, then the root cause of your depression may still be affecting you and it may be time to seek help from a therapist.

Managing Plastic Surgery Expectations to Limit Depression

As we mentioned, properly managing your expectations within your self and with the guidance of your doctor, are the best ways to help lower the risks of developing post-surgery depression. Understanding how long it will take to fully heal and for your body to settle into its new form and structure is important in the process.

Make sure to ask lots of questions and make sure you find a doctor that isn’t afraid to be straight with you and isn’t just telling you what you want to hear. A doctor that truly cares won’t worry about losing a patient by telling them the truth about what they can expect after having a surgical procedure.

At Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery, we truly care about our patients and want what’s best for them. If you have any questions regarding plastic surgery procedures or post-surgery depression, please contact us today.