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breast augmentation scars

Breast Implant Scars – What You Need to Know

Breast Augmentation

One of the biggest concerns we get when it comes to breast related plastic surgery clients is scarring. Many patients are concerned that the scars related to procedures like breast augmentation and breast lifts are going to be highly noticeable and unsightly.

This is a valid concern considering it is a surgical procedure that requires incisions to be made in the skin, so unfortunately scarring is a part of that process. That being said though, there are things that the surgeon can do to help minimize scarring and there are things you can do, post-op, to help reduce the visible scars.

How a Skilled Surgeon Helps to Reduce Scars

If you’re considering a breast lift or breast augmentation, one of the most important things you can do is to trust your doctor. Finding a reputable doctor that is active in the plastic surgery community, understands what they are doing, has good reviews and referrals, is always the first place to start.

A good surgeon will listen to, and understand, your needs when it comes to minimal scarring, and will explain exactly how they go about ensuring that the scars are as invisible as they can be after healing.

In most cases, the doctor will place the incisions in areas that are normally concealed by clothing and bathing suits so that you won’t have to worry about an unsightly scar while at the beach. By placing the scars around the areola or in the creases of the breast, your surgeon will be able to hide the incisions in areas that 99% of people will never see.

Avoiding Sunlight and Using Creams

In regard to post-op care to help minimize the scars, or the color of the scars, there are a number of things you can do.

While it shouldn’t be too hard to do after your surgical procedure, we always must tell patients to remain out of the sun to avoid causing your scars to become darker. If you can’t avoid being in the sun, or just love the sun in general, be sure to put on a high SPF sunscreen to help protect your scars from the UV rays.

There are also creams available to help lighten up scars and reduce their appearance but making sure you keep your healing incision clean and properly cared for is another great way to help minimize scarring.

Using anti-bacterial cream and cleaning the incision on a regular basis will help keep any foreign germs out of the area and will allow for better healing. The smoother the healing process, the less likely for scarring complications.

Once the healing process has finished, you can use things like softening creams or silicone treatments, which both help to keep the scarring area hydrated and flexible. This will help the scar tissue appear more normal, as scar tissue itself is relatively hard compared to normal skin.

Will The Scar Ever Go Away?

Unfortunately, that scar tissue is there to stay, but over time they will be less and less noticeable. If you’re really uncomfortable with the way the incisions have healed, there are medical options to available to help reduce the look of the scars.

Laser treatments and scar revision procedures are designed to help the scar tissue blend in with the skin around it, making it less visible. It won’t completely erase the scar, but it can help to make it less noticeable to the naked eye.

Scarring is a natural part of the human body and when an incision is made in the skin there’s no getting around it. Thankfully Dr. Adams is an extremely skilled surgeon, with years of experience, that can help minimize your scarring after breast augmentation surgery.

If you’re looking for more information about scarring or want to setup a consultation to talk to Dr. Adams about breast augmentation or a breast lift, please contact Dr. William Adams Plastic Surgery in Dallas, TX today!

breast augmentation swimming

Can I Swim After Having Breast Augmentation?

Breast Augmentation

We get asked a lot of questions regarding breast augmentation recovery and what you can and can’t do after surgery. Many of these questions revolve around physical activity and how soon one can return to sports and exercise.

Recovery from breast augmentation used to keep you in bed, or resting, for up to two weeks before you could comfortably, and safely, return to day-to-day activities. And when it came to more physical activity, it could be a month before you could return to 100%.

In recent years Dr. Adams has perfected his breast augmentation technique to allow for less recovery time. His 24-hour fast track recovery breast augmentation has revolutionized the industry and has allowed for people to return to normal lives faster than ever before.

While this fast-track recovery will allow you to get back to your daily routine quicker than normal, will it allow for you to get back into the swimming pool?

Breast Augmentation and Swimming

When we talk about swimming, as opposed to an activity like weightlifting or working out, the main thing we must worry about is infection.

Because of the method that Dr. Adams uses in his breast augmentation procedures, the chest muscles under the skin will begin to heal up faster than after a typical breast augmentation, but because there are still surgical incisions made, the visible healing will still take time.

When it comes to swimming after breast augmentation surgery there are a couple things that you should be careful of.

The first thing is the physical movement that comes with swimming laps. The muscles and implants themselves need time to heal and setting into your chest, so you will need to wait before you can fully exert yourself in the pool.

Different swimming strokes could potentially overexert your chest muscles and put strain on your incisions, which could lead to complications. A typical breast augmentation would require around 3-6 weeks before you can resume physical activity, but if you’re just looking to take a leisurely dip in the pool, you need only wait 2 weeks.

In addition to being careful about physical strain on your chest muscles, you need to be careful of your incisions.

Water, both pool water and ocean water, contains microbes that can get into your incisions and cause infection if you’re not careful.

If you plan to go into the water before 6-weeks have passed, there are a few things we recommend.

First of all, don’t stay in the water too long. If you’re incisions haven’t completely healed up, the longer you are submerged in water, the better the chance is for infection.

In addition to that, once you do get out of the water, be sure to dry off the area around your incisions. You don’t want your incisions to sit and soak in the water.

Breast Augmentation During Swim Season

The most important thing to remember after getting breast augmentation surgery is that you’re going to need to take it easy for a period of time. Your doctor will give you exact instructions on how long you’ll need to rest for and how long you need to wait before resuming everyday activities and exercise.

In addition to avoiding the water and swimming, you’ll need to be careful about what you wear to the beach or pool, as well as how long you stay out in the sun.

During the recovery period, you’re going to want to avoid bikinis and underwear that contains an underwire. We usually recommend a soft sports bra that can support your breasts while not pushing up on them.

Depending on where your surgeon makes the incisions for the implants, an underwire bra could irritate them and cause more discomfort than necessary.

It’s also important that if you’re going to be out in the sun for an extended period of time to use sunscreen. Scar tissue on the skin does not have the same general make-up as your normal skin and can become darker and unsightly. Be sure to get the ok from your doctor on when you can apply sunscreen to your incisions/scars, you don’t want to be applying it to incisions that haven’t quite healed yet.

Swimming is a great low-impact activity that is both physically beneficial and mentally relaxing, but it’s important to make sure your body is fully healed before you begin these types of activities.

Your doctor will be able to give you suggested timeframes for recovery depending on how they performed the surgery.

Always listen to your doctor. In most cases they’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of these procedures and know what’s best for you when it comes to making a full recovery.

hand rejuvenation

What is Hand Rejuvenation and How Long Does it Last?

Non-Surgical, Plastic Surgery, Skin Care

When you think of plastic surgery most people typically think of things like breast implants, botox/fillers for your face, liposuction, tummy tucks, and things of that nature, but not many people think about hands.

You would be surprised at how many people don’t like their own hands, especially after they’ve gone through some sort of rejuvenation or surgical procedure for their face. Once they see how well their face looks after using injectable fillers or having a face lift, often times they begin to notice that their hands don’t match the look of their face.

The hands can be an obvious sign that someone has had work done to their face, because more of often than not, your hands will develop unsightly veins or discoloration as you age. And while your face has been rejuvenated through various non-surgical and/or surgical techniques, your hands remain the same.

It’s one of those body parts that people tend to overlook, or not think about, when considering plastic surgery to help them look younger, but once you point it out to them, it can become more obvious.

Types of Hand Rejuvenation

The most common types of hand rejuvenation come in the form of non-surgical treatments. There are a variety of ways to help rejuvenate your hands to make them look more youthful and to help you feel more comfortable with them.

Most of these non-surgical procedures are relatively painless and will allow you to continue about your normal life relatively quickly.

Let’s take a look at some of the more common types of hand rejuvenation procedures that are available.

1. Dermal Fillers / Fat Transfers

Dermal fillers are most commonly used on the face to help reduce wrinkles and aging lines, but can also be used on the hands to help with the same thing. Wrinkles on the hands can be filled in with dermal fillers, while unsightly veins and tendons can be hidden as well.

By using dermal fillers to add bulk to the top of your hands, you can reduce the sight of large veins as well as the tendons that run through the top of your hands. As you get older, your hands tend to thin out and these areas become more visible.

Fat transfers can also help reduce these signs of aging. By taking fat from other areas of your body and injecting it into your hands, you can gain back years of aging.

Dermal fillers and fat transfers are one of the easiest things you can do to help reduce the signs of aging in your hands.

2. Laser Skin Resurfacing / IPL

As we get older our skin begins to develop discoloration and sometimes aging spots. These spots can appear as dark circles on your skin, and if they start to overtake your hands, they can become quite unsightly, especially if you’ve undergone procedures to make your face look youthful.

These aging spots and discoloration can be lightened up with the use of Laser Skin Resurfacing and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). IPL helps to lighten the pigmentation in your skin caused by the sun.

Reducing the darkness of these sunspots can bring a youthful look back to your hands.

Combine IPL with Laser Skin Resurfacing and you can fade the sunspots and resurface rough skin to help achieve the younger appearance that you’re looking for.

Lasers and light therapies have come a long way over the years. They are simple, non-surgical, procedures, that can give you lasting results with little to no pain.

3. Skin Tightening

As we talk about non-surgical technology improving, another area of improvement in the world of plastic surgery comes from skin tightening procedures.

While most people talk about skin tightening in terms of helping with thighs, breasts, tummy, and neck, it can also be used to help with the skin on your hands.

Radiofrequencies are used to help tighten the existing collagen in your hands, while also promoting new collagen production. By doing so it causes the skin on your hands to become firmer, which will give them a younger appearance.

How Long Does Hand Rejuvenation Last?

Depending on what sort of procedure you decide to undergo for your hands will determine how long the effects will last.

Unfortunately, none of these non-surgical techniques are going to be permanent and your hands will continue to show signs of aging as you get older.

Dermal fillers in the hands should last at least 9 months, but in most cases you’ll still notice the effects for between 12-14 months.

The fillers slowly break down over time and are filtered out of the body, so this type of treatment needs to be refreshed every year or so.

The good thing about dermal fillers though, is that the results are usually seen almost immediately.

With IPL and laser treatments, the main reason these procedures aren’t permanent is because our bodies continue to age.

As we continue to age and continue to enjoy the sun, our bodies will continue to show signs of aging. And while the sunspots and discoloration that was corrected using laser therapy or IPL will continue to look better, other problem areas can arise over time.

Unfortunately, science has not discovered a way to reverse the aging process, but with the new technological advancements in non-surgical procedures, we can help to slow it down.

If you’re interested in hand rejuvenation, or have questions regarding the different options, please contact us at Dr. Adams Plastic Surgery in Dallas, TX today and we’d be happy to answer any of your questions.

cbd skin care aging

Can CBD Help with Aging Skin?

Skin Care

With more and more states legalizing marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use, as well as the federal government allowing for more studies into the medicinal effects of marijuana, CBD has broken out and become a huge talking point lately.

There are many claims out there that say that CBD can help with everything from inflammation to anxiety, but more recently people are claiming that the properties of CBD, when used in certain forms, can help your skin look younger.

But is there any truth to these claims?

What is CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of many chemicals found in marijuana, but one that does not cause the typical “high” feeling that most people associate with marijuana. It is typically extracted from marijuana or hemp plants to be used as oils that can be vaporized, oils that can be ingested, or an additive for food and drink products.

While CBD still requires more research to determine the overall medicinal effects, there are claims out there that state it can help with a wide variety of ailments. The most common ailments that people today are using CBD to help with are things like anxiety and depression, inflammation and pain, and even IBS and MS. There is a wide range of conditions that are currently being studied in regards to the effects that CBD may have on them, but until the federal government allows for open testing on marijuana, it is difficult to get funding for these studies.

Can CBD Benefit Your Skin?

Without any in-depth studies done around CBD and skin treatments, it’s hard to really say that there are any true benefits of using a lotion or cream that contains CBD, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective.

There have been smaller case studies focused on the medicinal benefits of CBD when it comes to our skin, and some of them are quite promising.

Is CBD going to turn back the clock and make you look 10 years younger? No, but it may be able to help alleviate some of the skin issues that arise as you get older.

Since CBD is known to be anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, it can help rejuvenate your skin by reducing redness and swelling, and even helping to reduce scarring you may experience. Inflammation is one of the main causes of skin disease, but CBD may not be enough to clear up those issues on their own.

Most doctors would agree that treating an underlying skin disease with traditional medicine is the best option, but the use of CBD on the backend to help clear up any lingering issues may be beneficial.

CBD has also shown to be helpful when it comes to acne.

One of the causes of acne is an excess in sebum, an oil that the skin produces to help protect itself. CBD has been shown to help reduce the amount of sebum that is created, thus helping to prevent acne flair ups. Those properties combined with the anti-inflammatory and antifungal aspects of CBD, show promise when used to help treat or prevent acne.

Researchers still need to study CBD more thoroughly to determine what medicinal properties, and the best method of treatments, would benefit people looking for alternative medicine.

Is CBD Safe? How Much Should I Use?

In general CBD has shown very little in the way of side-effects. In some cases you may experience dry mouth, drowsiness, diarrhea and fatigue. When used in topical situations, there have been instances of rash and allergic reactions. It can also interact with other prescription medications so it’s always important to discuss with your doctor if you’re thinking about treating with CBD.

The other issue with using CBD is that the proper dosage levels aren’t exactly known as they are when it comes to other medications. CBD hasn’t been studied long enough to determine how much a person should use, and by which delivery method, to treat certain conditions or ailments.

If you’re looking for an alternative treatment to help with skin redness, irritation, acne, or itchiness, then CBD might be worth trying, but it’s not a guaranteed solution.

There are lots of people out there that will push CBD as being this “wonder drug” that can help alleviate almost anything you may be suffering from, but we recommend you proceed with caution.

While there are studies out there that show there are some benefits of CBD, there isn’t enough research out there to truly say if it provides relief for everything.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you plan on trying CBD instead of other drugs, or in addition to other drugs, as they will be able to help you understand the risks involved.

If you do decide to try CBD as part of your skin regimen, and you haven’t used it before, we recommend starting off with smaller doses to ensure that you won’t react negatively to the product. The last thing you want to do, when trying to improve your skin, is to cause a rash.

CBD and medicinal marijuana have shown, in early studies, to have properties that can help reduce pain and inflammation, as well as help with anxiety and other ailments, but until the federal government re-classifies marijuana and allows for more studies to be performed, CBD is still a product you use at your own risk. So just be smart.

smoking and plastic surgery

Smoking and Plastic Surgery – What are the Risks?

Plastic Surgery

We all know that smoking is bad for your health, but can it cause more issues if you plan on having plastic surgery? That’s one of the questions we get asked a lot here at the office from people who smoke on a regular basis.

Smoking cigarettes for a long period of time can cause major health related issues ranging from lung and heart issues, to increased risk for stroke, and cancer. These alone should be good reasons for you to give up smoking, but of course it’s not always that easy. We understand that smoking is a habit that adults can choose to pick up, and we understand that it’s hard to stop, but when it comes to plastic surgery, what the recommendations?

Surgery and Smoking

It is almost always recommended that whenever surgery is going to be performed, that the recipient refrains from smoking as soon as possible. The longer you go without smoking before your surgery, the better your chances are of not running into possible serious complications.

And this applies to general surgery as well as plastic surgery.

As we mentioned above, smoking can cause major health problems with your heart, brain, lungs, and just your body in general, so reducing your smoking will immediately help your overall health.

If you plan to have any type of surgery in the future, then being in the best possible shape will help cut back on the risks involved with those surgeries. And it will also help you to heal and recover more quickly.

So what exactly can happen to a heavy smoker that refuses to quit before their surgery?

  • Higher risk of heart attack and strokes
  • Higher risk of blood clots and pneumonia
  • Higher possibility of death

In addition to these side effects that could come as a result of smoking while undergoing a surgical procedure, there are also things that can happen during and after the surgery that can make things more uncomfortable for you and the doctors.

1. Incisions Take Longer to Heal

Because smoking brings carbon monoxide into the body, it takes away oxygen from the cells needed to help the healing process. This can cause more toxins to appear in the blood, which can lead to a higher risk of infection.

Even if you were to quit smoking a week before the surgery, that will still allow some of that carbon monoxide to be removed from your system, and allow your cells to retain more oxygen, which will help during the recovery process.

2. Can Cause Issues with Anesthesia

When we’re talking about anesthesia and complications because of smoking, we’re mainly talking about general anesthesia and not localized numbing.

When you’re placed under general anesthesia, being “put to sleep”, an anesthesiologist has to monitor you and make sure that you don’t wake up during the surgery and that you stay properly sedated without complications.

One of the complications that come from heavy smokers under anesthesia is that the doctors have to work harder to ensure that you continue to breath. If your lungs are already damaged from smoking, or you have emphysema, you may not have the lung capacity of a typical person, which will require closer monitoring and adjustments throughout the process. It could also cause you to need unnecessary medication to help with the breathing while sedated.

It’s just one more complication that the doctors shouldn’t need to worry about while performing your surgery.

3. Increases Inflammation and Pain

Aside from complications, the one thing that most people worry about when undergoing a surgical procedure is the amount of pain they are going to be in once the surgery is complete. During recovery, pain medication can be used to help mitigate and control the pain from the surgery, but everyone’s body responds different to pain and pain medication. What may work for one person, may not work for the next, and smoking can increase the way you experience pain.

Cigarettes contain a number of chemicals that are inherently toxic when inhaled, but some of these chemicals can cause inflammation and/or swelling throughout your body. Because of this extra swelling that can occur, it can lead to smokers experiencing more pain than those patients that don’t smoke.

This is another good reason to forgo the cigarettes before having any type of surgery, especially if you don’t do well with pain.

Overall it’s just a smart decision to quit smoking, whether you plan to have a surgical procedure or not, but when it comes to surgery, non-smokers run far less risks of complications, pain, and other issues arising during and after the procedure.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to quit, and you have a surgical procedure coming up, this is a great opportunity to follow through with that goal. Your body will thank you for it, and your doctors will thank you as well.

Even if you quit smoking the week of your surgery, the added oxygen getting into your system could be enough to prevent you from having serious complications that you may have otherwise experienced. And unfortunately it’s hard to predict what sort of complications may arise while you’re under general anesthesia, as a smoker, so wouldn’t you rather be as pro-active as possible?