Dr. Kreidstein Plastic Surgery
300 York Mills Road, Suite 211 M2L2Y5

Breast Implant Illness- What’s the harm in taking out my implants? Concerns about Breast Implant Illness (BII) are driving some women to consider removal of their breast implants. Research to this point does not support the existence of BII. Nevertheless, many women who believe they have BII experience at least temporary relief of their symptoms once their implants are removed (the possibility of a placebo effect must be acknowledged). Ultimately, if removing your implant...s might help you to feel better (even if only by relieving anxiety), what is the down-side in taking them out? 1. Loss of breast volume. Unless you have gained weight, breast volume will appear smaller than before your augmentation due to flattening of the tissues. Breasts do tend to ‘fluff out’ over a few months so volume loss becomes less obvious. Loss of volume can be treated (in part) by fat grafting, or a repeat augmentation down the road. 2. Loose, saggy skin. This is a bigger problem if very large implants were used. Breasts do not usually return to their pre-augmentation shape. Breast lift surgery can be performed either at the time of explantation or later once the tissues are stable (minimum 6 months). 3. Fluid collection and wound healing problems. When the implants were put in originally, a fresh space was created and then healing/scarring occurred around the implants. At explantation, the breast capsule (fibrous wall formed around the implant) remains, and may retain a pocket of fluid. This can be prevented by performing a partial removal of the capsule (capsulectomy) along with other maneuvers to encourage the pocket to seal up. Drains may also be used temporarily to encourage the capsule to collapse. 4. Post-Capsulectomy complications. The more capsule removed, the more likely you are to suffer irregularities in the skin as the wound collapses and sucks in the skin surface. Removing the capsule is akin to removing wallpaper from drywall, and is a lot harder on the breast and pectoral muscle than was putting in the implant. Bleeding complications are more frequent, and the lining of the chest (pleura) is at risk of perforation and lung collapse. 5. Costs. BII is not an illness recognized by insurers, so removal of implants and capsulectomy for BII is not covered by insurance. Fees for this surgery may range from $5000 for implant removal and partial capsulectomy, to $10,000 for enbloc implant removal and capsulectomy. See more

Weight gain after liposuction- What?! One of the dirty secrets of plastic surgery is that liposuction can contribute to ..weight gain! Wait! Before you cancel your surgery, take a moment to understand why this can happen, and appreciate how simple it is to avoid the extra pounds some people put on after liposuction.... Let’s say you don’t like the size of your thighs. They’ve always been too big, and the sight of them sends you to the gym 5 days a week and keeps you on your diet. Frustrated, you find a great surgeon, have liposuction, and three weeks later your thighs are looking great! Now that you are happy with your appearance, diet and exercise lose their urgency, and you start to gain weight. Despite several pounds of weight gain your thighs still look great because the adipocytes that store fat are permanently gone from your thighs. Instead, that excess fat is being stored in less obvious (for now) areas of your body. Six months later, your thighs still look fine but now you have big hips and abdomen. And yes, you could now have liposuction on your hips and abdomen, but if you continue to ignore the scale, some other body area will become a problem. How to avoid this spiral? Trust the scale more than the mirror. Even though you love your new silhouette, the scale will reveal whether you are gaining weight in new areas. Six weeks after liposuction, you should strive to weigh less than you did pre-op. True, you may have been limited in exercise after surgery, but most studies show that it is diet and not exercise that dictates our weight. The lesson here is that liposuction is a fabulous way to permanently change your shape, but it is only successful as part of a healthy lifestyle.

The Face of Evil Numerous studies have proven that we do ‘judge a book by its cover’, and if your cover (appearance) is flawed, you can expect to be at a disadvantage everywhere from the school playground to the courtroom. Our reconstructive practice includes many patients who must ultimately live with some form of disfigurement, and we are constantly seeking out better ways to alleviate this physical and psychological burden. Society prides itself in the great strides tak...en to reduce prejudice associated with race, sexual orientation etc., but is enough effort being made to eliminate ‘scar-shaming’? A recent publication (JAMA Dermatol. 2017; 153(6):559-664) would argue not, as it revealed the disproportionate use of disfigurement to characterize movie villains. Of the all-time top 10 movie villains, 60% had some form of facial disfigurement. What can we do? Consider supporting charities such as About Face (aboutface.ca). Write a letter to the Walt Disney Company ([email protected]). And please become more aware and sensitive to this form of prejudice. See more

Bad results from cosmetic surgery can trigger emotions and reactions that are counter-productive to your recovery.

http://www.drkreidstein.com//how-to-avoid-botched-cosmeti/

Will Breast Implants Change Your Life?

Submit your best Plastic Surgery Joke or cartoon- prize for best submission!

A shout-out to our brothers and sisters winning pumpkin carving contests (we are thankful they don’t do surgery!)

Cosmetic surgery is not a North American phenomenon http://tinyurl.com/cs72wer (don’t forget to read the comments at end of article!)