Author: omnispear

Now that you had surgery, drains are your new BFF?

Posted on by omnispear
At the risk of sounding like I’m standing on a soapbox, I shall repeat my mantra once again . . . how well you follow up with your post-op aftercare instructions is nearly as important as what we do in the OR. Following these protocols conscientiously can ensure a positive outcome just as ignoring them can sabotage your final results.

Remember, the doctor and the patients are a team.

This is particularly true of drains. When you wake up from surgeries involving deep incisions and dissections involving an appreciable amount of surface area such as of abdominoplasties (tummy Tucks), facelifts and browlifts you’ll likely have one, two or sometimes even three tubes coming out of small incisions, each attached a suction bulb drain. They’re unsightly, true. They’re inconvenient, yes. They can be messy, absolutely. But for the duration – and this can be anywhere from 1 to ten days – that you’ll be living with them, your drains are your new body’s BFF or at least very trusted ally!

Let’s back up a minute. When surgery is performed, it is a fact that the innumerable microscopic blood vessels and lymphatic channels are cut. As a result they leak fluid in the postoperative period. Consequently, any space that was surgically created (for example, between skin and deeper muscle layer) can fill up with this fluid as opposed to getting rapidly absorbed by the body. Drains are placed within this surgically created space in order to rapidly evacuate the fluid as it is produced. The fluid in your drain, which will diminish over time, is comprised of a physiological mixture of blood and serum. As you empty the drain twice a day, recording the amount of fluid tell us the rate of decreasing fluid production and how your body is healing.

The advantages of sporting your drains for the prescribed time cannot be underestimated. Removing drains too quickly can result in untoward fluid accumulation in a surgical space potentially necessitating uncomfortable intervention afterwards to remove it. Leaving drains in the body for the appropriate amount of time will actually decrease your healing time by minimizing fluid buildup and prolonged swelling by fostering rapid adherence of the various layers to close the surgical space.

Drain connected to a self suction "grenade" style collection chamber
Drain connected to a self suction “grenade” style collection chamber
So please keep these in mind during the initial phase of your recovery if you find yourself getting annoyed. Soon enough, you’ll be in the office and we’ll remove them. Meanwhile, if you can view your drains in a positive light rather than as an unpleasant burden, it’ll make all the difference in the world.

IN TOUCH (2013) – WHO IS MASON’S REAL DAD?

Posted on by omnispear

Mason doesn’t look like Scott, says Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Randal HAWORTH. “The eyes are very different. Scott’s are close together; Mason’s are not. They have few facial features in common.”

“Michael’s and Mason’s eyes are the same distance apart,” says Dr. Haworth. “Mason’s eyebrows are thick like Michael’s and they both have dark eyes.” They also have cleft chins.




NEW BEAUTY (2013) – NEW BEAUTY EYE REJUVENATION

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PUFFINESS

While under eye-puffiness and bags maybe genetic, loss or redistribution of fat may also be a factor. “With time, the fat pads under the eyes can start to protrude,” says Dr. Murphy. “Once there’s a change in the overlying tissue support in front of the fat, it starts to come through as bags, which make the under eyes puffy.” As the skin under the eyes start to thin out, there’s less of a buffer between what’s happening deep under the skin and what shows on the surface. “Bags can get worse with age and high-salt diets,” says Beverly Hills, California, plastic surgeon RANDAL Haworth, M.D.

HOLLOWS

Your plastic surgeon or dermatologist can check the tear trough area (Sometimes extending outward for a natural look) with Restylane, juvederm or fat to rebuild the orbital rim, prevent shadowing and fill in sunken areas. “Belotero is good for under the eyes because the Tyndall effect is less common,” says Dr. Haworth

FIX IT WITH SURGERY

The only way to permanently fix a saggy brow or and hooded or saggy upper eyelids is with surgery. While not everyone may experience those symptoms, they tend to occur together because the upper lid and brows are dependent on one another and an aging brow can affect the look of the lid.”We can treat a saggy brow line with an endoscopic brow lift to correct the shape and reestablish the height. It also cleans up the upper lid without operating on it,” says Dr. Haworth. To address loose skin, an upper blepharoplasty can be performed. A hollowed look, caused by a loss of volume in the brows or upper lid, can be corrected using fat or fillers to plump the area. Often a brow lift and upper blepharoplasty are done together to achieve the most natural results.

 





IN TOUCH (2013) – KHLOE’S REAL DAD PT 2

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Is Penelope the key to proving Scott is Mason’s real father?

To support his case, Michael claims Mason and his 13 month old sister Penelope don’t look likeFull siblings. Not true, says Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. RANDAL HAWORTH (who’s not involved with the case): “it’s glaringly evident that Penelope and Mason look-like spitting images.”




Can plastic surgery buy you happiness (especially if you are on Adderall) :)?

Posted on by omnispear
  “Plastic surgery won’t make you happy, but it can make you happier”

I think most sentient human beings will agree that the world it’s becoming a crazier place in which to live. We are constantly bombarded by negative imagery, negative stories, negative experiences, negative people while reminded that we are not good enough to fit the ideal as embodied by the media’s ambassadorial cadre of celebrities and certain reality stars. In more recent years, I am seeing an uptick in the amount of negative patients in my practice. I have learned to better recognize them and avoid operating on them as best I can.

Why do I do this?

The answer is simple. I avoid operating on them to better serve them . My staff and I at the Haworth Institute adhere to a basic principle of delivering the best service possible in order to maximally satisfy our patients. Yet, even if I perform the most exemplary plastic surgery and the patient is not happy with the results, then I have failed. In other words, the objective assessment of the surgical results does not match the subjective one of the patient. There are reasons for this break from reality, such as body dysmorphic syndrome and a patient’s own internal anger, discontentment, strife or call it what you will. There is much written about body dysmorphia but little is discussed about the latter situation-the angry, malcontent. Many times, these people come to a plastic surgeon seeking out surgical transformation for the wrong reasons, thinking that the surgery itself will bring a positive change in their life. When that doesn’t transpire and the patient realizes that they are still the same unhappy soul, all hell can break loose for both patient and caregiver because of unrealistic expectations. This may become a greater incendiary situation when a patient is taking Adderall or some other amphetamine-related prescription medication. Consequently, plastic surgeons should be aware of this heretofore anecdotal correlation prior to operating on anyone taking Adderall or equivalent since this may be a predictor of both disproportionate patient disappointment and anger.

I now have come up with the following saying within the last month which resonates with both my staff and myself:  “Plastic surgery will not make you happy, but it can make you happier.” In simple terms, this allows me to assess whether a patient is fundamentally happy and balanced prior to operating on them. I’m sure that there will be a few patients that still slip through the cracks, so to speak, but if I can manage to avoid operating on the majority of angry, unhappy patients then I know in my heart that I did serve them well.

Coincidently, this article just came out today about plastic surgery and happiness:

C’mon get happy! Plastic surgery can help 🙂

Dr. HAWORTH is a board-certified (American Board of Plastic Surgery) plastic surgeon located in Beverly Hills. His specialties include all aspects of aesthetic facial and breast plastic surgery, including rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, facelifts, lip reshaping and breast augmentation. For further information go to drhaworth.com

Tattoos and Cancer

Posted on by omnispear
Tattoos are meant to be party fun and expressive… Cancer and infections are such a buzz kill!

To each his own, but I have always been rather impartial to tattoos. Unlike a fine wine, I simply don’t think they age very well and they look especially out of place on a doting grandmother or father (unless they’re a member of a famous rock group and had a bank account to go along with it).

Anyway, onto more pressing matters such as how tattoos can kill you.

As a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, I am always aware I am a doctor first and a plastic surgeon second. It is for this reason I address subjects such as this to inform the public of potentially dangerous trends they embrace. More is written about how tattoos are associated with resistant bacterial infections and skin cancers, especially that the American FDA is applying its investigative microscope to the issue. More ominously, because of hepatitis C transmission, tattoos are associated with liver cancer and the possible necessity of liver transplantation. That is some virulent ink to say the least!

You might read this and think that you’re better off undergoing laser tattoo removal. Unfortunately, while the tattoo might be removed by the laser, blasting away that pigment might release it into the body a second time.

If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo maybe consider using a safer pigment such as InfiniteInk . This does not contain toxins and can be easily removed. It may cost more, but wouldn’t you want a pigment that was developed to color medicines, rather than paints?

To read more about this unsettling topic click here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2032696/Now-tattoos-cancer-U-S-regulator-probes-fears-inks-contain-carcinogenic-chemicals.html

http://dawn.com/2013/01/25/tattoos-linked-to-hepatitis-c-study/

R.D. Haworth M.D., F.A.C.S.

The Unknown Risks of Facial Dermal Fillers

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In 2011, total cosmetic procedures as reported to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have increased by 5%. While the majority of that rise has been attributed to the increasing use of noninvasive treatments which include Botox, lasers and fillers, actual surgical procedures have decreased somewhat. This may be more reflective of a rather anemic economy than an actual trend per se. Soft tissue fillers like Hyaluronic acid (Restylane®, Juvederm Ultra®, etc.), calcium hydroxyapatite (Radiesse®), and fat injections experienced some of the largest growth in the minimally-invasive market during 2011. More than 1.3 million hylauronic acid procedures were performed in 2011, up 9 percent; 286,000 calcium hydroxyapatite procedures, up 36 percent; and 68,000 fat injections, up 19 percent. However, in my practice I have noticed a shift back towards surgical procedures such as facelifts-perhaps this is because seasoned, sophisticated patients have come to realize firsthand the limitations of noninvasive treatments.

With the ever expanding embrace of fillers by the population, people are increasingly equating them to a manicure and pedicure. Doctors, Nurses and patients alike rarely think twice about their application and often times are not aware of their potentially serious risks. However, even a recent study has shown that seven out of 10 British doctors have experienced complications with the use of fillers (http://www.inquisitr.com/432110/wrinkles-dermal-fillers-can-cause-blue-skin-and-blindness-report/).

Among the fillers approved for use within the United States include many hyaluronic acids-HA (Juvéderm®, Restyane®, Perlane®, etc.), calcium hydroxyapatite (Radiesse®), PMMA (Artefill®), Sculptra® and fat. The HA’s are associated with their own unique side effects such as the Tyndall effect (a bluish gray swelling that imparts a puffy look to the lower eyes) while Radiesse®, Sculptra® and Artefill® can induce granulomas. However, all of these fillers have been associated with a few extremely rare but potentially devastating complications. Among these are skin necrosis (death of soft tissue) and vision loss. These problems result from a highly unlikely, unforeseen introduction of a minuscule amount of material into a microscopic branch of a facial blood vessel. A very small amount of filler injected into a peripheral vessel around the forehead, nose, nasolabial fold and even lip can result in these aforementioned complications. It is important to note that not only filler, but fat from a facial fat transfer and even a simple steroid injection have been implicated in both tissue and vision loss.

Once in the bloodstream, the filler in turn can travel downstream through the labyrinth of interconnecting blood vessels and if, in the highly unlikely event, it makes a wrong turn, it can end up in one of the blood vessels supplying the retina of the eye. Recently, I was devastated to discover that a patient of mine suffered one sided vision loss because of this very issue. Ironically, she showed no signs of external injury and still appears as a beautiful woman. A few ways for doctors to diminish the chances of such terrible occurrences are to use blunt tip cannulas instead of sharp-tipped needles whenever possible and to inject small amounts while withdrawing the syringe. Though I employ these two techniques routinely even under magnification, there is no absolute guarantee that these complications can be avoided. It is important that patients are made aware of these risks, albeit fleetingly small, in order that they can make an informed decision as to whether to proceed.

“We cannot estimate the incidence of these devastating complications among recipients to filler injections. It must be extremely rare, but it does happen,” Dr. Woo from Seoul National University’s Bundang Hospital told Medscape Medical News. The likelihood of such a devastating event is probably less than being struck by lightning

Odds of being struck by lightning in a given year (reported deaths + injuries)              1/1,000,000
Odds of being struck by lightning in a given year (estimated total deaths + injuries)      1/775,000
Odds of being struck in your lifetime (Est. 80 years)                                                           1/10,000
and certainly less than being injured in a car accident. Even though we are aware of the risks of driving and probably know a few people may have been seriously injured or even killed in a motor vehicle accident, few of us think twice about getting into a an automobile, turning on its ignition and driving.

A good summary of this tragic problem written from an objective standpoint can be accessed here http://www.lipostructure.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Avoidence.pdf

R.D. Haworth M.D., F.A.C.S.

Ironically, two weeks after I wrote this blog, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident  (1 week ago, today being March 12, 2013). Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

Brow Lift or Blepharoplasty? That is the Question

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You are complaining of saggy upper eyelids. You go to your plastic surgeon.The question is: “Brow lift or blepharoplasty? Or both?”   About 70% of patients coming to me requesting rejuvenation of their upper eyelids have no aging problems with their upper eyelids at all. Instead, what they are really manifesting is a pseudo excess of eyelid skin caused by a sagging of their forehead and its associated eyebrows ( brow ptosis). The skin between the eyebrows and the upper eyelashes is now compressed into folds, giving the impression age- related excess eyelid skin. It is imperative from an aesthetic and functional standpoint that the plastic surgeon makes the correct diagnosis, differentiating brow ptosis from true excess eyelid skin. Sometimes the two conditions can coexist like in Kenny Rogers pre-surgery.
Kenny Roders Before any surgery. Note how he has a combination of heavy brows and excess eyelid skin.
Kenny Rodgers Before any surgery. Note how he has a combination of heavy brows and excess eyelid skin.
The treatment for brow ptosis is an endoscopic Browlift (which I will discuss in a future blog post and how to avoid the “surprised-look”) while that for excess eyelid skin is an upper blepharoplasty. Sometimes strategic fat transfer or filler injection above and into the brow can help reversed brow ptosis to a moderate degree. I have seen many unfortunate results of upper eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty, stemming not from poorly performed surgery, but simply from a wrong diagnosis. In other words, the wrong surgery was correctly performed for the wrong diagnosis. I have also seen the correct surgery performed but carried out too aggressively such as in the case of Mr Rogers. If you compare his presurgical picture to the post surgical picture, one could see that his eyes are too recessed because too much fat and skin was removed.
Note the overaggressive brow lift and upper blepharoplasty leaving him with unnaturally hollow upper eyelids.
Note the overaggressive brow lift and upper blepharoplasty leaving him with unnaturally hollow upper eyelids.
Unnaturally deep recessed eyes as seen in these male celebrities can result- the upper eyes are bizarrely punched out in a feminized fashion not usually seen in nature. Yes , the upper lids are clean, but they are too sculpted and when placed adjacent to a still sagging brow, they results are just plain unattractively weird.
Wayne Newton before any plastic surgery.
Wayne Newton before any plastic surgery.
Wayne Newton after an overaggressive upper blepharoplasty. He probably would've been best served by a subtle brow lift alone
Wayne Newton after an overaggressive upper blepharoplasty. He probably would’ve been best served by a subtle brow lift alone
Don’t confuse this condition with people who have naturally deep set eyes such as Jeremy Irons.
Jeremy Irons has naturally deep set eyes. This is who he is and it looks completely natural.
Jeremy Irons has naturally deep set eyes. This is who he is and it looks completely natural.
Mr. Irons still has his natural character embedded in his countenance, whereas the aforementioned public figures who have had overly aggressive brow and eyelid surgery seem to had their essence extracted from their face.   For further information or to make a consultation with Dr. Randal Haworth, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and specialist in eyelid and browlift surgery,call 310 273 3000 or visit him at www.drhaworth.com.

This New Blunt-Tip Needle Screws the Bruise! Dermasculpt

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What is Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon, Dr Randal Haworth’s, latest tool to minimize bruising with injections?

Injection techniques to place filler into the face to correct lines, folds and wrinkles have became even more advanced with the use of blunt tip cannulae, such as Dermasculpt. These are similar to needles except that they are not sharp and therefore are less prone to cut the tiny diameter blood vessels in and below the skin.

20130103-020716.jpg

What does this mean for the patient?

-Markedly less bruising

-Generally significant less discomfort

-Greater safety profile

I don’t employ them to treat all areas of the face, since certain anatomical facial features require extremely precise placement of filler not afforded by blunt tip cannulae. They are ideal to inject larger areas which require generalized plumping or filling such as the temples, cheek hollows, brows and jawline.

I have injected most types of filler through them including Juvederm, Restylane, Belotero, Artefill, Aquamid and Radiesse.

Be prepared to hear some minor crackling noise, however, for the first minute or so similar to lettuce being cut!
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