Dr. Thomas Haas' Blog Archive – December 2007
Tags: surgeon, education, training, Christmas,
I was given the book 'Listening is an act of Love' for Christmas. Though I like to read, I originally thought this was not a good present...sounded like a 'Lifetime TV Movie'. But it's really good. It's a collection of stories about ordinary people's lives being interviewed by sons, daughters, friends, etc. Turned out to be very interesting.
So...I'm asking you readers to respond to this blog with your own story, related or not to plastic surgery. Life is not what you have, it's who you have...we all have stories of critical moments in our life, whether we knew it at the time or not.
When I was a teenager, there was a doc down the street who I admired. He scared me how long the educational and training process was to become a surgeon...12 years AFTER college. But then he said, ya' know, you're going to do something anyway for those 12 years, so you may-as-well be where you want to be at the end...talk about long-term planning! The random events of life just blow me away.
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Tags: plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, tummy tuck, breast augmentation, breast lift, anesthesia,
Had back to back interesting patients yesterday.
The first lady had been to another plastic surgeon in town and was told she needed a breast lift. The patient did not want one...she wanted implants only... so she came to me for my opinion. Examined her. Obvious she needed a lift in a big way. Explained to her the logic of the lift and showed her the measurements I had taken, etc. Despite all the undeniable evidence, she again said she didn't want a lift. At that point, I said there really was no point in further wasting her or my time. She agreed and that was the end of the conversation. Do not understand why someone would pay our $50 consult fee to be told something that MOST women know before they ever come in...whether they need a lift or not.
Next patient, attractive young mom in for a cosmetic procedure. This lady had a tuck and breast surgery (at least a breast augmentation, maybe an aug/lift) by another surgeon in town. When the patient had been to another doctor and was happy with the results, I always ask them why they don't go back to the original doc. Reason...bad bedside manner and the fact that her surgery took 15 HOURS!!! That is way too long for any cosmetic procedure under any anesthesia, much less general anesthesia. Plus, I could not do my best work for that long. Blows me away how the general public does not comprehend the risk in that and do not know to ask their surgeon how long they anticipate the procedure to last. She did fine, but boy would that make me nervous to have someone under that long.
One of the most entertaining parts of this job is never knowing what's behind the exam room door.
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Tags: liposuction, tummy tuck, Joint Commission,
We are pleased to announce that Imaage has once again had its certification renewed by Joint Commission. We were surprise (!!!) inspected Nov 5, 2007...while we were getting ready for our routine Monday. That was a bit of a change in plans for the day. But everything went fine and we are good for another 3 years. I was sure that we would pass. After all we have passed every time and our processes and procedures continue to evolve. However, it always makes me a little nervous when some big government agency shows unannounced.
We proceeded with our liposuction and tummy tuck while the surveyor inspected our policies and procedures. At least with the surprise inspection, I didn't have to worry about it.
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Tags: board certified palstic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, facelift, Fig, bankrupcty,
I’m sure a lot of folks were interested in today’s CJ Business section with the news of the closure and bankruptcy fight of ‘Fig.’ In today's (12/14/07) NY Times, the reason given is the hundreds of clients who have asked for their money back. Plastic surgeons across the country are enjoying schadenfruede. Cosmetic surgeons, at least us real ones, have known for years that any quick fix or strip-mall solution to these unwanted areas of fat are not effective. There are so many people out there that have these problem areas and are desperate for improvement that plenty of these kind of operations have cropped up to take advantage.
Cosmetic surgeons, those of us board certified in plastic surgery, know what works...liposuction, tummy tucks, facelifts, breast augmentation...these operations do the job. That’s how we stay in business. Believe me, if we don’t make people happy, they make us miserable.
Realistic expectations have to be thoroughly explained to the patients and it is the surgeon’s responsibility to know if the patient seems to be getting the message...BEFORE surgery. I’ve seen the before/after pictures from these ‘fat-melting injection’ stores…they are so bad that sometimes you can’t tell which is before and which is after. Or they are posed such a ridiculous way in the before that they can’t help but look better in the after.
As Dennis Miller says, my opinion only...I could be wrong.
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Tags: cellulite treatment, syneron, Dr. Oz, Oprah, Imaage, cosmetic surgery, breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, facelift.,
Recently on Oprah, Dr. Oz talked about anti-cellulite treatments. He stated “all of the treatments—from creams and balms to procedures like rolling and smacking—have one thing in common: They don't really work. You can't put a cream on and get inside the fat cell.” He went on to say, “While they may be able to give you a short-term reduction in appearance of cellulite—caused by swelling in blood vessels and tissue—It doesn't hold. "Here's one more bit of data: The guys don't care that much. They really don't."
It is true, cellulite creams most likely do not penetrate into the fat cell, rather they are mainly absorbed by the epi-dermal and dermal layers of the skin. Although, certain ingredients such as caffeine can reduce the appearance of “orange-peel” or bumpy skin and may actually reduce fat. Caffeine can enhance fat metabolism and also reduce some of the edema, or swelling that we get around the fat, so the skin appears smoother.
Dr. Oz may be referring the “rolling and smacking” to the somewhat dated treatment of Endermologie where the patient wears a bodysuit while the technician uses rollers and vacuum device to smooth out problem areas. Typically 16 visits are needed to achieve desired results.
With the new, FDA-approved VelaShape by Syneron – the combination of infra-red light, radio-frequency rollers, and vacuum actually reduce the appearance of cellulite and thigh circumference. The advantage…4-6 treatments show noticeable improvement. In fact, most of my patients describe the treatment as a warm massage, and may even fall asleep!
We have communicated Dr. Oz’ comments to Syneron, manufacturer of VelaShape. Here is there response:
First of all, I would have to agree with Dr. Oz. Creams, and rollers etc are not viable treatments for cellulite. They are not medical grade materials or devices, and have not gone through the strict scrutiny of the FDA to prove their claims. Click this link for a piece involving Dr. Mitchell Chasin regarding this topic and the VelaSmooth:
http://velasmooth.com/cellulite-research/today-show-cellulite
Here is another link to the VelaShape in the news:
http://velashape.com/news/velashape-news/
What you should notice is that these are medical treatments, backed by the FDA. Your patients should find comfort in the fact that you have the only choice cleared by the FDA to do this.
Imaage is well-aware that our success depends on our patients being happy with their results...whether you're having cosmetic surgery, breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, facelift...or cellulite treatment. We want you to have good value in your investment in us.
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