Immediately after surgery, your breasts and chest wall may be sore and feel tight.  The level of soreness obviously varies within each individual.  However, some patients may notice that the soreness is enough to give them discomfort even with just arm elevation above shoulder level. 

The introduction of breast augmentation implants placed under the skin is responsible for the initial tight sensation.  The skin and soft tissue will generally require a few weeks to accommodate the increased volume before feeling and appearing more relaxed and natural.  Until that occurs, the breasts may appear a little “high” or very round on the chest.  In practice, patients can expect tightness to last anywhere from 1 to 3 months, improving over that time period.

Employ Massage Therapy

Patients are instructed to perform daily breast massage beginning the first week during recovery. This type of massage serves three major purposes in breast augmentation recovery:

First, the act of skin massage on the breast will improve the flow of the lymphatic system which is crucial for the reduction of swelling.

Second, massage therapy is a proactive daily treatment which will actually help to reduce the soreness and discomfort felt in the breasts.

Lastly, the massage will aid in the relaxation of the skin and soft tissue of the breasts which will ultimately improve the position and appearance of the implants.

Use Compression Garments

As is customary, a compression garment will be a necessary aid for comfortable breast augmentation recovery.  A compressive bra or a sports bra without underwire is recommended during the first few weeks of the healing process. 

Commonly, the incisions for placement of breast implants are located at the lower breast crease (“infra-mammary fold” in medical speak) and the use of an underwire bra may irritate the healing incision, or, over a longer time period, may influence (or prevent) the descent of the implants into a more pendulous-shaped breast (like a tear-drop). 

In selected patients, whose skin is very tight or whose implants are very large, the use of a “bandeaux ” (a compressive bandage placed above the breasts and under the armpits) is advised to “coax” the implants into a lower position as the skin envelope of the breast progressively expands and appears more relaxed over a few to several weeks.

Apply Silicone Scar Treatments

Certain people may have an unfavorable history of wound healing.  In these types of patients, it is pre-emptively advised that the use of silicone scar treatments to be applied to their incisions after the first week of recovery and up to 12 full weeks of treatment. 

Embrace, ScarAway and New Gel+ are recognized compressive scar therapy brands to be applied once a week as an adhesive silicone bandage over the incisions.  The adhesive bandage offloads the pressure on the incision, allowing the most favorable tension-free healing environment.  The silicone aspect influences and “organizes” the wound healing milieu, effectively reducing the degree of pigmentation and scar elevation during the acute breast augmentation recovery period.

Follow-Up With Your Doctor

All of these guidelines are given under the assumption that no complications develop during the early recovery period.  It is imperative to stay in communication and face-to-face follow-up with your plastic surgeon.  The complications of hematoma (excessive bleeding) and infection can be quite detrimental to the final result of your breast augmentation if not treated right away.   As such, you should give yourself and your physician the earliest opportunity of recognizing these problems so that they may most effectively be managed and controlled. 

Significant size distortion or increase, asymmetry, focal or severe pain, blushing of the skin with redness, foul-smelling discharge, or just general malaise (fever, fatigue) may indicate a bleeding problem or infection.

If you have any of these concerns, it is highly recommended to notify your plastic surgeon expediently and be prepared to be evaluated in the clinic on short notice, if necessary to ensure full breast augmentation recovery.

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The Best Season For Plastic Surgery?

Having a successfully aesthetic procedure performed requires careful consideration. You are deciding to have cosmetic surgery and understandably have many questions. One of the most commonly asked questions is “When is the best time for plastic surgery?” Since cosmetic surgery entails not only the procedure itself, but also requires adequate time for healing and recovery, thoughtful review will help you get the most out of your procedure.

According to experts, late fall to winter is the best season for plastic surgery. The coolest season of the year allows for more time indoors, longer holidays and bulky clothing, all of which are ideal for plastic surgery recovery. Below are additional reasons to keep in mind as the best time for preparing for your new look.

Recovery Time Without Missing Work

Winter comes with the carefree glee and glitter of preparing for Christmas and New Year. For most people, the season means one thing: more days away from work! Planning to have your surgery done during this time means that you have more time to allow the scars and wounds to heal, and set aside time for your body to recuperate post-surgery. Most people usually take their long vacations during this time of the year, so if the holidays aren’t enough, opting for a leave of absence during best season for plastic surgery will only let you miss a few days from work.

Perfect For Staying Indoors

The harsh temperatures outside are not the only reason to stay indoors. After surgery, your skin needs to recover and staying indoors will facilitate healing. Higher temperatures also encourage swelling and infection, and the cool winter climate is perfect for avoiding these complications. Staying indoors is also ideal for patients who are recommended to avoid strenuous activities, such as patients who have undergone abdominoplasty, liposuction, breast surgery or laser resurfacing. Other procedures also require you to stay away from direct strong sunlight to avoid darkening of scars, and your cozy time spent indoors is perfect for this.

New Year, New You!

Apart from New Year’s Resolutions and the vow to be a better person this coming year, many people also opt for physically improving how they look. The New Year just makes everyone feel brand new, and for some, a good way to personify this is by changing how they look. Having your procedure during the winter months allows you to be in time for a brand new look to welcome the New Year. This usually improves self-esteem and makes people more confident and ready for the New Year. It’s also a good way to prepare in advance for that perfect bikini body in summer.

Best Season For Plastic Surgery

Turtlenecks, hoodies and ski caps are just some of the essentials in your winter wardrobe – essentials that can also help camouflage your surgery. Covering up scars during the winter is much easier and more acceptable than during other seasons. Having plastic surgery at this time still keeps you stylish without you having to alter your winter fashion style. For many, fall and winter is the best season for plastic surgery.

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It’s an unfortunate fact that too many women in San Diego are dissatisfied with the size of their breasts. They may experience feelings of low self-esteem, inadequacy, and a lack of confidence as a result of feeling that their breasts aren’t the right shape, are too small, or that they are anything less than perfect.

Fortunately, there’s relief from these feelings. Great plastic surgeons in San Diego can help you turn them around forever with a breast augmentation. You can finally fight back against the effects of time or get the body you always wanted, and a quality plastic surgeon can lead the way.

Shopping for the Best

You want the best plastic surgeon in San Diego to perform your breast augmentation, and the only way to find the best one is to look around. Look on the internet at doctor review websites, and find testimonials written by patients in the past. Check out pictures that show patients before and after work they’ve had done, and check to make sure all the qualifications and credentials of the doctors are in order. If you know others that had a breast augmentation or any other type of plastic surgery in San Diego, ask them how it went. Check to find the best fit first to get the best results in the end.

The Effects

The effects of finding the best plastic surgeon in San Diego can be felt throughout the process of getting a breast augmentation. Caring doctors can make patients feel confident and secure during the procedure, and they perform with an unmatched level of precision and skill.

In addition to performing to the highest standards before and during your breast augmentation, they stick around throughout your recovery process as well. Advances in technology and techniques have caused recovery time to be drastically reduced in recent years, and a skilled doctor can drop that time even more.

If you are considering getting a breast augmentation, it pays to find a doctor suited to you as a person. Get the body you want and feel better about yourself with a breast augmentation from a plastic surgeon in San Diego!

The post Thinking About a San Diego Breast Augmentation appeared first on Erfani, Sadi (drsadierfani.com).

By Sadi Erfani.

Liposuction recovery is a gradual process which may classically take 6 weeks to 6 months. After the cosmetic procedure, you may experience some discomfort (“soreness”) which can be controlled by prescribed pain medications and/or muscle relaxants. The treated area will be protected and covered with special, fitted compression garments that are worn for up to several weeks to help shape your new body contours. Your Plastic Surgeon will see you on interval follow up visits after the procedure to ensure your best recovery. Suture removal of the “port” sites is generally done at 7 to 10 days after the procedure.

After liposuction surgery, swelling and bruising at the incision can remain for weeks. However, they often decrease significantly beginning at 2 weeks. Areas of swelling may variably resolve and worsen especially after strenuous activities. Strenuous activity should be restricted during the first 6 weeks of recovery. In rare cases, a “seroma” (localized fluid collection under the skin) may develop after liposuction, requiring drainage by your Plastic Surgeon.

Generally, the consistent use of appropriate compression garments has dramatically reduced swelling and bruising during procedure recovery. Additionally, massage therapists may be helpful in both contouring the treated tissues to maximize results as well as expediting the healing process by improving lymphatic drainage in the skin to help diminish local swelling.



Even though it is rare for risks to occur when the procedure is done by a trained/experienced Plastic Surgeon, there are risks to undergoing liposuction and these include:
• Prolonged swelling lasting greater than 2 months after surgery
• Seroma (excess fluid under the skin) may develop variably after surgery
• Incisions may remain red or visible for prolonged periods after surgery
• Internal organs may be punctured or damaged during the procedure (higher risk when the procedure is not done by a trained Plastic Surgeon)
• Results may be uneven on the treated areas (higher risk depending on the Surgeon’s experience and level of training)
• Prolonged inflammation of the treated areas because of trauma
• Color changes of the skin
• Permanent ripples in the treated areas (all too common when untrained physicians remove too much fat!).

After liposuction recovery, you should achieve a more desirable body contour which may be too challenging to obtain following a disciplined diet and exercise alone. Of course, recovery time correlates to each individual’s particular history and definitely varies among patients.



The decision to have Liposuction is exceedingly personal. You must decide whether the benefits outweigh the risks and have a clear understanding of what the potential outcome may be, based on consultation with your Plastic Surgeon. Without consultation with an experienced and HONEST Plastic Surgeon, you may be disappointed by the limitations of liposuction, and could possibly benefit from more invasive surgical procedures (“lifts”). You will be given numerous opportunities to inquire from your Plastic Surgeon all questions about your liposuction procedure in order to become as educated as possible before committing to this decision.

The post Liposuction Recovery – What To Realistically Expect appeared first on Erfani, Sadi (drsadierfani.com).

By Sadi Erfani

Remember, it’s silicone. Not silicon.

Some people still tend to interchange the two, as far as quality breast augmentation in San Diego and elsewhere is concerned. Although silicone is a silicon-based chemical compound, it only shows that the compound contains more than just pure silicon. If it were silicon implants, they wouldn’t be as plump as silicone ones. Here’s a comparison of the two.

Silicon: Rigid, Natural

The 14th element in the periodic table can be found in the Earth’s crust; it’s the second most abundant mineral on the crust, next to oxygen. You can find this stuff in construction materials such as cement, but silicon is most popular in the world of electronics. Its molecular properties allow silicon microchips and components to toggle between insulator and conductor at a moment’s notice.

However, you don’t need a rigid semiconductor enhancing your breasts. You need something flexible and soft enough to act like human tissue.

Silicone: Flexible, Man-Made

Here’s where professional breast augmentation in San Diego gets relevant. Silicone is basically silicon plus more.

Silicone is a polymer made up of silicon, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and other elements. The mixture of these ingredients give the compound its plump, flexible properties, making them suitable for breast implants, among others. They can also be found in personal care products like shampoos and shaving cream, as well as in electronics.

Safety is often an issue regarding silicone, especially in breast implants, given their proximity to body tissue and vital organs. However, chemical tests show that common silicone compounds such as siloxanes have a high molecular weight, making absorption by the body impossible. If they manage to get inside the body, it will simply be expelled as is.

The tests also showed no solid link between implants and breast cancer, which became an issue as early as the 1990s in the U.S. In fact, some studies even reported that implants decrease the risk of breast cancer, although further investigation is necessary. Breast cancer, with or without the implants, is still widely linked to lifestyle factors such as smoking.

So, there you have it. In plastic surgery facilities like Dr. Sadi Erfani, you’re getting the mix of silicon and other elements in one resilient membrane. You don’t have to worry that you’re carrying in your body the same thing that makes computer parts pass on electrical signals as needed. It’s not the same thing.

The post Silicone vs. Silicon: Which One for Breast Augmentation in San Diego? appeared first on Erfani, Sadi (drsadierfani.com).

Power Assisted Liposuction

An Effective Technique To Contour Unwanted Body Fat
By Sadi Erfani, MD

Anyone seriously considering Power Assisted Liposuction inevitably has serious questions about this dramatic procedure. Different types of liposuction surgery exist and as the Internet returns vast amounts of varying information it is often challenging to get satisfying answers.

What is Power Assisted Liposuction

Power Assisted Liposuction (PAL) is a popular instrument option among plastic surgeons. Ultrasound, SmartLipo and Water Assisted Liposuction make up other device and technique choices utilized for contouring body fat. During a general liposuction procedure, fat is removed by a hollow suctioning wand called a cannula. The process can be tiring for doctors, especially if there is a large amount of fatty tissue to remove. With Power Assisted Liposuction, the cannula uses a specialized mechanical tip to create fast vibrations that quickly break up the cell walls of fat. The surgeon has greater precision in removing desired areas of fat without causing possible damage to surrounding body tissue and nerve vessels. The doctor is able to get excellent surgery results while exerting less effort.

Power Assisted Liposuction Benefits

One of the noteworthy benefits to using Power Assisted Liposuction is the ability to treating problem areas. The inner thighs, belly and breast areas among men are often difficult to sculpt. PAL allows for greater precision to remove fat while contouring these problematic regions on the body. The procedure time is quicker when compared to traditional liposuction as well. Developing open air bacterial infection is also lessened from the faster operation. In addition, doctors have reported up to 30% more fat had been taken out with Power Assisted Liposuction in comparison to other devices.

Liposuction Risks And Recovery

It is important to know that Liposuction carries some drawback risks. Because of age, body type and sex, everyone will heal differently. While recovery time can range from a week to a month, it can take up to six months for swelling to subside. Bleeding, bruising and lingering pain is always associated with all liposuction procedures.

Costs Of Liposuction

Depending on the Liposuction procedure, the typical surgery costs around $4000 on a national average. However, the area of the body and number of areas treated affect the costs of the procedure. Although liposuction is a serious procedure, the compounded ‘physical’ price one must pay for the treatment appears to be worth it. Despite the healing drawback risks, Liposuction remains one of the top five dominating plastic surgeries performed today. In 2015, The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported that there were 365,000 thousand Liposuction surgical procedures performed (a 1% increase over 2014). This procedure always provides the desired result: effective and dramatic body contouring of the body.

Liposuction Consultation

During a liposuction consultation, the plastic surgeon will meet the candidate to discuss and examine the proportions of one’s body to determine realistic goals and expectations of the client. One must remember that liposuction is designed to help contour away unwanted and troublesome body fat from a certain area. It is not meant for dramatically heavy weight loss. Power Assisted Liposuction provides a fantastic method to achieving a desired look.

The post Rid Body Fat with Power Assisted Liposuction appeared first on Erfani, Sadi (drsadierfani.com).

Non Surgical Liposuction

By Sadi Erfani, MD

Within the last couple years, non surgical liposuction alternatives have surfaced claiming that it is now quicker and easier to dramatically take away unwanted fat with the flick a switch or painless injection. Today, liposuction is considered to be the most effective procedure that contours away areas of problem body fat. It has been one of the top plastic surgeries for decades and continues to ascend in popularity. As non surgical liposuction treatments have yet to be proven, they continue to be promoted as fat contouring alternatives that work wonders. It is important to consider what medical findings have reported about these types of treatments to gain a better understanding.

Laser Liposuction

Patients come in often confused about the non surgical liposuction treatment, “Laser-assisted Liposuction” as a stand alone treatment. Laser Liposuction treatments such as Coollipo, Slimlipo, Smartlipo, and Prolipo are not actually non surgical alternatives, but are in fact often used to support and enhance surgical liposuction. People who believe that this is a stand-alone non invasive liposuction procedure need to know that this is a misconception. These lasers work by melting the fat before the liposuction surgery is performed, making it easier for the physician to remove the unwanted body fat.

Laser liposuction is totally dependent on the physician performing the surgery rather than the laser equipment itself.In the hands of an experienced surgeon this can be very effective and help to produce great results, tighten skin and offer quick recovery. However, more concrete studies are needed to confirm these claims and safety. Laserscan possibly damage the blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and skin.

Bottom line, non surgical liposuction will not remove the same amount of fat the same way as surgical liposuction.

Fat Dissolving Injections

Numerous fat dissolving injections have been reported to produce disappointing results overall for patients who have tried them. Endermologie, a procedure that uses vacuum suction to reduce fats have shown to produce only temporary effects and can be pretty expensive. It may remove cellulite but patients need to undergo regular sessions to maintain the desired results.

Another fat dissolving technique is Mesotherapy, involves injecting chemicals to the fat cell layer. The chemical is thought to disrupt and stimulate absorption of fat cells. However, Mesotherapy can be more painful and less effective than liposuction. It may take months for Mesotherapy to produce the same fat reducing effects of what is usually achieved two weeks after liposuction.

Lipodissolve is another non surgical liposuction treatment that has not only been found to produce unreliable and disappointing results, but possible complications.  This treatment involves the use of non-FDA approved chemicals that rupture fat cells. This is considered a dangerous, painful method toreduce fat in only small areas of the body.  Lipodissolve is considered a poor alternative to liposuction by many members of the plastic surgery community.

Non-Invasive Contouring Devices

There are numerous non-invasive contouring devices that use cold, heat, and ultrasound in removing unwanted fats. But generally, these liposuction alternatives can only remove very limited amounts of fat and are best for patients who are actually fit but need toning.

One of the most recognized, Cool Sculpting involves freezing fat cell to promote cell death. This method does not remove large amounts of fats in one session and needs multiple sessions for best results. One Cool Sculpting session may remove up to 25% of unwanted body fat while liposuction can easily remove up to 90% of the fat within the same area.  With liposuction, results are usually seen within a couple weeks but with Cool Sculpting, it can take months.  However, this technique can be considered helpful to remove isolated bulges in the abdomen, back, flanks, and medial thighs.  For people expecting a large reduction in fats, multiple sessions are necessary.

Conclusion

Dedicated plastic surgeons strive to fulfill the aesthetic desires of their clients with medically proven procedures while keeping abreast of promising medical advancements. Many non invasive liposuction alternatives are considered relatively new and have not gone through enough testing deemed necessary to provide conclusive results to the medical community.  Safeguarding a patient’s well being should always come first. So if you are curious about non surgical liposuction, consult with your experienced plastic surgeon. They will be able to  provide an insightful information on proven aesthetic treatments to make your best decision.

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