Lip Restoration and Shaping

On achieving lower facial optimization This patient displays typical age-appropriate changes in lips: maxillary retrusion leading to lack of bony support, elongation of upper lip unit, loss of philtral definition, architectural changes (loss of fascia/ligamentous support), deflation of the vermillion, as well as dynamic peri-oral rhytids. I typically have patients animate and evaluate them while talking. I also evaluate their lip tooth ratio while in repose and while smiling. I evaluate the chin and mentalis muscle as well as mandibular support. The correct analysis helps me make recommendations for surgical correction versus volumetric enhancement. This patient passed my criteria for volumetric enhancement with filler to restore youthful contours and ratios. This patient received only I cc Revanesse Versa lip filler. I like this filler because it is prehydrated, meaning, less swelling and a softer appearance. I also like RHA2 in lips and Restylane Kysse for my younger patients. If I need more border definition I often go to a Restylane Refyne or Defyne. Sometimes I combine fillers to optimize different rheologic properties. I massage lips and apply moisturizer. Expect bruising and swelling to subside at 5-7 days. More to come on surgical correction or lip lift

What Is The Fat Transfer Procedure?

Autologous fat grafting, or fat transfer, is a procedure that allows your surgeon to transfer your own fat from one area of your body to another. Fat transfer is often used for aesthetic and reconstruction procedures to: • Enhance volume and fullness of body areas with soft tissue loss or deficiency • Contour or reshape body areas • Improve overall symmetry and fine-tune body proportions In fat grafting, fat tissue is removed from other parts of your body — usually your thighs, belly, and buttocks — by liposuction. The tissue is then processed into liquid and injected into the breast area to recreate the breast. REVOLVE™ System is designed to remove localized deposits of excess fat through small incision and subsequently transfer the tissue back to the patient. Use of this device is limited to those physicians who, by means of formal professional training or sanctioned continuing medical education (including supervised operative experience), have attained proficiency in suction lipoplasty and tissue transfer. (source: revolvefatgrafting.com) If you want to know more, ask a #boardcertifiedplasticsurgeon for a FULL-BODY CONSULTATION to discuss the benefits of fat transfer.

What is PRF Treatment?

PRF is now one of the most highly sought out cosmetic non-surgical procedures.

It is an all-natural solution that can treat areas in the face that show the first signs of aging, like under-eye hollows, deflated cheeks, and scalp for hair restoration.

This has platelets, fibrin, and white blood cells, which help achieve wound healing, collagen production, and improved overall elasticity.

As for its benefits, I will talk about it more in a future post!

Stay tuned!

And if you have some questions, comment them down below, and we will address them in our next post!

If you are interested in this procedure,
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Call us: (813) 542 – 2587⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Check our website: politisplasticsurgery.com⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Visit us: 5016 West Cypress Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607

What Are The Signs You Have Capsular Contracture?

Capsular contracture develops in one or both breasts and can occur at any time, either in the weeks following breast implant surgery (this occurs most often) or, in some cases, years later. Its signs and symptoms often develop gradually over time, making it difficult to identify the complication early if you aren’t sure what you are looking for.

Early signs of capsular contracture may include a firm or tight sensation, pain, or asymmetry.

As the condition worsens, you may notice more obvious symptoms, including:

  • Breast pain
  • Asymmetry
  • Firmness
  • Tightness
  • Round or ball-shaped breast
  • High-riding breast
  • Misshapen breast

If you start to notice any signs that you suspect are associated with capsular contracture or another breast implant complication, call your surgeon right away to be evaluated and learn your options.

Before and After Look with Refresher Facelift

This lovely patient flew in for a total refresh in office. She underwent mini facelift with SMAS plication to rejuvenate mid face, as well as myomodulation with toxin/filler combo to optimize structural support and minimize dynamic lines of expression.

Saline vs Silicone Breast Implants

Hey everyone, it’s Dr. Effie Politis and I just want to compare and contrast saline versus silicone implants, as we know women often undergo breast enhancement surgery to get a breast volume and shape that is more proportional to their body.

So, let’s start out with saline implants: We all know that saline is a fluid that is placed in a silicone shell. It is an “uncontrolled” type fluid, so it doesn’t have a lot of structural support. So it often causes rippling and wrinkling and it stretches out women’s lower-poles.

The advantage of a saline is that if you have a rupture or a tear, your breast will deflate and you can just look in a mirror and see that almost immediately in your body [it] just resorbs the fluid.

Silicone implants that are now in the market are medical grade and they are very cohesive, so they have a nice gel-to-shell ratio and they really help your breast tissue respond nicely. I do enjoy the feel of a silicone implant on my patients because it almost acts as one with their breast tissue. It also provides better structural support in the long term.

However, the issue with silicone implants is that we don’t often recognize a tear. This is why you have to be aware of your body. You have to follow-up with your plastic surgeon at regular surveillance intervals. If you do feel like there is a compromise, most women complain of some breast pain [or] perhaps some scarring around the implant, and we have some imaging modalities to diagnose this, please call our office or DM me on social media if you have any issues with your implants as I am a plastic surgeon with an expertise on breast surgery. Thanks so much.

Do breast implants make you float?

Do breast implants make you float? Will it save you from drowning?

Those are some questions that a few may have wondered about breast implants at some point.

Here’s the thing, breast implants are NOT a floatation device. They will not make you buoyant, nor are they a suitable alternative for a life vest.

“Breast implants are different from the weight of the natural breast, but not by much. While fatty tissue weighs slightly less than water, saline will, as mentioned, weighs roughly the same, and silicone, slightly more. “

“The differences between the natural tissue and a breast implant are minor, and, to the untrained eye, virtually undetectable.”

While breast implants are naturally buoyant (as seen in the video), “when placed in the body, however, the buoyancy of breast implants demonstrated by benchtop testing becomes irrelevant. Post-surgery breasts are no more likely to drown you than they are to save you from drowning.”

So, to answer the question above, no, breast implants will NOT make you float, and it will NOT save you from drowning.

Now, if you know someone who says they want to get large implants to have a built-in life-jacket, you can conclusively tell them to take some swimming lessons instead. 😅

Fat Grafting Shows Promise for Cancer Patients with Radiation-Induced Skin Injury

Radiation Therapy (RT) is an effective treatment for a range of malignant conditions. It involves projecting high-energy photons towards a tumor, destroying the DNA of the tumor cells. With their DNA destroyed, the cancer cells lose their ability to divide and grow, and they eventually die.

Radiotherapy goals

When applied in the early stages, or when cancer has just begun to spread, radiotherapy can shrink or completely cure it. But radiation may also be used before surgery to shrink the tumor (neoadjuvant or pre-operative therapy) or after surgery to keep it from recurring (adjuvant therapy).

For cancer that has spread too much to be cured, radiation may be applied to keep the tumor smaller and help relieve problems such as pain, trouble swallowing, breathing difficulty or bowel blockages caused by advanced cancer.

Collateral damage

As radiation is projected to destroy cancer cells, the nearby normal cells may also be exposed to high-energy particles. Though most of the exposed normal cells tend to recover and go back to working the way they should, some cells, like skin cells, are extremely sensitive to the damaging effects of radiation and do not recover.

Because skin-sparing radiotherapy techniques are not yet possible, the skin is particularly vulnerable during radiation therapy for breast cancer, anal cancer, and head and neck cancer. A few months after radiotherapy, patients may develop acute radiation injury characterized by skin inflammation, peeling, pain, swelling and itching.

The symptoms may resolve with time, but in some cases the inflammation continues, resulting in tight, stiff skin (fibrosis) which leads to poor wound healing, skin ulcer and tissue loss. In addition, soft-tissue fibrosis may cause potentially severe functional and cosmetic problems which can adversely impact the quality of life.

Fat grafting after radiotherapy

Fat grafting is the process of removing fat from one area of the body and transplanting it into another area. It can be done in different body areas, including the breasts, buttocks and face.

During fat grafting, the surgeon removes fat from the donor area—usually the belly or thighs—using a liposuction machine. After the fat is harvested, it is prepared and then injected into the desired area. About 50-60 percent of the fat transferred survives; thus, more fat is usually injected than may be needed.

What happens after fat grafting?

Following the injection, the quantity and quality of fat tissue improve around the injection site. The surviving fat cells re-establish their blood supply at the new site and begin to divide, grow and differentiate.

Grafted fat contains adipose stem cells (ASCs) that have healing and regenerative effects on surrounding tissues.

After grafting, some stem cells in the grafted adipose tissue transform into different types of cells around the treated site, helping in wound healing, epithelization, and growth hormone secretion, all of which repair the damaged areas.

Adipose stem cells stimulate the secretion of factors needed for the regeneration of damaged areas. For example, they induce dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes to release anti-oxidant enzymes such as superoxide-dismutase, helping to protect cells against oxidants. This process reverses radiation-induced soft tissue fibrosis and promotes healing.

Adipose stem cells also promote cytokine production, increase collagen production, and reduce collagen disorganization, resulting in improved skin quality.

The grafted fat inhibits apoptosis—a process that brings about death and removal of cells—helping to relieve fibrosis, minimize skin stiffness, relieve pain, and restore lost cell volume caused by radiation-induced skin injury. That is why, soon after fat grafting, the skin feels and looks healthier.

Benefits of fat grafting after radiotherapy

  1. Minimizes pain and itchiness of the skin
  2. Reduces tightness and stiffness of the skin
  3. Heals radiation damage
  4. Treats chronic skin ulcers
  5. Prevents disability
  6. Improves overall skin appearance, removing scars and depressions
  7. Make the skin thicker, softer, and healthier
  8. Gives improvements that continue over time
  9. Improves the treated area permanently
  10. Has no risk of rejection or allergic reaction

Exploiting the power of fat grafting

Do you have a scheduled radiotherapy session? Have you undergone radiation therapy and are struggling with radiation-induced skin injury?

At Politis Plastic Surgery, we provide fat grafting services for patients undergoing radiotherapy as a way of preventing or reducing post-radiation effects on the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

Dr. Effie Politis is a skilled and experienced plastic surgeon who uses fat grafting in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. She understands that the stem cells in adipose tissues and organs can play a critical role in repairing post-radiation skin injuries. She makes sure to share the benefits of fat grafts with her patients.

If you have undergone radiotherapy, Dr. Politis can help you avoid or reduce pain and other symptoms of radiation-induced skin injury through fat grafting. After the grafting procedure, you will enjoy a more normal skin appearance, have seamless recovery following radiotherapy, and improve your quality of life.

For more information on fat grafting after radiotherapy, visit the Politis Plastic Surgery website.

What to consider before you get a breast augmentation

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Effie Politis, MD, FACS (@dreffiepolitis)

Considering breast augmentation?

Whether your reasons are for the enhancement of your appearance, correction of uneven breasts, or following a mastectomy procedure, there are several things you have to keep in mind.

When considering breast augmentation, it is important to speak with a plastic surgeon who will help you decide whether the procedure is right for you. At Politis Plastic Surgery, we will conduct a physical exam, get your medical history, listen to your concerns, consider your aesthetic goals, and offer options for how to proceed. We only recommend this surgical procedure to patients in good health who have realistic expectations. This is why the consultation is critical.

While your surgeon may use implants, fat transfer, or both to augment your breasts, the decision primarily depends on your existing breast tissue, body mass, and frame, as well as your desired body shape. The surgeon will create a personalized plan and provide you with pre-operative instructions to ensure the experience is as easy, safe, and comfortable as possible.

There’s more info on breast augmentation in our website. You can check the link in our bio.

Here is a sneak peek of our recent breast augmentation patient. Will share a full before & after soon, along with the behind-the-scenes of the procedure! Stay tuned!

How Many Units of Botox Do I Need?

Areas where toxins/neuromodulators can be injected and corresponding units that you need per area. Individual facial muscle requires different amounts of toxin in order to fully relax & prevent wrinkle formation. ⁣ ⁣ There are also other characteristics that influence how your body reacts to injections: your gender, size and strength of your facial muscles, and your metabolism.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ It’s important to make sure that you receive the proper amount of units required for your individual needs and goals. Dr. Effie will make sure you meet your needs and desired results. ⁣ ⁣ The goal is always to achieve balance on the needs of what the patient wants, and what the plastic surgeon advises to give, as the best result. ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ Attempting to save money by undertreating an area will not create a satisfying result and could end up costing you more money if a fix is needed. An experienced toxin injector will determine the right amount needed to deliver the results you are looking for.⁣ Do you have some questions? Let us know in the comment section below! Or better yet, book a consultation with us!