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Multiple Plastic Surgeries at Once?

multiple plastic surgery procedures at the same time at Vanek Plastic Surgery

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

Q: I want 2 or 3 procedures… can they all be done at the same time?

Having multiple plastic surgery procedures at the same time is very common and can have many benefits. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says that about 40% of all U.S. cosmetic plastic surgery patients have two or more procedures performed at the same time. The popular TV show “Extreme Makeover” often demonstrated these, although they often are much more “extreme” than I would recommend.

Multiple procedures can save you time and money

Doing multiple procedures can reduce your total time in surgery, so it saves money on anesthesia and facility fees. It also allows you to recover from these surgeries simultaneously, minimizing your time away from your work. There also may be an emotional benefit if patients need multiple procedures to achieve their desired results more quickly.

Some of the most commonly combined plastic surgeries are brow or forehead lift with a face and neck lift; breast augmentation and breast lift with tummy tuck (the mommy makeover); tummy tuck with liposuction; tummy tuck with face lift; and face lift with fat grafting.

All surgery carries some risk, so it is important that you are in good health, especially because of the extended time under general anesthesia. However, a 10-year study released in 2005 concluded that there was no statistically significant increase in complications in patients who underwent prolonged anesthesia. As always, I recommend that you consult only with a board-certified plastic surgeon (or double-board certified, like myself) to discuss your specific wishes. Ask if they are experienced in the combination of procedures you’re seeking. Over my 25 years, I have significant experience and would be happy to discuss this with you.

Contact us to set up your own consultation or answer any question you may have.

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750

Varicose Vein Treatment

What are varicose veins or spider veins?

varicose veins, also known as telangectasias and spider veins can be blue, red, or purple. They’re clusters of tiny blood vessels on the skin and affect more than 80 million adult Americans. They’re not just a cosmetic problem. They actually can cause leg fatigue, swelling, poor circulation and in some cases, blood clots.

These vascular changes of the legs and face share some similarities and have some differences. The red vessels of the face are higher flow arterial extensions that arise from environmental stresses, sun damage and smoking history. Celtic and Eastern Europeans have higher incidence of the ruddy changes and vascular redness as they age.

What can you do about varicose veins or spider veins?

These higher flow vessels are very responsive to one or two treatments with a vascular laser wavelength that is tuned to the red spectrum found trans-illuminated through the upper skin layers. The Sciton BBL 560 laser does not have any recovery required, but leaves the skin a little sun chapped for the rest of the day after treatment. On the legs, the most common basis is from venous hypertension and these are more responsive to the gold standard treatment – injection sclerotherapy. A less painful agent called Asclera® (polidocanol) is now FDA approved and is far more comfortable than high concentration salt solutions I’ve used in past.

PS: Laser treatments are available for the lower flow blue appearing vessels of the legs and have no down time as well.

What is breast reduction?

What is breast reduction (reduction mammaplasty)?

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

Breast reduction, which is technically known as reduction mammaplasty, is a procedure to remove excess breast fat, glandular tissue, and skin to achieve a breast size in proportion with a woman’s body. While the decision to have this procedure may simply be based on personal preference, prime candidates for this procedure have disproportionately large breasts that cause neck or back pain, or other physical symptoms.

Should you consider breast reduction?

While women are more and more comfortable discussing their interest in having breast augmentations, many of my patients are less open to discuss a breast reduction. It is important to have a consultation with your surgeon to talk about your medical history, including whether or not you’ve ever had a lump removed from your breast. I believe it is important to also discuss why you want a breast reduction, and your expectations. Many patients talk about their emotional issues as much or even more than their physical concerns.

Preparation and recovery from breast reduction surgery

As with any major surgery, you will need to be in good overall health, which includes the requirement to quit smoking, at least for a period before and after surgery. The procedure itself typically lasts about 3 hours. Since you received general anesthesia, you will be unable to drive home after surgery, and you may also want someone to stay with you for at least the first night after the procedure. I tell my patients they typically can return to work in 5-10 days depending upon their job duties. Almost all of my patients who got breast reductions were very satisfied with the results.

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750

Dupuytren’s contracture: curled fingers

Dupuytren's contracture: What can be done for my curled fingers

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

Q. What can be done for my curled fingers?

Without the ability to conduct a personal examination or know your age, I can only theorize that your condition may be Dupuytren’s contracture, which is a thickening of the fibrous tissue layer underneath the skin of the palm and fingers. Although painless, this thickening and tightening (contracture) can cause the fingers to curl.

How do you treat Dupuytren’s contracture?

Recently the FDA approved an injection therapy for Dupetryn’s contracture. The collagenase enzyme has been around for a long time experimentally. The clinical use of this biochemical agent involves an injection performed in the office to digest the cord collagen. Patients who have contracture at the MCP (the knuckle) or at the PIP (the first joint) from Dupetryn’s fibrosis are candidates for the injection therapy. The fibrosis in the palm is not as responsive to injection therapy and may require excisional surgery using tourniquet anesthesia.

Patients who have the finger contracture can be injected monthly up to three times. The patient is seen the next day for a mobilization maneuver to hopefully break the cord. Tendon rupture is a small risk of the injection, because it contains high collagen content and is in close proximity to the fibrotic cord in the finger. I am credentialed in the safe use of Xiaflex™ collagenase injection, which is not a cosmetic procedure.

For elderly patients, this collagenase injection therapy is ideal if you are on anti-platelet or Coumadin agents and you do not want to have surgical intervention. I suggest you make an appointment so I can find the cause of your specific condition.

 

WARNING: The videos below are very graphic in nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750

Cosmetic Surgery and Plastic Surgery

Are Cosmetic Surgery and Plastic Surgery the same?

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

Q: Are Cosmetic Surgery and Plastic Surgery the same?

Cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery are closely related, but different. Perhaps these terms are used interchangeably because some plastic surgeons focus their practice on cosmetic surgery. Both are intended to improve a patient’s body, but the philosophies guiding the education, research, and goals for patient outcomes are different.

Plastic surgery defined

Plastic surgery is defined as a surgical specialty dedicated to reconstruction of facial and body defects due to birth disorders, trauma, burns, and disease, and is reconstructive in nature. Examples include breast reconstruction, congenital defect repairs, lower extremity reconstruction, hand surgery, burn repairs, and scar revisions.

Cosmetic surgery defined

Cosmetic surgery is focused on enhancing a patient’s appearance, and are elective. They can be performed on all areas of the head, neck, and body, and most common procedures include breast enhancement, facial contouring and rejuvenation, body contouring, and skin rejuvenation.

While many plastic surgeons choose to complete additional training and also perform cosmetic surgery, the basis of surgical training is reconstructive plastic surgery. The training and certification process for board certified plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons is very different.

What does it mean to be a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon?

Physicians who become board certified in plastic surgery must complete a general surgery residency plus another 2 years in plastic surgery. Residency programs in plastic surgery may include cosmetic surgery as a portion of their training. Any licensed physician can legally perform cosmetic surgery, so it is important to do your research when choosing your surgeon. Some doctors are not board certified at all. I continue to be one of the few in our area who is double-board certified, in general and plastic surgery.

Contact us to set up your own consultation or answer any question you may have.

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750

Eyelid Plastic Surgery For Men

Eye lid lifts and eye brow lifts for middle aged men at Vanek Plastic Surgery

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

Q: My wife says I need plastic surgery on my eyes. Is that common for a 56-year old male?

I see many middle aged men who tell me they feel great, but they look tired, especially around their eyes. Procedures such as eyebrow lifts and eyelid lifts have become much more accepted among men. In fact, eyelid surgery has been the second most popular plastic surgery among males, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

What is an eyelid lift?

In an eyelid lift, also known as blepharoplasty, a surgeon removes hanging skin on the upper eyelid that drapes over the brow down toward the eyelashes. Often, an eyebrow lift is also performed with an eyelid lift, which can be done traditionally, or an endoscopic brow lift that requires very small incisions. Besides looking more refreshed, some patients say that it helped their vision because the brows and eyelid skin no longer droop and obstruct their vision.

Neither surgery is especially difficult or painful. Bruising is controlled by medicine and I laser my patient’s bruising to minimize it. You can shower the next day. Eye drops and ointments are used for a few weeks after surgery.

Men are also increasingly having other procedures, such as Botox to relax facial muscles, specifically those that create frowns and furrowed brows, or which give the impression that you are angry or tense. Liposuction is also popular, especially treating love handles and the lower belly.

Often times men your age need to look younger in a competitive job market. Others simply want to look and feel better about their body, and they want to look as good on the outside as they feel.

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750

Lip Enhancement in Cleveland, Ohio

If you no longer like the way your mouth looks, or it is looking pruned out or tired, you have a couple of great options for reliably improving your appearance. The general treatment is the addition of volume as well as resurfacing the skin. What that means is that we treat the problem of the texture of the skin as well as the architecture of the lips.

Fat transfer with no downtime

Marty had the hip of an 80-year-old—until a pain-free fat transfer procedure from Dr. Paul Vanek got him up and running again. Here is his remarkable story.

by Patricia Nugent, Mimi Vanderhaven magazine

The last thing an avid runner expects to hear from his doctor is, “You have the hip of an 80-year-old.”

So when 38-year-old Marty Mackar received that diagnosis following an MRI that indicated he suffered from arthritis and only one-third of the cartilage remained on his hip joint, the news was a jolt.

fat transfer saves runner's hip - Vanek Plastic Surgery

Photography: Benjamin Margalit.

Marty Mackar had his fat transfer last August. There was no downtime. In fact, he walked out of Dr. Paul Vanek’s office right after the procedure. “Afterward my hip felt 100% better.” — Marty MackarBack.

“I had pushed my body so hard, training for the Boston Marathon and playing lots of indoor soccer, that I tore a muscle,” he recalls. “But the MRI showed there was more going on than just the muscle, so I underwent surgery to address the advanced arthritis and resculpt the hip bone. Afterward there was still pain and stiffness. I was told I probably wouldn’t run again, which was devastating.”

Then his orthopedic doctor mentioned a break-through procedure performed by Dr. Paul Vanek of extracting structural fat from the abdomen and injecting this into joints to both cushion and lubricate, as well as regrow cartilage. He is one of a handful of doctors in Ohio to specialize in this transfer, which has shown remarkable success in reducing joint pain and increasing functionality and strength.

It has applications for joints, including the hips, knees, shoulders, elbows and wrists, that are affected by arthritis or tendonitis, and the effects of the procedure usually last one to two years, says Dr. Vanek.
He has perfected this technique over the past two years. And thanks to his background as a biochemist, biophysicist and researcher for the National Institute of Health, he is privy to emerging medical technologies and strives to bring them to Northeast Ohio.

Getting Back on Track

Marty underwent the fat transfer last August. “It was pain free thanks to a local anesthetic. I was awake the whole time while Dr. Vanek gently suctioned the fat from my belly.”

Dr. Vanek explains that the fat was then held in a container where it separates, “leaving the purified, stem-cell rich fat on the top layer like cream separated from milk. That was what we injected into his hip.”

There was no downtime. In fact, Marty walked out of the doctor’s office after the procedure.

“Afterward my hip felt 100 percent better,” he says. “Though there are remaining issues with my groin muscle healing from the first surgery, my ultimate goal is to be back on the track running and training.”

Marty says the fat transfer procedure with Dr. Vanek and his staff was a wonderful experience, and that he was educated about every step of the process along the way.

Dr. Vanek believes that the warm and inviting atmosphere and attitude of his staff is what distinguishes his practice from others. He mentions, “Patients describe their experience here as comforting and nurturing, and I’m proud of that.”

In addition to improving functionality of patients’ joints with fat transfer procedures, as a plastic surgeon Dr. Vanek uses his surgical skills to perform a variety of esthetic rejuvenation procedures for body and face, from facelifts to neck lifts, brow lifts, eyelid lifts, rhinoplasty, breast augmentations/reductions or lifts, liposuction, tummy tucks and more. He also offers a variety of laser services and is the first in the area to offer the new Hydra Facial MD non-invasive anti-aging skin care treatment, now at an introductory $99 price.


Dr. Paul Vanek is double board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. His offices are easily accessible from I-90, located at 9485 Mentor Avenue, Suite 100, in Mentor. For more information, call 440-205-5750 or visit MentorPlasticSurgery.com.

Mini vs full tummy tuck recovery

Should I have a mini or full tummy tuck? Is the recovery time significantly less?

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

Q: I have had four children and I need a tummy tuck.  Should I have a mini or full tummy tuck?

This decision of mini vs full tummy tuck requires an in-office consultation so I cannot give you an answer without seeing and talking with you. It is important that I know how you would like to look, and what areas about yourself you want to improve. While removing loose skin or bulges may be your biggest incentive, there may be other conditions that a board-certified doctor like myself must consider before discussing recovery.

From my experience, I can say that the majority of my patients need a full tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty.” I don’t discuss a mini-tummy tuck with them because I know they will not be satisfied. A mini will help tighten your lower abdomen. I usually will tighten the lower muscles to provide additional flattening. I may then use liposuction to help define your waist. If you need adjustments on the upper abdomen, you will require a full tummy tuck. If you have muscle separation that extends to the upper abdomen, this could be more readily repaired with a full tummy tuck. Liposuction is also often a part of a full tummy tuck.

For patients who don’t need a full tummy tuck because they don’t have excess skin present, another option could be a modified abdominoplasty, which combines the best of an abdominoplasty and liposuction.

Recovery time for tummy tucks

Recovery time is shorter with a mini tummy tuck, but that is really irrelevant. You need the procedures that your body needs and that will make you feel the best about yourself.

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750

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Is all liposuction the same?

IS ALL LIPOSUCTION THE SAME? - Vanek Plastic Surgery, Cleveland, Ohio

Health Focus is a weekly article in the Lake County News Herald featuring a Q & A with Dr. Vanek.

How liposuction has evolved

Liposuction was introduced to patients in the 1970’s, but started becoming popular in the late 1990s, when ultrasound was introduced to facilitate fat removal by first liquefying fat using ultrasonic energy. Since then, liposuction has progressed to lower the energy and make the wavelength even more specific to the fat cells. This third-generation treatment method is known as Vaser Liposuction. I specifically utilize Vaser LipoSelection, because it is so selective for the fat density. It spares injury to the collagen, nerves, blood vessels and lymphatics found integrated in the three dimensions of the layer we treat.

How Vaser LipoSelection is different from other laser liposuction

When we look at the laser methods, the lack of selectivity is immediately evident because the wavelengths of the laser energy essentially don’t selectively treat the fat. The laser cooks all the tissues, and while it may reduce the fat layer, laser liposuction techniques also destroy tissue important to keep, like nerves and lymphatics.

Because of my background in biophysics research, my product reviews, and my personal experience, I have concluded that Vaser Liposuction is a clearly superior method for my patients. When compared to traditional liposuction methods in the same patient, my co-investigators and I found that skin contracture was 53% better on the Vaser-treated side. Vaser treatment was also shown to have 23% less blood loss compared to regular liposuction. These findings were accepted for publication in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Liposuction is the number one cosmetic surgery performed in the U.S. each year. To learn if Vaser LipoSelection may be right for you, contact us or call my office.

Dr. Paul Vanek MD, FACS
Vanek Plastic Surgery
9485 Mentor Ave #100
Mentor, OH 44060
440-205-5750