Sunday, June 25, 2017

Teaching Young Plastic Surgeons

     This weekend we got to celebrate with Dr  Max Malotky. He finished Plastic Surgery Residency during the last  6 years with Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He is returning to Redding, California this month to interview office staff, get settled in their new home, and yes. there is a wedding to Kristine this Summer. Congratulations to you both from Kathy and I. Kathy "fixed" the couple up while Max was rotating with me in the Summer of 2013.
      Let us get back to Teaching. I get the pleasure of working with a truly skilled, but diverse, volunteer faculty. These plastic surgeons and related specialists help cover the trauma hospitals twenty-four, seven days,all year, and again for hand,maxillofacial, burn,and other plastic surgery problems. The residents help us with this care and learn plastic surgery as the community benefits. The great knowledge and blessings God gave us,We can pass on, and on. Thanks Max, you will be a tremendous addition to the medical community. These relationships keep us engaged in our service and accomplishments. Under the direction,of a very talented team, Dr Michael Johnson oversees the 6 year program and improves our community by adding board,certified plastic surgeons to our region. To date, five new plastic or hand surgeons have been added  in  9 years. The group is engaged in teaching and in the community. Their education is vital to the high level of medical care in our region. We  have witnessed the growth over the past 35 years.  Has medicine changed.
      We not only teach plastic surgery, we have to teach some healthcare business. That has changed a little as well. Social media,Google searches,video have changed marketing rapidly and information is vital. Electronic records and government mandates have added complexity and expense.
       Plastic Surgery is one of the true love's of my life. The other is Kathy, My Nurse, My Partner since 1988! Thank you for your love and support. You helped Max more than you could imagine. We wish you and Kristine all the BEST.www.abcsurg.com

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Prepectoral breast reconstruction

         In the last few years,preceptorial(in front of the pectoral muscle) breast reconstruction has evolved into another option for women who dealing with breast cancer or high risk for breast cancer. Research and published journal articles are demonstrating excellent results with high patient satisfaction at 3 years. Yes, that means the current literature is only looking at a relatively short time period.
         Prior to this time breast tissue expanders or implants were placed underneath the pectoral muscle because plastic surgeons felt the extra muscle tissue over the implants helped maintain softness over time. This allowed  patients who had risks of healing problems an option for reconstruction after mastectomy. When skin flaps left after mastectomy healed slowly, the muscle added an extra healthy layer to limit exposure of expanders or implants. This technique is still commonly used since some patients have healing risks. These risks are related to smoking, diabetes, obesity, and many other systemic issues.
        Prepectoral breast reconstruction is available for healthy women with minimal risks. Newer cohesive gel breast implants have less risk of hardening than older implants. The use of ADM (dermal matrix) has also blessed the risk of hardening  and has provided a softer scar capsule around the implant. This type of surgery is less painful and allows patients to leave hospitals earlier. Recovery and return to activity is typically easier.
www.abcsurg.com        This type of reconstruction is technically easier for your plastic surgeon,but careful patient selection is still critical. Your plastic surgeon must assess the quality and health of the remaining skin after your mastectomy when immediate breast reconstruction is planned.This is not always easy. The breast surgeon plays a large role in keeping these skin flaps healthy and not all breast surgeons or plastic surgeons are the same. Experience in patient selection and surgical dissection is important to obtain excellent results and minimize recovery. This option can be used in nipple sparing mastectomy,skin sparing mastectomy, and delayed reconstruction of the breast.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Advances in Breast Surgery for Women facing cancer

New techniques that minimize scars and preserve the nipple  have excellent aesthetic outcomes. Recent studies in plastic surgery have shown excellent oncologic  results when compared to regular mastectomy. Quality of life studies have shown that patients feel the benefits of nipple preservation and their overall satisfaction is better.  When the overlying skin is nicely preserved, plastic surgeons can provide patients with an immediate reconstruction.  This means that women do not need 2 or more surgeries. Two more anesthetics and recovery periods add risk. Many times, patients can have a permanent implant placed which minimizes subsequent operations. This makes recovery simpler and lessens costs. An experienced plastic surgeon can help you understand these options. http:/www.abcsurg.com
   Scars can be hidden around the pigment of the nipple-areola complex or placed at the bottom of the breast in the fold. Our website has many examples to show our results.       Obtaining another opinion when a woman is facing a difficult decision can be helpful. Experience can be demonstrated by educational photos of similar cases.We strive to make patients understand their options in detail, especially when 3-4 weeks are needed to get back to routine daily activity. Some physicians will enable you to talk to other patients who have had similar procedures.Hearing the recovery first hand from another patient is helpful.
      When the team is ready for surgery, incision placement should be reviewed to optimize healing and thorough removal of the breast and tumor. Choices of under the pectoral muscle or above are showing similar results. Placing the implant under the skin and surrounding the implant with a dermal sheets have been producing excellent results at 2 years in many institutions. Fat grafting is commonly done to allow better soft tissue over the implant. Fat grafting can be repeated and is covered by most insurance plans but not all as I have learned. Despite several letters and an appeal with several references from our society,we had a persistent denial. Fortunately,this is uncommon in Ohio currently. These advances are available to patients around  Dayton, Ohio
www.abcsurg.com