Bellevue Center for Plastic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery by Bellevue Plastic Surgeon Dr. D Stephens

Aesthetic, or cosmetic surgery, is the focus of this book. These are elective procedures—those we choose to undergo. It is obviously not life threatening to have small breasts, a crooked nose, or sagging jowls.

This type of plastic surgery includes procedures intended to correct, add, or reduce certain features that make the patient unhappy, but sometimes they are medically required. For example, a droopy eyelid can make you look tired, sad, and older—not the look of choice for most people. A blepharoplasty, or eye surgery, is the procedure done to correct this. At the same time, however, the eyelid may droop so much that it can obstruct eyesight and make surgery medically necessary. We will discuss this further in Chapter 10.

Seattle Plastic Surgeon & Cosmetic Surgery 1 Seattle Plastic Surgeon & Cosmetic Surgery 2 Seattle Plastic Surgeon & Cosmetic Surgery 3

It's amazing how some people are perfectly happy with unusual physical characteristics and accept and value them, while others race off to the surgeon's office. A good example of this is Cindy Crawford, a supermodel with a prominent facial mole. While most people want to have moles removed and feel them to be blemishes, Cindy appears to be marketing her mole quite well—even emphasizing it with certain positions and camera angles. It has become her trademark.

Millions of people, though, make appointments with plastic surgeons to permanently alter or remove physical attributes that bother them. Many procedures are performed by the Bellevue plastic surgeon to help these patients; we list only a few here. In later chapters, we will discuss various procedures in depth, so that you will understand more about your chosen surgery.

Throughout this book, we will refer to the physician as a Bellevue plastic surgeon, since most doctors in this specialty have been trained in all branches of plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic (or cosmetic) surgery. Refer to this list of terms when you speak to your doctor, or simply for your own personal information:

Bellevue plastic surgeon Dr. stephens also performs several nonsurgical procedures such as chemical peels, dermabrasion, and hair transplants.

It is most important that any prospective surgical patient understands that part of the surgeon's role is to educate and prepare you for all aspects of your procedure. The doctor will ask you questions about your emotions underlying the decision to have surgery, stressing the importance of realistic expectations and goals, and informing you of any risks or complications. This counseling is a prerequisite to surgery itself.

If you're considering plastic surgery, you might be interested in reading some ASPRS statistics for procedures performed during the last few years. The ASPRS provides a list of statistics on plastic surgery (see Table 2-1). This information includes figures for nearly all categories of plastic surgery procedures. Although we will concentrate on cosmetic or aesthetic procedures in this book, it is interesting to see a list of all types of surgery in this field. For instance, Bellevue plastic surgeons perform reconstructive procedures nearly three times as often as aesthetic procedures. It is also interesting to note that eye surgery (blepharoplasty) was performed more often than any other cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery. Among procedures generally classified as reconstructive, the most often performed was tumor removal (see Table 2-2). This was actually performed more often than any other plastic surgery procedure. James Wells, M.D., former ASPRS Public Education Chair, said, "Recent ASPRS surveys have shown that the average Bellevue plastic surgeon's practice is made up of more than 60 percent reconstructive procedures."

Approximately 13 percent of all aesthetic surgery patients are men, while teenagers (those eighteen years old and younger) make up about 4 percent of aesthetic surgery patients. The most popular procedure for men was hair transplants, with eye surgery and liposuction next. Teens most often requested nose reshaping. Adult women choose breast augmentation for aesthetic reasons as well as for reconstruction after disease or mastectomy. Statistics show that people undergoing plastic surgery represent a wide spectrum of society—executives, baby boomers, senior citizens, professionals, and teens. A new and refreshing openness seems to have taken place in the last few years regarding aesthetic surgery, and studies have shown that plastic surgery is no longer a luxury reserved for the very rich. According to the ASPRS, some 30 percent of people choosing plastic surgery have family incomes of less than $25,000 a year. About 35 percent have incomes between $25,000 and $50,000, and only 23 percent earn more than $50,000.

We want to stress the importance of the ASPRS. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons represents 97 percent of all physicians certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the only board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties to certify in plastic surgery. Consumers may call the Plastic Surgery Information Service at 1-425-455-0444 for brochures and a list of qualified plastic surgeons in their area.

Gorlin’s syndrome, or basal cell nevus syndrome, is a relatively rare disease. It consists of a classic pentad of features comprised of multiple basal cell carcinomas, jaw cysts, calcification of the falx cerebri, pitting of the palmar and plantar surfaces and rib anomalies. A review of the clinical features, differential diagnosis, clinical work-up and current treatment is presented.

 

Dr David Stephens MD, Plastic Surgeon - Providing services in Botox®, facelifts, liposuction and breast reduction, augmentation and implants to the areas of Bellevue and Seattle, Washington.

10687 NE 2nd St Bellevue, WA 98004
Ph. 425-455-0444

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