Reimagining Self-Confidence with Breast Reconstruction
Finding your path to personal healing and self-confidence after mastectomy can be deeply empowering. With that in mind, breast reconstruction at Palm Desert’s Cosmetic Surgery Institute offers a new beginning and a pathway to regaining your sense of femininity and wholeness.
Breast reconstruction surgery is a procedure designed to restore one or both breasts to a natural shape, appearance, and size following mastectomy or lumpectomy, or in the case of congenital deformities. The procedure not only improves physical outcomes, but can also positively impact the psychological and emotional wellness of candidates, paving the way for more complete healing.
There are primarily two types of breast reconstruction options available: implant-based reconstruction and autologous or “flap” reconstruction. The first method utilizes an artificial implant filled with silicone gel or saline to rebuild the breast mound. On the other hand, autologous reconstruction uses tissue from other body parts, like the abdomen or back, to recreate the shape and feel of the breast. The choice between these approaches depends chiefly on the individual's body type, health condition, and personal preferences.
Breast reconstruction surgery can be performed right after a mastectomy or delayed until a later date. Immediate reconstruction has the advantage of fewer surgeries and better aesthetic outcomes. Late or delayed reconstruction can be considered for those who need additional cancer treatments or wish for more time to decide on reconstruction.
Another critical aspect of breast reconstruction is nipple-areolar complex reconstruction, which helps enhance the natural look of the reconstructed breast. Techniques like tattooing or skin grafting from other body parts are used for this stage, which is typically performed after the reconstructed breast has healed.
One fact to remember is that breast reconstruction doesn't interfere with future surveillance for breast cancer recurrence or impede additional cancer treatments. Also, regular follow-ups and self-breast examinations are recommended even after successful breast reconstruction.
There's no denying the critical role that breast reconstruction plays in the healing journey of many people with breast cancer or congenital breast deformities. Remember, it's not merely about restoring physical appearance, but also about boosting self-esteem and renewing self-confidence.
At Cosmetic Surgery Institute, we highly value the personal journey you're embarking on and feel privileged to be a part of it. Our highly skilled team is extensively experienced in performing breast reconstruction in Palm Desert, tailoring each procedure to the patient's specific needs and desires.
Embrace your journey to self-confidence with Cosmetic Surgery Institute. Contact us for a detailed and personalized consultation today. Let's redefine beauty on your terms and pave the pathway to a renewed you, together!
What Are the Top Benefits of Choosing a Mommy Makeover?
Are you wondering: “How can a Mommy Makeover be beneficial for you?” Our Palm Springs-based team at Cosmetic Surgery Institute believes that this surgery can be highly rewarding for a good number of patients (and not just moms).
Motherhood is a beautiful and fulfilling journey, but it can also take a toll on a woman's body. Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding can bring about significant changes, leaving many mothers feeling self-conscious about their appearance. Thanks to modern advancements in cosmetic surgery, there is a solution known as the "Mommy Makeover" that can help women restore their pre-pregnancy bodies and regain their confidence. It can also help patients who have multiple areas of their body they would like to address with contouring surgeries.
In this post, we’ll discuss some of the main benefits of a Mommy Makeover.
More Dramatic and Comprehensive Results
Many of the procedures that are combined for a Mommy Makeover complement each other. By having multiple procedures done at the same time, you can achieve a more dramatic and comprehensive outcome.
Enhancing the Breasts
One of the primary concerns for many women after childbirth is changes in the breasts, which may sag or lose volume. A Mommy Makeover can include breast augmentation to enhance the size and shape of the breasts using implants. Alternatively, a breast lift may be performed to raise and reshape sagging breasts, giving them a more youthful appearance. In some cases, both procedures are combined to achieve the desired results.
Improving the Abdominal Area
The abdomen is another area that undergoes significant changes during pregnancy. Stretching of the abdominal muscles and skin can lead to a loose and sagging look, as can separation of the abdominal muscles—a problem commonly known as diastasis recti. A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, can be part of a Mommy Makeover to tighten the abdominal muscles and remove excess skin and fat, resulting in a flatter and more toned midsection.
Renewed Confidence
The benefits of a Mommy Makeover extend beyond physical transformation. Many women report a significant boost in self-confidence and self-esteem following the procedure. This newfound confidence can positively impact various aspects of their lives.
Less Recovery Time
Since you are combining multiple procedures in a single, surgical session, you’ll only need to plan for one recovery period.
How can a Mommy Makeover be beneficial for you? Our Palm Springs-area Cosmetic Surgery Institute team can tell you more about how this procedure works if you’re interested. Call us at (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a consultation.
When Would Be the Best Time to Get a Mommy Makeover?
If you’ve recently had a baby and are wondering “How long should I wait to have a Mommy Makeover?” our Palm Desert-based Cosmetic Surgery Institute team can talk to you more about your goals and help you decide when the right time may be for you.
Although bringing a new life into the world can be a rewarding experience, you may not be so happy about the related changes to your body, such as flatter breasts, weakened core muscles, looser skin, and resistant pockets of fat in certain areas. Even exercise and a healthy diet may not be enough to address these issues, which can add to the desire to work on them as soon as possible.
While a Mommy Makeover can boost self-esteem and confidence by enhancing the appearance of the breasts, abdomen, and any other areas you may want to improve, and the customizable procedure includes treatments designed to target post-pregnancy concerns, there are timing issues to consider.
If you’re wondering how to determine whether the timing is right for you, here’s what you should know:
It goes without saying that childbirth is a highly taxing event for your body since your body undergoes numerous physical changes and your energy is depleted as the baby grows. Considering all of this, the body needs time to heal after you have a child, so you should wait until your body is fully healed and you are close to an ideal, stable weight before having a Mommy Makeover.
Know that you will get better results if you are closer to your goal weight, so it is better to try to lose some weight naturally before having the surgery—if you gained weight throughout your pregnancy. It’s commonly recommended that you wait for at least six months to one year after you have your child, though every person is unique.
Since an additional pregnancy could undo the results from a Mommy Makeover, it’s also advisable that you wait until you’ve decided not to have any more children. A new baby will do everything the prior baby did, including stretching out abdominal skin, causing the breasts to get larger to support milk production, and more.
Finally, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to have a Mommy Makeover when your children are still young. You don’t even have to have children at all! Any patient who wants to address multiple breast and body issues at once can talk to Dr. Mo Zakhireh about their options.
Contact the Cosmetic Surgery Institute by calling (760) 837-0364 or reaching out via a contact form online to discuss surgical options to restore your body to a pre-baby appearance.
Can a Nose Job Make You Look Younger?
Signs of aging may be inevitable, but there are a variety of cosmetic techniques that can help us to delay them for as long as possible if you want to maintain a youthful look. While wrinkle reduction and similar treatments are obvious choices, some other strategies may be surprising. For example, have you ever wondered: Can nose surgery make you look younger? Palm Desert-based patients considering rhinoplasty surgery may be curious about the answer.
Although minimally invasive options like facial fillers and neurotoxins can make you look years younger, and cosmetic surgeries such as facelifts can provide even more dramatic results, another method you may not have realized can help “turn back the clock” is nose surgery.
Rhinoplasty is commonly thought of as a facial rejuvenation procedure that can improve a specific feature by addressing aspects such as a crooked bridge, a bump on the bridge, and other perceived flaws. The changes that are made to the nose are customized to fit each patient’s unique features. However, rhinoplasty isn’t usually thought of as an anti-aging procedure and the nose in general isn’t typically the focus of anti-aging treatments.
Most of us are aware of the changes that occur in our skin as we age, but the nose is also affected. Age-related changes can cause the nose to slope downward and create a smaller distance between the nose and mouth. Even though your nose isn’t growing, changes can occur that cause it to lengthen. It’s common for the outer parts of the nostrils to look wider over time as well. The skin on the nose thins and loses elasticity, while the nose tip droops and parts of the cartilage separate. The loss of support causes it to look droopy and more pronounced.
Changes that occur in other features—such as loss of facial fat from the cheeks—also cause the nose to appear more prominent.
One of the advantages of a rhinoplasty is that refining the nose can make your entire face look years younger and more refreshed.
Our Palm Desert-based Cosmetic Surgery Institute can answer more questions about rhinoplasty and other facial surgeries. Call us at (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request an appointment if you would like to discuss wrinkle injections.
What Makes You a Good Tummy Tuck Candidate?
Getting a flat stomach with sculpted abs can be very difficult to achieve—even if you’re slim, healthy, and exercise regularly. Resistant fat tends to cling to the belly area for many people, and especially those who naturally have a more apple-shaped body because of genetics. Pregnancy can cause excess saggy skin and separated muscles that result in a belly bulge. For men, the stomach is the default storage area for any excess fat on the body. Although many people want a flatter, firmer abdominal area, a tummy tuck may not be the right choice for every individual. Patients often ask us, “What does your weight have to be to get a tummy tuck?” Our Palm Desert-based team at Cosmetic Surgery Institute can answer the questions you might have about what is technically known as abdominoplasty during your consultation, but in the meantime, here are some basic traits that tend to make an individual a suitable candidate for this surgery.
- You are physically healthy and at a stable weight for at least six to 12 months prior to having this procedure
- You maintain realistic expectations
- You are a non-smoker
- You are unhappy about the appearance of your abdominal area
- You have sufficient loose skin on the stomach that can be tightened without causing a “stretched” appearance
- You don’t intend to get pregnant in the future
- You are committed to maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle to preserve results from a tummy tuck
- You are bothered about having loose skin, excess fat, or other types of cosmetic imperfections on the belly area
Patients should keep in mind that while this surgery is an excellent strategy for reshaping the body, a tummy tuck isn’t a substitute for weight loss. Patients should be within 10 to 15 pounds of their ideal weight to have this procedure. Gaining or losing a significant amount of weight after a tummy tuck could have a negative effect on results and may even require revision surgery.
Our Palm Desert-based Cosmetic Surgery Institute team can provide a more comprehensive answer to this and other questions during your consultation. Call us at (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a visit.
Why Should You Combine Liposuction with Renuvion Skin Tightening?
It can be frustrating when small pockets of fat on specific areas of the body remain resistant to dieting and exercise. For men, the midsection is the default area for fat storage, so it’s common for guys to find it harder to maintain a slim waistline, while women tend to have more stubborn fat on the lower body areas, such as the hips and outer thighs. Regardless of where you have unwanted fat, it may not always be possible to get rid of it on your own. That’s why so many patients decide to have liposuction for body contouring from our Los Angeles-adjacent Cosmetic Surgery Institute.
Surgical fat reduction allows patients to finally get the slimmer, shapelier, and more sculpted body they’ve always wanted. This treatment provides lasting results, and one of the advantages is that it won’t leave long scars. One of the ways you can maximize the results from liposuction is by combining it with Renuvion, a radiofrequency skin-tightening technique that our doctors provide for surgical body contouring patients.
Here are some of the reasons why we recommend having this skin tightening procedure and liposuction at the same time.
Repair Sagging Skin
When we gain weight, our skin often becomes stretched out to accommodate the increase in volume. Even though liposuction is an excellent fat removal tool, there is one drawback to this treatment: It can’t tighten skin that has lost elasticity. In fact, if you already have very loose skin, liposuction could make it look droopier. This is why liposuction is best for younger patients who have good skin elasticity.
But by adding Renuvion to your procedure, we can tighten sagging skin on areas such as the lower face, abdomen, breasts, neck, back, flanks, arms, knees, and legs. This gives the patient more transformative results than either treatment would be able to on its own. Renuvion combines radiofrequency and plasma to prompt the tissues to contract while stimulating collagen production.
Minimally Invasive
Renuvion is ideal for those who want to tighten their skin without additional surgery. There are tiny incisions, almost no scarring, and downtime is minimal.
Find out about how Renuvion can be combined with liposuction for body contouring at Cosmetic Surgery Institute in Palm Desert. Call us at (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon.
What Makes a Good Facelift Candidate?
The quality of your skin changes a lot during your lifetime, often starting off firm and volumized during your 20s but becoming thinner and more prone to wrinkles as you reach your 40s and 50s. Skin eventually loses its elasticity while becoming thinner, paler, and more translucent. Additionally, pigmentation may begin to appear on areas that are frequently exposed to sunlight. Luckily, cosmetic procedures make it possible to turn back the clock and reverse—or at least temporarily improve—some of these changes. Even though there are so many non-surgical options available to reduce wrinkles and enhance the skin’s appearance, such as fillers and wrinkle relaxers, when it comes to more severe skin sagging and volume loss on the mid-face, there’s no replacement for a facelift. Our Palm Springs-area Cosmetic Surgery Institute team often sees patients who are unsure about which anti-aging treatment would be more suitable for them. During your consultation, we will help you make this decision. Here are some factors that would make someone an ideal candidate for facelift surgery.
Maintaining Realistic Expectations
For a facelift or any other type of plastic surgery, it’s crucial for the patient to maintain realistic expectations as to what can be accomplished with the surgery, as well as a positive outlook. Patients should understand that the surgery can improve their appearance, but may not necessarily perfect it.
Healthy Individuals
A facelift is invasive surgery that can be stressful on the body. Are you in good health without underlying, major medical conditions that could impair healing? If so, you might be considered a good candidate. Patients are encouraged to maintain a stable weight, quit smoking, and maintain a healthy diet.
A Well-Defined Bone Structure
Patients who naturally have a strong, distinctive bone structure will often get results that they are quite happy with.
Supple Skin
Even though facelifts are performed to improve loose skin, the patient’s skin still needs to be fairly elastic and strong so that it can tighten around the new facial contours that are sculpted. Therefore, ideal facelift patients should have skin that retains some elasticity and flexibility.
Need more advice about minimally invasive injectable treatments or other procedures such as facelift surgery? Contact Cosmetic Surgery Institute for more information. Call us at (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a consultation to find out which procedures are best suited for your concerns and goals.
What Can Be Done to Prolong the Lifespan of Breast Implants?
Breast implants from our Los Angeles-area practice are an ideal choice for patients who want to enhance the appearance of breasts that they feel are too small or to restore the shape and size of their breasts after pregnancy and other body changes. Implants offer numerous advantages, including allowing patients to feel less restricted in terms of what styles of clothing they are comfortable wearing. Perhaps the main benefit of having this procedure, however, is the significant boost to confidence and self-esteem that patients feel once they see themselves in the mirror.
Another great thing about getting breast augmentation is that it isn’t merely a short-term fix. While each patient’s experience is different, modern implants are made of sturdy materials and can last for decades after the initial surgery. Although implants aren’t guaranteed to last forever, and the risk of rupture increases each year, the way the patient takes care of the implants will have an impact on the longevity of their results. See below for some techniques patients can use to increase the lifespan of their implants.
Follow Instructions During Recovery
Proper care for implants starts during breast augmentation recovery. You need to provide adequate support for the implants by wearing a supportive garment or surgical bra as the surgeon advises. Patients will need to initially avoid exercise, especially anything that involves heavy lifting or causes the chest muscles to tighten.
Care for Your Skin
Sun damage on the chest area can weaken the skin there, causing the breasts to start to sag, so try to avoid tanning or allowing your skin to burn. Cover up in clothing to protect the skin, and wear sunscreen any time you head outside.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Avoid smoking, excessive drinking, and major weight fluctuations—all of which can contribute to weakening the skin and making it more likely to stretch.
Go to Check-Ups
Don’t skip annual check-ups with your surgeon, and remember to perform self-checks frequently to ensure that your implants are in good shape. Inspect your breasts for any lumps or changes, and don’t hesitate to call your doctor if you have any concerns or questions.
Want to learn more about long-term care for breast implants? Contact us at Cosmetic Surgery Institute for more details. Call (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a consultation and find out more about what to expect from the augmentation procedure.
What Are the Best Ways to Improve Liposuction Results?
Even if you’re in mostly good shape, there may always be one or two areas that you wish you could slim down, whether the stubborn fat forms love handles, a belly bulge, thick thighs, a double chin, or something else. The reason why liposuction surgery is so effective is because it directly removes the fat cells that you can’t lose from select areas through exercising and dieting. When you’re having surgical body contouring at our Los Angeles-adjacent plastic surgery practice, what you do before and after the procedure can play a major role in the results. This is why it’s important for patients to do their research on both surgical preparation and aftercare.
Ever wondered if there were a way of getting better liposuction results and healing at a faster rate after surgery? Here are three tips for maximizing the outcome of this fat-reduction technique.
Maintain Good Health
The ideal candidates for liposuction are in a good state of health with no urgent medical issues and are close to their ideal weight. In the time leading up to your surgery, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Quit smoking, as the habit could increase your risk of complications from surgery. Drink plenty of liquids to avoid dehydration.
Wear Your Compression Garment
Compression garments help to relieve the discomfort and swelling that are known side effects of liposuction. They help your body to absorb some fluids and prevent a buildup, as well as help your skin to retract smoothly around your newly slimmer contours. This allows you to heal faster and look better once your body adjusts to its new shape.
Start or Resume Working Out
If you aren’t exercising already, start a workout routine after we give you approval to do so following your liposuction surgery. If you’re already a workout regular, we’ll let you know when it’s safe to continue your typical routine. Exercising helps to build muscle tone, which will make you look more sculpted and avoid future weight gain.
If you’re ready to sculpt more balanced and proportional contours to enhance your body shape, talk to our team at Cosmetic Surgery Institute for more advice on liposuction for body contouring. Contact us by calling (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a consultation and find out what to expect before and after this surgical fat-reduction treatment.
Tummy Tuck: 5 Best Tips to Ensure a Speedy Recovery
Aging, weight fluctuations, and pregnancy can not only cause the skin on the abdominal area to lose its elasticity, but can also result in weakened sit-up muscles. Some people are self-conscious about having excess, loose skin and a lower-belly pooch from separated muscles, while other people may naturally always carry some extra fat on the stomach that they can’t get rid of, even when they lose overall body weight. Luckily, tummy tuck surgery is available to correct all of these issues and sculpt a smoother, flatter abdomen with stronger muscles. Patients who are planning to have an abdominoplasty from our Los Angeles-area Cosmetic Surgery Institute in Palm Desert might be interested in learning about how they can heal at a faster rate, have an easier time during recovery, and get back to work or their other activities sooner.
As technology has continued to advance, recovering from plastic surgery is now easier than it ever was before. Here are five ways to ensure that your recovery is as fast and complication-free as possible:
1. Before having a tummy tuck, think about whether you will be able to take enough time off to properly heal after the procedure. Talk to the surgeon so that you understand the timeframe for your recovery. You need to plan ahead and take time off from your activities to fully heal.
2. It’s critical to adhere to your surgeon’s post-operative instructions, even if some of them don’t seem like they would apply to you.
3. After a tummy tuck, you will likely feel tired and weak, as well as have difficulty with standing for long periods of time, moving objects, bending, or generally moving around. Have a support system in place with friends or loved ones to help you out with chores, caring for young children or pets, and performing small tasks.
4. Take your pain medication as prescribed at the onset of discomfort.
5. Your surgeon will give you advice on wound care, along with any potential signs of infection to be aware of. Care for your incision properly to make sure that it’s always clean and avoid infections.
Want to learn more about cosmetic surgery? Get more details on what to expect from an abdominoplasty by contacting our team at Cosmetic Surgery Institute. Call (760) 837-0364, or submit a contact form to request a consultation and talk to us about your goals.