A ^Retired Plastic Surgeon's Notebook

Seattle Plastic Surgeon feels like an archaeologist while removing 42 year old silicone gel implants.  Recently I saw a lovely woman in my office who wanted removal of her breast implants and replacement with new ones.  This is a common procedure in my practice.  What made this case really memorable was the age of herContinue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon explains how different breast implants influence breast shape. Take a look at these different breast shapes.  It is important to know what type of shape a patient prefers when doing a breast augmentation consultation.  The size and shape and projection of breast implants influences the final shape of the breast.  Other factorsContinue reading…

Breast implants vs. fat transfer for breast enlargement.  Seattle Plastic Surgeon compares the two operations. I have been doing fat transfer to the breast for about three years now.   When I started practice in 1991, fat transfer to the breast was dismissed as ineffective.  And indeed it was because the technique did not lend itself toContinue reading…

Sientra Textured Breast Implants may be an advance in the continuing battle against breast implant capsular contracture. The breast implant business is a funny one.  Implants come and go and then come back again and then there’s something new that becomes old that is reconsidered or tweeked and then comes back into use and so it goes. Continue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon reassures her patients that breast implants usually do not interfere with athletic endeavors. Many of my breast implants patients are very physically active and the effect of breast implants on athletic performance is a common question. Except for the world class athlete, breast implants won’t likely interfere with even vigorous sporting activities likeContinue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon knows a lot about shoes and breast implants. Can you imagine buying an expensive pair of shoes that just don’t fit?  Maybe they are too small and you have to cram your little piggies into a too tight toe box or maybe they are too big and slip and slide everytime youContinue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon explains what causes a double bubble deformity in the implanted breast.  I saw two patients this week with the so-called double bubble.  Both of these ladies had implants that were over 10 years old and both had experienced some sagging in their natural breasts. The double bubble occurs when time and gravity resultContinue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon discusses the rationale for purposefully deflating saline breast implants prior to implant removal or replacement.   Check out this recent case of mine. Often it makes a lot of sense to deflate saline implants prior to replacing or removing them.  The case I present here shows a perfect candidate for preoperative deflation. HerContinue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon reports just published information about patient satisfaction with “Gummy Bear” implants used for reconstruction. The most recent issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has an article that asks women who have had breast reconstruction with breast implants what they think about their result.  This study involved 65 ladies with round silicone gelContinue reading…

Seattle Plastic Surgeon riffs on Gummy Bear Breast Implants and Gertrude Stein. So, you ask, what does Gertrude Stein, that feisty feminist writer of the last century, have to do with the latest breast implants on the market??? I’ll start with a quote from Gertrude that rattles around in my head a lot: “A difference, to be aContinue reading…