Welcome to my blog. I am a retired plastic surgeon in Seattle and was in private practice since 1991. I've seen more than a few interesting faces and cases through my years spent in the exam room, the operating room and the emergency room. And I have an opinion on just about everything relating to plastic surgery (and a lot of unrelated stuff). If you like my blog, let me know. Thanks for reading! Lisa
En Bloc Resection of Breast Implants and Capsules
I get a lot of requests from breast implant illness patients to do an en bloc resection of their implants and the surrounding implant capsule. The term en bloc refers to a procedure that removes the structure in question in one piece or all together. This term is used most commonly in cancer surgery whereContinue reading…
What does this plastic surgeon really think about breast implants?
On Monday I testified in front of the FDA General and Plastic and Surgery Devices Advisory Committee on breast implant safety. I think I surprised a lot of people in the room when I stated that I wasn’t crazy about breast implants. Let me clarify a bit. For the flat chest woman who could beContinue reading…
Today is Match Day – Maybe the Most Important Day in the Life of a Doctor
Seattle Plastic Surgeon goes back, way back to Match Day 1983. Every March, fourth year medical students across the United States convene to receive and open a small white envelope that has a huge influence on their future. The information contained in this white envelope is where they “matched” for post-graduate training. The Match SystemContinue reading…
Saying goodbye to Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct
This Friday one of my favorite drives on the planet will cease to exist. I know it’s silly to be attached to stretch of asphalt and concrete but I’m going to really, really miss the Alaskan Way Viaduct. For those of you who do not live in the Seattle area, the Viaduct is a bigContinue reading…
Will there be plastic surgery under your Christmas tree?
How to give the gift of plastic surgery. Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? That perfect gift may just be a plastic surgical procedure. Here are a few tips if you are considering this most thoughtful and personal of presents. Only consider this if your loved one has confided in you that he/sheContinue reading…
Breast implant revision vocabulary
Over the years, I have done a bajillion implant revision cases. This comes with the territory of being in practice many years (27 years and counting as of this blog post!) and also with showing and voicing an interest in revisional surgery. Implant revision is a fact of life. Breast implants are not life timeContinue reading…
Another side of breast implant illness : one woman’s misdiagnosis and journey back to health.
Recently I received this email from a former breast implant illness patient. I am sharing it with her permission but she has asked me to protect her identity. I will call her Celeste because I love that name. I have made no changes except for correcting a few typos. Celeste: I read your blog postContinue reading…
Fat transfer to the breast FAQ: What happens with weight changes?
I’ve now been doing fat transfer to the breast for over seven years. I remain enthusiastic about this procedure in patients with favorable anatomy and realistic expectations. One FAQ relates to changes in the breast with weight changes. So here is what I have observed so far in my practice: If patients lose weight, theContinue reading…
Maximizing Follow-Up in Cosmetic Surgery Clinical Trials – Money Helps
In a previous blog post bemoaning the difficulty of good follow-up in clinical research I sort of place most of the blame on patients who blow off the follow-up once they have their desired implants. This was my experience with the implant study I participated in many years ago. I had an 80% follow-up at 5Continue reading…
Brazilian Butt Lift – A Dire Warning.
This is an email I received last week. I want to share it here. Please pass it along to anyone who may be considering a Brazilian Butt Lift: URGENT WARNING TO SURGEONS PERFORMING FAT GRAFTING TO THE BUTTOCKS (Brazilian Butt Lift or “BBL”)This urgent advisory is in response to the alarming number of deaths stillContinue reading…
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