COSMEDICA'S Team | Dr. Benchetrit and COSMEDICA'S BLOG

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – When Dr. Ryan Mitchell was in his plastic surgery residency, he developed an interest in a growing area of practice – body contouring for patients who have sustained a major weight loss.

The surgery to remove the excess skin left behind is becoming more in demand, as obesity rates rise and bariatric surgery becomes more common, he said.

Mitchell, who recently joined the Bengtson Center in Grand Rapids, pursued a fellowship to specialize in the treatment.

“It became my passion,” he said.

His draw to the specialty is the chance to address quality-of-life and physical needs of the patient. Many of the patients he has met, although they have lost in the range of 100 pounds and are much healthier, experience a bit of “buyer’s remorse,” he said.

Before after photos show a patient of Dr. Bradley Bengtson after body contouring surgery. Dr. Ryan Mitchell, a surgery specializing in body contouring after major weight loss, recently joined Bengtson’s practice.Courtesy photo

Even with diet and exercise, they can’t lose the excess, sagging skin.

“People have said I look worse now than I did before. One patient said when she was larger, she was just the largest person on the beach. Now when she goes to the beach, she feels she gets looks and attention because she doesn’t fit into either mold,” he said.

Body contouring procedures often target the belly, arms, legs and buttocks area.

The problems caused by excess skin are not all cosmetic. There also are functional problems, particularly with the skin around the belly. That area is prone to rashes and infection. And for some patients, the excess skin on the thigh prevents them from wearing slacks.

While health insurance sometimes covers removal of the overhanging skin on the abdomen, patients usually must pay out of pocket for contouring procedures on other parts of the body.

Mitchell said the cost of surgery varies depending on a number of factors. But as a general range, the cost to patients can run from $14,000-$16,000 for abdominal surgery and $6,000-8,000 for arms, including surgical and hospital fees.

A dual U.S-Canadian citizen, Mitchell received his medical degree in plastic surgery from the University of Manitoba. He did his fellowship in body contouring and reconstructive surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

To undergo body contouring surgery, patients must meet certain criteria, Mitchell said.

“They have to be weight stable for about 12 months,” he said. “In some of them, their weight tends to fluctuate. Once they have reached their plateau, that’s when they are optimized for surgery.”

Because some post-bariatric patients are at risk of malnourishment, patients must be on a high-protein diet to improve wound healing, he added.

He cautions patients that there will be scars. He can often hide abdominal scars in the area that would be covered by undergarments or bathing suits, but scars can’t be hidden on upper and lower extremities.

“Almost every surgeon has the ability to do what I do,” Mitchell said. “The question is whether they are passionate in order to do it or comfortable to do so. What I specialize in are the larger cases.”

He cites research showing that plastic surgery can help a patient maintain weight loss. A study in the October 2013 journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found those who underwent body contouring regained an average of 11 pounds, compared with 50 pounds for those who did not undergo surgery.

The plastic surgery may be “the final hurdle to get somebody to the place they’ve always wanted to be,” Mitchel said. “To me, that’s the rewarding part – to be able to be involved in someone’s life and to be able to make that final difference.”

Hands giving away your age? Plastic surgeons have the answer

August 3, 2012 — abenchetrit1

Shari Rudavsky 7:12 PM, Jul. 19, 2012…

If you want to guess someone’s age, look at her hands.

Exercise and the right clothes can make our bodies look more youthful. Makeup and anti-wrinkle cream can keep our faces young. But for the most part, our hands have had little to protect them from the ravages of time.

Until recently. Cosmetic surgeons now offer a number of treatments to give aging hands a youthful appearance. People are taking advantage of them, too, particularly those who have cosmetic work done on other parts of their bodies.

“A lot of folks realize that the hands give them away,” said Dr. Janet Turkle, a plastic surgeon in Indianapolis. “If they have a face-lift and they get all prettied up, all of a sudden, they’re looking at hands that don’t match.”

It’s a dynamic that Indianapolis plastic surgeon Bruce Van Natta expects will only increase over time. He, too, has patients who invest in a face-lift, then suddenly notice their hands.

“I think it’s something we’re going to see more and more as the boomers age,” he said. “They’re a little more attuned to this.”

For Eileen Bewley, the wake-up call came in the treble voice of a child.

A few years ago, the 53-year-old Northwestside resident was sitting on an airplane, chatting and laughing with the little girl next to her, when the girl looked down and asked, “Why do you have old-lady hands?”

The question did not completely take Bewley by surprise. Fit, with blond hair and a self-described tendency to “act goofy,” Bewley frequently found herself mistaken for someone younger. Then her hands, which she described as being “skinny and wrinkled and veiny” would give her away.

Prompted by this little girl’s tell-it-like-I-see-it question, Bewley decided to do something about her hands. She had Dr.Turkle inject Juvederm, a filler, to plump out her hands and give them a more youthful appearance.

Interest in so-called “hand lifts” has increased in the past five years, said Dr. Michael Fiorillo, a plastic surgeon in New York City, with people staying in the work force longer. They may take pains to keep their faces youthful, but their hands stand out.

“You see men in a business suit and the only thing showing in a business suit is your face and the back of your hands,” he said.

In Indiana, Dr. Turkle sees mostly women seeking treatment on their hands, presenting problems that range from thin skin such as Bewley’s to dark, telltale age spots.

All of the same unseemly things that happen elsewhere as we age also transpire in our hands. They can wrinkle, develop age spots and lose fat. Mix in sun damage — after all how many of us remember to spread that sunscreen down to our digits? — and you have a recipe for granny hands.

Fuller looking

That’s where plastic surgeons enter the picture. If your hands’ thinned appearance bothers you, you can rejuvenate them in various ways. A doctor can inject a filler such as Radiesse or Juvederm. This makes the veins less prominent, not unlike blowing up a balloon, Dr. Fiorillo said.

“You can kind of plump up the back of the hand. A lot of times you see the veins and tendons, and that makes the hand look a little older,” Dr.Turkle said. “A youthful hand is a little fuller and plumper. If you look at an older hand, you see a lot more veins.”

In the past five years, filler use has taken off, Dr.Turkle said. Fillers are used in many places, including earlobes that some people feel look too thin and wrinkly. Using filler on hands would probably cost about $900 for both hands, assuming each requires one filler. Typically, these fillers last six months to a year, and the more times you have this done, the longer each treatment seems to last, Dr.Turkle said.

For some, the filler effect can last even longer. Elaine Shaw had her hands done three years ago and has not returned. Shaw, 68, did only one hand for starters.

“I had the one done first, to see if I liked it,” she said. “You could really tell the difference when you had them side by side.”

Today, her hands still look younger, with the veins more concealed. Her face had always looked younger than her years, thanks to a sunscreen habit, and now her hands match, she said. She treats herself to manicures, and the combined effect draws comments.

“A lot of times I will be signing a credit card or at the bank and they will say, ‘Oh you have pretty hands,’ ” she said.”For me that’s a reaffirmation that they look nice.”

Not everyone, however, is a fan of fillers.

Van Natta, a plastic surgeon with Meridian Plastic Surgeons, prefers to use about an ounce of a person’s own grafted fat as a filler. Not only does this method last indefinitely, it also produces a better appearance, he said. However, it takes longer — about 21/2 hours — and costs $4,500 to $5,000.

Age spots

For many people, it’s not just a matter of thin skin but also sun-damaged skin with freckles and sunspots. Lasers and other techniques can help with that.

“Probably the ultimate treatment would be to do both — one is providing volume and the other is treating the surface of the skin to make the texture better and to get rid of some of the pigmentation and uneven appearance to the skin,” Dr.Van Natta said.

In fact, much of what you can do to improve your face, you can do to your hands, Turkle said. Microdermabrasion will stimulate the collagen, removing the top dead layer, and giving the skin a healthier appearance. Lasers will help erase brown sunspots and other discolorations.

Years ago, when Susan Norton tanned, she never thought about what all those rays might do to her hands. As she hit her 40s, though, her hands started to display dark age spots. She hated them. She would often cross her arms or hold them down to hide what she considered her unsightly hands.

“It really bothered me to the point where I would cover up my hands a lot,” said the Fishers resident, 55. “I was so self-conscious of my hands. My mom’s 86 and her hands look better than mine.”

After three treatments with a light laser, however, Norton loves the way her hands look. When her treatments ended about two months ago, Norton decided she was so pleased with the result that she would have laser work done on her face.

After all, she figures, her face should look as good as her hands.

Try these ideas for younger-looking hands

Want to keep your hands looking young as you age? Be sure to use sunscreen on them whenever you head outside. Short of discovering the Fountain of Youth, there’s not much else you can do, experts say.

So take that sunblock seriously and ideally start long before your hands — or any other part of you — begins to age. And if you want to give your hands an extra boost, you might consider using a retin-a product on the back of the hands to improve collagen and thickness, says Dr. Bruce Van Natta, a plastic surgeon in Indianapolis. Facial products that contain vitamins C and E may prove helpful for the hands, says plastic surgeon Dr.Janet Turkle.

But for the very best protection, remember that sunscreen.

To learn more about hand rejuvenation, contact Dr.Benchetrit’s office, Cosmedica, for a free consultation at 514-695-7450

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Posted in Breaking News about Cosmetic Surgery, COSMEDICA'S Team, For men, For the working women, Just interesting information you should know, Plastic Surgery helping people everyday, Plastic Surgery Procedures, The latest Trends, Uncategorized. Leave a Comment »

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