Valentine’s Day comes at the perfect time of year. The joy and excitement of the Christmas season are but a memory. As we eagerly begin to anticipate the arrival of spring, February brings us Valentine’s Day and, with it, a much-needed dose of fun, romance, and excitement.
With more and more people going the extra mile to look their best for Valentine’s Day, why not schedule a visit with Dr. Florence Mussat at her Chicago plastic surgery office?
Be on your way to a fresh, vibrant look with one of these 10 solutions from Dr. Mussat.
1. Restore Youthful Fullness to Your Face
Perhaps it’s due to genetics, aging, or simply your facial structure, but parts of your face could be lacking in volume and making you appear gaunt. Well, it is possible to enhance your facial volume and improve the appearance of your face with a facial fat transfer expertly performed by Dr. Mussat.
2. Fall in Love With Your Skin
Taking care of one’s skin is essential throughout the year, and there’s no better time than now to get back your radiant glow in time for Valentine’s Day with a nonsurgical facial rejuvenation treatment.
With medical-grade, topical retinoids, various conditions, including mild to moderate acne, signs of sun damage, freckles, fine lines, and wrinkles, can be treated.
3. Refresh Your Eyelids
Your eyes may be the window to your soul, but drooping eyelid skin or undereye bags could be concealing and aging your eyes, making you look tired, sad, or angry. If so, you could be a good candidate for an eyelid lift, also known as blepharoplasty. It could take years off your appearance and give your self-esteem a big boost.
4. Repair the Sun Damage
Even though summer is long gone, your skin could still be showing signs of too much sun with dryness, new lines, and wrinkles. Dr. Mussat offers a range of treatments to undo the harsh effects of summer, and just two of these are highlighted below.
Chemical Peel: Replaces thickened and damaged skin with fresh, youthful cells, eliminating uneven pigmentation and skin discoloration.
Microdermabrasion: By rubbing fine crystals across the skin with a medically-calibrated wand, the rough outer layer is removed, and new skin stimulated.
Laser Skin Rejuvenation: A concentrated beam of light is used to gently exfoliate the skin’s sun-damaged outer layer.
5. Reclaim Your Youthful Shape
Becoming a mother can be one of the most rewarding experiences. However, pregnancy and breastfeeding can leave you with unwelcome reminders such as stomach flab and flattened breasts.
While diet and exercise can go a long way towards reclaiming your youthful appeal, a mommy makeover as a Valentine’s gift to yourself could be all you need to restore your youthful figure.
6. Get Back Those Perky Breasts
Full, perky breasts may be a distant memory of the days before gravity, weight loss, pregnancy, or breastfeeding changed things. To regain confidence in your appearance this Valentine’s Day, a breast lift could be exactly what you need.
7. Slim Your Jawline
Whether it’s the result of age or weight gain, a double chin can be one of the most frustrating facial flaws to have. Through a facelift, Dr. Mussat can tighten loose skin under your chin and neck area, lift those sagging jowls and restore a youthful appearance.
8. Tone and Tighten
Are you plagued by problem areas of flab that won’t go away? Regardless of how much you exercise and eat healthily, do you find that lean, sexy stomach continues to elude you?
Well, you might consider a tummy tuck, also known as abdominoplasty, which surgically removes excess skin and flesh from the abdomen and even repairs abdominal muscles damaged during pregnancy or weight gain.
9. Restore Those Smooth Contours
If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight either through diet, exercise, or bariatric surgery, you could now have excess skin in areas of the body where large amounts of fat used to be. Through one or more body contouring procedures, expertly performed by Dr. Mussat, you could be well on your way to having your body’s contours restored by Valentine’s Day.
10. Put Your Best Face Forward
Despite taking good care of yourself and trying to age gracefully, age-related changes in your face are still inevitable.
With facelift surgery, Dr. Mussat can tighten and lift the soft tissues of your face, tighten lax, excess skin and surgically reposition sagging facial tissue giving you a more youthful, rejuvenated look.
Regain Your Sexy, Youthful Look in Time for Valentine’s Day!
What better to get a self-confidence boost and bring some excitement back into your love life before Valentine’s Day than a visit to board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL?
Too look your absolute best before Valentine’s day, schedule a personal consultation or call (312) 751-9000 today!
When a woman undergoes breast augmentation surgery, probably the last thing on her mind is that a second surgery, called breast revision surgery, may be needed in the future.
Breast implants are not intended to last a lifetime. Over time, impants can be subject to rupture, rippling, deflation, asymmetry, sagging, or capsular contracture caused by the formation of a hard and dense tissue capsule.
Breast revision surgery is also frequently performed when a woman is not happy with some aspect of how her breasts look or feel. She may want to replace her current breast implants with a different size or style or to simply have her natural breasts back.
Understanding Your Options for Breast Implants
The decision about where you would like your breast implants to be placed during your revision breast surgery will be made in consultation with your plastic surgeon, board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Florence Mussat, in Chicago, IL. She would be happy to help you make this decision and to plan for the procedure itself.
Influencing Factors on Breast Implant Placement
There are several factors to keep in mind when deciding on the position of your breast implants:
- the desired shape and size of your breasts and thus the implants
- your body size
- expected recovery time and post-operative discomfort and pain
- your lifestyle
- your goals and expectations
Where Can Breast Implants Be Placed?
Breasts implants can be placed:
- over the muscle, but under the breast tissue
- under the muscle
Since there are advantages and disadvantages to each placement, Dr. Mussat will help you decide which placement method is best for you. There are several factors which will help determine the optimal implant placement:
- Your body type
- Your current health
- The actual size of the implants
- Saline vs. silicone implants
- Your individual goals and desires
All these factors help you understand the pros and cons of the different breast implant placement options.
Subglandular Placement
Also known as “over-the-muscle” placement, the subglandular placement technique positions the implant between the chest muscle and the existing breast tissue. With this positioning, the implant lies behind the glands of the breasts, thus providing the patient the ability to breast-feed in the future.
Advantages: Patients can expect less movement of the implants during physical activity and less discomfort immediately following surgery.
Disadvantages: The appearance of the breasts may seem more artificial, and during mammograms, the readings may be less accurate.
Submuscular Placement
The other breast implant placement option is known as submuscular or under-the-muscle placement. The technique includes partially placement of the implant under the pectoralis major chest muscle in a “dual plane” placement.
Advantages: Patients experience more accurate mammograms. In addition, submuscular placement tends to produce a more natural result.
Disadvantages: Some patients experience slightly more discomfort after surgery, with a longer postsurgical recovery.
Women with very large or strong chest muscles will be best suited for the over-the-muscle positioning of their implants. The reason is that, with larger chest muscles, there will be a tendency for distortion of the breasts as the chest muscles are flexed. In this case, subglandular placement may be advised.
Keeping in mind all the advantages and disadvantages of the possible placement of your implants, you are well equipped to meet with Dr. Mussat to discuss what is best for your particular situation.
Why Choose Dr. Florence Mussat for Your Breast Revision?
Dr. Florence Mussat is a Board-Certified Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon in Downtown Chicago and has a passion for Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery.
With her help, you can soon be on your way to achieving the bustline you’ve always wanted. Schedule a personal consultation or by calling (312) 751-9000 today!
Ill-fitting blouses, bra strap imprints, and sore shoulders make having large breasts not as desirable as many would think. Women with breasts too large for their body type often vent these complaints. In many cases, breast reduction surgery may be the only option to correct a disproportionate bust line and cause these types of discomfort. If you are a healthy woman who doesn’t smoke and have large breasts causing a whole lot of discomfort; this solution may be what’s best for you!
Why Consider a Breast Reduction
Having large breasts is more than finding clothing that fits. They can prevent a woman from living an active lifestyle comfortably and having confidence in her own skin. The extra weight at her bust line can cause physical and emotional distresses, including:
- Shoulder, back, and neck pain
- Irritation near the bra straps and at the breast crease
- Makes exercising uncomfortable
- Causes headaches
- Loss of self-esteem
- Depression
There are multiple causes for breasts to become out of proportion with the rest of a woman’s body. They include weight fluctuation, pregnancy, and growth spurts during puberty. Breast reduction offers a safe resolution to ease the physical and emotional issues resulting from breasts which are too large.
Breast Reduction Benefits
Okay, if you’re reading this article because you are considering a breast reduction, nobody has to tell you why you’re here. The benefits are the most important topic of any surgical procedure. Breast reduction surgery has many upsides, which will improve a patient’s quality of life. They include:
Aesthetics
Just like women seek breast augmentation surgery when their breasts are too small, breast reduction has a cosmetic value to patients who have breasts too large. Creating a sleeker body outline is essential to women who are concerned with their figure. Reducing breast size can bring harmony between her breasts and the other body parts. This physical accordance will not only improve her appearance but her self-confidence as well.
More Active Lifestyle
Women who enjoy leading an active lifestyle may find sudden movements to be difficult with large breasts. Breast reduction surgery will help the patient avoid stress injuries like “jogger’s breasts,” which forms from repetitive motion. Physical activities like jogging, tennis, or going to the gym will help a girl stay in shape and remain healthy. Once recovery from breast reduction is complete, exercise, and hobbies like golf and skiing can become more fun.
Shopping
Because clothing off the rack will fit comfortably, shopping will become more an enjoyable outing and less a chore. When breasts are too large, finding clothing which fits comfortably can be an issue. Sizes and fashions are more in line with a streamlined figure. Slimming down the bust line to align more with the rest of your body will make those trips to the shops delightful again. You will have more of a selection and can take advantage of more deals.
Improved Quality of Life
Women who choose breast reduction surgery are generally very pleased with their results. Not only is there a cosmetic benefit, but the elimination of discomforts like back pain and headaches are a welcome effect. Combine these benefits with wearing what you want when you want to, working out with your friends, and not relegated to specialty stores to find clothes that will fit will have a significant impact on improving your quality of life. You will be happier with yourself and the way others see you. Your confidence will rise, as will your self-esteem. To learn how you can achieve these benefits for yourself, it’s simple. Just contact us to schedule a consultation today.
When making any significant choice in life, it’s important to weigh the risks and rewards of your decision and find the safest path forward. This is especially true for women considering breast augmentation: Though silicone breast implants are safe for many patients, these devices have a history of causing adverse reactions in some individuals. Now, emerging evidence suggests that one type of silicone breast implant can cause a rare form of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma known as BIA-ALCL.
What is BIA-ALCL?
BIA-ALCL is a very rare and highly treatable form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. BIA-ALCL is a not a type of breast cancer; instead, it’s a cancer that develops in the cells of the immune system.
Unlike many other forms of lymphoma, BIA-ALCL is not highly invasive. It usually develops in cells surrounding the patient’s implants (inside the capsule of scar tissue that forms around each implant) and it’s slow to spread to surrounding lymph nodes. However, like all cancers, BIA-ALCL does have the potential to spread throughout the body and produce serious illness. For this reason, it’s important to educate yourself about preventing, detecting, and treating BIA-ALCL if you’re considering breast augmentation.
How Prevalent is BIA-ALCL?
The vast majority of breast augmentation patients will never develop BIA-ALCL; to date, only just over 600 cases have been identified worldwide (out of the over 10 million women who have had breast augmentation). Your risk of developing this cancer is approximately 1 in 30,000.
Which Types of Implants are Associated with BIA-ALCL?
So far, only textured silicone gel implants have been associated with BIA-ALCL. Researchers believe that the textured surface of these implants may lead to bacterial overgrowth around the implant, increasing the patient’s risk of complications like BIA-ALCL.
Can BIA-ALCL be Prevented?
Right now, scientists aren’t sure how to completely prevent BIA-ALCL, but most cases can be avoided by choosing smooth silicone implants rather than textured implants. Saline implants also do not appear to be associated with any risk of this illness.
If you already have textured implants, the best way to protect yourself is to be aware of the early warning signs of BIA-ALCL. See your doctor or plastic surgeon as soon as you notice any unusual symptoms, including breast pain or skin irritation, swelling, breast asymmetry, lumps, or breast hardness.
How is BIA-ALCL Treated?
Most cases of BIA-ALCL are completely curable if caught early, but successful treatment requires a specialized form of breast implant removal surgery. To ensure that cancer cells remain contained and do not spread, surgeons must remove the patient’s implants. That is, they must remove the implants and the capsule of scar tissue around them at the same time, without cutting into the capsule. Breast implant removal surgery can prevent and cure BIA-ALCL for many patients, but in some cases, additional treatments may be necessary. Your doctor will let you know if you need to take any other steps to completely get rid of your illness.
If you’ve decided that the risk of BIA-ALCL outweighs the benefits of having breast implants, Dr. Florence Mussat can help. She’s one of the only female plastic surgeons in Chicago to offer breast implant removal, and she has extensive experience treating patients with various forms of breast implant illness. To learn more about how you can safeguard your health while also maintaining your appearance, contact Dr. Mussat to arrange a consultation.
Going to the doctor with a variety of debilitating, mysterious symptoms is difficult enough; being told those symptoms have no cause can be crushing, embarrassing, and hurtful. Unfortunately, this is the experience thousands of women suffering from breast implant illness are forced to endure. At this time, breast implant illness is not recognized by the scientific community. Still, Dr. Florence Mussat has personally treated numerous women who claim their symptoms were relieved after they underwent breast implant removal. In her view, it’s essential that medical practitioners retain an open mind and persist in trying to understand the causes of breast implant illness.
What is Breast Implant Illness?
“Breast implant illness” is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of symptoms believed to be related to silicone breast implants. Breast implant illness is different than having a ruptured implant. Ruptured silicone implants leak silicone gel into the body and usually cause the rapid onset of localized irritation (requiring immediate explant surgery). On the other hand, women with Breast implant illness complain their symptoms developed gradually after having undergone breast augmentation with implants. Patients with breast implant illness report experiencing fatigue, brain fog, chronic pain (either around the breasts or throughout the body), skin rashes, an irregular heart rate, anxiety, hair loss, and endocrine dysfunction, among other symptoms.
What Causes Breast Implant Illness?
The confusion over breast implant illness stems from the fact that silicone is thought to be a biocompatible material. Silicone is inert, meaning that it shouldn’t—in theory—react with human tissue or leach chemicals into the body. For this reason, silicone is used in a wide range of implantable medical devices, as well as being the material of choice for cosmetic implants.
This does not, of course, mean that silicone is guaranteed to be without risk. For many years, experts believed that the plastics used in baby bottles were safe; today, however, we know that the BPA they contained can cause a wide range of health problems. And silicone, while it appears to be inert, is not a completely natural substance. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not derived from sand alone; it’s actually a composite material that contains a number of synthetic additives. It’s, therefore, possible that silicone contains a compound we simply don’t yet realize can be harmful.
Furthermore, it’s important to remember that everyone’s body is different. Substances that don’t cause any adverse reaction in one individual can provoke a dramatic immune response in another; this is why allergies exist. It’s possible that some patients’ bodies identify silicone implants as “invaders,” and this sets off a cascade of troubling symptoms. Emerging evidence has already linked silicone breast implants to a slightly elevated risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a type of cancer that begins in the immune system, lending credence to the idea that silicone implants can disrupt normal immune function. According to a large-scale study of 99,993 breast augmentation patients, silicone breast implants may be linked to an increase in the risk of developing other autoimmune diseases (Sjogren syndrome, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis) and cancers (melanoma). This study, which was conducted by the Department of Plastic Surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, also found that having breast implants can lead to reproductive challenges, notably stillbirth.
Bacteria may also play a role in the development of breast implant illness. Research has shown that most cases of breast implant illness occur in patients who have had textured (rather than smooth) silicone implants inserted. It is thought that the textured surface of these implants gives bacteria a better “foothold,” allowing it to proliferate. The patient’s immune system must then constantly fight back against this low-grade infection, giving rise to ongoing flu-like symptoms.
Regardless of what causes breast implant illness, it’s obvious that this condition is a genuine phenomenon. Many women complaining of breast implant illness who have undergone explant surgery report that their symptoms resolved shortly afterward. Clearly, more research needs to be done: Only when we understand this puzzling condition can we make breast augmentation safe for everybody.
