Tuck ‘N’ Stitch

Two eminent Beverly Hills plastic surgeons, Dr. Stuart Linder and Dr. Robert Kotler, appear here most weeks with wise words for plastic surgery consumers.

Dr. Kotler is our “FaceDocBlogger” because his surgical work is devoted to plastic surgery of the face and neck. Meanwhile, Dr. Linder, our “BodyDocBlogger,” has a plastic surgery practice limited to only lower body plastic surgery.
Exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com, Doctors Linder and Kotler are the ultimate plastic surgery insiders with unique takes and views on the news, trends, and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

This Week: Plastic Surgery by a Team

After Christina Applegate, the 36-year-old star of TV’s “Samantha Who?” announced she had a double mastectomy and would be followed by breast reconstruction, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced that Christina’s surgery and reconstruction is a team effort, with as many as six medical specialties, taking part. ( Read more about Christina.)

Tuck ‘n’ Stitch tell how team plastic surgery is done and how it can benefit the patient.

BodyDocBlogger: Doctor, does your heart — like mine– go out to Christina Applegate? It’s certainly a tough decision to remove both breasts, even though only one had cancerous lumps. In these cases, when the oncological surgeon finishes his work, the plastic surgeon usually steps up to perform the breast reconstruction.

FaceDocBlogger: Certainly, I feel for Christina because she has the BRAC-1 gene, which means a predisposition for breast cancer. Her mother and sister had the affliction, too. In addition, her case shed some light on a situation in plastic surgery that most people do not know about.

BodyDocBlogger: Would you be referring to one plastic surgery session in which two different surgeons perform their procedures? One doctor performs a rhinoplasty while another does, oh, a breast augmentation, right doctor?

FaceDocBlogger: Spot on, doctor! The genesis was found in reconstruction surgery, say, when Siamese twins are surgically separated. That surgery is so grueling that surgeons worked as a tag team. Well, team cosmetic plastic surgery is rare but perhaps it should not be so. Team cosmetic surgery is most often performed by super-specialists, surgeons who perform the same small number of procedures day in, day out.

BodyDocBlogger: With team plastic surgery, the patient would only pay one O.R. fee, one anesthesiologist fee, and go through one recovery period.

FaceDocBlogger: If that patient could find a surgeon who specializes in plastic surgery of the head and neck and then team up with a surgeon who specializes in procedures of the body, a team surgery like that could be arranged.

BodyDocBlogger: In addition to saving on the costs of the O.R. and the anesthesiologist, are there other benefits to the patient by having two surgeons operate in one session?

FaceDocBlogger: As you know, a super-specialist does the procedure quicker because he or she does it so often. That doctor can literally see the anatomy of, say, the nose or the breast in his or her sleep. The patient’s return to work will be much quicker, too, because a super-specialist disturbs far less tissue. That means less bruising, swelling, and bleeding, which results in a quicker return to normal activities.

BodyDocBlogger: The cosmetic plastic surgeon who performs all 137 plastic surgery procedures does not serve the best interest of the patient. With so many procedures available to plastic surgery, no one surgeon can really master them all.

FaceDocBlogger: The super-specialists I know here in Beverly Hills are board certified, have a long fellowship behind them, and many years of experience doing a small variety of procedures rather than all the known operations in plastic surgery. The office of a super-specialist is usually a “boutique” and not “department store” practice.

BodyDocBlogger: Doctor, can you think of a good case example of a super-specialist?

FaceDocBlogger: Sure, mine! When I needed a hernia repair, I went to a super-specialist who does just that one operation. I was up and about the next day. But a friend of mine went to a general surgeon who does many types of surgeries and had the same procedure. My pal was recovering at home for a month!

BodyDocBlogger: At any rate, both Tuck ‘n’ Stitch wish Christina a quick, smooth recovery and prompt return to her acting career.

FaceDocBlogger: Hear! Hear! Well said, doctor!

Have a question for FaceDocBlogger or BodyDocBlogger? Let us know and we’ll do our best to have it answered. Feel free to leave your comments below!

*The opinions shared by FaceDocBlogger and/or BodyDocBlogger are their own personal professional viewpoints and in no way should be taken in place of an actual consultation with a licensed medical physician. The opinions of Tuck ‘n’ Stitch are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions/feelings of YourNewBodyBlog.com.