Your New Body Blog.com | A Cosmetic Surgery Blog Presented by PlasticSurgery.com

I am a board certified Miami plastic surgeon who is also widely known as the “Booty Plastic Surgeon.” Recently, Elana Pruitt of PlasticSurgery.com asked me a few questions regarding the popularity of butt enhancement after we met at the ASAPS show in San Diego. Here is a part of our conversation:

Elana Pruitt: Dr. Mendieta, why do you think butt enhancement has become so popular?

Constantino Mendieta, M.D.: Well, the buttock wasn’t addressed for years because, really, there was more concentration on other body parts. Then there was Jennifer Lopez and the green dress, and I realized that there was nothing out there to really enhance the buttock area. The biggest misconception about butt enhancement surgery is that women want to make their butt bigger. But really what they want is to make it shapelier. That is why I have created my own system of evaluation: “Highlight Liposculpting and Lipo Fat Transfer.”

E.P.: What type of patients visit your practice for butt enhancement surgery?

C.M.: Patients of all cultural backgrounds and ethnicities come in for consultation, ranging in ages from 18 to 65. However, the bulk of the operations are performed on those in their late 20s, early 30s. Hispanics were always interested, and in the last couple of years there has been a 20% increase in blacks undergoing buttock enhancement. There are also more Caucasian patients interested in this procedure.

E.P.: Do you also use butt implants in addition to offering the fat transfer method?

C.M.: In the beginning, the implant was used because there was nothing else out there. It just made the butt bigger. Lipo-contouring allows me to use the patient’s own body fat, inject it into specific areas of the buttocks, and shape it much better with more creative freedom. In 2000, 70-80% of cases were with butt implants, and now the numbers have switched to 98% fat transfer.

E.P.: Do males also visit you for this butt enhancement surgery?

C.M.: Yes, 92% of the guys who come in share the complaint that they are tired of their pants falling off!

E.P.: What makes your specialty so unique?

C.M.: “Highlight Liposculpting and Lipo Fat Transfer” is an artistic concept: removing fat from selective areas to specially highlight and sculpt other areas, such as the hip and buttock area. This technique is a sexier, highlighted art, and it gives me a panoramic view – a 3-dimensional view – while creating these new curves.

E.P.: Do you predict that butt enhancement will eventually rise to the growth and popularity of breast augmentation?

C.M.: I think it will, but it’s a concept of re-sculpting the buttock. It still has a negative connotation. When you open the view of it, it’s more “pan-cultural.” Lipo is the #1 procedure across the world, so it’s just learning how to transfer the fat into the buttocks.

Photo Credits: Jennifer Lopez http://www.celebspin.com
Photo Credits: Kim Kardashian: http://www.celebnewswire.com

Surgeons everywhere are reporting huge increases in the number of patients who undergo bariatric surgery — the procedures that reduce the size of the stomach and the amount of food it can hold.

Because any meal is then limited to only about a half a cup, bariatric patients lose such huge amounts of weight, doctors have assigned a new medical status for them: “MWL,” meaning massive weight loss.

S. S., 48, of Avada, Colorado, is one such patient.

S.S. at work, showing a horse before her surgery.
(Photo courtesy of patient)

Bariatric Surgery

At exactly five feet and 260 pounds, she (who asked for medical privacy) could not properly do her job as a horse groomer and shower of horses. And, being so heavy, it was hard to get – and stay – on any steed. Moreover, it was exhausting for her to stay on her feet all day to do the horse grooming.

After fighting obesity her entire life, S.S. opted for bariatric surgery as a final solution in March, 2005. With her stomach surgically reduced to hold only ounces of food, her weight dropped to 133 pounds within a year.

But there was another problem — loose hanging skin.

S.S.’s skin had been stretched by the excess pounds for so long, it could not spring back. An apron of skin hung from her stomach while her legs, rear end and breasts sagged with useless folds of skin. When she worked or exercised, the sheets of skin rubbed together and created sore spots. Also, there was a lot of skin flapping around when she tried to jog or sit on a trotting horse.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have two young children, so I understand the difficulty many women have when it comes to losing weight after pregnancy. It takes a lot of work to bounce back to the pre-pregnancy stomach you once had. Tummy tuck surgery (“abdominoplasty”), is a procedure done to remove excess skin and fatty tissue from the tummy, and repair damaged abdominal muscles. The end result is a firmer, smooth abdomen.

It is a popular, body contour procedure for women seeking a “Mommy Makeover!”

Childbearing, aging, genetics, and rapid or excessive weight loss can cause unwanted abdominal skin, and fatty tissue. With childbearing or excessive weight changes the abdominal muscles can also become damaged and separate, a condition known as “diastasis.” These unwanted features will not resolve with exercise alone, and usually need to be surgically corrected. This procedure is not meant to take the place of diet and exercise in individuals who simply wish to lose weight.

During the abdominoplasty procedure, the surgeon will repair the separated or weakened abdominal muscles. Liposuction is also sometimes used to assist in body contouring.

This procedure is considered cosmetic in nature and is generally not covered by medical insurance. The cost of abdominoplasty ranges significantly from $4,000 to $20,000 dollars, although it depends on a variety of factors.

However, until you decide that plastic surgery is worth your dime, Tummy Tuck Jeans could be an effective fashion style to incorporate into your overall Mommy Makeover!

Photo Credit: http://modmom.blogspot.com/

When the people who are ready to hand over thousands of dollars for cosmetic surgery procedures are denied during a consultation, they are left stunned. Many of them might even ask themselves if they are being discriminated against. My guess would be that many of them had serious health conditions, or have a history of tobacco use. What many people don’t realize is that smoking puts your health in great danger, especially when surgery and anesthesia are involved.

Smoking causes damage to the vascular system (veins and arteries) and puts people at greater risk for atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disease that leads to the formation of plaques within the arteries. Plaques can also impede blood flow and lead to ischemic (lack of blood flow/ oxygen) events such as heart attacks and strokes.

Many plastic surgeons worry about a patient’s smoking history due to the high risk for adverse events during and after surgical procedures. Anesthesia becomes more dangerous, and the ability to heal properly is compromised. If you have had a plastic surgeon deny you service due to your smoking history, you should be thankful, not angry.

What many plastic surgeons will request is that an individual stop smoking several months (or weeks) prior to and following a plastic surgery procedure. This will decrease the risk of adverse events and optimize healing and recovery time. And of course, smoking cessation will also contribute to a more youthful complexion, and most important, a longer, healthier life.