Will a Tummy Tuck Strengthen Your Core?
Does a tummy tuck repair stomach muscles? Our Portland-based Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery team knows that many patients who want to enhance their midsection wonder about the full benefits of the procedure when they’re considering tummy tuck surgery.
A tummy tuck can provide many benefits: It will improve the overall shape of the stomach area. It can involve the removal of loose skin and fat—and sometimes the abdominal muscles will be tightened as well.
Why is the necessary for certain patients? After having a baby, many women experience back pain as a result of weakened abdominal muscles that separated throughout the pregnancy. On fact, pregnancy can permanently affect the stomach muscles, causing them to stay “stretched out” for good. Unfortunately, it is not really possible to fully reverse this problem with exercise on its own.
The condition is known as diastasis recti, and it can cause the belly to stick out for months or years after you’ve had a baby. Abdominal muscle separation can also occur due to weight fluctuations from yo-yo dieting, doing weightlifting or sit-ups incorrectly, or other causes. That means men can also experience this condition, usually due to improper exercise or weightlifting techniques or gaining significant weight that causes the muscles to separate.
Separated stomach muscles can give the stomach a flabby appearance. Many people may not even be aware that muscle separation is what’s causing them to have a protruding stomach that won’t flatten regardless of how much exercise they do.
Abdominal weakness is more than just a cosmetic issue. It can also cause other medical issues, such as lower back pain. A tummy tuck will usually involve surgical tightening of the abdominal muscles to improve abdominal support, which can help with discomfort. The stomach muscles and fascia will be stitched back together to give the stomach a tighter, more toned appearance. By repairing the muscles, the aesthetic results from the surgery will also be enhanced. Strengthening the abdominal muscles can even potentially improve your posture.
Our team can tell you more about the benefits of abdominoplasty surgery if you’re interested. To get more information or schedule a consultation, call us at 503-646-0101 or fill out a contact form to arrange an appointment to discuss abdominoplasty.
Will Breast Implants Feel Real?
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in implants that mimic the look and feel of actual breasts as closely as possible. Patients are no longer interested only in the size of their implants, but also their shape, proportions, and how they feel to the touch. When considering these aspects, many patients want to know: Does breast augmentation feel real? Our Portland-based team at The Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery believes that although breasts that hold implants may feel slightly different to the touch when compared to breasts that have not been altered by plastic surgery, it’s possible to have implants that feel very soft, subtle, and similar to natural breasts.
Fortunately, there are implants and techniques available to make your implants look and feel remarkably real. Read on to learn more.
Generally, patients find that silicone implants tend to look and feel more natural in comparison to saline implants, since the silicone options are filled with a cohesive gel that has a soft, compressible texture and moves like natural tissue. Highly cohesive silicone implants retain their shape better than traditional silicone implants while still being soft to the touch.
IDEAL implants are another option to consider for patients who desire a natural look and feel. These next-generation structured saline implants combine some of the benefits of both silicone and saline implants. They provide a natural shape and feel, but there is no risk of the “silent ruptures” associated with traditional silicone implants.
It's recommended that you have an under-the-muscle placement for your implants if your goal is to enjoy a natural, gradual slope—especially if you have a thin body type without much natural breast tissue to work with. This placement softens the appearance of the implants so their edges are less obvious.
If a highly natural look and feel are your goal, keep in mind that larger implants may be tempting, but that they also tend to look more obvious. It’s best to choose a diameter, projection, and volume that fits your body type. If you have a significant amount of existing, natural breast tissue, your implants may also have a very natural feel.
So, does breast augmentation feel real? Our Portland, OR-based Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery team can provide more advice about what to expect from the popular breast surgery. Call us at 503-646-0101 or fill out a contact form to request a consultation if you’re interested in learning more.
Can Liposuction Treat Belly Fat?
Even after you successfully reduce your overall weight, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the body shape you want. Genetics and hormones influence how we store fat on our bodies, so some people will naturally have more fat on areas such as the midsection, meaning it will look proportionally larger even if they lower the number on the scale. If having a narrow waist and a flat, toned stomach is what you want—but you always gain weight on your stomach before anywhere else—it can be challenging to achieve your desired look. This is why many people turn to plastic surgery to finally achieve the sculpted body shape they’ve always wanted. With that in mind, patients often ask: Will liposuction get rid of belly fat? Our Portland-based team hears this question from women and men alike who are considering surgical body contouring as a method of reducing diet-resistant fat and improving their shape.
The answer depends on what type of belly fat you’re hoping to reduce.
Not all body fat is the same. Subcutaneous fat is the soft and wobbly stuff that’s located directly beneath the skin. This type of fat can be grabbed or pinched. It’s found on areas like the thighs, hips, flanks, and upper arms. Although you can lose some of this fat with exercise and dietary habits, it can be tricky to lose it from certain areas. Environment factors influence the amount of subcutaneous fat we accumulate.
Visceral fat, on the other hand, is found deep in the abdominal area, surrounding organs. It is not visible on the outside.
Plastic surgery treatments can only target subcutaneous fat. In other words, liposuction removes the pinchable fat from directly beneath the skin. If you mostly want to lose subcutaneous fat from the belly area, then liposuction could be a good solution. However, if you mainly want to lose hard belly fat, it will be best to focus on lifestyle changes.
Although you can still have liposuction if you have a lot of visceral fat, it can affect the type of results you attain. For example, if the subcutaneous fat is removed, you may still be left with some fullness from visceral fat. For this reason, many people choose both surgery and lifestyle changes—which also has the added benefit of improving health.
Our Portland-based team at The Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery has answers to your questions. Call us at 503-646-0101 or fill out a contact form to request a consultation if you’re ready to discover more about what cosmetic surgery like liposuction can do.
3 Reasons to Consider Getting a Facelift
A facelift is one of the most effective ways to restore a visibly more youthful appearance. It remains one of the most in-demand procedures worldwide even though a growing number of advanced, minimally invasive anti-aging treatments have become available. There are different versions of a facelift, with each one customized to address a patient’s unique needs. But what does a facelift improve? Our Portland, OR-area patients choose this procedure for a variety of reasons—though all of them stem from wanting a rejuvenated look.
A facelift can’t prevent the skin from aging, and it’s also not designed to be a treatment for fine wrinkles. Instead, the focus is on signs of aging that develop in the contours of the lower two-thirds of the face. If you want to improve the general look and quality of the skin itself, other types of cosmetic procedures are typically a better choice.
Considering that, are you unsure whether this is the right type of cosmetic procedure for you? Here are three benefits of facelift surgery that you should be aware of while you explore your options:
1. Lifting and Tightening the Skin
The skin loses collagen due to aging, and fat pads beneath the skin become thinner or displaced over time. Sagging may begin to occur on the lower face as the cheeks become flattened and gaunt. A facelift is often the best way to tighten that sagging skin on the center and lower areas of the face. The procedure can involve removing excess skin and tightening the remaining skin, sculpting and repositioning tissues, and creating more youthful contours.
2. Long-Lasting Results
A facelift provides longer-lasting results compared to non-surgical options. However, it’s important to take care of your skin at home if you want the results to last for as long as possible. As noted above, the face will continue to age after a facelift surgery, but many people feel that it “resets the clock” by about a decade.
3. Natural-Looking Results
There’s a misconception that a facelift will give you an unnatural or windswept appearance. A facelift, when performed by an experienced surgeon, will give you a younger, reinvigorated look that still looks like yourself. The key, of course, is choosing the right provider.
Talk to our team at The Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery. We will explain everything you’ll need to know about this and other types of cosmetic surgery, as well as answer questions so you can determine if this is the ideal place for your facelift. Call us at 503-646-0101 or fill out a contact form to request a consultation if you’re ready to learn more.
3 Things You Should Know Before Rhinoplasty Surgery
You might be thinking about having a nose job (also known as rhinoplasty surgery) to repair a birth defect, correct breathing difficulties, or to address cosmetic concerns ranging from a nasal hump to crookedness to on overall look of disproportionate size. There are a variety of changes that can be made to the nose, including altering the bridge, tip, nostrils, and other aspects. Even the most minor changes to the nose can enhance the appearance of the entire face, since the surgery can improve the symmetry and proportions of all facial features in relation to the nose. With this in mind, and with the procedure being so popular, our team at the Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery often gets asked about what not to do before nose surgery. Here's what Portland-area patients should know about rhinoplasty surgery before they choose this procedure.
Remember, you can also find out more about preparation for this surgery during your initial consultation to discuss options.
1. Find an Excellent Plastic Surgeon Known for Rhinoplasty
Not all plastic surgeons are equal, and any form of facial plastic surgery requires a high level of experience, talent, and skill. It’s important that any plastic surgeon have the right experience and technical qualifications, such as board certification.
2. Most People Won’t Notice
Not everyone wants others to know that they’ve had plastic surgery, even though cosmetic procedures have become more openly accepted as the decades have gone by. The great thing about rhinoplasty surgery is that it won’t be as obvious as you might assume. Many patients feel more confident knowing that they’ve had the procedure done, but the results will be very subtle and natural-looking.
3. The Recovery Won’t Be as Bad as You May Assume
It’s entirely possible to have virtually no discomfort during your recovery if you take the right precautions, including taking prescribed pain medications. One of the most common issues is nasal congestion, but once your surgeon removes the gauze from your nose during a follow up appointment, breathing will be much easier. Expect initial bruising and swelling to be obvious, but these will also resolve in time.
Want to know what not to do before nose surgery? Our Portland-based Waldorf Center for Plastic Surgery team can guide you on everything you need to know about rhinoplasty to help you get started. Call us at 503-646-0101 or fill out a contact form to request a consultation.