FAQs

Any time a cut or incision is made in the skin, there is a scar left behind as part of the normal healing process. Our Plastic Surgeons in Tijuana Surgery Center, have received special training and have extensive experience with minimizing the size of these scars, creating the least noticeable appearance of then, and locating them in the least conspicuous areas possible. Often the scars will become undetectable to all but the most careful examination over the course of time.

Generally, 1-2 weeks for most procedures, although this varies from one patient to the next, as well as from one procedure to the next.

In general, if it is cosmetic, your medical insurance will not cover the surgery or treatment.

On an average, most surgeries take 2-3 hours in the operating room, with the most extensive of multiple procedures lasting several hours. Additional time is often required for preparation before, and rest & recovery time after the surgery itself, particularly when sedation or a general anesthetic is administered.

This varies greatly depending on the procedure in question. For procedures like laser skin resurfacing or blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery , patients may be ready for most normal activities in 3-6 days, while more extensive surgeries such as abdominoplasty or tummy tuck or extensive liposuction may require a more extended convalescence.The body’s complete healing process takes longer than this initial recovery time, and may last from several week up to a year or more as incisions heal completely and tissues achieve their maximum
recovery.

All surgeries entail risks, such as bleeding, possible infection, etc. Please see the information on the specific surgery, or consult with a surgeon for more detailed information.

Plastic surgery can achieve impressive results for a patient with realistic expectations and goals. To many, the results may even seem ‘miraculous’, however to think you can be made over so completely as to look just like another person entirely is still the stuff of Hollywood movies and fiction novels Cosmetic plastic surgery’s primary focus on refining a person’s appearance, rather than changing it entirely.

If the stretch marks are located in the incision area for the surgery (below the belly button) then they can be removed in the course of abdominoplasty (tummy tuck ) . In locations not at the incision, site, they cannot be removed, although it is sometimes possible to use a different incision location to accomplish this goal.Surgery on just the stretch marks alone will merely trade the stretch marks for an incision scar, and is a generally a poor trade-off considering the cost and effort of surgery.

Currently, only saline-filled implants and silicone are approved for general use in the United States and Mexico. There has been experimentation with soybean oil, peanut oil, and hydro gel as fillers for breast implants, but these are not approved for general use in the USA, and it does not appear likely that any of these will be approved for use in the foreseeable future.

Softness of the breast following augmentation, along with a natural appearance, are primary concerns to both the surgeon and the patient. The ideal result is one which is natural in all respects.Smooth breast implants are the softest implant immediately after they are placed, but they require ongoing massage and mobilizing by the patient to maintain this result. Additionally, they may only be placed under muscle layer of the chest. In nearly all patients, within a few years after the surgery, the massaging becomes too inconvenient to continue, and as a result, the breast will lose the softness that gives the most natural result.Textured breast implants are slightly more firm when initially placed, however they require no special upkeep on the part of the patient to maintain their softness. Additionally, they can be placed either under or over the muscle layer (when appropriate for some patients), which gives the surgeon more control to obtain the best result for the patient. For this reason, the textured implants are the preferred choice of many surgeons.

The degree of enlargement is based on the anatomy of the patient’s body more than any other factor. Saline-filled implants require placement underneath the muscle layer of the chest to achieve a natural result in most patients. The implant must be covered by the muscle layer, and this coverage determines the maximum volume of the implant.The width of the patient’s chest, as well as the locations of nerves in the chest and abdomen limit the maximum volume of an implant that can be used, because the total width of the implant must fit underneath the muscle without intruding into the nerve bundles, otherwise numbness of the breast and/or nipples would result.For some patients, placement of the implant may be possible on top of the muscle layer, providing they have a sufficient amount of breast tissue and fatty tissue to give the implant the coverage needed to achieve natural results. Your surgeon can help you determine the best size of implant for you at the time of your consultation.

Breast augmentation (under the muscle layer) should not affect your ability to breast feed. For sub-glandular augmentation (under the breast tissue, but over the muscle layer), like any other surgery which disturbs the breast tissue itself, there is a risk of losing the ability to breast feed.

Sagging of the breast is a factor determined by your body. Some degree of sagging can be corrected with the breast augmentation surgery, but not an excessive degree. For an excessive degree of sagging, a mastopexy or breast lift may be the solution.

The nipples can be reduced in size, or correction of ‘inverted’ nipples can be done. This can be done along with breast augmentation, or alone as a separate surgery.With inverted nipples, the problem is that the ducts are short, plus the connective tissue adherence participates. One very effective technique to correct this is four small cuts around the nipple (division of the ducts) and suture support. This heals quite quickly, a week to ten days, and with this technique, recurrence is almost never seen.

The tumescent technique is a relatively new liposuction method that can reduce post-operative bruising, swelling and pain. Also, blood loss is minimized during tumescent liposuction due to the effects of the local anesthetic which is used.In the tumescent technique, areas of excess fat are injected with a large amount of anesthetic liquid before liposuction is performed. The liquid causes the compartments of fat to become swollen and firm or “tumesced.” The expanded fat compartments allow the liposuction cannula to travel smoothly beneath the skin as the fat is removed. This can give multiple benefits — extra precision for the surgeon, reduced loss of blood for the patient, and extended pain relief after surgery, which can reduce the need for pain medication immediately after surgery.