It seems that more and more and more surgeons are performing breast augmentation in the same techniques that Dr. Sheffield and I have been proponents of for quite some time.  The dual plane breast augmentation seems to be gaining favor by many plastic surgeons around the country.  On of the most respected breast surgeons in the world, Dr. Dennis Hammond, is a friend who has been kind enough to participate on my panel at the ASPS meeting for two years running.  He and I additionally share responsibility for much of the educational program at the ASPS meeting pertaining to surgery of the breast, and I have the highest opinion of Dennis as a great, thoughtful surgeon and educator.  He is also a proponent of the dual plane approach for many patients, and like me, believes in an individualistic approach to breast augmentation and breast lifts.  Breast implants should be chosen on the basis of individual patient anatomy, including length and width of the chest wall and torso, as well as specific patient expectations. (more…)

I’ve just returned from the 2008 meeting of the ASPS- thousands of plastic surgeons converged in Chicago last weekend to discuss the latest trends in plastic surgery, as well as issues of patient safety and improving plastic surgery outcomes for patients around the country and the world. I had the pleasure of being involved with two of the most popular programs, one of which I’ve been asked to put together now for I think the 6th year running. We discussed issues ranging from wound care to breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast implants, body contouring, facelifts, and eyelid surgery. I had the opportunity to teach by sharing my thoughts, while hearing from some of the world’s experts about their recommendations and experiences. Having previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, I also had the great opportunity to see many of my friends from around the country, and help mentor some of the younger, up and coming plastic surgeons. On top of that, I got to do some shopping on Michigan Avenue, and have some fantastic Italian food. And then there was that amazing Chicago style hot dog at O’Hare airport….. ☺ I’ll try to include some of my thoughts about some of our discussions over the next few blog entries, and I’ll limit my thoughts to plastic surgery instead of pasta and hot dogs.

I’ve been given permission by one of my patients who came for breast augmentation in Santa Barbara to post a video of the transition between her pre-operative breast form and her post-operative breast form. This video is on our YouTube Channel, “videoplasticsurgergery” with several others.
-Dr. L

Deciding on any plastic surgery, especially breast augmentation, is a very personal decision and one not to be made casually or lightly.  Finding the right operation, and having it performed by the right surgeon, is key to increasing your likelihood of a long lasting and great result.  We have seen so many patients over the years, and the vast majorities have come to our office for plastic surgery in Santa Barbara for great reasons.  Here are 5 common reasons we perform breast implant surgery in Santa Barbara: (more…)

As we begin to utilize our new Blog on our website at the Montecito Center for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Santa Barbara, I want to touch on a question that I frequently get asked- “Should I use saline breast implants or silicone breast implants for my breast augmentation?” While this is somewhat of an involved question and many issues factor into it, I thought I would briefly discuss a few of the things I think about when discussing this issue with patients before having plastic surgery in Santa Barbara.

The first thing I think about in evaluating you is your age. The FDA has approved silicone breast implants only for those women 22 years of age and older. While this seems somewhat arbitrary, this means that there needs to be a specific reason to use silicone in a woman who is younger than 22 years of age, such as failure of a previous implant or some type of reconstruction.

Secondly, when you come to be evaluated for breast implants in Santa Barbara, I assess the amount of breast tissue that you already have. (more…)