Monday, November 13, 2006

Prevention and Management of Complications in Aesthetic Surgery

An interesting topic that Dr. Foad Nahai presented at the 13th ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery was about the Prevention and Management of Complications in Aesthetic Surgery. With a touch of humor, he stated, "If a plastic surgeon claims he hasn't had any complications, he is either not telling the whole truth or he hasn't had that many operations." A humorous statement but I would say I would agree with him. Dr. Nahai, who is highly esteemed among plastic surgeons as the author of many books on plastic surgery, humbly and candidly shared some of the complications he encountered in his own private practice and generously shared valuable information about how to lower the risks of complications and how to manage complications. I'm sure many of the younger and less experienced plastic surgeons found his talk especially interesting.

Plastic surgeons who have practiced for a long time and who have had years of experience know that although serious complications are rare, there are complications that they have to be ready to manage. This is precisely why it is of primary importance that patients choose their plastic surgeons carefully. Although many doctors choose to do cosmetic surgery without the specialized training that plastic surgeons have, they may only be familiar with the uncomplicated surgery case and may lack the experience to handle complications well.

Read more of these articles:
How to Select a Qualified Plastic Surgeon
The Cosmetic Surgery Scene in the Philippines

Please feel free to email Dr. Lasa if you have any questions.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Philippines
Information about procedures, prices, selecting a qualified surgeon
and having affordable cosmetic plastic surgery in the Philippines


The Cutting Edge in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

The keynote lecture in the 13th ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery was given by world renowned plastic surgeon, Dr. Foad Nahai, who I had the opportunity to observe when I was training in 1990 with Dr. John Lewis, founder and first president of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Dr. Nahai was with the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia then.

Dr. Nahai's lecture was interesting because, contrary to popular opinion that the cutting edge in aesthetic surgery means that it is the newest and the best, he stated that the "cutting edge" could be a fad or an unproven technique, therapy or procedure and therefore, not necessarily the best. Some of the newer techniques that he mentioned were now under review were radiofrequency skin tightening, barbed sutures, and nonsurgical liposuction alternatives. He gave a quote that goes something like this: "Not everything that is new is good, but everything that is good was once new." And so, this highly esteemed plastic surgeon cautioned the participants to the Congress and said, "Don't be the first to jump on the bandwagon of something new. Not the last either." With a touch of humor, he warned us "Don't fall off the cutting edge".

Dr. Nahai noted that the world wide interest in cosmetic surgery has never been greater. This is due to the exposure from media. According to him, media coverage may be considered good because it increases awareness and intrest but in a way, it can also be bad because it can lead to unrealistic expectations. Sometimes, media tends to minimize the risks of plastic surgery.

Some statistics that he cited: In the U.S., $12.4 Billion was spent on cosmetic surgery, with a growing trend towards non-surgical options with less downtime. With all the opportunities and challenges the plastic surgeon faces today, Dr. Nahai encouraged the plastic surgeons in attendance to "Continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards, always put the patient's interests first, enforce standards and weed out "bad eggs", educate the media and the public and to continue to be a real plastic surgeon and not just a cosmetic surgeon."





Read more of these articles:
How to Select a Qualified Plastic Surgeon
The Cosmetic Surgery Scene in the Philippines

Please feel free to email Dr. Lasa if you have any questions.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Philippines
Information about procedures, prices, selecting a qualified surgeon
and having affordable cosmetic plastic surgery in the Philippines


Plastic Surgeons From Around the World

The 13 ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery featured scientific sessions, with some of the world's leading plastic surgeons providing expert presentation panels and discussion groups in almost every field of plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Among the plastic surgeons who spoke at the 13th ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery were the following:

From the United States of America, Dr. Foad Nahai lectured on a variety of topics, including the Personal Approach to Total Facial Rejuvenation, Augmentation Mammoplasty, Prevention and Management of Complications in Aesthetic Surgery and The Cutting Edge in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Other speakers from the United States were Dr. Mutaz Habal, who spoke on the Controversies with Treatment of Crooked Heads, Dr. Reid Hansen, on Breast Reconstruction with Latissimus Dorsi Flap, Dr. Gregory Evans, on Mastopexy techniques and Dr. Kenneth Salyer, on Lessons Learned in 36 Years of Craniofacial Surgery. From Australia, Dr. David J. David, spoke on the Past, Present & Future of Craniofacial Surgery.

On the topic of Body Sculpturing, Dr. Yeap Choong Lieng presented Liposelection, The Revolutionary Technique, Dr. Gwendy Aniko spoke about Water-Jet Assisted Liposuction, and Dr. Benjamin Ascher discussed Lipolysis by External Ultrasounds. Speakers for the topic of Rhinoplasty were Dr. Florencio Lucero from the Philippines, and Dr. Montri Kitmanee and Dr. Yu-Ray Chen.

These are just some of the many topics which were presented. I and the other Congress participants greatly benefitted from the sessions during this congress as the presentors generously shared their experiences and techniques with their collegues.

Read more of these articles:
How to Select a Qualified Plastic Surgeon
The Cosmetic Surgery Scene in the Philippines

Please feel free to email Dr. Lasa if you have any questions.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Philippines
Information about procedures, prices, selecting a qualified surgeon
and having affordable cosmetic plastic surgery in the Philippines


Plastic Surgery Around the World

The invited speakers to the 13th ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery were plastic surgeons from Thailand, United States of America, Taiwan R.O.C., Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Austria, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Switzerland, Israel and Italy. As the various topics were discussed by these surgeons, it was interesting to note the differences and commonalities in the practice of plastic surgery in the different countries. For example, since 1992, plastic surgeons from the United States have only been able to use silicone gel implants under certain conditions such as for the purposes of reconstruction after mastectomy. In contrast, silicone gel implants, which many of the American surgeons prefer over the saline implants they are allowed to use, are widely used in Asian countries such as the Philippines. Thus, patients who prefer the silicone gel implants often have to travel to countries where these are used to have their surgery.

Another example of differences would be the type of rhinoplasty (nose) surgery which is commonly done in the different countries. While nose surgery in the United States is predominantly for reduction, in the Philippines as well as other Asian countries, augmentation rhinoplasty or the nose lift would be the more common procedure. Thus, when deciding to have these procedures done, it is important to consider the experience the plastic surgeon has. Asian doctors usually have more experience in augmentation, and if considering having reduction rhinoplasty done in an Asian country, a plastic surgeon who has had training in countries like the United States is the preferred option.

Read more of these articles:
How to Select a Qualified Plastic Surgeon
The Cosmetic Surgery Scene in the Philippines

Please feel free to email Dr. Lasa if you have any questions.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Philippines
Information about procedures, prices, selecting a qualified surgeon
and having affordable cosmetic plastic surgery in the Philippines


The 13th ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery

The 13th ASEAN Congress of Plastic Surgery was held at the Sheraton Chaing Mai Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand last October 16 - 18, 2006. The theme of the conference was "The Cutting Edge in Plastic Surgery and Charm of the North". In attendance were plastic and reconstructive surgeons from around the world, most of us from the Asian nations. Among the topics discussed were Breast Reduction, Breast Reconstruction, the Personal Approach to Total Facial Rejuvenation, Body Sculpturing, Rhinoplasty & Blepharoplasty. There are many new developments in the field of plastic surgery and there are always many things plastic surgeons can learn from one another during these international conferences. Indeed, it is important for doctors to always keep abreast of these techniques and developments and one way of doing this is by regularly attending these conferences.

Read more of these articles:
How to Select a Qualified Plastic Surgeon
The Cosmetic Surgery Scene in the Philippines

Please feel free to email Dr. Lasa if you have any questions.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Philippines
Information about procedures, prices, selecting a qualified surgeon
and having affordable cosmetic plastic surgery in the Philippines