Recently a patient asked me to blog about the effects of cigarette smoking on surgery and healing from surgery. Although she knows that cigarette smoking is bad for you, and that you should stop, she wanted to know more about why this was so important, and what the effects are. This is a very reasonable request and thus this blog entry.

Lung Cancer Isn’t The Only Problem
Most people know that smoking is bad for you. And most people know that this can affect your lungs by making you susceptible to lung cancer and emphysema. But what many people don’t know is the other more important side effect of smoking: circulation problems. Not everyone who smokes will develop lung cancer, but everyone who smokes will have their circulation negatively effected. (more…)

Definitely shave before having laser hair removal. Dr. Reath clears up any confusion on this week’s Truth-O-Meter Tuesday video as well as having a bit of fun along with our Aesthetician Heather McNeal.

Another way we care for our patients: CosmetAssure
Complications after cosmetic surgery are rare, thankfully, but they can occur as with any type of surgery. Many people are surprised to learn that the majority of major medical health insurance policies now exclude treatment of medical complications if those complications are a result of an elective aesthetic surgical procedure. All of our cosmetic surgery patients who are eligible are enrolled in the ASPS-endorsed CosmetAssure program which covers the cost of caring for complications after cosmetic surgery. It is included in the cost of each surgery.

We are the only plastic surgeon’s office in the Knoxville area to provide this important insurance to cosmetic surgery patients. I explain why on the video and announce the winner of this week’s Truth-O-Meter Tuesday question:

We had a record number of correct answers on facebook for this week’s Truth-O-Meter Tuesday game. The subject was inspired by the heat we have all been experiencing, because it has to do with hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating. Here’s the question: Axillary (or armpit) hyperhidrosis can be effectively treated with Botox injections. The answer is True. Watch the video to learn more and see if you’re the lucky winner of the $100 giftcard.

If you would like a reminder email so that you don’t forget to play on Tuesdays, just shoot us an email and we’ll get you on the list. The email address is LisaReath@msn.com.

Never played Truth-O-Meter Tuesdays with us? Here are the rules: (more…)

One of the questions I get asked a lot is whether or not someone is a good candidate for liposuction.  Here are three questions you can ask yourself:

• Do you have one or two areas of your body that are out of proportion to the rest of your body?
• Is there an area of your body that does not respond to diet and exercise — is always there no matter what your weight is?
• Do you have the same thighs as your mother, or the same hip rolls as your father?

If you answer yes to any of these, you may be a good candidate for liposuction.

Liposuction has always been a popular operation, and its popularity continues to grow. In fact, it’s is the most popular plastic surgery procedure among men. The reason for this is that liposuction is safe, has a short recovery time and often can produce the best results for people who have exhausted other alternatives. That is to say, it works.

What Liposuction Isn’t
It is important for people to understand that liposuction is not a weight-loss procedure.  Some people are under the impression that through liposuction you can lose large amounts of weight.  The real focus of liposuction is not on weight-loss, but on improving the shape of the body, so the areas we treat are those areas of the body that are out of proportion with the body as a whole. Typical areas include the outer thighs (saddlebags), inner thighs, hip rolls (love handles), abdomen, back and chest (particularly in men).

So if you have one or two areas that just won’t budge and you’re reasonably close to where you should be weight-wise, liposuction may be the ticket for you.

David B.

Unless you just woke up from a three or four year nap, you have probably heard about laser assisted liposuction (LAL), or what one laser company calls their machine, “Smart Lipo.” And there has been a ton of  hype about this technology.  The public has been bombarded with companies marketing this as the greatest thing since sliced-bread.  The real question we need to answer is: is this really better than what we have now?  Furthermore, is it as good, or as safe as what we are currently using?

Recently, I attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and there was a lot of talk about this technology, and how it stacks up to other forms of liposuction.  (more…)

Recently, a press release from the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS)  about an article written in our journal, was picked up by the Los Angeles Times and published.  (The ASPS Plastic Surgery Education Committee of which I am the vice-chairman, feeds these releases to the press on a monthly basis.)  This article is very timely, very informative, and very disturbing.  It dealt with who was doing plastic surgical procedures Southern California.  The procedures they looked at were Botox and filler injections, and liposuction.

It was expected that many different specialties would be elbowing their way into the injectable market, and certainly dermatologists (if properly trained) have a real place here.  However, the third largest group of doctors doing injections was primary care physicians.  But, even more disturbingly, the fourth largest group doing liposuction was also primary care physicians.  And, 40% of doctors doing liposuction had no surgical training.  And, just so we’re clear here, liposuction is surgery, as in real surgery.

It would be really nice to sit back say, “that’s California, what else would you expect?”  But believe me, it’s happening here in East Tennessee.  (more…)

Recently, I’ve noticed a light outside during the day, something round and shining in the sky.  Oh, yeah, it’s the sun.  Seems like forever since we’ve seen it.  But it really looks like the weather is breaking and some real springtime weather is upon us.  And, of course, as the weather improves we start thinking about getting outside, summer, sitting by the pool, bathing suits.  And, (OMG) time to get back into shape!

There is no question that the fitter we are, the better we look, and the healthier we are.  And this is pretty much age independent.  So, whether we are in our twenties or in our seventies, we are all better off if we are  exercising on a routine basis.  Some people really have this down.  They are working out regularly and the results show, while others have a problem either getting going, or keeping it going.  So what makes the difference?  While there is no one answer, several things can really help you keep a consistent exercise program. (more…)

This is a very common question that I have been asked. In fact, we were talking about this in the office at lunch yesterday, and most of the people in my office didn’t know the answer to this either. So, being the wise guy that I am, I told them to read my blog. Which, of course, means that I have to write the blog. So here goes:

“Plastic,” as it refers to the type of surgery I perform, and as it applies to the synthetic materials, is derived from the Greek word “plastikos,” which means to mold, or to have the ability to mold. Just as the synthetic plastic materials can be molded into different shapes, plastic surgery molds, or reshapes different parts of the body. So, the “plastic” in plastic surgery doesn’t mean that we are always putting in something synthetic (like a plastic), but that we are changing the shape of, or molding the part of the body we are working on.

Simple, right? Either that, or it’s all Greek to me!

Here’s looking at you,

David B.