Join Dr. Peter Fodor at a special book signing event for “Be Your Best” – RSVP Now!

Join renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Peter B. Fodor on Sept. 30th, 6:00 p.m. at an exclusive book signing event for “Be Your Best – A Comprehensive Guide to Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Written by the Experts”

This special event will be held at The Regency Club Los Angeles.

1. Complimentary signed copies of Be Your Best and a brief telephone consultation by appointment, with Dr. Fodor will be provided to Regency Club members who RSVP for the event. Non-members who RSVP to attend the event will receive a 50% discount off the book’s regular price of $54.95, plus a brief complimentary telephone consultation with Dr. Fodor.Dr. Fodor will also answer your questions on all areas of aesthetic plastic surgery.
   
2. Be Your Best is the first book to combine the insights of over 150 board certified plastic surgeons. You’ll learn what you must know before having aesthetic plastic surgery.
3. Please RSVP by Sept. 28th by calling The Regency Club at 310.208.1443 or email Kim Phillips  at kphillips@theregencyclub.com
4. The Regency Club is located in Westwood at 10900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1700 Los Angeles, CA 90024
5. Do you have specific questions or concerns that you would like to be addressed by Dr. Fodor? Please email these by Sept. 28th to pbfodor@aol.com.

Each year, millions of Americans choose to undergo an aesthetic plastic surgery procedure or a non-invasive cosmetic treatment. If you are among them how will you decide which procedure might be best for you? What about the many new non-surgical procedures that are heavily promoted and featured in magazines and on TV shows? Which are truly effective, and which are simply oversold?

What if you could tap into the knowledge of over 150 board certified plastic surgeons to learn the answers to these and many other important questions? An informative new book, Be Your Best – A Comprehensive Guide to Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Written by the Experts allows the reader to do just that, with its 260 – plus pages filled with these leading doctor’s views and technical expertise, a realistic presentation of what can and cannot be accomplished with aesthetic medicine and surgery as well as tips on how to assure an uneventful recovery.

Internationally acclaimed aesthetic plastic surgeon Peter Bela Fodor, M.D., F.A.C.S. served as the principal writer and Medical Editor of Be Your Best. Dr. Fodor is well-known for his many contributions to plastic surgery. He has been widely published, was co-editor of the international journal “Aesthetic Plastic Surgery” and has served in multiple positions in various national and international plastic surgical organizations including as President of the Lipoplasty Society of North America as well as President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

“Be Your Best is intended to help anyone who is interested in cosmetic procedures assisting them in making wise choices for themselves or their family members,” says Dr. Fodor. “Everyone seeking cosmetic surgery through reading this book should possess the knowledge necessary to select the qualified plastic surgeon right for them. It also prepares patients to be well informed as they consider the options available to them. This may include the decision to not undergo aesthetic surgery.”

For more information on aesthetic plastic surgery please visit Dr. Fodor’s website http://www.drpeterfodor.com or call Dr. Fodor’s office at 310.203.9818.

TagsBe Your Best, Beverly Hills Liposuction, book signing, Dr. Peter Fodor, events, Los Angeles Plastic Surgery, platis surgery revision, The Regency Club

Plastic Surgery Revisions – Dr. Fodor on why the demand for re-dos is increasing.

The explosion in the number of cosmetic surgery procedures done in the U.S. has created a new demand – revision of unsatisfactory results, either because of unrealistic expectations or due to errors committed by the doctor.

Dr. Peter B. Fodor reports that revision work of procedures done elsewhere now account for fully half of his practice. Dr. Fodor is a board certified plastic surgeon and is a past president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He has long been an advocate for patient safety. Dr. Fodor says that correcting a previous procedure can be several times more difficult for the surgeon than a primary case, and so cosmetic surgery revision has become a sub-specialty of sorts.

No face-lift can stop time in its tracks, so as aging continues, even a happy patient may choose to have another one years later. But what if your face-lift or tummy tuck never pleased you? Maybe you ended up with more scarring than you bargained for, or your face lift left you with uneven features. Maybe just the general way things turned out aren’t what you had hoped for. Perhaps your first surgeon’s procedure gave you not only a tighter jaw line, but also a flat, wind-swept cheek and a stretched mouth. Or your nose no longer has an unsightly bump, but now is uneven, or worse, unnatural-looking.

The tremendous increase in the number of cosmetic surgery procedures over the past decade or so has created a new phenomenon – thousands of people who have been left unhappy with their results. These days, there’s such a critical mass of plastic surgery patients dissatisfied with their results that some surgeons perform secondary surgeries, or re-dos on a regular basis.

Nose jobs, for instance, are tricky because surgeons can’t control healing or how good the building materials are. Cartilage can be too thick or too flimsy; skin draped over a newly fashioned nose structure might not shrink to the shape the surgeon wants.

Dr. Fodor says that sometimes advertising can create unrealistic expectations. The idea that a procedure can be quick or painless is often marketed to patients. “The patient is always right when it comes to plastic surgery”, says Dr. Fodor. “A heart patient usually doesn’t decide if she wishes to spend less money to have a less-effective procedure. But a cosmetic surgery patient can choose a minimally invasive face-lift instead of a more complete one. If one surgeon won’t give her what she is asking for, another one will, not always ending with the best result.”

In many of the so-called “mini” –face lifts, problems are often under corrected, according to Dr. Fodor. These short-cuts may require little recovery but usually don’t last very long. For more information or a consultation, visit www.drpeterfodor.com or call Dr. Fodor’s office at 310.203.9818.

TagsLos Angeles, M.D., Peter B. Fodor, Plastic Surgery, plastic surgery revisions

Less is Seldom More – Why lasers and injectable facial fillers may not offer value in the long run.

Minimally invasive! Non-Invasive! These words have become a mainstay of marketing and news coverage of cosmetic procedures offered by many physicians and med spas.  It seems that every week there is an announcement touting a new “miracle” laser to rejuvenate the face, or a new filler material for plumping and obscuring facial lines and wrinkles. But what are people really buying when they choose one of these treatments, in hope of gaining a younger look?

“Primarily, they are buying a little time,” says Dr. Fodor, who has participated in the evaluation of many of the cosmetic lasers and injectable fillers that have been released over the past twenty years. “For some people who have minor issues including fine lines, sun damage and minor skin laxity, laser treatments and products like BOTOX and Juvederm can produce results,” say Dr. Fodor

Many people don’t realize that the minimally invasive procedures offer only temporary improvements and they must be repeated (every few months, in most cases) which will increase by many times the long-term cost of maintaining one’s appearance. Dr. Fodor says that the right plastic surgery procedures can provide much more dramatic aesthetic improvements, at a lower overall cost because patients won’t need to return repeatedly for re-treatments.

TagsDr. Peter Fodor, less is seldom more, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon, Peter B. Fodor M.D., Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery for Men

This chapter in “Be Your Best” by Dr. Peter Fodor clearly describes the change in attitudes of men towards cosmetic surgery and the factors that fueled this change. Not only have the numbers increased dramatically, but nowadays, not only entertainers and other individuals in the public eye, but men from all walks of life are availing themselves to the benefits of plastic surgery.

Recent Trends in Male Plastic Surgery

There has indeed been a relentless increase in male patients undergoing aesthetic surgery. Our national statistics have reflected this increase over the years and most recently it reached 9%-12% of all surgical and non-surgical cosmetic surgery procedures. This increase seems to be yet significantly higher in major urban settings. For example, in Dr. Fodor’s practice, the percentage is closer to 18%-20%. In addition to Botox injections representing the lion’s share of this increase, the very minimally invasive endoscopic facial rejuvenation, as well as refinements in body sculpting such as abdominal and pectoral etching, play a significant role in this greater acceptance of plastic surgery by men.

Botox and Facial Injections

Over the last few years, there has been a meteoric rise in the use of chemical denervation (Botox) and soft tissue fillers for facial rejuvenation and cosmetic enhancement of facial shape. A commonly used approach today is the combination of Botox injections for the upper face and facial fillers for the lower. These injectable treatments are also popular as adjuncts to facial aesthetic surgery, complementing and sometimes prolonging surgical results. Careful analysis of each patient’s physiognomy and aesthetic goals guide the surgeon in designing the best treatment strategy.

Botox injections also have been used very sucessfully to control migraine headaches and diminish excessive sweating of the armpits and palms, and forehead, an embarrassing problem for some patients.

Choose An Expert For Your Botox Injections

Injectable treatments are a wonderful tool in treating cosmetic patients, but, like any tool, they can be misused. The physician must practice meticulous technique with careful control of the location and depth of injections based on an intimate knowledge of the anatomy coupled with full understanding of the unique characteristics of the injected material. Inadequately trained practioners from varied backgrounds are often responsible for the substandard results that all of us have seen, many times on well-known celebrities who appear virtually expressionless from Botox, sporting “over-plumped” lips or “mask-like” faces from overzealous use of fillers. These kinds of results are entirely avoidable.

For all the reasons mentioned by the contributing experts in Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Fodor’s book “Be Your Best”, absorbable and semi-permanent injectables are “the way to go” and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, the search for the ideal facial filler material continues with several promising ones, yet to be FDA-approved, on the horizon.

Dr. Fodor’s preference for facial volume restoration has almost completely shifted away from injections of autologous fat (harvested from the patient’s own body) to hyalaronic acid and other filler materials. Not so for the body, however, where fat remains the best filling material for post-liposuction defects.

Using Fat As An Injectable Filler

There are, however, some exciting developments with regards to autologous fat. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Fodor and a team of plastic surgeons are in the process of research that could greatly enhance the performance of fat as soft tissue filler. The research shows that stem cells are abundantly present in the fat removed by liposuction. These stem cells can be isolated and preserved (like blood in a blood bank) for later use. Enriching fat with stem cells prior to injection should significantly improve its survival in the face and body and eliminate the need for unsightly over-correction to compensate for fat resorption. These findings may even lead these plastic surgeons to reconsider the use of fat for breast augmentation, a practice that has been widely condemned on the grounds that is causes calcification within the breast tissue, resulting in false positive mammograms. More research needs to be done, but it is entirely possible that our own fat may yet become the ideal universal filler.

Body Sculpting Following Massive Weight Loss

The less invasive and, nowadays for the most part, endoscopic approaches make bariatric surgery appealing to many more patients. It is estimated that nationally approximately 150,000 procedures are performed annually.

Changes In Body Sculpting Techniques

The need for body sculpting surgery following massive weight loss also increased dramatically. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s annual statistics, more than 213,000 such operations were performed by plastic surgeons in 2005. This type of surgery is challenging in more than one respect, and it has almost become within plastic surgery a specialty by itself. Additional safety considerations, rapidly evolving technical innovations and a profound understanding of the emotional needs of these patients are of paramount importance. Therefore, it behooves patients to diligently search in selecting a plastic surgeon for these procedures. Nowadays, more and more, the extra skin envelope is not only surgically resected and discarded, but these tissues can be shifted, repositioned and sculpted to provide volume for deflated body areas such as the breasts and buttocks. These patients, usually exhausted both physically and mentally, can be offered a new lease on life through these surgical interventions. The great majority of these patients following these procedures are functionally freed and aesthetically rejuvenated. Facial surgery, with modified facelift techniques, is also often performed for them. Plastic surgery after massive weight loss is indeed quite challenging but also very rewarding for both the patients and surgeons.

Preparing for Plastic Surgery: Types of Anesthesia

Selection of anesthesia providers; an anesthesiologist or a CRNA, and the type of anesthesia to be administered for a given procedure is an integral part of preparation for surgery. Some anesthesiologists or CRNAS are more keenly interested and predisposed than others to provide services for aesthetic surgical procedures. These anesthesiologists are likely to call the patient the night before surgery, are in addition to providing anesthesia, also of great assistance in the operating room and closely follow the patient and he or she is being transported to the recovery room, where they assure seamless transfer of care to the recovery room staff.

Close communication and team work between the anesthesia provider and surgeon is an essential component of quality and safe care for the aesthetic surgery patient.

Rhinoplasty or Nose Surgery

Interestingly, the word “rhinoplasty” originates from the word “rhinoceros”. As the experts agree, reshaping of the nose is clearly one of the most difficult procedures an aesthetic plastic surgeon performs. Perhaps more than any other type of cosmetic surgery, rhinoplasty requires a blend of impeccable aesthetic judgment and technical finesse. Open and thorough preoperative communication between the patient and surgeon is essential and can be aided by drawings or computer- generated images that illustrate possible adjustments of the nasal appearance.

Finding The Right Nose Shape Before A Rhinoplasty

Pre-existing characteristics of the nose, which vary greatly among individuals, have a significant bearing on what can be surgically accomplished in any particular case. This is one reason why the experts stress the importance of discussing the limitations, as well as the expected benefits, of surgery during the preoperative consultation. Photographs of noses that the patient considers ideal can serve as a useful starting point for discussion and can also provide a “signal” of how focused the patient really is with regard to his or her desires and expectations. For example, Los Angeles plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Fodor has occasionally had a patient bring in several photographs of noses, each of which looked entirely different from the rest. When this happens it clearly indicates that a patient is confused about his or her aesthetic goals, and it is necessary to sort this out before proceeding with surgery.

Revision surgery, as described in this chapter in Dr. Fodor’s book “Be Your Best”, often may consist of minor surgical adjustments and is not an uncommon occurrence. In fact, any surgeon who suggests that there is never a need to perform revisions on his or her work either does not perform rhinoplasties or is being less than candid. More extensive secondary surgery to improve an over-operated, and particularly an over-reduced nose, if often extremely challenging but can also be very rewarding for the patient and surgeon alike. It has been said this type of “redo” surgery may be 10 times more difficult than a primary surgery. The choice of is imperative and consulting with several experienced surgeons before proceeding is wise.

Rhinoplasty Benefits

It is wonderful to watch how patients of all ages truly “blossom” following successful rhinoplasty surgery. The change is a combination of their improved appearance and the sometimes dramatic emotional relief that they feel as a result of having a more normal-looking or aesthetically balanced nose. Makeup and hairdos no longer need to be attempt to hide or de-emphasize the nose, glasses are traded for contact lenses, cosmetic dental work may be undertaken to enhance the smile, and weight control programs are often adopted. When plastic surgeons see these far-reaching positive changes in our patients, it is our best possible reward and certainly justifies the many years of training and experience that go into achieving outstanding results from rhinoplasty.

Neck Contouring and Liposuction

Customizing the surgical approach for each individual is paramount in achieving the most aesthetic results in neck enhancement. Various choices are available, ranging from liposuction (lipoplasty) with or without chin augmentation to much more extensive operations such as a corset platysmaplasty and/or a full face lift. The length of recovery and the extent of scarring vary accordingly, and these are points that require thorough discussion between surgeon and patient during the plastic surgery consultation.

Neck Contouring Complications

It is also important for patients undergoing some of the more extensive neck procedures to carefully follow postoperative instructions. This can greatly reduce the potential for postoperative complications. If a problem, such as hematoma (collection of blood underneath the skin), does occur in the immediate postoperative period, the patient should not delay in alerting his or her surgeon. When measures are taken in a timely manner, this type of complication is easily controlled, and the final aesthetic result is not compromised.

Current aesthetic judgment dictates a judicious surgical approach to the neck, which goes a long way toward avoiding an unnatural hollowed-out look or a too-sharp angle of the neck. In general, surgical improvement for sagging neck tissues has shifted in recent years from a backward pull toward a more vertically oriented pull. This evolution in technique has allowed plastic surgeons to produce more pleasing and long-lasting aesthetic improvements for patients seeking neck contouring and rejuvenation.

Plastic Surgery Societies and Board Certification

Needless to say, patient safety with any type of surgery is of paramount importance. Because aesthetic surgery is totally elective, it is essential that the normal risks of surgery be reduced to the lowest level possible, and that the safety and effectiveness of selected treatments be well established. Likewise, medical professionals providing cosmetic surgery services must be well trained in the prevention and handling if complications.

The Importance of Plastic Surgery Residency Programs

The residency programs that prepare a physician for board certification in plastic surgery are among the most extensive of any medical or surgical professional. Plastic surgeons study all major systems of the body, and many plastic surgeons are also fully trained and certified as general surgeons. The course of training for any plastic surgeon includes ample exposure to the prevention of surgical complications, how to promptly recognize them when they occur, and how to most effectively treat them.

Throughout the years, plastic surgery has maintained an impressive patient safety record. Part of the reason is the commitment of our professional societies, such as the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), to the continuing medical education of their members, with an appropriate emphasis on patient safety. As ASAPS President, in 2005, I created the ASAPS Patient Safety Steering Committee to further focus attention on developing a “culture of safety” at every level of aesthetic surgery practice. Since then, a number of additional patient safety initiatives have been developed, including revised guidelines on prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and new studies focusing on proper patient selection to help minimize surgical risks. The work of this committee is expected to be ongoing. As a result of these and other educational efforts, patients can feel more confident of their safety when undergoing elective cosmetic surgery.