'Breast Lift'

Toni went to see Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli to have her breasts rejuvenated following two pregnancies.

Following considerable weight fluctuations and breastfeeding associated with her two pregnancies, Toni noticed significant sagging and volume loss in her breasts. ‘My self-esteem was so low, I didn’t want to wear revealing tops and I basically had to wear industrial strength bras to get any lift – I was desperate to get my pert breasts back!’ she says.

Toni researched the procedure and possible surgeons for seven years prior to taking the plunge and found Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli through a friend’s recommendation. ‘Dr Tavakoli’s reputation is that he is precise, caring and strives to get great results for each of his patients,’ she says. ‘His team is professional, cohesive and make you feel confident about your procedure.’

Toni and her husband attended her initial consult, where they discussed the breast lift and breast augmentation she wished to undergo with Dr Tavakoli. ‘We had a talk about my concerns, then after he conducted an examination and took some measurements we looked through pictures of his previous work and discussed how we could achieve the best results.’

Toni says the whole process was easier than she imagined it would be, and describes the pain following as minimal. ‘It was similar to the discomfort and tingling when you first begin to breastfeed. For me, it was very manageable and had disappeared within a few days,’ she says.

‘Now, you wouldn’t even know I’ve had the surgery done! My new breasts are perky and natural-looking and the scars have faded to a vague silver,’ she says. ‘Importantly, my self-esteem has returned, I feel beautiful again and having such a positive experience has really changed my outlook.’

Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli outlines the options involved with mastopexy, or breast lifting, procedures. Francis Herron reports.

Breast ptosis, or droopiness, is a condition that can affect women of all ages, says Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli. ‘Although we tend to associate breast ptosis with older women, young women also often suffer varying degrees of droopiness after breastfeeding or significant weight loss. For these women, wearing a supportive bra can disguise but not correct the problem.’

With the increasing acceptance of cosmetic surgery procedures by the general population, more and more women are choosing to undergo corrective surgery on their breasts to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, Dr Tavakoli says.

Aesthetic plastic surgery of the breast involves a number of procedures that range from simple augmentation to more complex breast lifting, he explains. Mastopexy, or a lift, can be performed as a stand-alone procedure or combined with augmentation using implants. Breast reduction (mammoplasty) is in fact a form of breast lifting associated with removing breast tissue.

Due to the variation of breast shapes and conditions, a skilled plastic surgeon understands that simply using breast implants alone will not always produce aesthetically pleasing results. A decision about which procedure or combination of procedures best suits an individual must be made taking into account several factors. Assessing breast volume and shape, the condition and elasticity of the patient’s skin and the position of their nipples is crucial to the surgeon’s ability to obtain a good result.

Although augmenting breasts by inserting implants can correct some minor drooping, the issues relating to nipple position and an excessive skin envelope cannot be addressed by augmentation alone.

Mastopexy, on the other hand, does not change the amount of breast tissue a woman has, but it can change the shape dramatically, which in turn can affect the overall breast size and projection.

Breast-lift surgery restores breast shape to a more youthful appearance by reshaping the breast tissue, removing excess skin and relocating the position of the nipple-areola complex. Breast tissue must be surgically contoured from an elongated shape into a more youthful Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli outlines the options involved with mastopexy, or breast lifting, procedures. Francis Herron reports. conical structure. This manoeuvre is an integral part of the breast remodelling process.

Dr Tavakoli says three types of incisions can be used. These include making an oval-shaped incision around the nipple-areola complex (Benelli-Goes) in mild cases, a lollypop-shaped incision from the areola to the breast crease (Le Jour-Hammond) for most cases or the traditional anchor-shaped incision (Wise pattern) that also includes the breast crease for severe cases of droopiness.

‘Modern plastic surgery focuses on creating a minimal scar in return for achieving the most desirable aesthetic outcome,’ he says. ‘The prospective patient should be aware of this delicate balance before embarking on a mastopexy procedure.’ Some degree of scarring is inevitable in mastopexy surgery.

Accepting the scarring associated with mastopexy is a real concern for some patients, although fractionated laser scar therapy in the post-operative period has contributed immensely to superior scar formation.

In some cases, breast lifting needs to be combined with the insertion of implants to produce an optimal result. The combined breast lift and augmentation procedure is considered one of the more difficult operations in plastic surgery. It can be performed in a single procedure but is more usually undertaken in two stages.

Patients must stop smoking for at least four to six weeks before and after the operation, he advises.

‘Mastopexy is not usually a painful operation, but discomfort can persist for a week or so,’ he says. ‘Patients will need 10 to 14 days off work after this procedure for recovery and healing.’

‘Mastopexy can be a very rewarding procedure for women seeking to correct drooping breasts,’ says Dr Tavakoli. ‘Prospective patients should inform themselves about the procedure and discuss the operation and its projected outcomes thoroughly with their surgeon.’

Sunday Mail (QLD)

Edition 2 – State – Main CountrySUN 02 APR 2006, Page 040 Unkindest cuts – Why cosmetic surgery complaints are on the rise By JESSICA LAWRENCE

SPECIAL REPORT

BOTCHED cosmetic procedures are on the rise as more and more Queenslanders go under the knife.

The quest for bodily perfection has seen a surge in the number of patients undergoing tummy tucks and breast, lip and nose jobs.

Queensland surgeons performed 32,000 cosmetic operations last year — up 35 per cent from 2004.

Last year, 24 cosmetic-surgery complaints were heard by Queensland Health Rights Commissioner David Kerslake, up from 22 in 2004, and 13 in 2003. Seven have been received so far this year.

Negligence claims against plastic surgeons jumped more than 70 per cent between 1995 and 2004.

Industry experts say a rise in the number of unqualified cosmetic doctors, coupled with a boom in overseas surgery tours, are responsible for the spike.

Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons spokesman Dan Kennedy said he had recently dealt with a nurse who was forced to undergo surgical repairs after a botched liposuction.

“She thought she was going to a qualified Australian plastic surgeon, and afterwards she found out he wasn’t,” said Dr Kennedy, who practises in Brisbane.

“She got her money back because she suffered quite an injury from it.”

Cosmetic Surgery in Thailand

Sydney plastic surgeon Kourosh Tavakoli said an increasing number of young women were willing to travel to Asian countries: “I spoke to a woman recently who had travelled to Thailand for a breast augmentation and lift, only to have the implants left sitting somewhere near her collarbone.

“And I got a phone call from a girl the other day who was part of a group of 11 girls aged between 18 and 25 who were going to Thailand for surgery.

“It’s half price to go over there, but there is the risk of hepatitis and HIV.

“Then you have beauty therapists in Australia using equipment they may not be equipped to deal with.”

Plastic surgeon Norman Olbourne said many clients were risking their health by flying home just days after undergoing operations in Asia, and clients hoping for cut-price medical procedures were often forced to have corrective surgery: “I spoke to one lady from Perth who went to Thailand for a facelift and a neck lift and a breast and tummy-tuck operation. She was told she would be there for 13 days and it would cost $7000, but she was there 35 days and it cost her more than $20,000.”

The woman has had to mortgage her house to pay for corrective surgery.

“You are supposed to spend up to six weeks in hospital after a tummy tuck, but we know of people who are flying back days later.

“These sorts of tours are being promoted by travel agents and doctors, but the ones who are at risk are the patients.”

In August 2002 in Queensland, Sue Kenny had lap-band surgery — which reduces the stomach — to slim down her 145kg frame after failing to lose weight the old-fashioned way.

One week later Ms Kenny, 41, of Ashgrove in Brisbane, who is being represented by Brisbane lawyers Shine Roche McGowan, was rushed back to hospital after her stomach was punctured.

She spent another three months in hospital undergoing several more operations and suffered kidney failure. She now has dialysis four times a week.

“My doctors told me to get it done because I needed to lose weight for medical reasons. They told me this was a safe procedure, and if I didn’t like it I could have it taken out. If I knew now what was going to happen I would never have had the operation.”

A member of the medical negligence team at Shine Roche McGowan, Alison Allysonalker, said there had been a “definite rise in inquiries” regarding botched cosmetic surgery, especially lap-banding: “The more advertising there is about `what a wonderful procedure it is’, the more people are going down that road thinking it’s right for them. But it’s not always the case.”

National head of medical negligence with law firm Slater and Gordon, Bill Madden, said patients seeking compensation could have difficulty proving they had been disfigured.

“People go in and have nose surgery and the outcome to them might seem significant because it is not a good outcome,” he said.

“But it’s not necessarily something which is going to be horrific, and when the time comes to working out financial compensation the amount might be quite modest.”

Last year The Sunday Mail reported that children as young as eight were undergoing procedures such as ear-pinning after discussions with plastic surgeons.

Dr Kennedy urged those considering plastic surgery to check the credentials of the surgeon, and make sure they belonged to an accredited organisation.

“It’s also important to make sure you feel comfortable with your surgeon, and that they understand exactly what you want.”

Dr Tavakoli is an accredited Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon. Contact Dr Tavakoli today to get the right professional advise for your Cosmetic Plastic Surgery