'Plastic Surgeon'

Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli’s case study shows how cosmetic procedures can be combined.

Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli’s patient says she had a bump high on the bridge of her nose that, while it didn’t bother her unduly, always caught her eye when she saw herself in a mirror.

She says the bump is a family feature shared by her father and aunt and as she found herself noticing it more and more in her mid-20s, she began to think about having it corrected. When she consulted Dr Tavakoli about a rhinoplasty, she mentioned during their discussion that she had always wanted a breast augmentation. At more than 180cm tall, she says she has always felt she was completely flat-chested.

Dr Tavakoli explained she could have both procedures at the same time and the convenience strongly appealed to her, so she made arrangements to take two weeks off work for her recovery time.

‘The breast augmentation is something I’d always thought about. I used to talk about it with my mum and we’d joke that we’d do it together,’ she says, adding with a laugh that her mother is envious of her now she has gone from an A to a D cup.

She said that Dr Tavakoli reassured her there wasn’t any extra risk involved with undergoing the two procedures simultaneously. Her rhinoplasty and breast augmentation operations took about three hours in total and she says she went into day surgery at 7am and was at home by 2pm. Dr Tavakoli removed the bump from the bridge of her nose and also performed a septoplasty to narrow it. She says she is very happy with the result.

Dr Tavakoli also inserted high profile, round silicone-filled implants behind the pectoral muscle to provide some forward projection and to give her fullness in the upper pole of her breasts, giving her the bustline she says she has always desired.

‘From the moment I woke up until now, which is five weeks later, I’ve had no real pain at all, just a little tenderness with my nose,’ says the patient. ‘even Dr Tavakoli has been impressed by the speed of my recovery.’

She says she took a prescription painkiller for a week and a half after the surgery and that although all the work on her nose was internal, she did have bruises over her upper eyelids, which faded in about a week.

Her breast augmentation incisions were relatively small and are healing well. overall, she is extremely pleased with the outcomes of both procedures.

‘I don’t think it’s changed me as a person; I just feel so much more comfortable when I look in the mirror – and the breast augmentation has given me a lot more confidence about wearing summer clothes,’ she says. ‘I haven’t needed to buy more clothes, the ones I have still fit, they just look better!’

Dr Tavakoli says the safety of modern procedures and technologies means patients can combine procedures for two-in-one cosmetic results. acsm

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.’

Gabriella went to see Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli to have her uneven breasts corrected.

Jessica rule reports.

Gabriella’s breasts developed unevenly during puberty and were consequently significantly uneven. ‘I was extremely self-conscious about the big difference in my breasts – one was a small C and the other a large D cup,’ says Gabriella. ‘I didn’t want to wear revealing tops or bikinis and I had trouble bra shopping because of the size difference.’

Gabriella says she thoroughly researched the procedure and possible doctors. The first surgeon she saw was unsure about how to proceed with her breasts, but when she saw Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli at their first consultation her confidence was gained.

‘Dr Tavakoli made me feel safe that he knew what he was doing. He had a previous case like mine and had achieved good results, so he was confident he could achieve the outcome I wanted,’ she says.

Gabriella didn’t want to use breast implants to remedy the size difference, so Dr Tavakoli recommended a reduction in her larger breast, along with a slight reduction in her smaller breast.

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

Gabriella says she was initially nervous going in to the procedure, but it happened quickly and was easier than she imagined it would be.

‘I was in pain following the surgery for about a week, which I was able to manage with pain killers,’ she says. ‘Within three weeks I was back at university and it has now been two months since the operation so I have resumed gentle exercise.’

‘As for the results, I now can’t imagine having my old breasts – this just feels like it’s the way I was meant to look,’ she says. ‘The scars are healing very well and I think they will be barely noticeable, which was one of my key concerns.’

Gabriella says her family and friends are also very pleased with the success of her results. ‘They can see that my confidence has returned,’ she says. ‘My mum is especially happy for me because she can tell how positive the impact has been on how I feel about my body.’

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

Teenagers who want to have plastic surgery usually have different motivations and goals than adults. They often have plastic surgery to improve physical characteristics they feel are awkward or flawed, that if left uncorrected, may affect them well into adulthood. Teens tend to have plastic surgery to fit in with peers, to look similar. Adults tend to have plastic surgery to standout from others.

THREE GOLDEN RULES:

1. The teenager initiates the request with parental support.

2. The teenager has realistic goals

3. The teenager has sufficient maturity.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS

1- Is teenage breast augmentation on the rise?

Definitely on the increase compared to a few years ago.

2- Why has the popularity of cosmetic surgery risen among teenage girls?

A few reasons:

• I think its partly because of media exposure from shows like nip’tuck that teenagers think it is OK to have plastic surgery.
• Recognition of psychological benefit of plastic surgery. So their parents, who are funding the procedure, are now more likely to support the ” idea of change”.
• With more information on procedures such as breast augmentation , liposculpture and rhinoplasty on internet, teenagers can now research cosmetic surgery more extensively than ever before.

3- What sort of reasons do your clients give you for wanting cosmetic/plastic surgery? Peer pressure? Unhappy with body image? Medical condition?

Probably more as a result of general increase in awareness, but also peer pressure.

4- Are the procedures of choice generally for cosmetic reasons or genuine medical reasons?

Bye and large cosmetic. Mainly unhappy with big nose or ears, small breasts.

5- What age group is generally having breast augmentation?

16 to 24 those with no babies 25 plus after pregnancy sagginess

6- Would you give a teenager breast implants?

Under what circumstances? What were the circumstances?

Cosmetic: Genuienly small breasts, completely out of proportion with the rest of the body.

Reconstructive: treating conditions such as Polands syndrome where there is an obvious chest wall deformity as a result of birth defect.

7- What are the most common procedures among teenage girls?

Otoplasty, Breast augmentation and rhinoplasty.

8-Would you have any statistics on Teenage Plastic Surgery?

According to American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) statistics, more than 331,000 cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed on people age 18 or younger in 2003.

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

With winter months looming, the rate of people seeking liposuction is on the rise. With more people in Sydney becoming fitness savy through their “personal trainer” and attending “Boot Camps”, the profile of patients seeking liposcuction is rapidly changing.

Liposculpture is now the main request for these gym goers who are in the 20 to 40 age profile with good skin tone and essentially seeking surgery for improving difficult areas such as “outer thighs” (women) or the troublesome “lovehandles” (men).

Liposculpture has evolved from liposcuction over the last ten years. Along with augmentation, the aim is to improve a woman’s figure in a curvaceous way and add to the length of her legs in a more shapely way. Men benefit also by gaining a more V-shaped masculine figure.

Liposcuction is currently the most frequently requested Cosmetic Surgery procedure. First developed in the late 1970s by Ilouz of France, Liposcuction has been refined from a crude extraction of fat by heavy diameter rods attached to a mechanical suction pump to a gentle surgical procedure using slender blunt suction tips to gently remove fat with the skill of a sculptor.

Liposcuction or Liposculpture has been applied to many other Cosmetic Surgery procedures including Facelift , Necklift , Breast Reduction and Breast Reconstruction, and for shaping the trunk during major procedures such as Tummy Tuck and Arm or Thigh Lift surgeries. This in addition to well-known shaping of the trunk and legs.

Liposcuction is not a viable weight loss technique, Liposuction is no longer used to remove Litres of fat from some one who is otherwise Obese. Instead it has evolved to an operation where the aim is to create curves and shape in those whom diet and exercise has not achieved optimal result.

• For more information on Liposculpture click here
• For Liposculpture photos, click here

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