Southern Plastic Surgery - Blog

Archive for December, 2009

Older Women Who Drink Alcohol May Have Higher Risk of Recurrent Breast Cancer

A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggests that older women who have three to four alcoholic beverages a week are more likely to have their breast cancer return.
The study, performed though Kaiser Permanente Northern California Cancer Registry, looked at 1,900 women who had beaten early-stage invasive breast cancer between the years of 1997 and 2000. The women, who self-reported the amount of alcohol they consumed weekly, were followed for eight consecutive years.

The findings revealed that the women who reported drinking less than a half a drink a day had no higher risk of the breast cancer returning. However, women who reported drinking three to four alcoholic beverages a week experienced a 30 percent increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. The more alcohol the women reported drinking, the higher the risk. The study also found the risk to be even higher in the women who were overweight.

Researchers believe the cause of these findings to be linked to estrogen. Many breast cancers are propelled by estrogen, and alcohol has been known to increase the rate in which a women’s body processes estrogen.

While these findings do not mean that if you drink alcohol you will get breast cancer or that your breast cancer will return, it is simply another reason to consume alcohol in moderation and strive to maintain your overall health.

Dr. Whiteman is a board member and serves as medical director for The Sport of Giving, a nonprofit organization that has raised over a million dollars in support of breast cancer care and prevention in the local area. It is progressive research such as this study that will help women to be informed about the disease and allow them to make the healthiest choices possible.

For more about Dr. Whiteman’s involvement in the breast cancer cause and to learn about his breast reconstruction ‘buddy system’ visit our website.

Posted on December 28, 2009 3:13PM

Phew! Cosmetic Surgery Tax Thrown Out, Tanning Bed Tax in its Place

You’ll be glad to hear that proposed cosmetic surgery tax discussed in a previous blog entry has been thrown out! Due to opposition from surgeons, pharmaceutical companies, patients, and the American Medical Association, the proposed 5 percent tax on cosmetic surgery procedures is no longer in the healthcare reform bill. Instead, the Senate announced a .9 percent increase for some American’s Medicare payroll tax and a new 10 percent tax on indoor tanning salons. While this is good news for the cosmetic surgery and medical industry, it is bad news for the tanning industry and opposition to this proposal is expected.

Posted on December 22, 2009 2:47PM

Poll Shows that Majority of Americans Disagree with the Proposed Cosmetic Surgery Tax

The biggest story in the plastic and cosmetic surgery world right now is the proposed cosmetic surgery tax. It is comically referred to as the “Botax” because it would put a government tax on elective cosmetic surgery procedures; but many Americans don’t think that there is anything comical about it.

According to a recent article in Medical News Today, a poll surveying 1,000 Americans found that people oppose the cosmetic tax by a 52 – 43 percent margin. The proposal recommends a 5 percent excise tax to be placed on cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures, including popular injectables like Botox® and Juvederm® as well as breast reduction surgery, facelifts, and liposuction. The tax would not apply to any reconstructive procedures and is expected to raise $5.8 billion over the next ten years to help pay for the government’s healthcare reform plan.

Critics of the plan say that the tax would disproportionately affect middle-class women, who are the most likely to opt for these types of procedures. Americans too, according to the poll, were more likely to disagree with the tax once they discovered that 60 percent of potential plastic surgery patients reported a household income of 30K to 90K a year. The poll also found that people the age of 45 or older, were more likely to oppose the tax. This is not surprising, as many people opt for plastic surgery to combat the effects of aging.

Whether you agree with the proposed cosmetic surgery tax or not is a personal decision; but we will continue to follow this story to see if it makes it into the final health care reform bill. More up to date articles are being posted onto Southern Plastic Surgery’s Facebook fan page. Click here to become a fan of Dr. Whiteman and Southern Plastic Surgery.

Posted on December 21, 2009 3:38PM

Nipple Correction Surgery can be the Key to a Better Breast Enhancement

Breast augmentations and breast lifts are among the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures in the nation; but many women don’t realize how much the nipple and surrounding dark area (the areola) around the nipple can affect the look of the overall breast. Thus more and more people are opting for nipple or areola correction surgery (also known as Areola mastopexy), a reconstructive surgery to correct aesthetic problems by changing the shape and size of the nipple.

Nipple correction can give your breasts a whole new look, without having to undergo extensive surgery. In fact, the procedure is an in-office procedure, only requires local anesthesia, and no downtime. Nipple correction is most often done in conjunction with other breast enhancement procedures.

Patients who seek reconstructive surgery on their nipples are often unsatisfied with an areola that is too large, of unusual shape, or one that protrudes out. For patients such as these, nipple reduction or nipple prominence reduction would be recommended. This is a procedure that involves telescoping the nipple to make it look less prominent in clothing, without affecting nipple sensation or the ability to breastfeed.

Some women wish to correct the “stretched” look of their nipples caused by a condition known as ptosis, or the stretching of breast skin, loss of breast fullness, and the subsequent downward projection of the nipple. This can often be corrected by a donut mastoplexy, which involves the removal of a donut-shaped piece of tissue around the areola, resulting in a flatter, rounder breast and nipple shape.

Others opt for a lifting surgical technique, also called a crescent mastoplexy, where the nipple is elevated on the breast to make breasts appear perkier or more lifted without undergoing a breast lift procedure. This procedure involves excising a crescent-shaped piece of excess skin from above the nipple, allowing the nipple to be lifted and repositioned.

Others come in to correct a fairly common condition called an inverted nipple or a cosmetic deformity in which the nipple is retracted into the breast tissue instead of pointing outward. There are three grades of inverted nipples, rising in severity, and the inversion can be present in one or both breasts.

Whatever aesthetic feature you wish to correct, it is important to acknowledge the variety of options available to cosmetic surgery patients. While breast lift and breast augmentation procedures are the still the most realistic options for enhancing the look of the breasts, nipple revision surgery may be a viable option for a select few.

Consult with Dr. Whiteman at Southern Plastic Surgery to discover which option will be the best for your breast enhancement needs.

Posted on December 14, 2009 2:02PM

Watch a clip of Dr. Whiteman on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta’

Here is a clip of Dr. Whiteman on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ discussing with NeNe about getting smaller breast implants.

When a patient is unhappy with the breast augmentation they received at another practice, Dr. Whiteman will work with patients on what he calls a ‘breast revision‘ to create a new, shared vision and look.

Dont forget to watch again tonight on Bravo at 9 pm e/p!!!

Posted on December 10, 2009 3:11PM

Dr. Whiteman to be featured on ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’!

Dr. Whiteman will be featured on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’! Tune in tomorrow night at 9 p.m.!

Will it be Kandi, Kim, Lisa, NeNe, or Sheree that come to Southern Plastic Surgery to discuss a plastic surgery procedure? Find out on the ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta Lost Footage’ episode!

Posted on December 9, 2009 7:30PM

Laser Lights Cosmetic Center’s December Specials!

Check out pricing and other specials here.

Posted on December 8, 2009 3:07PM

Tragic Death of Miss Argentina Highlights the Importance of Board Certification in Plastic Surgery

Last week brought tragic news of the passing of Solange Magnano, 2009 Miss Argentina. The model and pageant queen, only 38 years old and the mother of twins, died due to complications with a cosmetic surgery procedure of the buttocks.

Magnano’s surgery was performed in her home country of Argentina, which also happens to be a hot spot for medical tourism in the plastic surgery industry. While Magnano’s story is a tragic one, it also serves as a reminder to potential plastic surgery patients to only seek care from qualified, experienced, and board certified plastic surgeons.

We recently posted a blog on the dangers of medial tourism. (Click here to read more). With more and more people opting to travel to other countries (like Argentina) for their cosmetic procedures, consumers must be reminded of the dangers of traveling outside of the U.S. for their surgeries. Unlike the United States, which has regulatory, independent boards to provide certification for doctors, other countries have limited or no surgical regulations – providing no benchmark for a surgeon’s qualifications or safety.

I cannot reiterate enough the importance of going to a surgeon, in the United States, that is board certified in plastic surgery. Doing so greatly reduces the risk of surgical complications.

For more information about Dr. Whiteman’s credentials and more detailed information on cosmetic surgery procedures, visit Southern Plastic Surgery’s website.

Posted on December 7, 2009 7:13PM

Contact Us

Southern Plastic Surgery
David M. Whiteman, M.D., F.R.C.S.(c)
3855 Pleasant Hill Road, Suite 370
Duluth, Georgia 30096
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Phone: 770.622.9100