Smoking and Plastic Surgery: What to Consider

To attain optimal results from plastic surgery, you must first eliminate and remove those things in your life that could negatively impact the success of the procedure and recovery. One of these things is smoking.

Plastic surgery lives on the edge of blood supply, and smoking can wreak havoc during your surgical operations. The success of the surgery may dictate that you quit smoking weeks in advance of your surgery.

Smoking has a number of negative effects on the body that can largely disrupt the surgical procedure and recovery process.

Here is a look at key identifiers and challenges that smoking can cause on plastic surgery procedures.

Effects of Smoking on Anesthesia

During the plastic surgery procedure, breathing is the most challenging issue for anesthesiologists. Smoking generally results in weaker and damaged lungs, which can cause breathing concerns while the procedure is in process.

Compared with non-smokers, smokers need 33% more anesthesia throughout the operation and an additional 23% more pain medication after their procedure to achieve the same results.

Those who didn’t smoke, but were exposed to secondhand smoke, also required 20% more anesthesia and 18% more pain medication than non-smokers who weren’t exposed.

Key Concerns During Surgery

Plastic surgery lives on the edge of blood supply. During these operations, surgeons are operating at the limit of what the circulation of the skin and other tissues will allow. But, in order to have adequate circulation, blood flow through vessels must be sufficient.

Certain things have negative effects on the circulatory system and blood supply, and of them all, smoking is the worst.

Smokers who undergo surgery have an increased risk of experiencing some form of oxygen shortage, developing blood clots and contracting an infection. These risks, however, can be mitigated by quitting smoking well in advance of surgery. How far in advance — that is determined by your plastic surgeon.

Certain procedures, however, involve increased pulling or altering of blood supply. Thus, increasing the risk for a smoker. These procedures include face lifts, tummy tucks and the use of tissue flaps in reconstructive surgery.

In these cases, plastic surgeons may recommend alternative treatments or advise otherwise.

Smoking Delays Healing and Recovery

Smoking significantly delays the healing and recovery process, largely due to nicotine. Research has demonstrated that nicotine forces the blood vessels to tighten and damage the blood vessels. Thus, damaged and tightened blood vessels directly impact blood flow, requiring an extended duration of recovery.

The healing process requires normal blood circulation to help the body heal and recover properly. The chemicals in cigarettes, however, contain elements that make blood stickier and more likely to clot, thus clogging capillaries and blood vessels.

Smoking Ages You

Aside from the negative effects of smoking during the surgical procedure and recovery, plastic surgery and smoking don’t mix well because their reactions vastly differentiate in the body. While the goal of plastic surgery is often to make you look younger, smoking speeds up the aging process.

Negative effects of smoking that impact blood circulation restricts the skin from receiving the nutrients it needs. Additionally, the chemicals in tobacco products and smoke damage your skin by damaging elastin and collagen.

The damage results in loss of elasticity, resilience and volume in our skin – reversing the results of the surgical procedure or treatment.

Are E-Cigarettes Safe?

The exploding popularity of e-cigarettes has earned the trend of the year. Now used as a tobacco alternative, e-cigarettes are assumed to be less hazardous to our health than traditional cigarettes. But the risks are largely unknown.

Although e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco or produce cigarette smoke, they do use a liquid that contains nicotine, which is inhaled in the form of an aerosol. While it is a safer alternative to burning and inhaling tobacco, e-smokers are still taking in comparable levels of nicotine.

Nicotine can negatively impact the body’s ability to heal, thus increasing risks of blood clots and negative reactions with prescribed medication.

Schedule a Consultation

Smoking is a negative player in attaining the results you desire from plastic surgery. That is not said to discourage you from your goals, however. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Binder today to review your goals, to discuss how to quit smoking and your options, and to share his thoughts on the minimum length of time required to be smoke-free before surgery. Options are available, and we’re here to help you find the perfect fit.

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Traumatic injuries often leave their mark in physical and emotional ways. This is especially prevalent in facial disfigurement. As humans, we have a unique psychological relationship with our face, more so than any other bodily area.

Our face is what represents us in our mind, and in the minds of others, so when it is damaged or disfigured due to an accident, our psyche can become damaged as well. It is for this reason that post-accident  facial reconstruction is so important, as it provides both physical and emotional benefits.

The Physical Benefits of Facial Reconstruction

These reconstructive surgeries work to repair the physical appearance of the face and skull, while some are also aimed at restoring feeling and muscle movements. The physical benefits of these procedures can include: ensuring proper vision, hearing, jaw movement, and breathing.

Aside from restoring proper facial functions, facial reconstruction aims to return facial features to pre-accident form, or as close to it as possible. Many patients have undergone successful facial reconstruction,  rendering any visible results from their accident nearly imperceptible.

The Emotional Benefits

Along with physical damage, sometimes the most impairing aspect of facial disfigurement after an accident is the emotional damage to the patient’s state of mind. This emotional damage may lead to a lack of self-confidence, and even depression.

Fortunately, by improving upon the disfigurement, facial reconstruction can restore confidence by returning facial features to their original state, or as close to the original state as possible. Facial reconstruction can allow patients to look in the mirror and see a renewed hope and outlook on life–instead of a reminder of a traumatic accident and impending social anxiety.

Reconstruct Your Face. Rebuild Your Life

With the advancement in technology, modern surgeons can rebuild a patient’s face, as well as their life. Accidents can cause both physical and emotional damage that facial reconstruction can help alleviate.

Dr. Binder has successfully performed this procedure on many patients and helped them return to their normal lives without the negative effects of facial trauma. If you have suffered facial disfigurement due to an accident, call (310) 858-6749 to schedule a consultation.

Plastic surgery can be a big decision, but it is one that can yield many benefits and lead to increased self-confidence. However, before you commit to plastic surgery, here are some facts you should know about your plastic surgeon:

Your Plastic Surgeon is Not a Magician

It is important to have realistic expectations. Be sure that you are not expecting your surgeon to magically make your body perfect. Know that each person and each surgeon will garner different results, and you must be aware of the likely outcome of your surgery.

Be sure to openly communicate with your surgeon about your goals, and ask what the most likely outcome is. For instance, it isn’t realistic to expect a  facelift to transform a 45 year old to a 20 year old. Yes, the procedure can enhance your look and take years off of your appearance, but not 25 years.

Some Plastic Surgeons Will Tell You No

A good surgeon will reject a poor candidate for surgery. If you are too high risk or if your expectations are not obtainable, a good, ethical surgeon will suggest that you either reconsider or postpone your surgery until you are a more desirable candidate for surgery.

Beware the plastic surgeon who will accept any patient. Find a plastic surgeon who has your best interests and your health in mind, even if it means being told no.

Not All Plastic Surgeons Are Equally Certified

Most people know to seek out an experienced surgeon who is board certified. But board certified by whom? Not all certifications are created equal. Each board has different qualifications that surgeons must meet in order to become board certified. Some boards allow for a take-home test and a weekend conference attendance in order to become certified, while others are much more rigorous.

Check your surgeon’s specific board certifications to ensure they are from reputable sources with high standards for certification. Look for a surgeon who is certified in medical specialties, such as  otolaryngology and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Some Plastic Surgeons are More Qualified Than Others

Plastic surgery is a highly competitive field. Finding the best surgeon can be difficult. Each patient will have their own ideal plastic surgeon–since no two people or surgeons are alike. Here are some tips for finding the ideal surgeon:

• Find a surgeon who is qualified to teach other surgeons or who has held a fellowship in their specialty field.
• Look for surgeons who have been published in peer-reviewed journals in their field of work.
• Seek surgeons who have dedicated years of experience in perfecting their craft.

Many Plastic Surgeons Have a Passion for Helping People

That’s why they entered the field. Improving the self-confidence of patients by treating imperfections is incredibly challenging and admirable work, and that’s why many plastic surgeons do what they do.

Many surgeons use their skills to fix  cleft palates, aid burn or accident victims with reconstruction, or provide surgeries to help remedy birth defects or deformities. Look for a surgeon who puts his or her talent to good use.

You Get What You Pay For

Just because a plastic surgeon has outrageously low procedure prices doesn’t mean that their work will be up to par. You do “get what you pay for” with plastic surgery. Look past the price tag to the source of the surgery. Does the surgeon do quality work? Are they board certified? Do they have satisfied patients?

Settling for a bargain from a poor surgeon can result in poor results or health complications. Do your homework and make sure that your plastic surgeon is reputable as well as affordable.

Your Plastic Surgeon Wants to Hear Your Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask your plastic surgeon any questions you might have. Some questions to keep in mind for your plastic surgeon are:

• What’s the length of time and pain level associated with healing?
• Are there long term effects associated with the procedure?
• Will insurance cover this procedure?

Your surgeon would prefer that you bring up a concern or question so that it is addressed and it doesn’t affect your satisfaction with your outcome later.

Keep an Open Line of Communication

Knowing the truth about your surgeon will make your plastic surgery decision easier. Make sure that you and your plastic surgeon have an open and honest line of communication.

As a published surgeon, holder of 10 patents in the field, and founder of techniques implemented throughout plastic surgery, Dr. Binder has been sought out by countless patients during his years of work in plastic surgery. If you are considering facial plastic surgery, look no further than Dr. Binder.  Schedule your consultation today.

3D imaging certainly has been one of the more interesting topics of discussion among technology enthusiasts over the past several years. It’s also an incredibly fast growing industry, as the 3D imaging market is anticipated to be worth  $16.6 billion by 2020.

Those statistics make it quite obvious that 3D imaging technologies have been embraced by organizations across various types of industries around the world. For example, the combination of 3D imaging and printing are being used by a growing amount of businesses to replace some of their inefficient, legacy manufacturing techniques, resulting in huge savings related to operational costs as well as considerably less waste generated. As far as consumer applications go, these combined technologies can do things such as print working musical instruments and enable secure face recognition for mobile devices.

The benefits and applications of 3D imaging are undeniable. But what about the more important and intriguing uses of 3D imaging? Unsurprisingly, there are quite a few examples in this category as well. Let’s go over ten of them:

Affordable Limb Prosthetics

One of the more unexpected byproducts of the growing availability of 3D printers was the manufacturing of cheap prosthetics. Combined this with 3D imaging tech creates a serious impact on what was previously an incredibly expensive necessity. Depending on its complexity, patients were simply just expected to pay upwards of  $50,000 to $70,000 for a prosthetic replacement. This financial burden affected more families than you would think: one in 1,000 infants is born with missing fingers while thousands of others lose parts of their body yearly due to injury.

Since children have a rapid pace of growth, replacements can run upwards of thousands of dollars or more to medical bills. Most American families simply could not afford this. 3D printing and imaging companies like e-NABLE, however, offer a radically less expensive alternative, as materials for a prosthetic created by a 3D printer costs as little as roughly $20. You would think that this would produce lower-quality prosthetics, but this is certainly not the case. Many experts have indicated that products created by 3D imaging are just as good, if not better.

Facial Implants

Most people are sensitive to both the shape and dimension of their face, so when it is noticeably out of proportion, it tends to make them feel self-conscious and can hurt their confidence. Using 3D imaging technology, facial implant companies use their expertise to properly perceive the three-dimensional interaction of all facial features to create a well-defined, balanced face.

Dr. Binder was the forerunner of these innovations,  combining modern 3D imaging technology to create more accurate anatomic facial implants that are more effective, longer-lasting and more visually pleasing results.

Diagnose Heart Conditions

Sticking with the medical field, doctors have also found a very interesting use for the 3D imaging technology. Recently, health experts were able to  create a 3D anatomic model of a patient’s heart using the combination of two imaging techniques. This was quite a striking advancement. An extremely detailed and accurate model will allow them to improve the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.

Medical professionals were able to accomplish this by using both computed tomography (CT) and three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE). The CT noticeably improved researchers’ ability to visualize the outside anatomy of the heart, while the 3DTEE technology enabled them to have much better view of the valves inside.

Safer Surgery

3D imaging also allows for the creation of highly-detailed medical models, giving medical practitioners an inexpensive alternative to learning about the human anatomy without having to use actual remains of human bodies. 3D technology can also create the smallest pieces of human anatomy, even if it measures just a fraction of an inch.

Because the details are so finely accurate, surgeons can also thoroughly plan a surgery based on a 3D-imaging medical model prior to a patient going in for surgery. This certainly allows complicated operations to go much more smoothly and be considerably safer. As 3D imaging tech becomes cheaper and more advanced, so does medical science.

Augmented Reality and Mobile Devices

Hewlett-Packard has been experimenting with augmented reality and 3D image manipulation recently. It will allow its customers to play with 3D images that can be physically manifested using a 3D printer, creating a more interactive user experience. It’s pretty interesting how HP went about accomplishing this: the company leverages Intel’s 3D RealSense depth-sensing camera, enabling users to scan an object and manipulate the produced image on a specialized Touch Mat surface.

It then provides the option to print it on a 3D printer. The company plans to bring this technology to their tablets and laptops. Though this intriguing feature already exists on the HP Sprout all-in-one desktop, they anticipate embedding the technology into many of their mobile products sometime in the near future.

Touch 3D Images in Gaming

Over the past few years, there have been several companies launching projects to bring Virtual-Reality back into the gaming world. These projects include Facebook’s Oculus Rift, Sony’s Project Morpheus, and HTC’s Vive. Though each offer impressive technology, a far more interesting development has occurred with researchers at Japanese high-tech firm, Miraisens.

Last year, they  unveiled a new technology that makes it possible to touch 3D images using VR. It does this by generating customized ‘touchable 3D-imagery,’ claiming that people will be able to both push and pull objects that are visible only on the monitor. This technology is slated for a commercial sometime soon, which will certainly help VR companies create the effect of physically performing various tasks in gaming.

Archeology

Archeologists are also leveraging 3D imaging technology to help preserve sites and findings. Because excavating dig sites creates a high risk of destroying the story behind it, archeological professionals are eagerly turning to 3D modeling technology in order to help preserve the information found in a site, discover new areas to start digs, and to create models of ancient artifacts using 3D printing.

For example, modeling programs like  Rhinoceros allow researchers rotate a 3D-generated model and slice it at any angle to view a specific cross section. It also allows them to achieve extremely precise measurements, volume data, and other features that were previously difficult to attain manually.

Space!

Astronauts are also starting to use 3D imaging technology to print tools hundreds of miles above earth’s atmosphere. Everything on board space stations currently has to be brought directly from Earth, which results in months of waiting to receive a valuable replacement part. With 3D imaging and printing technology, however, those supply lines are becoming blurred.

Back in late 2014, the International Space Station (ISS) used  3D printer to produce a ratchet wrench using a design file created by 3D imaging, which was transmitted from Earth. Though the tool was not actually used in space and it was produced there and thus sent back to Earth on the next return voyage for rigorous structural and mechanical testing. If results are more than encouraging, we may see the next generation of 3D printed tools actually being used in space.

Clothing

Designer companies have begun to use 3D imaging technology to make ordering perfectly-fit clothing much easier and a lot more affordable. If successful, it may radically change the fashion industry. Companies like the Australian  XYZ Workshop are already providing downloadable dress designs online; soon, anyone with a compatible 3D printer will be able to easily create their own clothing at home. Additionally, a team based out of San Francisco, Electroloom, recently claimed that it has built their first version of a 3D printer specifically for clothing, indicating that consumers will be able to use these available designs to create a new outfit within the next few years. It seems that you won’t have to be a seamstress to manufacture quality clothing anymore.

Living Cells

Technology company,  NanoLive, has created the “3D Cell Explorer first-ever microscope”, which allows scientists to look inside living cells without having to prepare any prior samples. The 3D Cell Explorer is able to record detailed 3D images of entire living cells in a matter of seconds; all at a much higher resolution than any traditional microscope that is currently available. To achieve this, the microscope functions like an MRI scanner by taking photographs at different depths across the cells. The resulting slices of photography are reconstructed using intuitive holography software, resulting in a high-resolution 3D image of the cell that can be rotated and explored in depth.

This 3D imaging technology is certainly beneficial to researchers, students and medical doctors, as they can directly see what exactly is going on inside a living cell, in real time.

Dr. William Binder Takes 3D Imaging the Extra Mile

Take a deeper look inside our surgery center and find out how Dr. Binder has revolutionized the use of 3-Dimensional computer imaging. Dr. Binder and his staff have taken a step in the right direction for producing custom-designed implants for facial reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. He designed a system that develops personalized implants to reconstruct a patient’s facial contour defects with great accuracy.

Contact Dr. Binder’s Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Center in Beverly Hills to learn how we put our technology to work for the modern era of facial contouring.

Migraines have the potential to severely reduce your quality of life. For some people, migraines are so bad that they are unable to work regularly, attend school or maintain normal adult responsibilities. There are a number of treatment options, but if you are not getting relief with the common ones, Botox can be used to effectively treat migraines. Dr. Binder pioneered the technique and has been using Botox for migraine treatment ever since.

Using Botox to Treat Migraines

Experts do not fully understand how Botox works to treat migraines. They believe that it might be due to relaxing the muscles in the area that can cause tension during contraction. It may also inhibit pain pathways. No matter the science behind it, Dr. Binder has used this technique to successfully treat or limit the migraines of several patients, and he continues to do so.

When Dr. Binder administers the Botox treatment, he makes the injections into specific areas to alleviate your migraines. These points typically include your temples, back of the head, upper back, bridge of the nose, your forehead and your neck. Dr. Binder will determine the best injection sites for you based on where your migraine pain is.

It can take 10 to 14 days for the Botox to take effect and start alleviating your migraines. On average, the injections can provide relief for up to three months. Some people will need two or more treatments, spaced 90 days apart, to start getting effective relief from their migraines.

A Simple Procedure with no Downtime

This is a simple in-office process, and you can go home shortly afterward. The first thing Dr. Binder will do is numb your skin to help reduce any potential discomfort. Once you are numb, your doctor injects a small amount of Botox into the pre-determined injection sites using a thin needle. Once the procedure is over, do not rub the injection sites. You can typically resume your normal activity level right away.

Possible Risks of Botox

The majority of people do not experience any serious side effects with these injections. Mild side effects, such as bruising, swelling, flu-like symptoms and headaches are common and temporary. While highly unlikely, the following are also possible if the Botox spreads elsewhere in the body:

• Excessive tearing or dry eye
• Vision problems
• Trouble breathing
• Muscle weakness
• Difficulty swallowing or speaking
• Bladder control loss

Gain Freedom from Migraines

Botox has become a rather popular option for treating migraines, especially in the last five years. With this versatile treatment, you can significantly increase your quality of life without the pain of nagging migraines. If you suffer from migraines and other forms of treatment haven’t alleviated symptoms,  contact us. Dr. Binder has successfully treated countless clients for migraines.