What to Know When Considering Breast Augmentation in Lubbock

For women in Lubbock, plastic surgery options can vary from a tummy tuck to a facelift. But the top requested plastic surgery across the nation is breast enhancement. As women age, and after having children, breasts can lose volume and their youthful shape. Perhaps you were born with smaller breasts that feel out of proportion with your body or otherwise cause self-consciousness. Before making a final decision about getting a breast augmentation in Lubbock, you will need to make several important choices. One choice with breast implants is which implant material you will choose.

Breast Augmentation in Lubbock: Silicone or Saline?

First, it’s important to note that all breast implants approved by the FDA for use are constructed of a silicone shell.  The difference, then, between silicone or saline implants is what the silicone shell is filled with, either silicone gel or saline (sterilized water and salt). We’ll discuss the basic pros and cons of each below.

The Pros and Cons of Silicone Gel Implants

Silicone gel is more similar to breast tissue that traditional saline implants in terms of its feel and viscosity.  This means a silicone gel implant will sit, feel, and move more like a natural breast than the typical saline implants. Because of this, these implants have a lower risk of showing rippling in the tissue around the implant.

Silicone implants, however, come pre-filled, meaning they require a larger incision than saline. Also, they have a risk of “silent rupture.” This is when the implant fails and silicone gel leaks into the surrounding tissue. These ruptures can only be detected by a costly MRI (typically not covered by insurance) and the FDA recommends a woman with silicone implants have an MRI every few years. If a rupture occurs, the implant and silicone gel must be surgically removed. This greatly increases the long term cost.

Why Women Choose Saline

Where silicone implants come pre-filled, saline implants are filled and adjusted during surgery. Since the implant is inserted empty, it requires a smaller incision. If there is a rupture with a saline implant, you can tell just by looking in the mirror and seeing the decrease in breast size. The saline, however, is harmless and will be absorbed by your body, posing no health risk. Typical saline implants have a tendency ripple, which can be visible in the enhanced breast. Also, as said above, they do not generally feel as natural as silicone gel implants.

The Best of Both Worlds: Structured Implants and the IDEAL IMPLANT

Dr. Jane Rowley is proud to offer her patients the IDEAL IMPLANT® Structured Breast Implant that gives the benefit of a more natural appearing implant without the concerns of the possibility of a silicone leak. While the IDEAL IMPLANT is filled with saline, the implant is structured with chambers to control the movement of the saline. The result is a saline-filled implant that has a look and feel that is more like a natural breast or silicone implant.

Patients benefit from smaller incisions, no silicone risk, and a lower rate of rupture.  This choice is increasingly living up to its name for more and more women and surgeons around the country, in some practices now making up over 95% of the implants they use.

Whether you choose a silicone gel or saline breast implant, the decision is personal. It should be carefully made after a thorough discussion with your doctor. If you are looking for the best of both worlds when it comes to breast augmentation in Lubbock, plastic surgeon Dr. Jane Rowley is the only surgeon in Lubbock that offers her patients the IDEAL IMPLANT option.

What About a Breast Lift?

As noted, breast procedures are among the most requested plastic surgery options. Women want to feel good about how they look. And, when you feel confidence in your appearance, you can have feel confidence in you. But plastic surgery isn’t just to give you a bigger bust size. If you are happy with your breast size but not with the effects of pregnancy, nursing, or aging, you may want to consider a procedure that will simply give you a more shapely appearance.

A breast lift will take a sagging breast and raise it to a more youthful position. Your breast lift will not change your size, but will firm up the breast tissue, reposition the nipple, and give your breast a symmetrical shape. In effect, it can reverse some of the toll taken on your body by time, gravity, and possibly motherhood.

Can I Do Both?

A breast augmentation and a breast lift can work very well in tandem with each other in a single surgery. Excess skin is removed in the lift, repositioning your breast tissue and nipple for a more youthful shape, while an implant then adds volume and size. The results of the two procedures can be dramatic on the right patient. Ask your doctor what your options are for a combined procedure.

For breast lifts and breast augmentation in Lubbock, the leading plastic surgeon with extensive breast plastic surgery experience is Dr. Jane Rowley. She carefully and thoroughly talks with her patients to know their expectations and cosmetic goals as she makes an individual surgical plan for each person.  Schedule your no-obligation consultation today.

Health Benefits of Breast Reduction in Lubbock and Other Procedures

Plastic surgery procedures are as varied as the patients who request them. But plastic surgery can go beyond just looking younger or trimmer. A board-certified plastic surgeon with experience can give patients a greater measure of self-confidence in their physical appearance, help with greater range of movement, while removing insecurities associated with their bodies.

Additionally, there are some physical health benefits associated with some plastic surgery procedures that may be good news for women seeking a breast reduction in Lubbock. In fact, the health benefits of a breast reduction are so well-recognized among doctors that often insurance will cover the procedure. Here are some health benefits that are a result of this plastic surgery you may not know.

Why Breast Reduction?

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons,

Disproportionately large breasts can cause both physical and emotional distress for patients. Patients with macromastia may experience physical discomfort resulting from the weight of their breasts. The resulting pain can make it challenging for some patients to perform common physical activities. Along with the physical ailments of macromastia, some patients may suffer from emotional distress or more significant mental health problems as a result of their large breasts.”

A woman with excess breast tissue can experience headaches, chronic neck and back pain, and painful bra strap marks in her shoulders. A breast reduction can relieve these chronic discomforts as well as making it easier to participate in exercise and other life activities otherwise too difficult with to do with larger breasts.

A Breast Reduction in Lubbock Might Be Covered by Your Insurance

Any surgical procedure will have a price tag associated with it, but the cost of a breast reduction may be covered by your insurance under the right circumstances. You have two major conditions at play when trying to get your reduction costs covered: your body and your insurance type. Not all breast reductions are the same, and some situations will merit coverage when others will not. And, again, not all Lubbock insurance coverage is the same, and not all doctors and procedures are covered by every plan.

  1. Start by contacting your insurance provider directly. This will give you the opportunity to get general information about whether a breast reduction is potentially covered by your insurance plan. It will also give you the opportunity to ensure your board certified plastic surgeon of choice is within your network of coverage.
  2. You’ll most likely need an evaluation from a plastic surgeon to meet specific requirements established by your insurance provider to cover the breast reduction. Criteria may include:
  • An estimate that at least 500 grams (half of a pound) will be removed from each breast
  • Documentation of injury (like back pain) due to the large size of your breasts
  • Documentation that the surgery is needed in order to correct the disabling symptoms
  • Photographic documentation

Essentially, insurance companies are often looking for proof that the breast reduction is medically necessary and not just a cosmetic surgery for appearance purposes only. This is not to say that the medically necessary reasons are the only valid reasons for the procedure.  On this point, the the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has said,

“Although breast reduction is often performed to address medical issues, patients who do not have the symptoms of macromastia [the medical term for excessively large breasts] but are unhappy with the size of their breasts can still pursue breast reduction as an aesthetic procedure. Patients choosing to undergo breast reduction surgery for cosmetic reasons may cite any number of factors, including social stigmas and wardrobe concerns.”

That means that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, as medical professionals, understand the difficulty women may experience in being unable to find appropriate clothing. Appropriate clothing would include effectively supportive bras, or tops that will be comfortable and attractive without gaping, pulling, or being too revealing. They also recognize that women with uncomfortably large breasts may be subject to unwanted attention or even ridicule that can be psychologically distressing.

Patients can work with the staff at their plastic surgeon’s office to coordinate insurance billing. It’s likely the staff has experience working with a variety of insurance companies on breast reduction coverage. If the procedure is deemed medically necessary after a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon, insurance may cover all or part of the surgery and the hospital costs for your procedure and recovery care. For a breast reduction in Lubbock, Dr. Jane Rowley has seen many happy patients after their plastic surgeries, but she has said that patients who have a breast reduction are among her most satisfied patients.

Other Procedures

If you do determine you would like a breast reduction, now is the time to consider whether there are any other procedures that could be done in the same surgery to save cost and recovery time.  

Liposuction of Hips, Buttocks, or Thighs

Liposuction is a procedure in which stubborn fat around your hips, abdomen, and back is removed to give your body a better contoured shape. Fat cells are permanently removed. Studies have shown that removing fat cells lowers triglycerides and benefits your heart’s health. The important element is to continue with a healthy diet and exercise program after liposuction to keep new fat cells from forming.

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a procedure where excess skin from the belly is removed and the abdominal muscles are tightened. It’s often performed to remove loose skin after pregnancy (which also impacts abdominal muscles) or weight loss. The result is a trimmer looking body. But the tightening of the abdominal muscle can improve posture and muscle tone. A tummy tuck also can help reduce the effects of Stress Urinary Incontinence caused by childbirth.

Submental Liposuction

A submental liposuction procedure is actually a relatively simple procedure that results in very dramatic changes in appearance by slimming down the area under the chin. It’s a very non-invasive procedure and only a small amount of fatty tissue is removed, yet the chin contour looks significantly better, often appearing as though the patient has lost weight.  It corrects the laxity along the skin of the neck and jawline and can provide enough tightening that patient can avoid a facelift for several years.

Dr. Jane Rowley is a leading plastic surgeon in Lubbock and has over 20 years of surgical experience and can talk to you about your options to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. As a woman and mother, she understands the concerns unique to women in a way other plastic surgeons may not. Dr. Rowley will discuss all of your options, whether it be a breast reduction in Lubbock or any other procedure she offers.  She will also take the time to answer your questions and create a plan tailored to your body and your needs. Call today to schedule a no-obligation consultation.

When Bigger Isn’t Better: Breast Reduction Plastic Surgery in Lubbock

There seems to be an ever-present sentiment in our culture that “bigger is better” when it comes to breast size. The women who live with and carry those breasts on a daily basis, however, understand that there is a lot to managing large breasts than what the over-simplification of “bigger is better” implies. In fact, there is even a medical term for when a woman’s breasts are too large: macromastia. For the woman whose back constantly aches due to the weight of her breasts, or feels uncomfortable with aerobic activities due to the weight and size of her breasts, or struggles to find a comfortable and fully supportive bra due to the size of her breasts, maybe it’s time to consider a breast reduction (or mammaplasty). Even in Texas, women know that, when it comes to breast plastic surgery in Lubbock, bigger is NOT always better. A smaller breast size could be the answer to health and lifestyle issues.

Is Breast Reduction Plastic Surgery in Lubbock Right for You?

Here are a few questions to help you evaluate if a breast reduction is right for you:

  1. Does the weight of your breasts contributes to neck, back, or shoulder pain?
  2. Do you have heavy breasts with nipples that point downward?
  3. Is one of your breasts much larger than the other?
  4. Are you unhappy and self-conscious about your appearance because you feel your breasts are too large?
  5. Are you physically healthy?
  6. Do you have realistic expectations?

If you answered yes to one or more of the questions, you may want to consider a breast reduction. Even though the media would like women to believe that larger breasts are better, many women who naturally have a bigger chest size can tell you differently. Large breasts can make some aspects of life challenging, including:

  • Limiting your ability to exercise or participate sports activities
  • Creating breathing problems while you sleep
  • Causing skin rashes under the breast crease
  • Tension headaches
  • Shoulder pain
  • Chronic back pain
  • Low self-esteem from self-consciousness and unwanted attention
  • Difficulty finding clothing that fits property

While losing weight can make a small difference in your breast size, women who feel their breasts interfere with their lives can really benefit from breast reduction plastic surgery. No amount of diet or exercise will make large breasts into small ones. When you are ready to make a life-altering change in your life, consider the benefit of plastic surgery. Lubbock surgeon, Dr. Jane Rowley has seen the countless lives positively changed from a breast reduction procedure.

Breast Reduction Surgery: the Procedure

A breast reduction plastic surgery in Lubbock takes about two hours and is performed under general anesthetic. It can be done in either a surgicenter or in an office operating suit.  It involves an incision made around the nipple and then down vertically to underneath the breast. This type of incision allows the plastic surgeon to reposition your nipple, reduce the size of the areola, and remove excess breast tissue. In most cases, milk ducts, nerves, and blood vessels are left intact. This means a women would still be able to breastfeed after the surgery. A breast reduction always involves a breast lift (mastopexy) to create a natural appearance with the new breast size after surgery.

Results of a Breast Reduction

Women who have undergone breast reduction surgery enjoy a more proportionate body; an alleviation of neck, back, and shoulder pain; and more confidence in the fit of their clothes and their general appearance.

It’s important to remember that the results of the surgery, for some, may include a decrease in sensation in some area, including the nipple and around the nipple, a difficulty in breastfeeding, and a slight unevenness between the breasts or nipples. In Lubbock, Dr. Jane Rowley will guide you through additional questions, prior to surgery, to ensure a breast reduction is a good solution for your concerns and goals. Setting up a consultation is a great next step for you to get more information.

Reductions Aren’t Just for Women

Some men who have larger fat deposits in their breasts can reduce their chest size with diet and exercise. But, men who have excess glandular tissue because of genetics or some medications will also benefit from breast plastic surgery to give a more masculine breast contour.

Breast reduction patients are some of the happiest people who choose to have plastic surgery in Lubbock. Women and men with larger breasts feel greater self-confidence, less physical discomfort, and an overall sense of relief. Dr. Rowley carefully talks with her patients to know their individual expectations for their surgery. She is committed to giving the best care with breast reduction procedures. Call for your personal consultation today.

Contact Dr. Jane Rowley for a personal consultation today to determine the right procedure and size for you and your body.

Tummy Tuck or Liposuction: Which Lubbock Plastic Surgery is Right for You?

For women ready to rediscover the body they had before aging and having children, there are several different plastic surgery procedures to address stubborn pockets of fat, loose belly skin, and other concerns. When it comes to Lubbock plastic surgery, you may have heard a lot of terms–tummy tuck, liposuction, breast lift, etc.–but how much do you know about what these really mean? Below we’ll explain some of the common procedures, what they are for, and how you might combine them to get the results you want.

What Can a Tummy Tuck Do?

A tummy tuck, “also known as abdominoplasty, removes excess fat and skin and, in most cases, restores weakened or separated muscles creating an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer.” As a result of pregnancy, in addition to the stretched skin on the abdomen, women may also experience diastasis, a laxity of abdominal muscles. The looseness of skin and laxity of muscle isn’t something that responds to diet or exercise–they are structural issues that require the surgical solution of a tummy tuck.

Because a tummy tuck is geared toward tightening up loose muscle and skin, it’s not a weight-loss procedure like liposuction (more on that below). But, like weight-loss techniques, it can result in more contoured appearance and slimmer silhouette. This is especially so when combined with some other procedures, such as liposuction or breast enhancements. This combination of procedures is commonly referred to as a mommy makeover. Plastic surgery options done in tandem can give any patient dramatic changes in appearance.

As with any medical decision, whether to get a tummy tuck is a serious question. Dr. Jane Rowley has said about tummy tucks,

“This is actually a more significant procedure than most people understand. The media often portrays this as a ‘skin surgery,’ but this is a surgery that actually involves the entire core of your body, with tightening of the abdominal muscles and tightening of the skin. The results can be exceptional on the right patient. Although weight loss might not be significant with this procedure, contouring and tightening of the abdominal wall is significant.”

What is Liposuction?

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes your excess fat in a targeted area. It’s a Lubbock plastic surgery option that can give you a second chance to remove stubborn fat in different areas of your body that doesn’t respond to diet and exercise. Typically the best areas for the procedure are outer thighs, hips, and under the chin (submental area). Different procedures are available for liposuction, but they operate on the same basic principle: A small incision is made. A small tube is used to suction out the fat. If you are having the procedure done on a small area, then local anesthetic is needed. If you are choosing to have the procedure on different areas, you may need general anesthetics.

Liposuction has long been a popular plastic surgery choice. Getting rid of unwanted fat can give you greater confidence in your physical appearance. New studies are even suggesting that getting rid of that fat can have some heart-healthy bonuses as well as the cosmetic benefits. Liposuction is not, however, a procedure for general weight loss. A patient should be a stable weight but with stubborn fat that won’t go away through other efforts. Patients need to be in good health and quit smoking before the surgery and during recovery.

Combine Procedures in a Mommy Makeover

If you are not just concerned about loose belly skin or stubborn areas of fat, you may want to consider how a tummy tuck or liposuction can be combined with other procedures for a more striking effect. Common procedures combined with abdominal procedures include:

  • Breast Augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty). Women seeking a breast augmentation can adjust the size and shape of their breasts. The breasts will be fuller and more symmetric.
  • Breast Lift (mastopexy). A breast lift can assist Lubbock patients by removing excess breast skin and adjusting breasts into a more youthful position. The nipple is also moved to a more upward position. A breast lift won’t change the size of your breast.
  • Simultaneous Breast Augmentation and Breast Lift (augmentation mastopexy). Combining these two procedures leads to shapely, larger, more youthful looking breasts. On the right patient they can give dramatic results to your figure.

How to Get the Most out of Lubbock Plastic Surgery

As with any plastic surgery, patients need to have realistic expectations about their results. The key to this is having thorough consultations with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Patients that are informed about their surgery tend to heal better and have more satisfying outcomes with their surgery. So, to ensure you are educated, don’t hesitate to ask questions like:

  • How is the procedure performed?
  • What are the risks of this surgery?
  • What can I expect during recovery?
  • Will the results be permanent?
  • Will I need to have additional procedures down the road?

Women can work with their board-certified surgeon to tailor the combination of procedures that meet their unique needs. For the best outcomes available, contact the leading surgeon in Lubbock plastic surgery,  Dr. Jane Rowley. Dr. Rowley is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over twenty years experience with these procedures. You can have confidence in Dr. Rowley’s ability to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. Call today to schedule your no-obligation consultation.

Mommy Makeovers: More than Just a Tummy Tuck in Lubbock

When we are young and anticipate the joys of motherhood, we can underestimate the toll that pregnancy, the demands of child rearing, and time can take on our body. But before we know it, we’re no longer those glowing, expectant mothers. With a little help from modern surgical technology, there are many ways to regain your sense of youthfulness, to boost your confidence, and reclaim the shape you sacrificed to have a family.

In our practice, we consult with many mothers considering tummy tuck in Lubbock who are surprised to learn how many options they have after childbearing. While not everyone loves the term, what pop culture often terms a “Mommy Makeover” is a popular term referring to a combination of procedures to target different areas of your body you wish during a single surgery. Several areas may be combined in one procedure to create the full look that is wanted with minimal downtime and a dramatic effect for the right patient.

If you’d like to see a little more (or less) curve here or there, whether after your pregnancies or as you age, you have several options to combine plastic surgery procedures covering different areas like tummies, breasts, hips, buttocks, and even submental liposuction to tighten up a threatening double chin.  

You get to decide—with only a single recovery.  So let’s discuss your options.

Breast Procedures: Breast Enhancement, Breast Lift, and Breast Reduction

When most people think about plastic surgery for breasts, they think of implants to increase breast size.  But there are other breast procedures that can help women feel better about their appearance and themselves, aside from simply increasing their cup size. Which procedure is right for you depends on your body and your preferences, a decision made in consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon.

After nursing, or simply with age, a woman’s breasts can sag, look deflated, and lose shape. If you would like to add volume and fullness to your breasts, then a breast augmentation with breast implants is a good option. If fullness is not a concern for you, but your breasts droop with the nipples pointing downward and/or the top of the areola lower than the crease under the breast when viewed from the side, you could benefit simply from a breast lift. And of course, it’s not uncommon for women to choose both breast implants and a breast lift, restoring their youthful appearance while adding fullness.

What if you have too much breast tissue? In addition to making some women feel uncomfortable with their appearance because of a lack of proportion or unwanted attention, having too large of breasts can create physical discomfort.  The weight can cause back, neck, or shoulder pain. Some women get rashes or irritations in the crease of the breasts. Some may even have numbness or tingling in their hands and arms. If any of this sounds familiar, a breast reduction may be a good choice for you (and may be covered by your insurance).  This procedure has some of the highest patient satisfaction rates in cosmetic surgery.

Abdominal Procedures: Liposuction and Tummy Tuck in Lubbock

Pregnancy can also leave women with loose, excess skin around their midsection, stubborn pockets of fat that won’t respond to diet or exercise, and a laxity of abdominal muscles (diastasis). If you have concerns about your belly, hips, or thighs, you have a couple of options, such as a tummy tuck or liposuction.

A tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty) removes baggy, stretched skin that hangs around after you have had children or lost a significant amount of weight. A tummy tuck can even remove some stretch marks from pregnancies, and includes tightening up your abdominal muscles. While a tummy tuck in Lubbock might not result in significant weight loss, it does have a significant effect on the abdominal core.

Liposuction, on the other hand, removes that fat in your belly and hip areas that doesn’t go away with exercise and diet. This procedure is designed to remove areas of localized fat persist despite any constant efforts to eliminate them. Liposuction can successfully reshape your body and works well as part of a mommy makeover, as women tend to hold on to fat as they age.

An extended tummy tuck uses a slightly longer incision to shape the hips, and is often combined with liposuction to tighten and shape the side of the waist.

Why Lubbock Women Choose Dr. Jane Rowley

Combining procedures can yield impressive results. However, with each added procedure, it’s even more important to find a trusted, board-certified plastic surgeon you can thoroughly consult with about your cosmetic goals who shares your perspective.  Dr. Jane Rowley always listens to her patients and is well known for being a collaborative guide that helps women develop a plan that best fits their individual needs and bodies.

A mommy makeover can restore your confidence by helping you regain your natural, youthful beauty with a tighter stomach, slimmer hips, and a fuller or more proportionate bustline. If you’re looking for a tummy tuck in Lubbock or the surrounding areas, or any combination of cosmetic procedures to get the look you want, take time to chat with Dr. Rowley.  She wants her patients to be happy with their results–and themselves–she wants you to thoroughly understand all of your options and what procedures would work best for your lifestyle and body type. She will spend whatever time is necessary to make your plastic surgery experience the best one for you. With over twenty years of experience, Dr. Rowley is the leading surgeon in Lubbock that offers plastic surgery with a woman’s perspective.  Discuss your options at a no-obligation consultation with Dr. Rowley. Call to schedule yours today.