Do I really need a tummy tuck or could I get away with just having liposuction? This is the question that I often get asked from Los Angeles women who are considering body contouring plastic surgery.

Liposuction or suction lipectomy is a cosmetic surgery procedure which suctions fat from under the skin. There are several liposuction techniques in Los Angeles, including liposculpture, tumescent liposuction, ultrasonic liposuction, and laser liposuction. In Beverly Hills liposuction is performed either under local or general anesthesia depending on the extent and location of liposuction. While subcutaneous fat can be removed with liposuction, visceral fat which surrounds the intestines can not be suctioned. This makes liposuction ideal for body contouring by suctioning localized areas of excess fat, but not for total body fat reduction or weight loss.

What happens to the skin after liposuction? As you could imagine after removal of much subcutaneous fat there is going to be excess skin. Does this excess skin hang? Amazingly, tumescent liposuction causes significant shrinkage of the skin, but this is not limitless and the extent of skin shrinkage depends on skin elasticity, age, sun damage, and the history of repetitive weight gain and loss. Stretch marks represent areas where skin has lost its elasticity, therefore, in these areas skin does not shrink well with liposuction. Under such circumstances removal of excess skin would be the only way to achieve a smooth and tight skin.

Tummy Tuck is a plastic surgery procedure with the predominant goal of removing excess loose skin of the abdomen. While liposuction can remove excess abdominal fat, it can not remove loose skin. Therefore, an abdominoplasty is the solution for women who have loose abdominal skin folds as a result of pregnancy or weight loss.

For those who have both excess localized abdominal fat, as well as loose skin, a type of tummy tuck is ideal- High Tension Abdominoplasty.  This version of tummy tuck removes loose abdominal skin folds including stretch marks, tightens the stretched-out abdominal muscles, pulls up and tightens upper thighs and hips, as well as liposuctions the flanks, lower back, and parts of the abdomen in order to produce a more curvaceous figure. In another words, High Tension Abdominoplasty is a merger between a tummy tuck and liposuction.

 Dr. Younai is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who is an expert in body contouring, including liposuction, tummy tuck and High Tension Abdominoplasty.

At the California Center for Plastic Surgery Dr. Younai is will review your treatment options for body contouring and tummy tuck, including pros and cons of each procedure, potential risks and complications, recovery course, pre and post operative instructions, and esthetic outcomes. There are also many before-and-after pictures and high resolution images of abdominoplasty available in our photo gallery.

Dr. Younai receives patients from the Northern as well as the Southern California region. Some of these cities include Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Pasadena, Glendale, Valencia, Palmdale, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Oxnard.

Dr. Younai performs his surgeries at the Regency Surgery Center which is certified by Medicare, AAAHC, and AAAASF. This state-of-the-art facility is located in Encino, and near Sherman Oaks, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, and thousand Oaks.

Do you know how breast implants are made? If you are considering breast augmentation with breast implants you should care about the quality of the breast implant that is going to be placed in your body.

Making Breast Implants for Beverly Hills

As a Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon who specilizes in breast augmentation or enlargement, I decided to tour the Mentor Breast Implant Manufacturing Plant in Texas. At this breast implant factory they make both saline and silicone breast implants for breast augmentation as well as breast reconstruction. While touring the manufacturing facility with other plastic surgeons from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and San Diego we were shown the common way that most breast implant companies make breast implants. In fact, they even had me make one of my own breast implant! In this process, the breast mold which is stuck onto a stick is dipped into liquid silicone and then brought out and twisted in order for the excess silicone to drip off the surface of the mold. It was just like making candy apple! Although this is the common way that US breast implant companies such as Mentor and Allergan (Inamed, McGhan) make their breast implant, the Mentor factory in Texas has now introduced an innovative way of making breast implants.

Instead of having the breast molds dipped into silicone, a robotics arm sprays silicone evenly over the entire surface of the breast mold. This gives the implant a more even and consistent thicknesses which can help reduce the rate of implant deflation. Silicone and saline implant shells are now both made in this way by Mentor (Johnson & Johnson) Corp., which is the only manufacturer who makes all its breast implants exclusively in the United States.

Mentor has also introduced more advanced ways of making “Textured” breast implants. Textured breast implants have a rough surface which reduces the rate of capsular contracture, or the hardening of breast implants. Unlike other manufactures, Mentor breast implant Corp. adds a layer of textured silicone sheet to the existing smooth breast implant in order to convert it to a textured breast implant. Other manufactures generally use an imprinting technique which can thin-out the breast implant in certain spots, therefore raising the risk of breast implant deflation or rupture.

As a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon that specializes in breast augmentation, augmentopexy, and revision breast implant surgery, my goal is to offer my patients the best breast implants that are FDA approved and available in the US. My tour of the Mentor breast implant manufacturing plant in Texas definitely exposed me to the fact that not all brands of breast implants are of the same quality.

Blepharoplasty, or Eyelid Lift, or Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery, is one of the top three cosmetic surgery procedures performed in Beverly Hills. Between 1997 and 2002, the number of patients undergoing Blepharoplasty increased by 44 percent because it is so effective.   In 2005 alone, 231,000 patients underwent procedures to tighten drooping skin on their upper eyelids, remove the puffiness, or “bags” below their eyes – or both.  Because the skin of the eyelids is so thin and delicate, the eyelids tend to droop before the rest of the face.  In Beverly Hills Blepharoplasty surpasses facelifts, rhinoplasty (“nose jobs”), and forehead and brow lifts as a commonly performed procedure for “freshening up” a fatigued looking face. 

Eyelid Surgery or Blepharoplasty can be both aesthetic, and functional.  Sometimes, eyes are damaged by trauma, infection, inflammation, degeneration or by developmental deficiencies.  Blepharoplasty can help the eye to be functionally normal. It also serves a cosmetic purpose, restoring and rejuvenating the appearance of the eyes for a more youthful and alert appearance.

Many men who would not otherwise consider cosmetic surgery do undergo Eyelid Surgery in Los Angeles.  In some cases, they feel it is a necessity to remain competitive in today’s challenging, and increasingly youth-oriented, workplaces.  Also, many people will undergo Eyelid Surgery as a way to freshen their appearance while they delay having a Full Facelift.

Motherhood is a beautiful thing but sometimes it can have devastating consequences on a women’s body.

This 35 years old mother had gained about 75 lbs and developed hanging abdominal skin after three pregnancies. She was devastated with this dramatic change in her size and form. This young mother wanted to get back her old body! With a combination of Large-volume liposuction and High Tension Abdominoplasty she was able to go from size 26 to 12.

Initially, she had considered Bariatric Surgery (gastric bypass) but felt uneasy about undergoing a major abdominal surgery that could permanently change and restrict the way she would eat and digest food. Therefore, she chose to first undergo Large Volume Liposuction, followed by a High Tension Tummy Tuck, 3 months later. She has since been able to maintain her weight and to look the way she did prior to her pregnancies.

Like so many of our features, the eyes are subject to your genetic history.  How many times have you heard someone say that they look into the mirror and “see my mother looking back at me”?  Other factors include sun damage, smoking, stretching from obesity, blinking and rubbing and just plain aging.

Consequently, the excess upper eyelid skin hangs over the normal lid crease and even starts to impinge on the eyelashes. This results in eyes that appear smaller and more tired looking. You might also feel heaviness and drooping in your upper eyelids after reading for a short time.

The medical term for the aging of the eyes is called Blepharochalasia which is characterized by excess eyelid skin, lax eyelid muscles, and excessively protruding fat pockets.

Blepharoptosis is another term which refers to the abnormal sagging or dropping of the upper eyelids, which gives people the appearance of sleepy eyes. Blepharoptosis is in fact a functional eyelid dysfunction characterized by the inability of the upper eyelids to keep open fully and to lift up when gazing up.

Blepharoplasty is the surgical procedure designed to correct Blepharochalasia, or aging eyelids. It does not correct Blepharoptosis or sagging of the upper eyelids. 

How about the lower eyelids? Usually, by a person’s late thirties or early forties, the thin skin of the eyelids begins to lose its elasticity.  Collagen in the skin decreases, and the thinning of the skin causes the underlying fat to show.  Additionally, the soft tissues of your cheek and of the middle of your face lose tone, and become subject to gravity.  When this happens, imperfections in the lower eyelids become more noticeable, and bulges and bags appear.

Unlike the popular belief that lower eyelid bags only develop as a result of aging or sun damage; there are many young people who suffer from baggy lower eyelids or Blepharochalasia. In fact, these people are quick to show photos with the lower eyelid bags that they had as teenagers. This excess bulging of lower eyelid fat in a young person is not caused by aging, but is a congenital deformity commonly known as “herniated orbital fat”- or the hernia-like bulging of the fat out of the eye socket.

Plastic Surgery among African-American women has come to age. Black women have found new financial independence as they have become the major wage earners of their families. With hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance women of color have advanced themselves in every professional field. Having achieved economic autonomy black women of today have chosen to reward themselves with plastic surgery. It is not uncommon to hear an African American woman tell me that “after years of singlehandedly putting my children through school and college, I now want to do something for myself”. And why not, because she has earned it!

When it comes to breast enhancement surgery African American women don’t necessarily desire very large breasts but more perkiness and youthfulness! Unlike women of Anglo-Saxon or European heritage who usually don’t have large breasts, black women are usually blessed with rather large bosoms. Because of gravity, weight fluctuations, or aging large breasts sag, prompting many black women to choose breast lift surgery (mastopexy) or even breast reduction surgery.

The facial skin of women of color is more resilient against sun and environmental damages. Black women age well and don’t show the same extent of fine wrinkles or sun spots.   Instead, African American women tend to show more dark circles around their eyes, as well as eye bags. Therefore, eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty tends to occur at an earlier age among African-American women.

Ethnic rhinoplasty or nose surgery has evolved recently. African-American women want to refine their nose while keeping their African-American identity. The last thing that a black woman wants is to have a Caucasian nose or one like that of Michael Jackson.  Instead, they prefer a nose that is more balanced with the rest of their face, both in terms of its height and width. This often requires use of nasal implants or cartilage graft in order to augment the nasal bridge.  

All plastic surgeries among black women are conducted with an attention to the healing patterns of their skin. While Keloid scars are not specific to African skin, it is more prevalent among those with darker skin. Both patients and doctors have to be aware of this and understand how to minimize Keloid scarring.

Dr. Sean Younai is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who is very experienced in ethnic plastic surgery, especially that of large-volume-liposuction, liposculpture, tummy tuck, body lift, buttock lift/ augmentation, breast enhancement surgery, calf augmentation, and arm tuck. He also performs facial plastic surgery procedures such as ethnic rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery.

Stretch marks removal in Los Angeles is women’s top priority after pregnancy. Los Angeles women are shocked to have developed ugly stretch marks after pregnancy or with weight gain and loss. In Los Angeles stretch mark removal techniques include different types of lasers and creams. Do these really work?

What causes stretch marks? Stretch marks develop as a result of loss of dermal integrity which occurs after rapid stretching of the skin during pregnancy, growth spurt, or with weight loss and gain. Most of the stretch marks concentrate over the lower abdomen and around the umbilicus. While some believe that stretch marks only occur in darker skin women, I have seen it in all skin types.

Treatment of Stretch marks by Laser in Beverly Hills: Pulsed dye and vascular lasers can be used to treat stretch marks. Newer fractional resurfacing lasers appear to have a favorable effect as well. These lasers help by blending in the color of the stretch marks, while helping to “shrink” them. Some claim that lasers increase collagen production and help heal stretch marks. The fact is none of these laser modalities have been shown in scientific studies to have removed stretch marks. Lasers might alter the appearance of stretch marks but lasers don’t remove stretch marks.

: Retin-A and chemical peels stimulate collagen production in the skin, which is claimed to help heal stretch marks. Hydroquinone which is a bleaching cream does lighten the appearance of the dark stretch marks but this is only temporary.

In Los Angeles and Beverly Hills early facial aging is no longer addressed with a full facelift. Instead, much smaller and less invasive facial procedures are used to lift the face. Your Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon can use facial fat grafting to inject very small amounts of your own body fat (micro-grafting) into the areas of the face that have hollowed and sag as a result of aging. These areas might include the naso-labial folds, eyelid grooves (tear troughs), cheeks, and even the jaw lines. Often time, fat transfer to the face is combined with the newest versions of Eyelid Surgery. Blepharoplasty in Beverly Hills has evolved to minimize the unnatural “hollowed-eye” look and to keep the eyes and face full, natural, and youthful.

To erase the deep naso-labial folds, to fill the hollowing of the central face, and to reverse the sagging of the cheeks, fat transfer alone might not be the ideal choice. Minimal invasive mid-face lift as performed in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles suspends the sagging cheeks and the central face through a thin incision under the lower eyelashes. This facial plastic surgery procedure rejuvenates the face without the distinctive signs of a facelift. The recovery of a mid-facelift or cheek lift is rather quick as compared to a full facelift.

Sagging brows that hood over the eyes makes us look sad and tired. Beverly Hills endoscopic forehead lift elevates the droopy brows and softens forehead wrinkles and frowns via small hidden incisions in the scalp.

Many Los Angeles women who have had breast implants have successfully breast fed their babies. Some Beverly Hills surgeons believe that peri-areolar approach can increase the chance of injury to milk ducts. In my personal experience, I have found peri-areolar approach not to be any different than other incisions with regards to the patient’s ability to breast feed.  Most women who get breast augmentation in Beverly Hills have small breasts. Women with very little breast tissue often produce less milk regardless of if they do or don’t have breast implants.

Buttock Augmentation in Beverly Hills has become a hot topic not only for women but also for men. Why Los Angeles men are seeking buttock enlargement or Brazilian butt lift? The answer is simple! In the era of sexual revolution and gender equality men have just as much of a right as women do to look their best! Just like the Calvin Klein models, California men want to look good and attractive in jeans. Professional men don’t want to dress like their grandfathers, but more so like Italian models. In pursuit of achieving a model-like body Beverly Hills men workout, exercise, eat healthy, and take their vitamin. Despite this, some find that they are missing buttock fullness. It bothers them that their pants look empty and wrinkled. Buttock augmentation allows men to have shape, fullness, and oomph!

Beverly Hills Buttock Augmentation for Men

Brazilian buttock augmentation in Beverly Hills is performed by injecting a person’s own body fat into their buttock or Gluteal muscle. Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon liposuctions the abdomen, flanks, and other areas around the buttock in order to shape it and to harvest fat for fat grafting into the buttocks.