CORRECTION OF BREAST ASYMMETRY
Most people have slightly different-sized or asymmetrical breasts. However, in some cases the difference in size is pronounced and correction is often desired. The best procedure will depend on several factors, including how you want to balance the breasts. You may want to augment (enlarge) the smaller breast to look like the larger one, or reduce the size of the larger breast to match the smaller one (reduction).
Both breast augmentation and reduction are widely performed procedures. If you’re considering augmentation or reduction to correct breast asymmetry, you need to arrange a consultation with Mr Lofts to discuss your surgical options in more detail.
CORRECTION OF INVERTED NIPPLES
At one time, the usual surgical solution for nipple inversion involved severing the milk ducts to release the nipple. There are still plastic surgeons who use this method. Although effective, this approach is unnecessarily destructive and makes it impossible for a woman to breastfeed afterward. A newer technique is now available that preserves the milk ducts and focuses on releasing the surrounding fibers that are holding the nipple in. Instead of simply severing the connective tissue in the nipple, the fibers are spread or stretched. This is achieved through a small incision in the areola while the nipple is held in the “out” position.
Several lines of dissolving sutures are inserted under the skin to hold the nipple in the desired, projecting position. Protective devices are placed over the nipples for a couple of days after the surgery to hold the nipples in position and ensure they don’t retract again during healing. The sutures dissolve within a couple of weeks. Any scarring from this minimally invasive procedure is usually not noticeable since the incision is small. The bumpy surface and natural color variations in the nipple and areola also help mask the scar. The results of the procedure are immediately noticeable. Since the surgery directly addresses the tissue abnormalities that were keeping the nipple inverted, the results have a good chance of being permanent.
ACNE SCAR TREATMENT
Acne is one of the most common skin conditions affecting teenagers as well as adults. Acne can include “blackheads” and “whiteheads” caused by blocked pores, pimples, and deeper lumps such as cysts or nodules. Acne may occur anywhere on the body but is most often seen on the face, neck, shoulders, back, chest and upper arms. Acne can cause a great deal of emotional distress, particularly when is results in scarring which can become quite severe. Fortunately, there are solutions for improving acne scarring and acne and the following options are offered by Mr Lofts:
Punch grafts are small skin grafts used to replace scarred skin. A hole is punched in the skin to remove the scar, which is then replaced with unscarred skin (often from the back of the earlobe). Punch grafts can help treat deep acne scars.
A surgical probe is used to separate the skin and scar tissue. This will raise the skin and, over time, flatten the surface of depressed acne scars.
An autologous fat transfer uses fat taken from another site on your own body and it is injected into your skin. The fat is placed beneath the surface of the skin to elevate depressed scars. This method is used to correct deep contour defects caused by scarring from nodulocystic acne. Because the fat may be reabsorbed into the skin over a period of months, there may be a need for the procedure to be repeated.
Commonly referred to as intralesional injections. These involve injecting a medication directly into a raised scar, causing it to flatten and soften.
BURN SCAR REVISION
When the skin is in the process of recovering from an injury, whether the result of an accident, surgery, a burn, or acne, scarring will occur wherever multiple layers of the skin have been affected. Once a scar forms, it is permanent but may be made less visible or relocated surgically.
Serious burns that destroy large sections of skin cause the skin to heal in a puckered way. As the skin heals, muscles and tendons may be affected in this “contracting” movement. Surgery removes extra scar tissue. It may involve a series of small cuts (incisions) on both sides of the scar site, which create V-shaped skin flaps (z-plasty). The result is a thin, less noticeable scar because the z-plasty helps the scar more closely follow the natural skin folds.