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Health, Fitness and Body Enhancement

(Parva Plastic Surgery)

Behzad Parva, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Men and women have become increasingly health conscious, embarking on regular exercise and healthy diets. Such determination and hard work has often paid off with an improved sense of well being but many of us remain dissatisfied with a less-than-ideal response in our physical appearance. Exercise-resistant fat deposits often remain no matter how rigorous our work-out programs. Additionally, a woman’s body must endure the physical strains of child bearing with the resulting weakness of the abdominal wall tissues and loss of volume and increased laxity of the breast tissue.

The discipline of Plastic Surgery offers another dimension to our health maintenance and self-improvement. Breast shape can be restored through augmentation or breast lift, thus approaching the more youthful breast shape. Presently, breast implants are filled with saline (salt water) and do not pose the perceived risks associated with the silicone implants of the past. Breast augmentation can be performed in less than two hours with no incisions on the breast and a recovery period of days.

Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) involves removal of excess skin and fat with tightening of the abdominal wall muscles giving a more shapely figure and flatter abdomen. Depending on the work required, this procedure may take two to four hours with patients returning to normal activity within a few weeks. Long lasting results can be maintained with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Liposuction can address the localized fat deposits that are resistant to diet and exercise. Ideal candidates are in good general health, have relatively normal body weight and good skin tone. Liposuction is not a substitute for weight reduction, but serves to remove localized fat deposits that do not respond to dieting and exercise. Time required for the procedure varies, depending on the area and amount being suctioned. Ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) is the most recent advance in liposuction and involves use of sound waves to "liquefy" unwanted fat. This does not replace traditional liposuction but is an effective tool for fat removal from fibrous areas of the body, such as the back, or for removal of larger volumes of fat in a single procedure. Recovery from liposuction is gradual with return to work usually within several days and a steady increase in activity.

Advances in Plastic Surgery provide exciting opportunities for our self-improvement as we strive to live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives.