Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A Lesson in Injections from the "Miami Housewives"

Dr. Wolf got such a great response on his latest Miami Herald Q & A topic, we figured we'd share it with you here!

Q. Mama Elsa on the Housewives of Miami said she had bad plastic surgery and that a surgeon did all that to her. What is your opinion of what really happened?

A. Things aren’t always what they seem to be. Take, for example, the name of the show, Housewives of Miami. Most of the characters are not housewives, yet the show is named that.

While Mama Else may have had some plastic surgery in the past, I believe what has caused her more harm is the “other’’ stuff she has had injected into her face.

I have been practicing in Miami for about 25 years and have seen thousands of patients with the same problem, biopolymer injections. The patient is often told that that they are being injected with lamb embryo, shark cartilage or whatever seems to be in vogue at the time. Often, patients are told that the material will last for years. Unfortunately the disastrous consequences will last for years as well.

Initially, the area that receives the injections may look good. But as your body recognizes the injected material does not belong to you, your body starts to reject it. It literally grows tissue around the area in order to protect itself.

I’ve seen many patients who look very much like Mama Elsa. I suspect the resemblance between Mama Elsa and her daughter is not only genetic but they may have gone to the same injector.
Often a “friend” brings in another friend because they are getting a free treatment or they are getting a kickback to bring in an unsuspecting patient. More times than not, the person doing the injections is not a doctor and is usually from a foreign country (that way they can get away with this). While I would need to physically examine Mama Elsa to confirm this theory, her look is typical of a patient in the later stages of biopolymer injections.
Fortunately, there is a treatment for this problem. I have treated hundreds of patients successfully for this condition over the past many years. Depending on what area of the face the deformity exists, treatment may consist of steroid injections to mitigate the inflammatory reaction or directly cutting out the excess tissue. More recently I have started using 5 FU (an anti cancer drug, off label, in severe cases with great results).

Clearly, in treating patients with this problem, the cure should not be more dangerous than the problem, so each patient needs to be evaluated individually.

The best solution to this problem is to avoid being injected with materials by non-physicians where you do not know what they are injecting you with. Even smart people do foolish things when it comes to beauty!

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/15/3182461/a-lesson-in-injections-from-the.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy



Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/15/3182461/a-lesson-in-injections-from-the.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/15/3182461/a-lesson-in-injections-from-the.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Happy Birthday(s)!

We're a few days late, but we wanted to take a minute to wish both Dr. Michael Kelly and his patient coordinator, Ligia, Very Happy Birthdays! One of the original Miami Plastic Surgery members, Ligia has been with Dr. Kelly for more than 17 years.

When we asked Dr. Kelly about Ligia, aka "Missy", he said "Ligia is a loyal and great employee!". The rest of us feel the same way! 

Her favorite thing about working with Dr. Kelly: "I take pride in the work he does. I also appreciate and like his demeanor when working with patients." Her favorite thing about her job: "My patients make it all worth it. I like that I get to connect with each patient personally and see them through their surgical process."

Here's to many more birthdays spent together at Miami Plastic Surgery!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Our Docs Made The Cover of Surgical Health


Cardinal Health, leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, chose the doctors of Miami Plastic Surgery, to appear on the cover of the winter issue of Surgical Focus, their quarterly publication.

Check out a couple of highlights from the article:

Miami Plastic Surgery takes pride in the diverse population they serve. Clientele have flown-in from across the United States, Caribbean, South America, and Europe. The practice sees approximately three-hundred patients and performs twenty-five to thirty procedures a week. Dr. Kelly attributes much of this success to their focus on the patient. He states, “We’ve been stressing the importance of taking care of patients from day one. We want a patient to have a Neiman-Marcus/Nordstrom experience and know they are going to be taken care of. That helps distinguish us from our competition.”
  

Trustworthiness is something Miami Plastic Surgery takes pride in. “Doing the right thing and motivated by the right purpose. If someone comes in and wants something they don’t need, you have to be willing to say no. It’s all about results in plastic surgery. If you don’t get good results, you aren’t going to have a good practice,” states Dr. Wolf. Dr. Kelly elaborates, “We always want to be credible. We believe in what we’re doing and stand by what we do. Techniques come and go. We’ve seen twenty different devices and twenty different techniques. We avoid jumping on the bandwagon in the first six months. Our patients know that if we are doing it, it must be good.”


Monday, January 14, 2013

Dr. Franco At the AAHS Meeting


This past weekend, Dr. Franco attended the Annual Meeting for the AAHS (American Association for Hand Surgery), ASPN (American Society for Peripheral Nerve) and ASRM (American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery). The joint program provides an opportunity for surgeons, therapists and researchers working in these complementary fields to share the latest discoveries and techniques.




Monday, January 7, 2013

2013 Skincare Resolutions



Even the most beauty-wise woman still occasionally sleeps in her makeup, skimps on sunscreen, or forgets to make a yearly appointment to see a skin doctor. We're know we're guilty!

With the new year just a few weeks away, now's the time to make a pact with your skin. We asked some of our staff..
"What's your skincare resolution for the new year?"
"My resolution is to remember to apply my anti-aging face cream at night,  and not just care about my LATISSE. What's the point of long lashes without a glowing face to match?" 
- Ligia Perez, Patient Coordinator

"Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!" - Ellen Frank, Patient Coordinator

"Start applying eye cream. I'm turning 30 in 2013 but need to make sure I still look like I'm in my 20's! Prevention really is key."  - Ronnie Moro, Director of Marketing

"I need to be more consistent with my NIA24 Exfoliating Scrub. I'm supposed to be using it twice a week, but always forget!" -Ivette Oliva, Patient Coordinator
 
What's your 2013 Skincare Resolution?