Hear from one of our beloved patients:

“I’m so impressed and excited about the work that you are doing with the Weight Management program. Not discounting the incredible work that Dr. Bae and the team do in the surgery center, I credit a good portion of my recovery, results and current lifestyle to the weight loss and exercise that I did prior to any of my surgeries. Above all, I had the opportunity to create healthy habits that I’ve been able to stick to post-surgery, which took the burden of undoing any surgery off the table (no pun intended ).

None of this is easy – changing habits, weight loss, exercise, surgery, recovery, etc – but the support that you and the team have provided me throughout my journey is unmatched. Investing in my health has been the most rewarding and humbling experience and I never could have done it without y’all! Thank you for empowering me to find me .”

The proof is in the pudding:

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room

Lots of patients ask if they should lose weight before surgery… Or even if they should gain weight before their Brazilian Butt Lift! Instead, consider being in a healthy weight range (or close to it!) at the time you schedule your procedure. If you need diet and exercise to get there, putting in the work before the procedure contributes to better outcomes and patient satisfaction.

But that doesn’t mean that you need do it alone. Exercise with friends. Make diet changes with your whole family. Get some fresh air and enjoy more time outdoors. Join a club. Dance!

Shout out to the Bae Lounge

If you still need more guidance and motivation, consider joining a Medical Weight Management Program like the one offered at Dr. Bae’s Health and Wellness Lounge. The program combines medications with lifestyle coaching to give patients the tools to set exercise goals, make healthy food choices, and keep the weight off.

Keep it going

As our patient can attest, the healthy habits instilled before going under the knife translates to better surgical outcomes. There are so many benefits to being in good physical condition prior to surgery, including:

• A healthy BMI decreases the risk of complications with anesthesia and intubation
• Patients who are obese are at greater risk for surgical site infection and slower healing because of reduced blood flow in fat tissue. This impacts every incision, as well as fat transfers such as Brazilian Butt Lifts
• High blood pressure and high blood sugar are more easily controlled
• The fat removal maximum for liposuction is 5L, so being close to your goal weight will maximize your results
• Patients tend to be happier with their results, because they’re often more noticeable when at a healthy BMI
• Recovery is typically faster and easier for patients in good physical condition
• The ability to maintain your post-operative results is easier, since you have already established a health-centric lifestyle

The post Get Those Coveted Mommy Makeover Results… and Keep Them! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

My experience with cosmetic procedures

When I was about 13 years old, my grandfather suggested that I get a rhinoplasty (nose job). I have a “flat” nose and he thought a bridge would make my face appear more attractive. As a quick disclaimer, I know that he loves me and does not think I am ugly. It was just the norm in the world he lived in. In fact, he performed my grandmother’s rhinoplasty! Therefore, trust, access, and finances were not the issue. But I declined the surgery because my nose did not bother me, and it was not my priority.

A few years later, I decided to “fix” my teeth. There was nothing wrong with it’s functionality or health, but some areas were not aligned, and some were naturally small compared to my jaw size and other teeth.

You could argue that this process was much more involved than a rhinoplasty. Typically, a rhinoplasty is a 2-3 hour procedure with 4-6 weeks of healing time. My teeth took 9 months of braces with regular appointments and painful adjustments. The braces caused swelling of my gums, which required an even more painful gum resection procedure to improve the appearance of my smile. I then had to get scans to send to the lab who made my veneers that the dentist attached to my “little” teeth. Let’s not forget the cost! Orthodontic work and cosmetic dentistry are not cheap! But it was important to me and I had it done!

Fast forward almost 20 years…

I didn’t think twice about my teeth until about a month ago when one of my veneers broke off. After it happened, I was distraught and self-conscious. I didn’t like any of my pictures, I was hesitant to smile or open my mouth in public, and I was even reluctant to go on a fun trip with my little sister because I didn’t want our photos ruined by my tooth. And while my self-acclaimed “flaw” is something most people probably would not even notice, getting my tooth reconstructed again boosted my confidence and overall mood.

My tentative smiles are long gone, and I don’t cringe at my pictures. I feel ready to tackle any challenges that come my way and chores that I have been putting off. Once again, I am open to trying new things and being social. I feel motivated to exercise. I feel outgoing, cheerful, and optimistic.

Here’s my two cents!

So, if you’re reading this and considering cosmetic work, I say go for it! Whether it’s cosmetic dentistry, botox, fillers, plastic surgery, a trip to the salon – you’ll never feel more like your true, jovial self!

And if your loved one is considering cosmetic work and talks to you about it, support them! It’s not just superficial. They will feel happy and confident. I’ll even bet that all the things you already love about them will shine through for the rest of the world to see!

Click here for the original blog post written by Jan Ramiro for BuildMyHealth.

The post Why cosmetic procedures aren’t just for the shallow at heart! first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

But as with many devices or medications, it is being used for a purpose other than what it is approved for. This isn’t illegal. It’s considered an off-label use. Consider BOTOX® Cosmetic. Doctors routinely administer it to consumers for the 11’s in between the eyebrows, forehead and crow’s feet. But it’s also used off-label for the lip flip or sweaty palms. Not illegal but not was it was cleared for, but since it provides a safe treatment for those off-label uses, it’s considered kosher.

However, heat-based devices to tighten the skin aren’t always safe, especially in untrained hands. These heat-based devices like Renuvion/J-Plasma can cause burns under the skin. In fact, that’s what the FDA reported. The agency received reports such as “serious and potentially life-threatening adverse events with use of this device for certain aesthetic procedures,” including some that have required treatment in an intensive care unit. The statement does not mention whether any cases were fatal.”

The Medscape article goes on to mention second- and third-degree burns, infections, changes in skin color, scars, nerve damage, “significant bleeding,” and “air or gas accumulation under the skin, in body cavities, and in blood vessels.” The last one, “air or gas accumulation” refers to terms you may be more familiar with like “gas gangrene” or “necrotizing fasciitis” aka infections from flesh-eating bacteria. Yes, this is serious stuff.

The reason I do not and will not offer this heat-based device to my patients is the same reason I avoided other heat-based devices like laser lipo. This clever sounding name describes using heat in the form of a laser to melt fat and then suck it out through a metal cannula. The heat from the laser was also promoted to tighten skin. But as you can see below and in this article that I wrote for a peer-reviewed publication, it also caused strange contractions of skin as well as 2nd and 3rd degree burns. To be clear, the photos below are not due to the heat-based Renuvion/J-Plasma device but from a related heat-based “laser lipo” device.

I know it sounds petty to say “I told you so.” But after years of the company attempting to get me to buy their equipment or patients asking if I offer J-Plasma (great marketing, I can’t argue that point), I feel vindicated that I avoided this class-action lawsuit.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Jonathan Kaplan for BuildMyHealth.

The post I told you so (warning, graphic photos) first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

What are some post op complications I should be aware of?

Fever

Fever is a vague symptom that can be normal and even expected after surgery; up to 90% of surgical patients have a low grade fever due to the body’s inflammatory response to injury. However, it can also be a sign of something more serious, such as atelectasis (collapse of small air sacs in the lung), urinary tract infection (especially if you had a foley catheter placed for surgery), wound infection, or blood clots.

A slight fever in the first two days after surgery is most likely nothing to be concerned about. However, if you develop other symptoms or if your fever worsens or persists, contact your doctor. The best way to deal with post-op fever is by preventing the more serious causes, as described in the following.

Atelectasis (collapse of air sacs in the lung)

Atelectasis can stem from the effects of anesthesia as well as a decrease in physical activity and shallow breathing after surgery. It can lead to pneumonia and other more serious respiratory complications. Depending on your procedure, coughing and deep breathing exercises may cause discomfort, but they play an important role in your recovery. Splinting (holding a pillow firmly against your incision) and adequate pain control can help make deep breathing less painful, especially if your surgery involved your chest or upper body.

You may also be sent home with an incentive spirometer. This is a device you’ll use to help expand your lungs thoroughly and gives a give visual representation of your breathing. Not everyone will need an incentive spirometer but everyone should practice some form of deep breathing and coughing to prevent atelectasis during recovery.

Urinary Retention or UTI

Blood Clots

Blood clots can form in the larger veins, commonly in the arms or legs; they can also break loose and travel, making them potentially life threatening. However, proper surveillance and preventive techniques can help reduce the risk. We screen every patient with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk assessment tool and certain patients are required to have a pre-op ultrasound of their legs to check for existing blood clots.

There are also a number of techniques surgeons can use to help reduce the risk of clot formation, including “blood thinners” – anti-thrombotic medications given to help keep blood from clotting; the use of compression or ted hose during and after surgery; and the use of sequential compression devices that massage the calves to keep the blood from pooling.

While recent data call into question these risk reducing techniques for DVTs, the easiest and cheapest form of prevention during recovery is early ambulation. Ambulation, or walking, has several benefits besides blood clot prevention; it also helps promote deep breathing and helps with gas, bloating, and constipation. We want our patients up and walking by the evening of their surgery day, but always follow your surgeon’s instructions for activity limitations.

Written by Jennifer “Coop” Cooper MS, APRN, AGACNP-BC, Sergeant, US Army (veteran)

Click here for the original blog post written by Jennifer Cooper MS, APRN for BuildMyHealth.

The post Preventing Post Op Complications first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

A few things I wish I knew before surgery

Post-op constipation is real.

The combination of narcotic pain medications, decreased activity, and poor dietary intake can lead to some serious constipation, so drink all the water, eat all the fiber, and walk, walk, walk. Unless you have other medical issues, you’ll need 2-3 liters of water (sorry, your coffee doesn’t count), and 20-30 grams of fiber every day. For reference, a serving of bran cereal has about 5.5 grams; fiber supplements like Metamucil can help you meet your goal and are actually pretty tasty these days.

As for walking, we like our patients up and walking the same evening of surgery (but always defer to your doctor’s instructions). Walking not only staves off constipation, it’ll also help prevent potentially fatal blood clots, so win-win.

What you eat, drink, and do can affect wound healing.

We already discussed the copious amounts of water and fiber you’ll be consuming, but there are other nutrients you’ll need to be aware of to help maximize your recovery. Low fat protein, zinc, calcium, and vitamins C & D are important factors in wound healing. And while it’s always better to get your nutrients from whole food sources, supplements may be beneficial to some people. Try a calorie tracking app on your phone to see how your nutritional intake stacks up.

On the flip side, there are a few things you should avoid, as they are known to delay or complicate wound healing. Nicotine is the biggest “NO” out there, but you should also monitor your intake of caffeine (like that coffee we talked about), alcohol, and excessive salt and sugar. A balanced diet of fresh fruits, veggies, and lean protein is almost always best.

What about lymphatic massage? We get asked this a lot. Lymphatic massage purportedly helps relieve pain and swelling, break up scar tissue, and improve blood flow to the area, thus promoting healing. There isn’t much data available to back up these claims, but some people swear by it (while others find it painful). We tell our patients they are welcome to try it if they’re interested, but we can’t promise any specific results from it.

Post-procedure depression can happen.

A lot goes into your emotional wellbeing after surgery, such as a personal history of depression/anxiety, reaction to medications, concerns about recovery, feelings of guilt for depending on others, or financial stress. For some people, these negative emotions can linger to become post-op depression. If you can’t shake the negativity or if you’re having excessive fatigue, changes in appetite or sleep, increased irritability, or any other symptom of depression, it’s important to get the help you need. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about post-operative depression.

Good help will be invaluable and meal prep is a life saver.

In the days leading up to your surgery, go over your needs and expectations during recovery with your primary caregiver. Will you need dressings or other supplies? Get them now. Depending on the surgery, you might want to have gauze, medical tape (look for soft fabric or paper tape, not plastic), and maybe some “chux”/puppy pee pads  – those absorbent pads you can put down to catch drainage, etc. Have some gloves available if you need help with dressing changes. Check with your doctor to see what you might need. Don’t forget your personal hygiene needs during this time as well. You might want to pick up some dry shampoo, baby wipes, or body powder if full showers are limited. A bidet attachment on your toilet might be worth the investment – they’re under $50 and easy to install. Do you have periods? Stock up on your supplies and discuss any assistance you’ll need with your caregiver.

Also use this time to meal prep – whip up some big pans of lasagna or casserole to freeze for later. Stock up on easy to eat, nutritious foods like whole grain toast with peanut butter, soups, and produce. If you know you’re prone to nausea, crackers and ginger ale are good to have on hand. Fresh out of anesthesia, the B.R.A.T. (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) diet is nutritious and easy to digest.

One last consideration is maneuverability in your home. If you’re going to need assistance – whether it’s another person or it’s equipment like a walker or crutches – you’ll probably need to make space. Take some time to move trip hazards like area rugs or power cords and consider if you’ll need things like grab bars in your shower or near your toilet.

Written by Jennifer “Coop” Cooper MS, APRN, AGACNP-BC, Sergeant, US Army (veteran)

Click here for the original blog post written by Jennifer Cooper MS, APRN for BuildMyHealth.

The post Postop Recovery Tips first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

During plastic surgery, one of the biggest concerns patients and their surgeon’s have is the potential for the development of blood clots in the patient’s legs. These are referred to as a DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis. The pathophysiology, or the reason these clots develop, has to do with three possible factors. 1) Stasis, or lack of movement of blood in the legs during surgery, 2) Hypercoagulability, increased clotting in the blood which could be due to genetic disorders, or 3) Injury to the blood vessels themselves.

Under normal circumstances, when a patient is not under anesthesia, their calf muscles act as a pump to keep blood moving. But during general anesthesia, the “calf pump” doesn’t function to the same degree. So blood pools in the deep veins of the leg, leading to an increased risk of the blood developing into a blood clot. By itself, the development of the clot isn’t deadly. But that clot could subsequently travel to the heart and lungs in what’s referred to as a pulmonary embolism. A “small” pulmonary embolism (ie a small clot traveling to the heart/lungs), could lead to mild shortness of breath that passes with time. On the other end of the spectrum, a pulmonary embolism consisting of a large clot could lead to sudden death. This is why DVT’s and pulmonary embolisms are of such great concern for the surgeon and their patient.

How do you reduce DVT’s in surgery?

This is a controversial question. For almost two decades, one option was to give patients chemoprophylaxis, or medications like blood thinners, to reduce the risk of forming a DVT in the leg. However, these medications are not without risks. In an amazing book chapter on the subject by Dr. Eric Swanson, he explains why blood thinners aren’t the answer. The annual risk of an adult having a DVT is 0.1-0.3%. But the risk of having a major bleeding complication (hematoma) from a blood thinner is 3% annually. So the risk of having a hematoma is higher than the risk of having a DVT.

You might think, well if it reduces my risk of a DVT to any extent during surgery, maybe it’s worth the risk? Despite conventional wisdom, there’s very little evidence that these blood thinners actually reduce the risk of DVT during surgery. So do you just accept the risk of a DVT by avoiding blood thinners because you don’t want a hematoma?

The alternative to blood thinners

Luckily there are alternative methods to reduce your risk of a DVT and ultimately, pulmonary embolisms. Dr. Swanson describes SAFE anesthesia. This is an acronym for Spontaneous breathing, Avoid inhalation gases, Face up and Extremities mobile.

Spontaneous breathing – avoidance of paralyzing the patient during surgery with medications called paralytics. If paralyzed during surgery, the patient is dependent on the ventilator to breathe. Paralyzing a patient for general anesthesia can also reduce blood pressure. If the anesthesiologist avoids paralytics, then the patient can spontaneously breathe on their own, blood pressure doesn’t drop and the calf muscle pump continues to work, thereby reducing stasis and DVT formation.

Avoid inhalation gases – think stronger versions of laughing gas. By using propofol (yes, the Michael Jackson drug) instead of gas to keep the patient asleep, the risk of DVT is lower.

Face up when possible, meaning keeping the patient on their back with their face up. This is obviously difficult in situations where the surgeon needs to operate on the patients back wherein they’re laying face down. But switching the patient from side to side, to always avoid being face down is one option.

Extremities mobile. Moving the limbs at some point during surgery, either by turning the patient, or repeated checking of limb position, can reduce stasis and DVT’s forming.

Checking for DVT’s preoperatively

Many offices, including ours, utilizes Doppler ultrasound surveillance to determine if someone has a deep venous thromboses before surgery. By knowing the patient doesn’t have a DVT ahead of time, they’re that much safer going into surgery.

What about those squeezers?!

SCDs (sequential compression devices) are the “squeezers” doctors use to reduce DVT formation in the legs. Some patients even rent or purchase these machines after surgery for home use. All in an effort to reduce the formation of a DVT and thereby a pulmonary embolus.

In truth, there is no evidence that sequential compression devices affect the frequency of deep venous thromboses in plastic surgery patients.

It may not be profound, and certainly not technically advanced, but the best way to avoid DVTs after surgery is to get up and walk around. In our office, we recommend showering hours after the procedure to force the patient to get up out of bed and take a walk to the bathroom.

Concerned about too much activity? Our mantra is, “If it hurts, stop doing it. If it doesn’t hurt, you can do it!” Listen to your body so you don’t overdo it. Don’t push through the pain. But stay out of bed as much as possible and get back to regular activity. The muscles in the calves were designed to reduce the risk of blood clots. So let them do their job but getting up and walking around rather than depending on devices like SCDs that are not proven to work.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Avoiding blood clots in the legs during and after surgery first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bae:
Great to see you, Greg.

LSU vs Texas

Greg:
Hey, you know, this has nothing to do with what we’re going to talk about today, but football is coming back really soon and our teams don’t-

Dr. Bae:
Hopefully.
Greg:
…play against each other.

Dr. Bae:
They are going to be playing this year together. Oh, actually you all might be joining the SEC Conference. You saw that, didn’t you?

Greg:
We are. We will playing-

Dr. Bae:
Texas and Oklahoma.

Greg:
We’ll be playing… No, we are definitely joining, and we’ll be-

Dr. Bae:
Okay.

Greg:
…rivals very quickly. So anyway, I want to throw that in there.

Greg playing with his Grandmother’s bat wings!

Greg:
But I actually wanted to talk about my grandmother. So I think I was telling you a story the last time I talked to you. The biggest trouble I got into when I was a little kid was she had this thing on her arm where it hung down, like lots of fat-

Dr. Bae:
Yeah.

Greg:
And I would touch it and play with it when I was a kid. And I got in a lot of trouble for doing that. And I was just wondering other than, you know, lifting weights and trying to tone yourself, what if you have something like that? Is there any way to fix all that hang-down from your arm? I don’t even know what it’s called.

Arm lipo vs Arm lift

Dr. Bae:
Yeah. Right. It’s not the nicest word, but patients come in and use the term bat wings. They come in saying they want to get rid of their bat wings. And I’m sure if your grandmother had bat wings, it’s like totally impossible for you to resist as a child, or maybe even now, to play with the bat wings. That does sound kind of fun. But yeah, bat wings is just the excess skin, excess fat that people get. Sometimes it happens with patients after they’ve had massive weight loss, and it really just depends on which procedure is appropriate for them based on the quality of their skin.

Dr. Bae:
So there’s the two options are arm liposuction or an arm lift, which can also be combined with arm liposuction. But if it’s somebody that’s got really good quality skin and they’ve got a lot of fullness to their arm but maybe doesn’t hang down as much as you’re describing, if they’ve got good quality skin, you can really just do arm liposuction and you can make the incision at the elbow and one at the front of the shoulder. And through those two tiny incisions that can be well hidden, you can go in, suck out a lot of fat, and if they have good quality skin like I mentioned, the skin will tighten up and arm liposuction is all they need to do.

Dr. Bae:
And if it’s somebody that I’m not sure if they have good quality skin, I will still start with the arm liposuction, at least I’ll offer it to them, because if they have to go to an arm lift, then that’s a longer scar. It goes along the entire, I don’t know if you can see this in the video, but the incision goes all along the inside of the arm and it’s kind of an unattractive scar. And so you got to really make sure patients are prepared for that before you do an arm lift on them. And you have to do an arm lift if they don’t have good quality skin, it’s just really hanging down, you’re afraid that arm liposuction alone won’t allow the skin to tighten adequately. And so then that’s when you make that decision to do an arm lift.

Greg:
But it can be fixed. One way or the other, it can be fixed.

Risk of scars with an arm lift

Dr. Bae:
Correct. It can be fixed. And the patients are usually very happy with it. The thing I found is that if they come in and they’re so over it, they’re unhappy with the hanging skin, and they ask for an arm lift and they know that there’s going to be that incision, then they are mentally ready. I find that they’ve done enough research online. They’ve seen the scars. Because the reason the scar is not that attractive is that we always like to make incisions as thin as possible, and scars will start to thicken or widen if there’s too much tension on the incision. And we typically can avoid putting tension on the incision, but when it comes to an arm lift, because we’re trying to remove as much skin as possible, we’re tightening it up as much as possible. And then that inherently puts tension on the incision. And that’s why the incisions sometimes widen when it comes to an arm lift more than other things like tummy tucks and things like that.

Dr. Bae:
So if they come in and they’re ready for an arm lift mentally, then they’re usually very happy with it. And then they’re okay with the scar at that point.

Greg:
I mean, just like everything else in life-

Dr. Bae:
Because they’re tired of their grandkids playing with the flopping, hanging skin.

Greg:
Well, exactly. I mean, when you’re a kid, you do those kind of things. I learned very quickly to not do that ever again. But you know what? Like with everything else, Dr. Bae, you can fix almost anything.

Dr. Bae:
That is true. The magic and the wonderment and the technology of plastic surgery. It definitely allows everybody to get something done eventually.

Greg:
All right, before we go, though, are you good at changing a dirty diaper?

Dr. Bae:
I’m much better at that now. I can do it one handed.

Greg:
Wow.

Dr. Bae:
I’m pretty proud of myself.

Greg:
All right. Well, you are always using both hands when you’re doing plastic surgery. I know that for sure.

Dr. Bae:
Right.

How to get in touch with Dr. Bae

Greg:
All right. Dr. Bae, tell everybody how they can book an appointment, consultation, or ask you any question, because I know you’re always great about answering anything on social media.

Dr. Bae:
Very easy to find me on social media. You can direct message us on Instagram @realdrbae, R-E-A-L-D-R-B-A-E. You can also watch us operate on Instagram, on Snapchat, on TikTok, all at the handle realdrbae, and also they can check pricing and all that good stuff on our website, which is realdrbae.com. So never a reason or an excuse not to be able to get in touch with us or get the answer to your question that you’ve been seeking so desperately.

Greg:
All right. Thanks, Dr. Bae. Have a good one.

Dr. Bae:
My pleasure. Great seeing you.

The post Bae Break with Greg: Arm Lipo vs Arm Lift [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bae:
I’m very official. I don’t just play a doctor on the radio.

Greg:
No, leave that to me. I will play a doctor on the radio. I do get a lot of questions from people. Some of them, thanks to you, I can actually answer. I can actually answer a lot of lipo questions now, because I’ve asked you so many questions about lipo in the past. But we need you here to really give us the professional’s opinion.

Breast augmentation

Greg:
And what I have been wondering is a lot of women, when they get breast augmentation… Generally, if they’re doing that, they’re wanting to go bigger, right? How do you help them decide which implants to get, how big to go, what’s right for your body? Because I think a lot of people may have one thought in their head, and maybe you see it a different way.

Dr. Bae:
Yeah. I try to break it down to make it as easy as possible and to give them… Basically, I tell them that you have five decisions to make when they come in for a breast augmentation consult. So five decisions. What are those five decisions? One is whether you want saline or silicone. The next is whether you want round or shaped. Third, where you want the incision. Around the edge of the areola, through the armpit, or under the breast? Fourth, whether you want it on top of the muscle or under the muscle. And fifth, what size you want.

Saline vs Silicone

Dr. Bae:
And so, after I tell them, those are the decisions, then we go through and explain each one. So starting off with saline versus silicone, I just tell them the pros and cons. Silicone feels more natural, looks more natural. That is what most people are getting. Saline is less expensive, but it does look more like a balloon and feels a little more firm, whereas silicone, like I said, just feels more natural.

Dr. Bae:
There’s also something with rippling. If you look on the side of the breast of somebody that has a saline implant, you can see this rippling in the skin a little bit more with a saline implant versus a silicone implant. And then, the other thing is that, if you get a hole in the implant, a silicone implant, they’re more of a gel. So even if you get a hole in the shell of it, it can actually keep its shape because it’s a gel. It’s not a liquid. It doesn’t just spill out. Whereas, with a saline implant that gets a hole in it, that’s a liquid, obviously. And that just spills out, and it deflates completely. And then you have to get it replaced, whereas with a silicon-

Greg:
You’ll have a deflated breast.

Dr. Bae:
You’ll have a deflated breast. Whereas, with a silicone implant, because it’s a gel, it keeps it shape. And that capsule or scar tissue that naturally forms around the implant can actually keep it self-contained, so it doesn’t spill all over your body, like the way you’ve heard those kinds of things happening back in the nineties and things like that.

Shaped vs Round

Dr. Bae:
So, that’s the first thing. Second one… And by the way, there’s no right answer to any of these. I just give them the facts, and then they can make the decision. The second one is round versus shaped. So a round implant is kind of what you think. It’s round, where it gives a more fullness up top, which patients really like that, versus a shaped implant. And a shaped implant? It’s got more fullness at the bottom and less fullness up top. So it doesn’t give them that fullness up top. So it looks more natural. Not having a lot of fullness up at the top of your breast is more natural, but patients don’t really want that. They say they want natural, but then, when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, they really want that kind of buxom look up top.

Greg:
Yeah, I’ve noticed. I watch a lot of reality TV, and I noticed a lot of the breasts. They want them here. They want this spilling out.

Dr. Bae:
Up close to their neck, even though they say they don’t.

Greg:
Yes. Yes. They do.

Location of the incision

Dr. Bae:
But anyway, so I give them the option. So, round is more fullness up top. Shaped, less fullness, more natural looking. Then the third option is the incision. And that really kind of depends on a few things. As far as the incision, people talk about going through the nipple. Nobody really goes through the nipple. It’s an incision along the edge of the areola, which actually can be really well hidden between that junction of your natural skin tone and that darker reddish pigment of the areola. And so, you can hide in an incision well, within that.

Dr. Bae:
You can make an incision underneath the breast, which most people do. And there’s the incision through the armpit, which people like because that’s well hidden. The thing people have to understand is that going through the areola, going through the armpit, that even though we prep everything with betadine, make it as sterile as possible, there’s still bacteria down in your sweat glands in your armpit. There’s still bacteria down in the milk ducks of the nipple.

Dr. Bae:
So even though we clean all that up, that bacteria can still get on the implant and possibly cause an infection but more likely cause something called capsular contracture, which is that natural scar tissue that forms around the implant, totally normal on all types of implants. But if it gets too much bacteria there, called colonization, it can make that scar tissue get thick and distort the breast. And that’s called capsular contracture. So that’s less likely if you make an incision under the breast.

Dr. Bae:
But then the downside, potentially, of making an incision under the breast is you could have the implant bottom out. So lots of pros and cons with all these things because, if there was one right way, then everybody would just do it that way.

Over or under the muscle

Dr. Bae:
Then the fourth decision is on top of or under the muscle. And one of the things about going under the muscle, it helps camouflage the implant. So it makes it a little more natural-looking. But the other thing is that thing I was talking about, capsular contracture, where the scar tissue gets really thick and distorts the breast? There’s some suggestion that, by putting the implant under the muscle, it reduces that risk of capsular contracture. So I tend to put implants under the muscle. And it also depends on if the patient has enough breast tissue to begin with, because if they don’t have that much breast tissue to begin with, you probably don’t want to put it on top of the muscle because there’s not a whole lot of skin to camouflage it, and it looks more like a water balloon.

What size implant should I get

Dr. Bae:
And then, lastly, what size? And we just have people try on implants in the office. They bring a sports bra. We have them put in all of the sample implants we have in the office and try them on and see what size they like best. And we go with that. And we usually have a range of options in the operating room the day of, to make sure we have whatever eventuality comes up of what they’re looking for. So that’s the buffet of decision-making and answers and suggestions that I make to them, recommendations. And then, they go from there.

Greg:
You know what? The main key here, again, as we always talk about, especially if you’re doing something like this, research, research, research. Talk to your doctor and then make the best decision for you and your body.

Dr. Bae:
That’s right. That’s right. Thanks for always promoting board-certified plastic surgeons. That’s probably the person you want to go to. They have a lot of experience. They do a lot of training, too. You know, it’s one thing. Anybody can put in an implant, but it’s knowing how to put in the implant, when to put an implant, and what other kind of surrounding issues are involved to make sure you’re making the right decision because, quite frankly, the biggest thing with breast augmentation is the pre-planning, the decisions made before the operation, not the actual operation.

Greg:
And not anybody can put in an implant. A lot of plastic surgeons and a lot of other surgeons can, but not anybody. So that’s why we have you here. And we are grateful for it. Thank you so much, Dr. Bae. Give out all your information, social media.

Dr. Bae:
Yeah. I appreciate the faith you have in me, but yeah. Check me out. Real Dr. Bae. R-E-A-L-D-R-B-A-E, not B-A-Y, on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikToK, and realdrbae.com. Check pricing on there and watch us on social media when we operate, so you kind of know what to expect when you come in for your operation.

Greg:
Absolutely. We’ll see you next time.

Dr. Bae:
Thanks a lot, Greg.

Greg:
Thank you.

The post The 5 decisions of breast augmentation first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bae:
That’s right. That was a lot of tests, oral and written tests, and a lot of exams in school to become board certified, so thanks for not forgetting it.

Greg:
And I see you want to fight with me today. You got your college hat on, LSU. It’s close to mine, but I know you went to the University of Texas for a short time, didn’t you?

Dr. Bae:
No, no. I went to UT Austin, correct, but not for a short time. I went for all four years.

Greg:
Okay.

Dr. Bae:
I think I’ve told you this before. I didn’t technically graduate. I didn’t get enough credits to graduate, but I did all the stuff you have to do to be able to get into medical school, like MCAT and everything. But then I went to LSU for medical school and general surgery residency. I grew up in Louisiana, so that’s the LSU hat. I might just got out of an arm liposuction case.

Greg:
Can you at least get a UT hat the next time I see you? I mean, you went there. You could wear a UT hat for me.

Dr. Bae:
That would be totally legitimate. You are right. Out of respect to you, you’re right. I should wear a UT scrub cap next time I see you. Okay. Fair enough.

Liposuction vs Tummy Tuck

Greg:
Thank you. Now, I have a real question for you, Dr. Bae. A lot of people want to lose weight, whether it’s after having a couple of kids or maybe they feel like they can’t lose it on their own, and they’ve just gained so much weight in COVID. Is there one thing that fits everybody? Is it liposuction or how do we do this?

Dr. Bae:
Well, you just basically look at your body and if you can just pinch the skin and you pinch it and you feel like there’s fat in there, maybe you would think, oh, maybe I’m a candidate for liposuction, but then you also have to look at how much excess skin do you have? Do you have a lot of hanging skin or excess skin or wrinkly skin or stretch marks?

Dr. Bae:
The other thing you have to look at is how much of an abdominal bulge you have, like the upper part of your abdomen, and that could be a sign of a rectus diastasis, which is something when your abdominal wall stretches out because of having kids. You take those things into account, a stretched out abdominal wall, excess skin, excess fat. If it’s just excess fat, no hanging skin, no abdominal bulge, you could just do liposuction. That’d be fine.

Dr. Bae:
Then, the other option is if there is excess skin, then you would consider doing a tummy tuck. If you have an abdominal bulge, maybe that’s the only thing you have is the abdominal bulge after having kids, then you would still probably need a tummy tuck because the only way to fix the abdominal bulge is to go through a big, lower abdominal incision, like you would with a tummy tuck.

Different types of tummy tucks

Greg:
Well, what’s involved in a tummy tuck?

Dr. Bae:
A tummy tuck is, typically there’s a few different kinds. There’s a mini tummy tuck, traditional tummy tuck, extended tummy tuck. I guess some doctors will have different definitions, but in general, a mini tummy tuck is just when you’re removing the excess skin at the lower part of the abdomen. And so that means you have a nice flat tummy, otherwise just a little excess skin at the bottom. Maybe you don’t have a whole lot of excess fat. The only people I’ve found that really fit within that category of a mini tummy tuck with just that excess skin are marathon runners, who’ve had a kid. So they’ve had the kid, they still have a nice flat abdomen for whatever reason, genetically, they didn’t get stretched out abdomen.

Greg:
That’s very specific, by the way.

Dr. Bae:
That’s very specific and that’s really the truth. So they’ve worked off all the fat because they’re a marathon runner and they just have this excess skin. What we do is we make a lower abdominal incision, well below the panty line, so at least it’s hidden and they can still wear bikini bottoms and things like that. And so we just remove a strip of skin. That’s a mini tummy tuck.

Skin removal and diastasis repair

Dr. Bae:
If they’ve got more skin that’s hanging, if they’ve got stretch marks they want to get rid of, if they’ve got that abdominal bulge, then we have to make an incision along the lower part of the abdomen, still low enough that it can be hidden, just a little bit longer than a mini tummy tuck, that gives us the ability to remove excess skin, gives us access to go up underneath the upper abdominal wall to tighten that up and to do liposuction at the same time.

Extended tummy tuck

Dr. Bae:
And then if you have excess skin that wraps around the sides of your body towards the back, then that would be more like an extended tummy tuck. That’s kind of the upshot of it all is just notice whether you have excess fat, excess skin and abdominal bulge. That’ll give you an idea whether you need to do liposuction or a tummy tuck. Then depending on how much excess skin you have, how much stretch marks, how much that skin wraps around, that will help you determine what type of tummy tuck you get. I think that pretty much puts it all in a nutshell.

How to find Dr. Bae

Greg:
Yeah, that covers it. They’re truly answers for everybody. You just need a good consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Bae, how do they find you?

Dr. Bae:
They can find me on Snapchat, Instagram, Tik Tok at RealDrBae, R-E-A-L D-R B-A-E, not B-A-Y, and then you can check out our website, RealDrBae.com and they can check pricing on there for all those procedures, mini tummy tuck, full tummy tuck, extended tummy tuck. We got all that information on there, so that by the time you come in, you have a pretty good idea what you need and you have a good idea of how much it costs.

Greg:
Awesome. We’ll see you next time.

Dr. Bae:
Thanks so much, Greg.

Greg:
Hook ’em horns.

Dr. Bae:
Go Tigers.

The post Which type of tummy tuck is right for you? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bae:
Hey Greg. Thanks for joining me.

Greg:
Absolutely. It’s always great to be here, especially, from month to month when we do these, I compile a list of questions that my friends ask me. They sort of think because I know you, I know all of the things that you know, which is not necessarily true.

Dr. Bae:
Yeah, you’re a plastic surgeon adjacent. You just skipped the whole med school thing.

Breast lift without an implant?

Greg:
Exactly. I had a pride party a few weeks ago and a question. One of my friends who just turned 50 was there and she wanted to actually talk to you. She wants her breasts perkier, but she does not want her breasts larger and she didn’t know, would she have to get some kind of implant to make them perk up or is there a way to do a lift without… She really doesn’t want to go bigger.

Dr. Bae:
Right. So, absolutely. There’s definitely a way to be perkier without going bigger. And so instead of getting breast implants, you would get a breast lift, but it’s not just straightforward. Like what type of breast lift? Everybody’s a little bit different. And some people think that we just decide, okay, we’re going to do this type of breast lift on you just like how we feel that day. We’re going to do that type or that type. But it really is how droopy the breasts are and if you’ve had kids and your breasts are pendulous, my favorite word, after breastfeeding, that can make them a little bit droopier. And so it really just all depends on how droopy they are and basically where the nipple is in comparison to that fold onto the breast. It’s called the inframammary fold.

Where’s the nipple?!

Dr. Bae:
So, basically if the nipple is just below the inframammary fold, then maybe just have a little bit of droop and so that would be one type of breast lift. If it’s further below the fold, then that’s a different type of breast lift. We have to remove more skin to get them back up to where they need to be. And if they’re pointing down and really droopy, then that means we have to remove even more skin, which means we have to make even more incisions. So, that brings me to the different types of breast lifts. One is the one that needs the least amount of lift is maybe you just need a little crescent of skin taken off the top of the areola and that can help just reposition the nipple a little bit. So that’s really just, you want the nipple to be in a better position, but your breasts look fine otherwise.

Dr. Bae:
Now, if you have a little bit more droop, then you have to remove more skin. You can also take skin from around the areola and just basically take a donut of skin and that’s why we call it a donut lift. And that helps tighten up the breast skin and brings up the breast and the nipple at the same time. If you have a little bit more droop, then we’ll do what’s called a lollipop incision where we make an incision around the areola and then up and down and that’s just to take out more skin to give you more of a lift. And if it’s as droopy as you’re worried it is, then we would do an anchor lift where we make an incision around the areola, a vertical incision, and then an incision under the breast. And by removing all of that extra skin, we can bring the breast back up to where it is. And remember, we’re not reducing anything we’re not taking on any breast tissue. We’re just tightening up the skin envelope to give them that perkier breast that they’re looking for without fat injections, without an implant if they choose.

Greg:
So you’re able to keep all of their breast tissue that they naturally have and you’re just able to bring it up into a position where it was when they were 22, rather than my friend, she’s 50. Okay, that makes sense to me, but I’m glad I did not try to explain this to her at my pride party. It would have been very strange.

Dr. Bae:
Especially since there might have been alcohol involved at the pride party.

Greg:
Might have.

Dr. Bae:
So you might not have gotten all that clear. Might have.

Greg:
No, there for sure was.

Breast lift vs Breast reduction

Dr. Bae:
But that’s actually, you bring up a good point. So if they are looking to get a breast reduction, it’s actually the same types of incisions and so the only additional thing you’re doing is you’re taking out breast tissue in addition to doing the lift. So a breast reduction includes a lift, a lift doesn’t necessarily have to be a breast reduction. So very, very key point a lot of patients don’t understand before they come in to see me.

Greg:
Awesome. Well, tell my friend and everybody out there watching these videos how they can communicate with you the best and get in and see you.

Dr. Bae:
They can easily just text us at the office. They can text our office number (415) 923-3005. They can call that number too. They can also direct message us through Instagram @realdrbae. And of course, they can always watch us on social media, realdrbae, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and check pricing at realdrbae.com/pricing. We’re very easy to get ahold of.

Greg:
Awesome. Thanks so much, Dr. Bae.

Dr. Bae:
Thank you, Greg.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post What kind of breast lift do you need? first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bae:
Hey, Greg.

Greg:
I was thinking about you the other day. I was driving through your neighborhood. I was like, “Where is he? Maybe I can find him in this coffee shop and he can buy me some coffee.”

Dr. Bae:
Shoutout to Wrecking Ball!

Neuromodulators

Greg:
Absolutely. It’s good to see you. I wanted to start with this question. Now, it’s commonly now referred to as getting Botox, if you get an injectable to stop the lines and the wrinkles. However, Botox is actually a brand name. There are many different types of injectables that do the same thing as Botox. So how do we pick the right one?

Dr. Bae:
Exactly right. The idea is that Kleenex or Puffs are a type of tissue paper, and Botox has just been used just the way everybody says, “I’ll give you some Kleenex.” It’s that generic term. Or, get me some Coke to drink. The same thing is happening with Botox. It’s just that term that’s become the generic form of what is actually called a neuromodulator. So you have facial tissues-

Greg:
A what?

Dr. Bae:
Neuromodulator, N-E-U-R-O-M-O-D-U-L-A-T-O-R. If we’re taking the SAT and we’re talking about those analogies, we’re going to be thinking of, tissue paper is to Kleenex as neuromodulator is to Botox. Botox is the brand. There are other brands. Aside from Botox, there is Jeuveau, which is a newer one on the market. They go by #newtox on social media. There’s Dysport and Xeomin, X-E-O-M-I-N. These are all versions of neuromodulators. They’re also just basically called botulinum toxins. The toxin that’s made that you’re not supposed to have kids… No children under six months are supposed to eat honey, because it could have botulinum toxin in it, which could cause botulism. But if you do it the right way, you inject it in your face and it’s fine.

Treatment areas

Dr. Bae:
You’re essentially injecting poison in your face. But whatever product you’re using, Botox, Jeuveau, Xeomin, Dysport, the idea is you inject it into the elevens here or into the forehead, the crow’s feet, you can even do in the upper lip to treat a gummy smile or down here to help with, if you have a bitchy resting face, it can help the corners of your mouth go up.

Greg:
I want to keep mine. I’m not changing that. I’m keeping my bitch resting face.

Dr. Bae:
But the way it works is, you inject into those muscles in those areas and it relaxes those muscles. That makes those wrinkles go away that are caused by those overactive muscles. So again, the elevens, the forehead, crow’s feet, upper lip, along the jaw line. People sometimes think, “Oh, well, you can use Botox for these lines here, the parentheses lines.” That doesn’t work, because these parentheses lines aren’t caused by overactive muscles, so Botox won’t work there. That’s caused by loss of collagen and that’s where you would use fillers.

Greg:
Then how do you find the right brand for you? Are they all basically the same and go with whatever’s on sale?

Is one brand better than another?

Dr. Bae:
Well, every company will tell you that they’re the best for one reason or another. Well, first off, just so you know, right off the top, is that I am a speaker, a paid spokesperson, for Xeomin. A company, Merz, makes Xeomin. It’s a company based in Germany. But they have a North American unit here and that’s where the Xeomin comes from. But I feel they’re all pretty much the same. I would treat all of these on my family members. I think they all have essentially the same result. The only one I don’t use is Dysport and not because there’s anything wrong with the product. It’s because they use a different gradation or measurement technique as far as how much you inject somebody with. But Botox, Jeuveau, Xeomin, you basically can treat 20 units to this area in the forehead, 20 units to the eyes, so it’s all pretty much the same.

How do you choose one brand over another?

Dr. Bae:
But the thing that’s interesting is whenever a new company comes out, they don’t necessarily just come out right and say, “We’re better than Botox.” Because you would think if a car dealer comes out with a new car, a new model, a car company comes out with a new model, they’ll say, “Oh, this car is better than that Ford truck,” or, “This Chevy truck is better than that Ford truck.” What I find with the neuromodulators is they just say, “We’re the same as Botox.” They don’t necessarily say they’re better. They just say, “We’re the same,” because they know that’s the benchmark. They say, “Well, we’re as good as it gets. We’re the same as everybody else. So you can utilize us.” The thing that may make a difference is that some of them have loyalty rewards programs that are different. Maybe you get more points and more freebies, depending on which company you go with.

Greg:
Oh, my God, it’s like every thing else. It’s like choosing an airline or whatever. You choose the one where you can get the most advantages, points, maybe a sale, something from them. Okay, so-

Dr. Bae:
Credit cards.

How to see Dr. Bae

Greg:
Yeah. They’re basically all the same. They’re all safe. And, of course, you can always be educated in Dr. Bae’s office about these types of things. Tell them how to find you and how to book an appointment.

Dr. Bae:
You can always find us, if you’re watching this, you’re already probably on our website at realdrbae.com, R-E-A-L-D-R-B-A-E, not B-A-Y. Or you can watch us on social media, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram at realdrbae. You can watch us operate. You can actually watch us do injectables on patients that are okay with us showing them on social media. Because it’s different, when we’re doing operations, the patients are covered up. You never see their face. But when you’re doing injectables, the patients are a little bit more reticent to be shown on social media, because you’re actually injecting their face. It’s hard to hide their face, even though sometimes we’ll try and zoom in really well, or we’ll put an emoji over part of their face. You can watch us do those types of injectables with neuromodulators, i.e., Botox, Xeomin, Jeuveau or Dysport in our office, anytime on any social media.

Dr. Bae:
And you can check pricing on all of these injectables on realdrbae.com/pricing. You can even purchase non-surgical services through our website. So you can actually pay for it online and come in and get the treatment and just walk out as though it was free. You didn’t have to pay for it. You [crosstalk 00:06:10].

Greg:
Perfect. And you can show my photos there. I’m such a big boy. I hardly even grimace when the needle goes in.

Dr. Bae:
Thanks. That’s good to know. Thank you.

The post All about Botox, Xeomin, Dysport and Jeuveau first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bae:
Hey, Greg.

Greg:
What’s going on?

Dr. Bae:
Things are good. We are seeing patients regularly, busy. Everybody’s like kind of getting their COVID face on. They’re ready to get back out into the world, getting recovered so they can enjoy the summer.

Medical Tourism

Greg:
That’s true, absolutely. People are getting out and about and people want to look better. And that’s one reason to go see Dr. Bae. I have a friend and she just did one of your favorite procedures or one of your expertise procedures, the mommy makeover. But when she told me she was doing it, I was a little concerned because she went to a foreign country, medical tourism. I won’t say where. But she went to another country. It was a whole process when she was explaining it to me. She’s going to be down there for a couple of weeks and they’re moving her to another facility after. I mean, I’m concerned and I just wanted to talk to you about… Yeah, it’s cheaper, right? It’s cheaper maybe to go to another country. But what are the risks and how do you figure out? How to get a good person if you’re going to do that? And can somebody talk to you before they make a bad decision?

Don’t just focus on cost

Dr. Bae:
Absolutely. Unfortunately, people are really just focused on the cost. And of course, cost is a big part of everything, I know. We provide pricing on our website, so people can check pricing before they come in for a consultation. But you don’t want to boil everything down to cost. It’s like the ultimate decision. But you have to keep in mind that, yes, you’re going to save some money if you go to another country. And I’m not going to make a blanket statement that all surgeons in other countries are bad surgeons. But the thing that you have to realize is whether it’s a good surgeon or a bad surgeon, whether it’s in this country or out of this country, there’s always the risk of complications. And just because its cosmetic surgery doesn’t mean it’s not real surgery.

Dr. Bae:
So if you come to me and unfortunately you might have a complication like the wound doesn’t heal right, or the breast implant gets infect, or something like that, at least I’m here locally to take care of you and it won’t cost you anything else for me to take care of that complication or at least I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t cost you anything. Whereas if you get that procedure done in another country and then you come back home and then you start looking around for a doctor to help you when you’re having this complication, they’re going to charge you. That’s not your… They’re not your original doctor. You’re not their original patient. That’s what they do. They have to charge you to provide those services and it’s going to get really expensive. So whatever money you may have saved by going out of the country, you’re going to spend twice that treating a complication because you’re working with the doctor that’s not your original doctor.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

Dr. Bae:
So, I get it that you want to save some money. But for the peace of mind, and just put it out of your mind first of all that you might not get a complication, that certainly you have to go into it kind of preparing for the worst. I mean, that’s just kind of a good way to look at it because hopefully everything will be great. And yeah, so if you have a problem, you’re going to want to have your doctor there locally because you’re probably not going to be able to go back across the country even if it’s in the United States or go outside of the country to get that complication treated.

Greg:
Well. And of course, whatever decision anybody makes, it’s always so smart to do your research. But do realize if you go out of the country and you have a health problem and you’re having it there, it’s going to be difficult because you’re not at home with your insurance and stuff. And then again, it’s going to be hard if you have an issue with that doctor and you’re back here, what can you really do about it there?

Dr. Bae:
Another interesting thing is a lot of people will tell me like, oh, but when you go to another country, because it’s less expensive, you get more for your money. You get the operation that you’re going to get here. And you can then stay there and recover for two to three weeks or a month even. [crosstalk 00:03:49] hotel.

Greg:
Which is what my friend is doing. Yeah. She stayed in a hotel for two weeks.

Benefits of getting home as soon as possible

Dr. Bae:
And so you’re thinking, oh, that’s great. I get so much for my money. But the thing is, after you do your operation with us here in office operating room, you go home. And that’s, I don’t think there’s any better place to recover than at home. And if you’re staying at these hotels or these post recovery centers for an extended period of time, other patients are staying there also. So just like, there’s a risk of getting an infection from somebody else at a hospital, there’s a risk of getting infection in these long-term facilities and other places in other countries. So, it’s not so great that you have a place to stay for a long period of time. It actually increases your risk of infection potentially. So, that would be my opinion is get home as quickly as possible. And if you want a home health nurse to help you out, sure, no problem.

Dr. Bae:
But most of the things you’re going to be dealing with after your surgery, you don’t really need a nurse. You just need a family member that’s there available to help you. You don’t really need somebody that’s got additional degrees. Because even if you get a home health nurse, they maybe mostly a cardiology nurse. They’re not necessarily a post-op cosmetic surgery recovery nurse. And that’s a big difference. Just like, you don’t come to me for your diabetes management, you don’t go to a internal medicine doctor for plastic surgery. So, same thing. Nurses are sort of specialized as well. So, they might not necessarily be perfectly suited to take care of you in your recovery. So, get home as soon as possible after your surgery. Try to avoid being around other people or other institutions where you could get additional infections. And so, that would be my argument why you should stay in the country.

How to get more information from Dr. Bae

Greg:
Well, whatever you decide, just make sure you do your research. Take your time. Don’t rush into anything. And if you have questions you want to reach out, you want to ask anything, you can always go to Dr. Bae social media. Ask him anything. And it is?

Dr. Bae:
@realdrbae, R-E-A-L-D-R-B-A-E, not B-A-Y, and realdrbae.com. You can always reach me there through website, social media. I’m always available to answer questions through direct messages.

Greg:
I’m going to test you now. I’m going to send you a message. See how long it takes you to answer me.

Dr. Bae:
Hopefully not asking me what’s the capital of North Dakota or something.

Greg:
You could look that up. All right. We’ll see you next time, Dr. Bae.

Dr. Bae:
Thank you so much, Greg.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Beware of Medical Tourism [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.