We’ve all been hearing a lot about Jessica Simpson’s memoir but now there are some juicy details regarding Jessica Simpson’s plastic surgery! She discusses having two tummy tucks back to back and some complications. We’ll try and break down her experience. Totally unsubstantiated of course!

Jessica Simpson’s plastic surgery

Based on excerpts we have read, Jessica (yes, we’re on a first name basis) was not in the best medical shape. She was on diet pills and other medications that were adversely affecting her liver. She says her doctors recommended she not have surgery but she did. It’s not clear if, after receiving an answer she didn’t want to hear from one doctor, that she simply went to another doctor.

Regardless, it sounds like she had a mini tummy tuck to remove the excess skin to her lower abdomen. This is not the same as a full tummy tuck. In fact, when she didn’t have the result she was expecting, she went back for a full tummy tuck against medical advice.

As I discuss in the video below, just because a patient insists on having a procedure, does not mean the doctor must do it. Obviously we don’t know all of the specifics but her surgeon could have refused to do the follow up procedure. However, they did perform a full tummy tuck. Even if the timing was not appropriate in Jessica’s case, this is an appropriate procedure for someone that has had children, where a mini tummy tuck would be lacking.

For example, a full tummy tuck not only removes excess lower abdominal skin, but it also tightens up the abdominal wall. This is called a rectus plication. A full tummy tuck also includes liposuction and removal of more skin than what’s possible in a mini tummy tuck.

Complications after her tummy tuck

She states she got an infection after the full tummy tuck. The part that’s confusing is that she describes the infection as colitis. This is an infection of the intestines. Typically when someone describes an infection after a tummy tuck, they’re referring to an infection along the skin incision. Why would a tummy tuck cause infection of the intestines? It’s possible she got an infection of the intestines due to the antibiotics she was taking after her surgery. How do you get an infection of the intestines if you’re already on antibiotics?

Great question, and here’s the answer. Your intestines normally have bacteria in them, referred to as good bacteria, that help with digestion and keeping you “regular.” If you are taking antibiotics, particularly for a long time (as you might after an operation), that can kill the good bacteria, resulting in an overgrowth of bad bacteria. This would lead to diarrhea and “colitis.” So maybe that’s what she’s talking about.

At the end of the day, safety first. Don’t allow your health to take a back seat to an unnecessary cosmetic procedure. Sure there are always risks, but leave the high risk procedures to an operation you must have. Don’t risk your life for an operation you don’t have to have!

Video explaining Jessica Simpson’s Plastic Surgery

To check pricing on a tummy tuck or mini tummy tuck from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post Jessica Simpson’s plastic surgery memoir [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

J Lo get plastic surgery? Nope!

As you can see in this Instagram post, I stated unequivocally that J Lo looks as amazing as she does through hard work, diet and exercise. And as you’ll see in the comments on that post, many people vehemently disagreed with me. Some went so far as to suggest that I wasn’t a good enough surgeon if I couldn’t make someone look like that! Or that I didn’t have enough confidence in myself to provide someone with a result as natural as J Lo’s body! They’re missing the point.

For those naysayers out there, tell me what plastic surgery you think J Lo had? Her arms are tone and buff. Did she get bicep implants? No, she worked out!

You think she had breast implants? Oh really?! J Lo got breast implants so she could have B cup, small, shapely, appropriate-for-her-body breasts? And she got them 35 years ago before anyone took a photo of her? I mean, her breasts have looked the same at least as far back as her Grammy dress from 2000!

A tummy tuck? Yes, her abdomen looks amazing after kids. So she had a tummy tuck to tighten her rectus diastasis without any evidence of a tummy scar or incision around her belly button? With her exposing her abdomen on the reg, it’s not possible to hide scars like that, that well.

This is my point. Whatever plastic surgery people think she had, there’s no physical evidence of that, other than she looks great. Honestly, I believe people want her to have had plastic surgery more than they think she actually had plastic surgery. Because if she had plastic surgery, then they could say she has money and was able to afford plastic surgery. Whereas if she has that body through hard work, diet and exercise, then we all collectively have no excuse!

Video: J Lo did NOT get plastic surgery

Finally, to reiterate, I’m not saying plastic surgery can’t make someone look amazing. Of course it can. I have patients to prove it. But in J Lo’s case, there’s no evidence of a tummy tuck scar to suggest she got that body from anything other than hard work, diet and exercise.

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

The post Did J Lo get plastic surgery? I say no! [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Abdominal bulge after pregnancy

The upper abdominal bulge, shown above, that occurs after pregnancy is very typical. It’s a combination of fat, excess skin and a stretched-out abdominal wall (aka rectus diastasis). Exercise alone won’t fix all three of these. Liposuction alone won’t either. But a combination of procedures is just what the doctor ordered!

During a tummy tuck, your surgeon makes an incision below your panty line. So even though it’s a long incision, it can be hidden by underwear or bikini bottoms. After the incision is made, your surgeon will perform liposuction to the abdomen and flanks but also to the upper abdomen if there is excess fat there.

However that bulge is also due to excess skin that hasn’t tightened or recoiled after the pregnancy and due to a rectus diastasis. A rectus diastasis is not the same thing as a hernia. It’s when the six pack muscles and the tough tissue (fascia) that wraps around them, separate. This leaves a weakened abdominal wall that bulges out in the middle of the abdomen.

To bring the six pack muscles back together in the middle where they should be, requires a rectus plication. This is the use of stitches, like a corset, to bring the muscles back together and remove the bulge. Working out in the gym may strengthen your six pack muscles but it won’t remove the bulge. That’s why you need a 1) tummy tuck with 2) liposuction and a 3) rectus plication to remove excess fat, skin and flatten the abdominal wall to finally get rid of that bulge after pregnancy.

To check pricing on a tummy tuck from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post Three ways to treat your abdominal bulge after pregnancy first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

Do you need to tighten your abdominal wall during a tummy tuck?

During pregnancy, the abdomen stretches. Luckily, the skin recoils and tightens after delivery. The question is will it recoil and tighten enough. Additionally, will the deeper abdominal wall tighten or will you be left with a “pooch” or diastasis.

If the abdominal wall stretches out, exercise won’t necessarily fix it. You can work out your six-pack muscles but the “pooch” or diastasis isn’t a muscle problem. The tough tissue that makes up the abdominal wall, the fascia, encases the muscles. So while the muscles will get stronger with exercise, the surrounding fascia won’t tighten with exercise.

That’s where a tummy tuck comes in. Aside from removing excess skin and performing liposuction, a tummy tuck is also a great opportunity to tighten the abdominal wall via a rectus plication. This is done by inserting stitches into the fascia and tightening the abdominal wall like a corset as described here.

It’s not always clear looking at the patient’s abdominal wall during the operation whether they need tightening or not. The easiest way to tell is to determine if the 6-pack muscles are in the middle of the abdomen. If they are, that means the muscles are in the right place because the abdominal wall isn’t stretched out. If the 6-pack muscles are widely separated, then the muscles need to be brought back into the middle with tigtening described above.

So how do you tell if the muscles are in the middle? Stimulate them with electricity and see if they jump! Electrocautery, the instrument that helps stops bleeding during a procedure, can stimulate the muscles to jump so you know if they’re in the middle or spread out. Not sure what I mean? Watch the video below!

Video of rectus plication

To check pricing on a tummy tuck from Dr. Kaplan, click here.

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

The post Need to tighten the abdominal wall during a tummy tuck? [video] first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.