Q: What are stem cells? A: A stem cell is an undifferentiated cell which has the capacity, in the right circumstances, of forming any other tissue. When we look at your body, we see it is made up of many different tissues such as skin, fat, muscle, bone, and so on. How did we get from a sperm and an egg to all these different tissues? The pluripotent cells formed after the union of the egg and sperm have the ability to differentiate into any of the root tissues of the endoderm, mesoderm, or ectoderm (the inner, middle, and outer layers of the tissues in the body). As these groups of cells develop into the various tissues of the human body, some of the regenerative cells loose the ability to create other types of cells. Stem cells, however, continue to have the capacity to generate other tissues well into adulthood. [Read more...]

You need to look good, because it increases the chances of passing on your genes! Beauty is all about biology after all!

The normal female breast develops in utero before birth. While in the early fetal stages, several small bumps develop along the milk line, and all but one of these simply resorb. Usually, everything goes according to plan, and both breasts are programmed to develop normally. Sometimes, however, something does not complete its normal developmental stages, and things go slightly off kilter. Sometimes, more than one of these small bumps remains, and that can cause some issues. One of the most common things I see are extra nipples. These may occur anywhere along a line from the axilla (armpit) to the groin, along what is known as the ‘milk line’. Usually these are shaped just like a normal nipple-areolar complex (what we surgeons call the nipple and the surrounding pigmented skin), only smaller, sometimes miniature. Just as you may see multiple nipples on your pet cat, we are more or less [Read more...]

I used to use a large number of saline filled breast implants (silicone filled implants are far more common now). These are silicone implant shells, which are filled, at the time of surgery, with ‘normal saline’. Normal saline is a 0.9% salt water solution which is typically used whenever you see an intravenous solution going directly into the blood stream (the hanging bag with the tube going into a vein like you might see in the movies). Some of the older implants will sometimes have a leak develop, usually at the valve structure, and then the implant can empty out, either partially or completely. Patient may notice that one of their implants is getting smaller, sometimes very gradually, and sometimes very suddenly. We know that all implants will eventually break. How long they last will depend on many factors, and sometimes they may fail within just a few years. Most [Read more...]

The breast implants sold in Canada today are among the most studied medical devices in history. In fact, breast implants have undergone more clinical study than most heart valve replacements! Implants are made from a silicone shell, and may be filled with either a silicone gel or saline (a salt water solution, similar in composition to your bodies salt content). Silicone may raise fears, but in practical terms, silicone is one of the safest, most inert substances for medical devices. That is why it is used in most joint replacements and pacemakers as well as hundreds of other medical devices. Furthermore, silicone is used as a lubricant in most syringes, such that you do get a little bit of silicone injected every time you get an injection (a flu shot, for example). Diabetics, who inject themselves with insulin several times per day may inject a significant amount of silicone every [Read more...]

Breast implant infections are rare complications of surgery. Usually, this means that the implant has to be removed for several months before it can be re-inserted. However, there is a special technique that can sometimes be used to benefit patients with this problem.

Please note that I have NEVER used PIP brand implants on my patients, ever!

Question: I have old breast implants in place but I have bilateral capsules. I am going to get my breasts re-done, and I am not sure whether I should have a new pocket done or just use the existing breast implant pocket. What is your advice? Answer: Breast Implant Re-Do: Which Pocket After Fixing Capsular Contracture? The standard textbook advice for capsular contracture is capsulectomy followed by site change and device exchange(1, 2). That means taking out the old implant, as well as the surrounding scar, closing the pocket, followed by making an entirely new pocket opposite to the original (under the muscle if the original was over the muscle) and using a new implant. There are as many option I have tried using medications (such as ACCOLATE®- aka Zafirlukast) on a few patients to alter the tightness of early capsules (3, 4), but the results have been disappointing. Surgery [Read more...]

QUESTION: I want to have either 500cc or 600 cc silicone implants-but I can’t figure out what size that is. Can you tell me what cup size I should expect? Can I start picking out pretty bras now? ANSWER: Exactly how big is a cup, as in a breast cup size? Wow, that sounds pretty big. Look elsewhere on this website for my comments on getting the right size for your body. For the average height and weight female in the USA, a cup is about 200cc. Speaking in general terms, a 500cc implant will increase your bust size by 2 ½ cups, and a 600cc implant will increase you by 3 full cups. This is ONLY true for an average height/average weight female In international law, there sits, in a deep, dark, secure safe in Paris, the exact standard Killogram Measure, from which all other standard kilogram weights are [Read more...]

QUESTION: I HAD BREAST AUGMENTATION SURGERY WITH 600 CC BREAST IMPLANTS ( ELSEWHERE) ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I AM 5’3” TALL AND WEIGH 106 LBS. UNFORTUNATELY, I ENDED UP WITH SYMMASTIA, SEVERE MUSCLE DISTORTION AND BOTTOMING OUT OF THE IMPLANTS. – ANY ADVICE? ANSWER: REALLY DISTORTED BREASTS WITH OVERSIZED BREAST IMPLANTS- ARE THE RESULTS OBTAINED PREDICTABLE? First of all, sorry to those women who got what they asked for, instead of what would work best for their body shape and size. Remember, breast augmentation is NOT an easy operation. You have to be FITTED for a breast implant that will work properly for your actual breast/chest size and shape. You CAN’T have any size you want, you can ONLY HAVE A SIZE THAT FITS YOU (sorry for shouting there). There is a range of devices that will properly fit a given breast/chest. That range is typically narrow. Breast implants come [Read more...]