When men enter the world of cosmetic medicine for things like hair restoration and fat reduction, the door is open to discover what else can be done to achieve their desired appearance, or correct what ails them.

One of the attributes coveted by men is a healthy looking, robust chest. Although such a look is oftentimes unattainable by exercise, diet and lifestyle, surgeons have viable solutions right at their scalpel tips.

To an average male unfamiliar with plastic surgery, the first, most obvious and perhaps only solution is that of gynecomastia surgery for eliminating his “man boobs.” In fact, according to the ASPS, 24,123 such breast reduction procedures were performed in 2019.

However, as evidenced by only 664 pectoral implant procedures in 2019, males undergoing breast reduction may be unaware of other solutions that could potentially be more fulfilling, including:

• Combination gynecomastia-pectoral implant makeover
• Pectoral chest augmentation with immediate gratification and lasting results.

In addition to this apparent disconnect between desired chest appearance and knowledge of surgical options, well over a million Google searches focusing on improving the male chest are executed every month. As such, the male market potential for surgical chest enhancement appears to be significant, yet underdeveloped.

This is likely a matter of awareness, or rather a lack thereof. Virtually everyone knows about female breast augmentation, as noted by its 300,000 procedures in 2019. Definitely not so for males.

But by presenting various chest enhancement opportunities on your website, advertising and in-office, you can create the demand. You may even consider advertising the complete package of pectoral etching and implants in one outpatient procedure. Those who are excited by the idea will very likely inquire.

Accordingly, surgeons may be presented with greater opportunities when it comes to the male’s chest. Because once the patient sees that he can receive pectoral implants—with or without pectoral etching—he can imagine a new, more desirable image of himself for which the surgeon is indispensable.

PLEASE NOTE: If you haven’t performed pectoral implant surgery or it’s been a while, Implantech offers cadaver lab workshops taught by experts. Surgeons can also access various implant technique videos and surgical guides on Implantech’s Resources webpage. Surgeon access requires just a quick registration.

Surgeons in the Los Angeles and Central California area can contact me to learn more about the Pectoral implant opportunity.

It’s important to keep patients warm during surgery to prevent complications associated with Hypothermia. Hypothermia is defined as core body temperature less than 36°C (96.8F). Whereas, Normothermia is defined as core body temperature greater than 36°C. Let me explain how a HotDog^® can maintain Normothermia for surgical patients.

First, upon induction of general anesthesia, the body begins to cool, and it will continue cooling without intervention. While the operating room is typically cold, which doesn’t help, general anesthesia is the real culprit of perioperative hypothermia.

Anesthetized patients lose the ability to control their own temperature, which typically results in a significant drop in core temperature in the first 30 minutes after anesthesia is administered. Hypothermia has been linked to increased wound infections, increased blood loss, longer recovery time, and higher mortality rates.

Active patient warming is the worldwide standard of care for surgical patients, especially those undergoing procedures longer than 60 minutes. Active warming is the use of powered blankets and mattresses that generate heat to actively warm the patient. Passive warming, such as standard blankets and reflective space blankets, merely traps the patient’s body heat in. Passive warming is not effective at re-warming a hypothermic patient.

So what does a HotDog® have to do with patient warming?

HotDog® Patient Warming is an air-free, water-free, state-of-the-art perioperative patient warming system. Efficient warming is delivered by a flexible, lightweight conductive polymer fabric inside of HotDog® blankets and mattresses. It’s the only patient warming system that warms the patient from above and below simultaneously, resulting in a uniquely versatile, less expensive, and more effective warming solution.

Also, it’s important to note that the commonly used forced-air warming systems have been linked to increased infections in orthopedic implant surgery. HotDog® is a safer choice because it does not employ forced-air.

Now we know what a HotDog® has to do with patient warming: it provides safe, effective perioperative warming, and maintains normothermia 96.2% of the time.

There are plenty of additional benefits to be enjoyed by surgical teams and administrators. Contact me in the Greater Los Angeles to Central California area, or visit www.HotDogWarming.com to learn more.

As a representative for the AccuVein^® vein illumination device, I see practitioners who buy it no questions asked, and those who think it’s the coolest device, but are unwilling to make the investment.  Why is this and why should you have an AccuVein^®?

Understanding the comprehensive picture of anything you do, is key to long-term success. And understanding all that AccuVein^® offers, answers the above question. AccuVein clinically fits into medical aesthetic practices by:

• Locating veins for blood draws and IV starts
• Mapping and highlighting veins for sclerotherapy
• Avoiding veins and vessels during facial injections to mitigate risk of bruising.

These are direct, hands-on benefits of AccuVein^®. But what about the overall value proposition? How does AccuVein^® yield a return on investment for your practice? And why is it a no-brainer for numerous successful practices?

First, let me describe the device. AccuVein is actually a Class 1 laser. It contains two precise, oscillating lasers that detect hemoglobin in the blood flowing through your veins.

It illuminates veins beautifully, up to 10mm beneath the skin, and it’s precise to within the width of a hair. Its two modalities include standard where the veins appear dark, or “inverse” mode which lights them up…this is my favorite, and the glow really wows patients.

AccuVein is made in the USA. I’m not making a political reference; I mention it to note that it isn’t a cheap device, by either sense of the word. Yet it won’t break the bank. It’s made with the highest quality components and manufacturing, so it’s built to last. I have clients who bought their device earlier than 2014 and have treated 1000s of patients, and it keeps on glowing problem-free.

In addition to the direct benefits of using the AccuVein^®, there’s an entire marketing component:

• Patients love you for it: it tells them that you are doing everything you can to provide the best possible outcome;

• Patient referrals: when their friends are seeking an injector or when a friend gets a bruise elsewhere, they recommend you because you have the “vein finder;”

• Patient retention: even the best injectors don’t have x-ray vision. If/when you nick a vein and a bruise forms (whether your patient tells you or not), they’re upset about it…and possibly with you; thus, you risk losing them to the masses of competitors to choose from;

• Practice differentiation: everyone is promoting neurotoxins and fillers on their websites and social, but only AccuVein^® owners have that extra Wow! factor that captures patients’ attention and explains to them that you are maximizing the opportunity of a positive, problem-free experience. Especially important prior to holidays and special occasions;

• Continuous marketing: by using AccuVein^® on your social posts, there’s always something to talk about, always vascular architecture to discuss, always a buzz factor for you to add, at will.

As we can see, the AccuVein^® offers practices a multitude of benefits. Years ago, injectors would say, “I wish I had x-ray vision to see veins before I inject.”  Well, that opportunity is here for you. And, in this hyper-competitive market, AccuVein’s benefits go far beyond visualizing veins. AccuVein^® is a fantastic tool for patient retention, practice differentiation, and practice growth.

Would you like to learn more? Contact me now.

A friend of mine asked me what’s more popular: silicone gluteal implants or fat grafting? And isn’t it unhealthy to get all that fat injected into your butt? For those of us in the profession, the answer is a no-brainer – fat is more popular. But her second question brings up an interesting point. The general answer is that both, and all surgical procedures, come with some risks.

Then I came across an article by a multi-society task force of plastic surgeons indicating that gluteal fat grafting is the aesthetic procedure with the highest mortality rate.

So should surgeons start using implants instead of fat grafting? Not necessarily, that’s up to the surgeon and their patients. The task force article does provide recommendations for safer gluteal fat grafting.  However, to avoid fat emboli, or if you have patients who are too thin or physically fit to have enough fat for a decent Brazilian Butt Lift, then gluteal implants are a fantastic option.

We’ve all seen the rolling implant on “Botched.” This wasn’t exactly great PR for implants, though it did depict incorrect implant placement.

But fear not, resources are available to assist you in developing great technique for safe and beautiful results. Check out Implantech’s Facial & Body Contouring Implant workshops. The next one is in August 2018. These workshops offer great techniques to safely and successfully provide gluteal implant surgeries.

Or, contact me here to learn more about gluteal, calf, peck, facial and custom implants.