- VASER Lipo® uses ultrasonic energy — high-frequency sound waves — to produce superior results

- Sublimis Argentina offers affordable prices on LipoSelection abroad

VASER Lipo uses a minimally invasive technique called LipoSelection® to selectively break apart and gently remove unwanted fat.

To begin the procedure, the targeted area is injected with a special saline solution known as “tumescent fluid.”

Tumescent fluid numbs the target area and shrinks local blood vessels. It also temporarily expands the volume of the targeted area, making fat cells easier to remove.

Small-diameter probes are then inserted into the body through small incisions. By resonating at a high ultrasonic frequency, the probes literally shake loose fat cells — while leaving blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues unharmed.

The loose fat cells mix with the tumescent fluid, which is then removed from the body using gentle suction.
After the surgery, patients are prescribed a recovery regimen to promote maximum skin retraction and smooth results. Your physician may recommend massage therapy to enhance results and speed recovery.

Study finds association between the number of eggs and live birth in IVF treatment

Note: Sublimis Medical Tourism offers affordable fertility treatments in Argentina

An analysis of over 400,000 IVF cycles in the UK has shown that doctors should aim to retrieve around 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single cycle in order to have the best chance of achieving a live birth after assisted reproduction technology.

The study, which is published online in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction, found that there was a strong relationship between live birth rates and the number of eggs retrieved in one cycle. The live birth rate rose with an increasing number of eggs up to about 15; it levelled off between 15 and 20 eggs, and then steadily declined beyond 20 eggs.

One of the authors of the study, Dr Arri Coomarasamy, said: “This is the first study to look at the association between the number of eggs and live births. Some smaller studies have reported previously on the association between egg numbers and pregnancy rates, but not live births. This is also the first study to devise a graph that can be used by patients and clinicians to estimate the chances of a live birth for a given number of eggs.”

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15 Frequently Asked Questions about Breast Augmentation Surgery

In Argentina, the breast augmentation surgery remains the most popular cosmetic surgery for women between 20 and 45 years of age. Despite of the vast information available, it is common to hear questions and myths. Here are the 15 most common questions:

1- Can I get pregnant and breastfeed after a breast augmentation surgery?
Breast implants do not cause any inconvenience to get pregnant or breastfeed since they had not demonstrated consequences, neither to the mother or baby. This is regardless of whether they are placed in front of or behind the pectoral muscle.

2- Do breast implants cause cancer?
Despite some alarms over 20 years ago, is scientifically proven that the implants do not trigger this type of illness and there is no confirmed relationship with autoimmune diseases.

3- Is it better to place the implants from behind the chest?
This is seen from aesthetic criteria and will be better or worse according to the characteristics of each patient and the surgeon’s criteria.

4- If I have sagging breasts, do I need prosthesis?
Implants only provide volume; they do not lift nor hold. For a breast lift (mastopexy) we must use techniques for this purpose, and if we also want to increase we will add a prosthesis.

5- It is possible to have my breasts more together?
Anatomically, in general, the breasts are located outside of the sternum. Therefore there must be a 2 or 3 cm between them. Usually we used as a parameter the distance between the midline and the nipple. This must be between 8 and 10 cm, according to the width of the chest and texture.

6- Round or “tear drop” shape?
Basically implants add volume. The form will depend on the pre-existing form. In general, the anatomic “tear drop”are used for cases of total breast reconstruction post-mastectomy.

7- Do you have to replace the breast implants or are they definitive?
The prosthesis does not have “due date” but over time they wear out as the same prosthesis. For this reason, manufacturers recommend changing them every 10 or 15 years. After that time, if they are in good condition and there have not been major aesthetics changes, you can proceed without problems. There are no definitive prosthesis but there are different qualities.

8- What happens if the breast implants break or encapsulate?
They can break or encapsulated for many reasons. However does not imply an alarm condition or disease. The current prosthesis have evolved in its production, stronger outer layers and filled with cohesive gel. If this situation occurs, does not constitute an emergency and a replacement should be scheduled.

9- Is it better a surgery with local anesthesia?
Usually, the type of anesthesia will depend on the surgeon criteria and anesthesia team. The anesthesia should be adapted to the type of procedure to be performed. It is important to be operated in a clinic, with appropriate authorizations, with appropriate technology and infrastructure and trained professionals.

10- Are the textured surface breast implants better?
Currently the most commonly used are the textured surface breast implants, as it is found to have less chance of capsular contracture. However, some surgeons still use smooth-surface when placed behind the muscle.

11- How is the breast enlargement surgery and its recovery?
The breast augmentation surgery is performed in the morning and you usually are discharged in the afternoon. You have to rest for 3 days and then you can do daily activities but you cannot practice sports or sun tanning for 30 days. You will need to use a special bra and stay in Argentina for at least 7 days for a close monitoring.

12- Do I need a pre-surgical check-up before a breast enlargement?
Yes, the medical tests that you will need to have done are blood test, urine test, electrocardiogram (ECG / EKG) and a mammography.

13- After having a child, how long do I have to wait to perform a breast implants surgery?
To perform a breast augmentation surgery you have to wait 2 months after you stop breastfeeding. If you have never breastfed your baby, it wouldn’t be necessary to wait this time.

14- Can I have a breast augmentation with fat injection?
Breast augmentation by lipofilling (fat transplantation) is still in the experimental stage. One of the main problems is that the fat can produce calcifications that looked like breast cancer on mammograms. Nowadays, the only method to increase the volume of the breast is with silicone implants.

15- What are breast implants risks or side-effects?
The silicone implants have been used for over 30 years with minimal problems. Although this type of operation has virtually no side effects from the possible risks and complications include infection, fluid accumulation, swelling, skin discoloration, capsular contracture and implant leakage or rupture.

Extra:

16- How much does breast augmentation cost abroad?
The price for a breast augmentation surgery in Argentina is usually around USD 2,850 but this may vary according to the needs and requirements of each patient. Contact us to get your Free quote!

2010 Top Five Male Plastic Surgery Procedures

Statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that more men are going under the knife. Overall cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in men were up 2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. However, many male surgical procedures increased significantly. Facelifts for men rose 14 percent in 2010 while male liposuction increased 7 percent.

2010 ASPS statistics show that men underwent more than 1.1 million cosmetic procedures, both minimally-invasive and surgical. The majority of the Men’s Top 10 fastest-growing cosmetic procedures are surgical, which bucks the previous trend of growth in minimally-invasive treatments.

“The growth in cosmetic surgical procedures for men may be a product of our aging baby boomers who are now ready to have plastic surgery,” said ASPS President Phillip Haeck, MD. “Minimally-invasive procedures such as Botox® and soft tissue fillers work to a point. However, as you age and gravity takes over, surgical procedures that lift the skin are necessary in order to show significant improvement.”

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Breast Augmentation with Fat Injection Causes Confusion on Mammograms

Note: Sublimis Argentina offers breast augmentation surgery with breast implants

A breast augmentation procedure in which fat from other parts of the body is transferred to the breasts causes / can cause false suspicion of breast cancer on follow-up mammograms, according to a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

The mammographic changes occurring after fat injection are indistinguishable from abnormalities associated with breast cancer, according to the study by Dr. Cong-Feng Wang of Meitan General Hospital, Beijing. Based on this “mammographic confusion,” the authors conclude that the use of autologous fat injection for breast augmentation should be “prohibited continuously.”

Before and After breast augmentation with breast implants

Microcalcifications Cause Confusion on Mammograms after Fat Injection

Dr. Wang and colleagues report on 48 women who underwent autologous fat injection for breast augmentation between 1999 and 2009. In this procedure, small amounts of fat obtained by liposuction from one area of the body (such as the hips or thighs) are injected to shape the breasts.

In the study, mammograms obtained some years after fat injection showed “clustered microcalcifications” in eight of the 48 women – a rate of 16.7 percent. In all eight cases, the microcalcifications were regarded as “highly suspicious” for breast cancer.

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IVF Babies’ Birth Outcomes are Influenced by Treatment Type and Diagnosis of Infertility

In a new study published in Fertility and Sterility, researchers observed that differences in obstetrical outcomes for singleton pregnancies in patients using assisted reproductive technology (ART) depend on which techniques the patients used and their infertility diagnoses.  These findings indicate that the uterine environment is perhaps the most important influence on the key outcomes of birth weight and length of gestation in ART pregnancies.

William Gibbons, MD and his colleagues Marcelle Cedars, MD and Roberta Ness, MD, MPH reviewed data collected by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART) for the years 2004 through 2006 and compared average birth weight and gestational age for singletons born as a result of standard IVF, IVF with donor eggs, and IVF with a gestational carrier.  The data were further analyzed in relation to the patient’s primary diagnosis and whether donor sperm or sperm from the patient’s partner were used.

They found that the birth weight associated with standard In Vitro Fertilization (in which the patient carried the embryo created with her own egg) was greater than that associated with donor egg cycles and less than that in gestational carrier cycles.  This finding held true even when other factors, including mother’s age, number of fetal heartbeats in the first trimester, and male factor were considered.  While a diagnosis of male factor infertility did not affect birth weight or gestational age, every “female” diagnosis was associated with lower birth weight and, except for “unexplained” infertility, a reduced gestational age.  Patients diagnosed with “uterine factor” had babies with the lowest birth weights and gestational ages.

The uterine environment as related to treatment type was also considered. In standard IVF an embryo is transferred to a woman who has just undergone controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, while in donor egg IVF and gestational carrier IVF, the embryo is transferred to a “natural” or unstimulated uterus.  Therefore the researchers looked at IVF utilizing frozen embryo transfer- in which an embryo created with a patient’s own egg is transferred to her own unstimulated uterus- for additional information. They found that babies born of frozen embryo transfer cycles had markedly greater birth weights than those born as a result of standard IVF.

R. Stan Williams, MD, President of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, observed, “The study shows that many interrelated factors affect the health of babies conceived using ART.  Studies like this one increase our understanding and show us where further research may enable us to improve outcomes for our patients.”

Source: American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Teeth Bleaching in Argentina: New Method Developed

Note: Sublimis offers cosmetic dentistry and dental treatments in Argentina. Contact us for a free quotation.

Researchers at the University of Granada have developed a new method for predicting the precise shade that a teeth bleaching will bring about for a patient’s teeth. What is innovative about this method is that it allows researchers to successfully predict the outcome of a bleaching treatment, which will have a significant impact on such treatments, which are becoming more frequent.

At present, dental offices routinely employ carbomide peroxide bleaching agents for tooth discoloration. As bleaching treatments have soft side effects –all of them temporary and mild– and are relatively cost-effective, they have become very popular.

While bleaching treatments have been long applied, one of its main problems has been the inability to predict the outcome of the process. This means that, so far, dentists have been unable to predict the results for patients’ teeth. This means that dental physicians could not inform their patients on the shade improvement that the treatment would bring about, which was a limitation to the therapy.

Teeth Bleaching

The study was conducted by Janiley Santana Díaz, at the Department of Stomatology of the University of Granada and was coordinated by professors Rosa Mª Pulgar Encinas, Mª Del Mar Pérez Gómez and Luis Javier Herrera Maldonado. Using a fuzzy rule system, scientists had a first approach to the shade improvement that teeth can get after undergoing a 20% carbamide peroxide treatment (Opalescence® PF 20%, Ultradent) two hours a day for two weeks.

Participants

For the purpose of this study, authors took a sample of 53 subjects that subsequently underwent a teeth bleaching treatment. Before the bleaching treatment, participants answered a questionnaire on their eating habits so that scientists analyzed whether such habits had any impact on the prediction models. The researchers found that eating habits are not relevant to such models, so these factors where not considered in the study.

To illustrate the shade change expected after the teeth bleaching treatment, the University of Granada researchers designed a fuzzy system that allows to associate these instrumental measures to the commercial shade guides typically used at dental offices to identify the before-and-after tooth color.

Such association allows to establish a series of objective guidelines that, once the before-tooth color is identified with the closest shade of the guide, will allow both dentist and patient to predict the color that the teeth will get after the treatment.

All in all, researchers warn that, in the long term and given the limitation of any clinical trial, a wider range of patients and initial tooth colors would be required to obtain a more precise fuzzy system.

FDA approves Botox to treat chronic migraine

Note: Sublimis offers Botox Injection in Argentina

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Botox injection (onabotulinumtoxinA) to prevent headaches in adult patients with chronic migraine. Chronic migraine is defined as having a history of migraine and experiencing a headache on most days of the month.

“Chronic migraine is one of the most disabling forms of headache,” said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Patients with chronic migraine experience a headache more than 14 days of the month. This condition can greatly affect family, work, and social life, so it is important to have a variety of effective treatment options available.”

Migraine headaches are described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. The headaches are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Migraine usually begins with intermittent headache attacks 14 days or fewer each month (episodic migraine), but some patients go on to develop the more disabling chronic migraine.

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