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A few months ago, at the end of 2020, while doing a training in the United States, I received an international call with an invitation to participate in a Beautifill Training in Central America.  Beautifill is a diode laser from Alma Lasers used for liposuction and fat transfer.  I have been a Beautifill trainer in the US for many years training doctors around the country on the operation and advantages on this equipment.  I had already been in conversation with Alma Lasers since the end of 2019 about collaborating with the international market offering Beautifill Trainings.  The delays that occurred due to the pandemic in 2020, forced face-to-face surgical trainings to be postponed to 2021.  Upon receiving this call, I accepted immediately, as my interest was to enter the Spanish-speaking market as a trainer for this laser equipment.  We immediately began planning for the first Beautifill launch in Latin America to be carried out in Costa Rica, with the local distributor, H&B. 

I had the opportunity to participate in three days of face-to-face training with live surgeries, demonstrating Beautifill for the use in laser liposuction and skin tightening and fat transfer.  On the first day, we trained the clinic SKN, owners of the first Beautifill laser in San José, Costa Rica.  We were able to complete three cases of laser liposuction and fat transfer, including liposculpting of the abdomen and flanks and fat transfer to buttocks, breasts and face.  On the second day, we trained specialists, plastic surgeons and dermatologists, and on the third day we trained aesthetic doctors, offering them, on both days, a talk to discuss the equipment, the operation and advantages, as well as the opportunity to participate in live operations.  All specialists, experts in the technique of liposuction and fat transfer, were completely satisfied with the quality of the laser and its ease of operation and the advantage of offering their patients optimal results using state-of-the-art equipment.  

My experience was enriching as I had the opportunity for the first time, in my native Spanish language, to offer face-to-face Beautifill trainings and share my knowledge with Spanish-speaking colleagues.  Additionally, being able to share state-of-the-art technology with highly skilled and specialized colleagues in the field of liposuction and fat transfer surgery resulted in enriching professional discussions for everyone in attendance, including myself.  The kindness and hospitality of the H&B team was excellent.

Here I share a video of this experience and the participants of the first launch of Beautifill in Latin America, San José, Costa Rica.

We blogged about Surgical Aesthetic Photography and the importance of measuring and weighing the patient prior to surgery, now we need to address how surgical planning is imperative for the success of any surgery.  The size, placement and number of incisions is a critical initial step in the planning of any aesthetic surgery.  Liposuction and fat transfer procedures include multiple small incisions placed in key areas ensuring precision and optimization of technique and results.  Enclosed some pearls of wisdom when doing liposuction of the abdomen, waist and back.

• Incisions are the access points of liposuction cannulas into the subcutaneous fat.
• Incisions allow post-operative drainage of blood-tinged anesthetic solution, minimizing tenderness, swelling, and edema.
• The size of an incision will depend on the size of the cannula(s) to be used: an incision should be sufficiently large to permit easy access and avoid friction with the skin that could potentially cause post-traumatic hyperpigmentation.
• Incision placement will depend mainly on accessibility and aesthetics: the need to minimize the visibility of potential scars and maximize results.
• Accessibility of placement is crucial as the idea is to have an incision placed in a location that has the most access to the areas to be treated.  
• The aesthetics of placement is mostly for the patient as most patients prefer to have very small, imperceptible, hidden scars.
• The number of incisions required will depend on the size of the areas to be treated.  
• Not all patients will have the same number of incisions in the same location; this will vary depending on the size of the patient and the areas to be treated.  Patients will ALWAYS ask about the incisions.
• The average incisions per area is:  abdomen: 3-6; waist: 1-2; love handles: 1-2; bra-line: 1-2; upper back: 1-2.  If the entire abdomen, waist and back are to be treated, a strategic placement of the incisions will cover multiple areas.
• The more versatility of access, the more areas than can be treated, and the less incisions needed.

We all want to have good, acceptable and beautiful results for all our patients.  But before we achieve this goal, we need to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.  Start by planning the number and placement of incisions!  For more information connect with us at dravellanet.com.

“Doctor, will I lose weight with Liposuction?”

“Will I lose weight with liposuction?  No, the answer is NO.  Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure.”  This is a common question asked by almost all patients.  It is important to explain to patients what is the end-point of liposuction: removing unwanted fat deposits from certain areas; sculpt the body, enhancing its shape.

“How many inches will I lose with liposuction?”  This is another common question asked by patients and it is important to explain that results vary from person to person but that this is a realistic and objective measure that can be measured after liposuction surgery.   

The areas of the body to be treated should always be measured as to have a pre and post-operative comparison, as loss in inches, NOT loss in weight, is an accurate way of assessing final results.  Some examples are:

 

 

 

Do not compress any of the areas measured with the tape measurement while measuring.  

All measurements should be taken prior to surgery and at each post-op visit.  Patients will be delighted to see how many inches they have lost and how much better clothes fit in their new sculpted body.

Should the patient’s weight be taken before and after a liposuction surgery?  ABSOLUTELY!  Weight should be documented at the time of the cosmetic consultation, pre-operatively and at each post-operative visit.  Although weight is not an accurate measure of assessing final results, it is a tool for assessing any significant change in gain and/or loss that could influence the assessment of final results. 

In conclusion, measurements and weight are both essential tools in the pre-operative evaluation and the post-operative healing process.

Connect with us at dravellanet.com for more information about our trainings.

Happy Hump Day!  Today we talk about how to take surgical aesthetic photos before and after any aesthetic surgery and the importance behind the art of just taking a photo.  Surgical Aesthetic Photography is the ONLY objective evidence to demonstrate the anatomic alterations in the patient’s body and the ONLY objective method to observe the clinical outcome after any aesthetic surgery.  It is imperative to take good before and after photos in a consistent way. 

There are several factors that that are key when taking surgical aesthetic photographs:

1. Camera: The camera should have the capability of adequately capturing details.
2. Photographer:  Ideally, there should be a designated person in charge of taking all the before and after photos.
3. Area: The photos should always be taken in the same space area, an area designated for procedure photography.
4. Lightening: The photography area should have the same lightening at all times.
5. Background: The background should be of a solid dark color, preferably black or dark blue, so there are no distractions and details are better identified.
6. Disposable underwear: The patients should always wear disposable underwear, preferably black, to keep consistency between photos and avoid distraction away from physical changes.
7. Positioning of the patient: All photos should be taken in the same positions to better asses the progression of physical changes.

The six(6) basic positions used for body contouring procedures include:

– a front picture

– a 45 degrees angle of the front left

– a left 90 degrees angle

– a back picture

– a right 90 degrees angle

– a 45 degrees angle of the right front

Additional, closer photos of the areas for fat transfer should be taken, following the above guidelines depending on the area.

Surgical Aesthetic Photography is critical to the pre-operative evaluation and the post-operative progression of the healing process.  It should become part of the evaluation routine of any aesthetic surgical patient.

It’s not a secret, we ALL forget how we look like before any aesthetic treatment.  So… ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS take photos and learn how to take good ones!  Connect with us at dravellanet.com.

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The Avellanet Surgical Aesthetics Concierge Surgical Training is designed as a totally hands-on experience in the surgical suite, customized to the needs of the aesthetic specialists and their patients.  

We train aesthetic specialists and their staff who want to get started in the world of liposuction and fat transfer and also those who want to continue acquiring new skills to grow their business. 

The one-on-one, on-site surgical training will give aesthetic professionals and support staff the experience of providing body and facial contouring procedures safely in the convenience of their own office and with the participation of their own patients, using avant-garde technology and equipment.

Each surgical training is customized to last between one and three days.  Each training day has a duration of 8 hrs and can include one to two cases per day.

Avellanet Surgical Aesthetics offers a one-on-one, customized, hands-on experience to aesthetic providers that are committed in offering their patients beautiful results that could improve their self-esteem and quality of life.