American Society of Plastic Surgeons

November 16, 2012

Dr. Elliott Recaps Recent Annual Plastic Surgery Conference in New Orleans

Blog, Whats Happening with Dr. Elliott American Society of Plastic Surgeons, atlanta plastic surgeon, atlanta plastic surgery, board certified plastic surgeon, breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reconstruction, breast surgery, dr franklyn elliott, Dr. Elliott, facelift, facelift surgery, fat injections, fat transfers

During the last weekend in October, Dr. Franklyn Elliott and his medical team traveled to New Orleans for Plastic Surgery The Meeting hosted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The five day conference featured a variety of panels and lectures about plastic and reconstructive surgery from surgeons around the nation.

Dr. Elliott was especially impressed by a presentation that discussed the use of fat transfers for burn patients. During these procedures, surgeons are able to inject fat underneath the skin graft, specifically on the hands to provide dramatically improved, natural looking results for these patients. Fat injections remained a hot topic throughout the conference as Dr. Elliott also attended a panel on facelift surgery techniques using fat injections.

Dr. Elliott has been using fat injections for facelifts for eight years and has found it especially helpful for patients who have a thinner face. However, he understands the importance of not over injecting certain areas like the lower lid because it is very difficult to remove the fat once it’s there and can make a patient’s face look unnatural.

The increased use of fat injections in cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery was also discussed at the conference. Dr. Elliott uses fat extensively in reconstructive breast surgery and is increasing use in cosmetic procedures such as breast lifts and augmentation. Depending on a patient’s unique features, fat injections may provide better results than a traditional breast revision or lift.

Not only did Dr. Elliott enjoy attending many panels, he also presented on a breast reconstruction panel with facility colleagues from around the nation. They discussed breast implant and tissue expanders, as well as the pedicle and free TRAM techniques.

Overall, Dr. Elliott and his medical team felt the conference indicated a positive growth about the cosmetic and reconstructive industry and its future as industry exhibitors presented advanced technologies and innovations.

If you are interested in scheduling a consultation with Dr. Elliott, please contact our office today. Be sure to connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + for the latest plastic surgery information and news.

September 7, 2012

Coming in October 2012: Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day

Blog, Breast Cancer, Breast Reconstruction, Educational American Society of Plastic Surgeons, BRA day, breast cancer, breast procedures, breast reconstruction, breast reconstruction awareness day, breast reconstruction options, breast reconstructive surgery, breast surgery, dr franklyn elliott, Dr. Elliott, mastectomy, post-mastectomy breast reconstruction, Sientra

Dr. Franklyn Elliott Breast Reconstruction Breast Cancer Awareness Dr. Franklyn Elliott is passionate about reconstructive breast procedures and is looking forward to the first national Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day (BRA) being held October 17^th, 2012. As co-director of The Atlanta Breast Surgery Symposium, Dr. Elliott spends much of his time outside the operating room educating and teaching fellow physicians around the world about the most advanced and effective breast reconstruction techniques.

For women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, breast reconstruction surgery may be a consideration. A woman may choose to have breast reconstruction surgery during or after a mastectomy, or breast cancer removal surgery. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Elliott is committed to providing each of his patients with detailed information about their breast reconstruction options.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Plastic Surgery Foundation have launched the first national campaign focusing specifically on breast reconstruction awareness for women. According to the official BRA website, BRA Day USA, is a project designed to promote education, awareness, and access regarding post-mastectomy breast reconstruction. Although BRA day will be a first for the United States, it is to be held annually on the third Wednesday of every October. Many organizations are joining this important cause including Sientra and the New York Breast Reconstruction Alliance.

Stay tuned to our blog for more news about breast reconstruction surgery and BRA Day. If you are interested in discussing your breast reconstruction options with Dr. Elliott please call our office today. Don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest on breast surgery news and information.

May 25, 2012

History of Silicone Breast Implants

Blog, Breast Surgery, Educational American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation atlanta, breast augmentation procedure, breast augmentation surgeon Atlanta, Breast augmentation surgery, breast enhancement Atlanta, Breast enhancement surgery, Capsular contracture, dr franklyn elliott, Dr. Elliott, ear surgery, first silicone breast implants, franklyn elliott md, history of silicone breast implants, otoplasty Atlanta, Plastic Surgeon Atlanta, plastic surgery atlanta, plastic surgery before and after galleries, saline breast implants, silicone breast implants, silicone gel breast implants, Timmie Jean Lindsey

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeon’s, there were over 300,000 breast augmentation procedures performed in the US in 2011. It’s no surprise, then, that breast enhancement surgery is the most popular plastic surgery procedure. Despite the procedure’s popularity, few know about its origin. Since this year marks the 50^th anniversary of silicone breast implants, Dr. Franklyn Elliott would like to take you through a brief history of their evolution.

Beginning in the 1940s, Japanese women began having their breasts injected with materials like paraffin wax, sponges, and non-medical grade silicone to enlarge their breast size. This method for breast enhancement not only posed increased health risks, but produced undesirable results. Since the injected material wasn’t placed in any type of shell, it had the tendency to migrate, bunch up, and sometimes cause rock-hard lumps. In the 1960s, two plastic surgeons from Texas, Drs. Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin, had a new idea to encase the filler material inside a silicone shell before placing it inside the breasts and produced the very first silicone breast implants.

Once the silicone breast implants were developed, the Texas surgeons needed to try their new device on someone. In 1962, Timmie Jean Lindsey received the first silicone breast implants. When she first met Dr. Gerow, Lindsey was seeking tattoo removal via dermabrasion. At one of her follow-up appointments, Dr. Gerow suggested Lindsey try silicone breast implants to correct sagging breasts. Lindsey was more concerned with her protruding ears than sagging breasts, so she agreed to have breast augmentation surgery as long as Dr. Gerow would also perform otoplasty, or ear surgery.

Although she wasn’t originally sold on the idea of having breast surgery and didn’t tell anyone about her procedure for over 30 years, Lindsey did notice increased attention after her procedure. While Lindsey helped pave the way for millions of other women, her journey has been bumpy. Ten years after her procedure, Lindsey began experiencing complications like capsular contracture. Nowadays, women who experience such complications typically receive breast revision surgery to remove and/or exchange their implants, but Lindsey chose not to have additional surgery. In fact, she still has her original breast implants from 1962. However, it’s important to understand that she is quite an exception and breast implants are not intended to be lifetime devices.

Like Lindsey, silicone breast implants have had some bumps along the way as well. In 1976, Congress passed a law that required medical devices, such as breast implants, to be reviewed by the FDA for safety. After a growing number of complaints about leakage from silicone implant patients, they were pulled from the market in 1992; making saline breast implants the only option for breast enhancement. Breast implant manufacturers worked for 14 years to redesign silicone breast implants to increase safety, and the FDA-approved silicone gel breast implants were placed back on the market in 2006.

Plastic surgeons are always refining plastic surgery techniques and improving devices, and Dr. Elliott works to ensure patient safety while providing exceptional results. With his teacher’s mindset, Dr. Elliott enjoys sharing plastic surgery techniques with other surgeons as well as educating patients about their procedures. Both saline and silicone breast implants are considered safe, but he still urges patients who have breast augmentation surgery to follow aftercare instructions and go to follow-up appointments as advised to minimize complication risk. Visit Dr. Elliott’s website to learn more about the procedures he performs or to view plastic surgery before and after galleries. Be sure to connect with Dr. Elliott on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for plastic surgery news.