It’s been years since I’ve blogged for Plastic Surgery Uncut. I worked for Dr. Walden as a premedical student in New York City, shadowing her and gaining clinical experience. Now, I’m a first-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine (formerly Mount Sinai School of Medicine) in New York City, pursuing an MD/MPH degree.
I’ve been wanting to return to this blog for some time now as I always enjoy writing. Therefore, it is only appropriate that I blog about my favorite celebrity and her recent medical endeavor.
Angelina Jolie, arguably one of the world’s most beautiful women, recently underwent a preventive double mastectomy. After learning that she carries the BRCA1 gene, a gene linked to a significant increase in breast and ovarian cancer, she elected to have both breasts removed. In doing so she has reduced her chances of getting breast cancer to “under 5%” (though it varies for each individual).
Angelina Jolie underwent three different procedures. The first was called “nipple delay” which she describes in her NY Times Op-Ed piece, “rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.” She then underwent a second procedure to remove the breast tissue, and a final procedure to reconstruct her breasts through the use of an implant.
Two genes BRCA1 and BRCA 2 are associated with a risk for developing breast cancer. Many women who know they carry one or both of these genes undergo a preventive mastectomy. Angelina Jolie says, “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”
Before and After Mommy Makeover: Antes y después: retos y riesgos del ‘Mommy Makeover’
Check out Dr. Jennifer Walden being interviewed on Univision in the second segment of this two part series on the trends of Hispanic plastic surgery being on the rise as well as friends getting plastic surgery together! See the before and afters as well:
In this segment, Yolanda and Ivy are recovering from breast augmentation, tummy tuck and suction assisted lipectomy (liposuction), after having undergone the surgery at Dr. Walden’s AAAASF accredited office operating room. Friends getting plastic surgery together is nothing new; they serve as a constant source of support for each other as confidantes often do. It also isn’t uncommon to see mothers and daughters or husbands and wives getting procedures around the same time. It is important for each patient to have a reliable caregiver besides the other person getting surgery so that they can recover with enough care and personal attention to optimize their outcome and results.
You can learn more about these rising trends on Dr. Walden’s website here.
En Espanol:
Echa un vistazo a la Dra. Jennifer Walden siendo entrevistado por la cadena Univision en el segundo segmento de esta serie de dos partes acerca de las tendencias de la cirugía plástica hispana de estar en el lugar, así como amigos someterse a una cirugía plástica juntos! Ver el antes y afters, así:
En este segmento, Yolanda y la hiedra se está recuperando de aumento de senos, abdominoplastia y lipectomía de succión asistida (liposucción), después de haber experimentado la cirugía en AAAASF habitación acreditado Dr. Walden operativo de la oficina. Amigos hacerse una cirugía plástica juntos no es nada nuevo, sino que servirá como una fuente constante de apoyo mutuo como confidentes a menudo. Tampoco es raro ver a madres e hijas, esposos o esposas recibiendo procedimientos en torno a la misma hora. Es importante que cada paciente tiene un cuidador fiable, además de la persona que someterse a una cirugía para que puedan recuperarse con bastante cuidado y una atención personalizada para optimizar sus resultados y resultados.
Usted puede aprender más acerca de estas tendencias crecientes en el sitio web del Dr. Walden aquí.
Check out Dr. Jennifer Walden in the first of a two part series on Univision in Austin, Texas on Hispanic plastic surgery. Best friends Yolanda and Ivy undergo mommy makeover just one week apart in the segment, and get breast augmentation, tummy tuck and liposuction.
Plastic surgery is becoming more popular for people of color — more African-American, Hispanic, and Asian-American individuals are having plastic surgery, both to enhance the face and and the body. In 2011, there were 1,609,372 cosmetic procedures performed on Hispanics. This was an increase of 8% from 2010, in which 1,489,152 procedures were performed.
Every year, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) publishes a report of the prior year’s procedure statistics. They consider both cosmetic procedures and minimally invasive procedures. They also categorize their statistics by gender, age, region, and race. The most popular surgical cosmetic procedures for Hispanics in 2011 were the same as in 2010; however, the order of popularity has changed.
Liposuction
In 2010, liposuction was the second most popular procedure for Hispanics. In 2011, it moved into the number one position. Liposuction involves removing unwanted fat from certain areas to redefine the contours of the body. It can be done on body parts both above the waist and below the waist. While the ideal candidates are at or near their ideal weight, more and more liposuction is being used for heavier people for “debulking” purposes.
Breast Augmentation
In the number one position in 2010, breast augmentation moved into the number two position in 2011 for the Hispanic population. Breast augmentation involves enhancing the shape and increasing the size of the breasts with saline or silicone implants. It can be done through various incisions — armpit, areola, and breast inframammary crease. A person’s own fat can also be used to enhance the breasts if enough fat is available. While the use of breast implants are more predictable and a larger breast size can be attained, the use of fat avoids the use of an implant.
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty involves surgical reshaping of the nose. It can narrow a wide nose, give definition to a bulbous tip, elevate a droopy tip, and remove a large hump.
The term Hispanic refers to a wide variety of peoples. People known as Hispanic in the United States can be descendants from Spain, Portugal, Mexico, or other countries, and the appearances between groups can vary widely. The “classic” Hispanic nose, however, is one that has some features similar to many African-American noses. The tip is not pointed and the nose and/or nostrils may be wider.
At one point in time, the goal of rhinoplasty was to make all noses thin with narrow nostrils, regardless of the other facial features. Currently, the goal of rhinoplasty is to make a nose that is in harmony with the other facial features. The goal of Hispanic rhinoplasty surgery, then, is not to create a Caucasian nose, but to create a nose that is compatible with the Hispanic face.
While the purpose of rhinoplasty in Caucasians is usually to make the nose smaller, so that the tip is not so far away from the face, nose surgery in Hispanics typically involves increasing the nose’s projection, so it is not as flat, and narrowing of the nostrils.
En Espanol:
Echa un vistazo a la Dra. Jennifer Walden en la primera de una serie de dos partes acerca de Univision en Austin, Texas en la cirugía plástica hispana. Los mejores amigos de Yolanda y Ivy someterse makeover de la mama sólo una semana de diferencia en el segmento, y obtener el aumento de senos, abdominoplastia y liposucción.
La cirugía plástica es cada vez más popular para la gente de color - los individuos más afro-americanos, hispanos y asiáticos en Estados Unidos a realizar una cirugía plástica, tanto para mejorar la cara y el cuerpo y la. En 2011, había 1.609.372 procedimientos cosméticos realizados en los hispanos. Esto representa un incremento del 8% a partir de 2010, en la que los procedimientos se realizaron 1.489.152.
Cada año, la Sociedad Americana de Cirujanos Plásticos (ASPS) publica un informe de estadísticas de procedimientos del año anterior. Se consideran ambos procedimientos cosméticos y procedimientos mínimamente invasivos. También categorizan sus estadísticas por sexo, edad, región y raza. El más popular de los procedimientos quirúrgicos cosméticos para los hispanos en 2011 fueron los mismos que en 2010, sin embargo, la orden de popularidad ha cambiado.
Liposucción
En 2010, la liposucción fue el segundo procedimiento más popular para los hispanos. En 2011, se trasladó a la posición número uno. La liposucción consiste en la remoción de grasa no deseada de áreas determinadas para redefinir los contornos del cuerpo. Se puede hacer en las partes del cuerpo, tanto por encima de la cintura y por debajo de la cintura. Mientras que los candidatos ideales están en o cerca de su peso ideal, más y más la liposucción se utiliza para las personas más pesadas para “debulking” propósitos.
Aumento de senos
En la posición número uno en el 2010, el aumento de senos se trasladó a la posición número dos en 2011 para la población hispana. El aumento del pecho implica mejorar la forma y el aumento del tamaño de los senos con solución salina o los implantes de silicona. Se puede hacer a través de incisiones diferentes - axila, la areola y el pliegue inframamario pecho. Grasa propia de una persona también se puede utilizar para aumentar los senos si se dispone de suficiente grasa. Mientras que el uso de los implantes de mama son más predecibles y un tamaño de pecho más grande puede ser alcanzado, el uso de grasa evita el uso de un implante.
La rinoplastia
La rinoplastia consiste en la remodelación quirúrgica de la nariz. Se puede reducir una nariz ancha, dan definición a una punta bulbosa, elevar una punta caída y eliminar una gran joroba.
El término hispano se refiere a una amplia variedad de los pueblos. Personas conocidas como hispanos en los Estados Unidos pueden ser descendientes de España, Portugal, México y otros países, y las apariciones entre los grupos pueden variar ampliamente. El “clásico” nariz hispana, sin embargo, es uno que tiene algunas características similares a muchos afroamericanos narices. La punta no es puntiaguda y la nariz y / o los orificios nasales puede ser más amplio.
En un momento en el tiempo, el objetivo de la rinoplastia era hacer que todas nariz delgada, con ventanas estrechas, independientemente de los rasgos faciales. En la actualidad, el objetivo de la rinoplastia es hacer que una nariz que está en armonía con las características faciales. El objetivo de la cirugía de rinoplastia hispana, entonces, no es crear una nariz caucásica, sino para crear una nariz que es compatible con la cara hispana.
Si bien el objetivo de la rinoplastia en los caucásicos suele hacer la nariz más pequeña, de modo que la punta no está tan lejos de la cara, la cirugía de nariz en los hispanos por lo general consiste en aumentar la proyección de la nariz, por lo que no es tan plana, y el estrechamiento de la ventanas de la nariz.
Check out Dr. Walden’s interview with Medscape, a healthcare and medicine website by WebMD with current information on the latest in medical procedures and technology:
Plastic Surgeon Says Labial Surgery Can Be Life-Changing for Patients
An Expert Interview with Jennifer L. Walden, MD
by Stephanie Cajigal
As published on Medscape here on Feb 11, 2013
Medscape Editor’s Note:
Labiaplasty, a procedure done to reduce the size of the labia minora in women, is one of the most common female genital aesthetic surgeries, says Jennifer L. Walden, MD, a plastic surgeon with a private practice in Austin, Texas. Dr. Walden, who has performed 25-50 labiaplasties per year since opening her practice 9 years ago, says that although the procedure can be life-changing, it is too often done by physicians unfamiliar with the latest techniques and with little experience operating on female genitalia. In this interview with Medscape, she reveals what she considers to be best practices for this procedure.
Medscape: How exactly is labiaplasty done?
Dr. Walden: It involves an excisional procedure to make the labia smaller and more cosmetically appealing. There are several ways to treat labial hypertrophy that have been described in the literature. The excisional techniques involving a wedge excision, such as a V-wedge or W-plasty, are the preferred techniques nowadays. They put the incision line on either aspect of the labia minora. An older method, which has largely been abandoned, is trimming the outer edge of the labia minora.
The V-wedge and W-plasty lead to less scar burden and to fewer problems, such as itching, burning, and painful sex, which were more common with the older procedures. They also preserve the natural border of the labia because the incision is down along the inner aspect of it, and the incision crosses and goes down the outer aspect of the midline of the labia minora.
Medscape: Is this procedure growing in popularity?
Dr. Walden: I’d say that it’s become more acceptable in the past decade, and that’s because techniques have improved, more doctors are now marketing that they do the procedure, and more doctors who specialize in the procedure have emerged. All of these things combined have led to it becoming less taboo and more accepted because it is not only cosmetically appealing, it’s functionally appealing, too. However, when anything gains in popularity, there are always going to be hangers-on who want to jump on the trend. There are people who are less qualified to do genital surgery who do it anyway, and that’s what gives cosmetic procedures a bad name. But there are a lot of very well-qualified people who are trained to surgically address these issues who produce nice results and change the quality of life for a lot of women.
Medscape: What are the main reasons why women seek this procedure?
Dr. Walden: Usually they are seeking it because they’re having local irritation of the area, problems with personal hygiene when going to the bathroom or during their menstrual cycle, interference with sex, and discomfort during cycling, sitting, or walking or with tight jeans or yoga pants. What we hope is for the labia minora to be housed within the labia majora because the labia majora have a different quality to the skin and are designed to protect the inner labia minora. When the labia minora protrude outside of the labia majora, it’s essentially a part of the female anatomy that’s not protected, and it can be very irritating. Therefore, one of the main benefits is just an improvement of discomfort.
Women can also have a general concern with the appearance of their labia, so they want it to look as nice as possible. And that’s OK. It’s not a bad thing for women to want to look as good as possible.
Medscape: Are these benefits documented in the medical literature?
Dr. Walden: There have been a lot of well-done studies on this procedure, and there also have been a lot of case reports and small series, not just in the plastic surgery literature but in the obstetrics and gynecology literature.[1-3] In many different specialties, this is a well-documented procedure.
My labiaplasty patients are some of my happiest patients because it’s a relatively straightforward and short procedure that’s done on an outpatient basis. Within about an hour, it can be kind of life-changing.
References:
Mass SM, Hage JJ. Functional and aesthetic labia minora reduction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2000;105:1453-1456. Abstract
Alter GJ. Labia minora reconstruction using clitoral hood flaps, wedge excisions, and YV advancement flaps. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;127:2356-2363. Abstract
Murariu D, Jackowe DJ, Parsa AA, Parsa FD. Comparison of wedge versus straight-line reduction labiaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010;125:1046-1047. Abstract
Dr. Jennifer Walden has finally returned to her roots! After completing an aesthetic surgery fellowship at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, building a successful aesthetic surgery practice in New York City, Dr. Walden has finally returned to her hometown - Austin, Texas.
Texas Monthly was one of the first to get the inside scoop on the doctor’s major move back to the Capital and her transition from one practice on Manhattan’s tony Upper East Side to the Lone Star State.
Read all about her in this month’s issue of Texas Monthly, y’all!
Dr. Walden has been practicing plastic surgery for eight years, focusing exclusively on cosmetic surgery, including breast augmentations, face-lifts, eyelid lifts, and rhinoplasties, commonly referred to as nose jobs. She also performs liposuction on the abdomen, inner thighs, and arms – and minimally invasive procedures such as Botox injections and soft-tissue fillers.
Dr. Walden believes, however, that being a female plastic surgeon has its advantages. 91 percent of all cosmetic surgeries are performed on women. And the majority of those women do not have procedures to replicate the male ideal archetype of that perfect figure that society perpetuates.
“Many of my patients tell me they are more comfortable talking to another woman about certain parts of their body. They also know I will never look at them judgmentally,” Dr. Walden said in the article as told to the uber-talented writer, Skip Hollandsworth, of Texas Monthly.
Many women look to plastic surgery to overcome body deformities, or because they are embarrassed by asymmetries their body may have. Or their body has gone through significant changes after giving birth and they not only want to feel like their old self post-pregnancy.
Proud mother of eighteen month-old twin boys, Dr. Walden has also gone through many of the same experiences as her patients. She confidently understands what her patient’s wants and needs are, and she is not ashamed to admit what procedures she may undergo in the future.
Although happy to return to her hometown, where her sons will be closer to her family, Dr. Walden did express concerns about leaving her successful NYC practice to start up a new one, in a city known for being au natural. Dr. Walden was nervous that Austin’s residents might be less receptive to cosmetic procedures than the residents of New York’s Upper East Side.
Much to Dr. Walden’s surprise, by the time her plane landed in Texas, two patients had already booked surgery to have their breast enhancement. Texans, Dr. Walden and her staff have discovered, have as much of a desire for cosmetic work as people anywhere else.
Dr. Walden admits that sometimes she is asked why she chose cosmetic surgery over another specialty. Her response is always the same. She says one of her goals is to help women improve upon themselves. Surgery often times is a way for women to have a better quality of life and improved self-confidence.
“If I thought my work was simply an exercise in vanity, I wouldn’t do it,” Dr. Walden said in conclusion to the article.
To read more about Dr. Walden’s exciting transition, her thoughts on the field of aesthetic plastic surgery, and what it’s like to be a female cosmetic surgeon, visit the Texas Monthly “The Working Life” article here!
