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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

Are you searching for something that can finally address your deep wrinkles, pigment irregularities, blood vessels, or those acne scars you have tried to hide, time after time? Or something that can rival the result of plastic surgery, without all the downtime and expense of undergoing surgery? If so, then Fractora may be for you.

Fractora is now available for those of us wanting to look years younger in a relatively short amount of time, with results lasting several years with little to no upkeep. So who wouldn’t want to give this latest and greatest procedure a try?

“It’s like applying 60 tiny acupuncture needles in a tiny applicator to the skin,” Dr. Jennifer Walden said in a recent interview with Todd Boatwright on Austin’s YNN. Fractora is several different technologies rolled into one– radiofrequency sound waves, not a knife, help resurface, smooth, and tighten the facial skin. The device also has the ability to help reduce unwanted pockets of fat on different areas of the body with a switch of the applicator. Patients have the option of one big treatment or several smaller ones over a period of weeks. With no fuss, mess or downtime, Fractora may be the perfect fit for you and a solution to those problem areas you have always tried to fix. Check the recent news segment out below on YNN Austin.

For most mothers and daughters, bonding time comes in the form of a shopping excursion, however now there’s a new trend of going under the knife together. Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon Dr. Jennifer Walden visited the KVUE-TV Austin studio to discuss this rising trend!

The average age range of women seeking plastic surgery is 35 to 50 years, however there is a growing range of younger women in their early twenties interested in plastic surgery. Mothers and daughters, now more than ever, are beginning to seek surgical procedures at the same time.

Dr. Walden suggested that a mother and daughter may elect to have surgeries at the same time because they can act as support systems for one another. She believes the camaraderie and bonding in the post-operative stage of plastic surgery is the reason fueling this rising trend.

Surgical procedures range from family members or close friends choosing rhinoplasty, or breast augmentation and even a mother choosing a facelift and her daughter wanting breast augmentation, said Dr. Walden. This growing trend has truly become a family affair, allowing confidantes to bond throughout the surgical process.

Recovery from plastic surgery is about two weeks, with one week off from work or school. Dr. Walden suggests that if you do decide to go under the knife at the same time, it is imperative to have a qualified caregiver oversee you and your loved one during the recovery process.

Recently, well-loved Austin American-Statesman reporter Omar L. Gallaga interviewed Dr. Jennifer Walden about her latest technological addition to her West Lake Hills-area plastic surgery practice, the Vectra 3D.

During the interview, Dr. Walden described the Vectra 3D which she has been using since September, and even gave Gallaga a first-hand experience with the machine.

The machine works by taking multiple photos of the desired area – whether it be the face, upper or lower body – which are then digitally simulated on the computer screen, allowing Dr. Walden to modify the patients appearance. The machine is useful to both plastic surgeons and patients, because the 3D image is a more accurate analysis of the anatomy, but also because it gives patients an idea of what to expect before the first incision is ever made.

After Gallaga posed in front of the machine and his picture was digitalized on the computer screen, Dr. Walden carefully modified the tip of his nose, in what she described was a ‘conservative nose job.’ Using the Vectra system, Dr. Walden was able to rotate the 3D model of Gallaga’s face, and even produce side-by-side frontal and profile views of the changes made with the 3D system.

To read Gallaga’s take on his experience with the Vectra 3D, visit the Austin American-Statesman website, here!

Dr. Jennifer Walden joined KVUE News in an interview to discuss a new, 3-D imaging software to help patients decide whether cosmetic surgery is right for them.

The Vectra 3D software takes three simultaneous photos of the patient. Then, in just a matter of minutes, those photos begin forming a three-dimensional image of the patient on the computer monitor. The Vectra 3D allows the surgeon to alter the image in 3-D, giving prospective patients a more realistic view of what they can expect to look like after surgery from multiple viewpoints.

“It’s an exciting new technology that can really help with preoperative planning, managing patient expectations and showing prospective patients what they will look like before the first incision is ever made,” said Dr. Walden.

Before the Vectra 3D, Dr. Walden said they could show before and afters to patients or change the two-dimensional profile view, but there were inherent limitations in what could be done to successfully predict a prospective patients postoperative image. With the help of the new 3-D imaging software, Dr. Walden can give her patients a more realistic outcome.

Dr. Walden is the first plastic surgeon in Austin to use the Vectra 3D camera and software.

During Perry Watson’s “Medical Update” on KLBJ News Radio, Austin plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Walden helps clear the air about the extremely popular cosmetic procedure liposuction.

Liposuction slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image. Last year, nearly 205,000 liposuction procedures were performed in the United States, making it one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, second only to breast augmentation.

Dr. Walden said liposuction surgery is not a treatment for obesity, rather the procedure is for people who are at or near their ideal weight.

A new study from the August edition in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official journal of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons refutes last year’s study from the medical journal Obesity regarding what happens to your body after liposuction.

Dr. Walden said there has been on-going legend and folklore that after liposuction, fat returns in odd distributions to other areas of the body remote from the area suctioned.

The new study confirms that a person can have weight gain or contour abnormalities after liposuction, but it can and sometimes will only go to areas that have undergone liposuction, not to lipo-free areas like your arms, neck or face. She notes that although liposuction permanently removes fat cells, it is not a replacement for regular exercise and good eating habits.

Visit KLBJ’s website to listen to Perry Watson’s interview with Dr. Walden!

During the 2012-2013 school year, the Food in Tummies (FIT) program orchestrated by the Junior League of Austin will provide approximately 1,500 backpacks each week to the student population at several local schools with children in need. Each backpack will contain healthy food along with bilingual nutrition and fitness tips every Friday for 32 weeks beginning September 2012.

The mission of FIT (Food in Tummies) is to educate children, parents and the community in order to promote nutritional health and maximize student potential.

On September 28, 2012, Dr. Jennifer Walden delivered backpacks of nutritious food to the children of Hillcrest Elementary Schools (Del Valle ISD) on behalf of The Junior League of Austin’s Food in Tummies (FIT) program. This was a special opportunity to learn about the program and participate in it on a grass-roots level. Dr. Walden is a proud sponsor of this program.

To learn more about The Junior League of Austin’s FIT Program and how you can get involved, visit their website here.