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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.

Plastic surgery a tool to stop bullying

When you think of plastic surgery, children don’t typically come to mind, however, Dr. Jennifer Walden visited Austin’s KXAN Newsroom last Tuesday to discuss the powerful effects plastic surgery can play in controlling the level of bullying a child might receive for their appearance.

Dr. Walden said that plastic surgery can help children who fall victim to bullying because of certain anatomical problems. Procedures that teenagers or children might have include otoplasty, the pinning of the ears, for prominent ears, rhinoplasty for nose reshaping and male breast reduction for a large breast size in male teenagers.

Dr. Walden believes that new age media including photo-sharing applications such as Facebook and Instagram have aided the level of embarrassment, stress and anxiety attributed to bullying. Although plastic surgery is in no way a cure-all for bullying, it can help for certain specific problems and may boost a child’s confidence level.

Dr. Walden suggests involving other factors when making the decision on whether plastic surgery is an option. She suggests the approval of all members involved, including approval from pediatrician, clinical psychologists and even a psychiatrist if necessary.

It used to be that you would go to a salon to get your hair and nails done but these days salons offer all kinds of beauty treatments including cosmetic injectables and even more invasive procedures. The prices can be very cheap, but the results can be catastrophic.

On this episode of KVUE’s HealthVue, Dr. Jennifer Walden is interviewed on why it is crucial for consumers to take a second look and ask more questions. Notably, there was a dramatic case out of Miami last year when reports surfaced about illegal cosmetic injections being performed on several women. “Doctors” were accused of injecting these women with substances like mineral oil, super glue, concrete, and Fix-a-Flat. The women reportedly were getting buttock injections in hopes of attaining a healthy “backside”, but they could have lifetime disfigurement as a result.

Last month, in Tyler, Texas, a salon owner was arrested for injecting clients in the breast and buttocks with an unknown substance (likely automotive grade silicone) and closing it with a superglue-type sealant. Why would someone get this done to their body? Perhaps it is the very low cost and the lack of information about what these victims are being injected with.

As Dr. Walden explains, it is important that patients are educated about the three P’s: Product, Practitioner, and Place.

1. Product - Make sure the product you are getting injected with is an FDA approved product for the particular area you are wanting injected. The FDA has approved certain products for injection into different regions of the face for cosmetic purposes, like Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, and Sculptra. There is no synthetic material that has been approved by the FDA for injection in the breast so that is a red flag itself. Ask what neurotoxin or filler is being used, and even research the product labeling online. If a provider refuses or is unable to tell you what material you are being injected with, do not let that person treat you.

2.Practitioner – Know what type of practitioner to go to like a physician trained to do cosmetic procedures or his/her designee such as a physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse with cosmetic injection training. Go to a doctor in one of the core specialties like plastic surgery, dermatology, or otolaryngology who is also board-certified in that specialty.

3. Place - Don’t get injected in a place that you feel uncomfortable undergoing a procedure in such as a salon, mall, or private home. These are medical procedures and they ideally should be performed in a medical office or medical facility due to its sanitary environment with resources at hand. Often the price may seem too good to pass up, but if you hear of a Groupon ad that’s too good to be true or a salon owner that is offering rock bottom prices on something that is going to be injected in your face or body, let the buyer beware as it be dangerous or even fatal. Even at a Botox “party” or event, a physician must be supervising anyone who is doing these procedures and they must the appropriate credentials, meaning they have to be a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant with special training to administer cosmetic injectables.

In other words, do your research, ask questions, and become informed!

The Food and Drug Administration today cleared Sientra Inc.’s silicone breast implants for use in the U.S., adding another competitor to versions of the product already offered by Allergan Inc. (AGN) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) unit Mentor Worldwide LLC. Sientra will be the third manufacturer of silicone breast implants in America given the current US FDA regulations.

The latest approval comes after the FDA in August said it will allow silicone implants to remain on the U.S. market while manufacturers work to boost enrollment rates in required long-term studies.

The agency has said women receiving silicone-gel breast implants experience frequent complications and sometimes need additional surgery to fix or replace them, but recent studies haven’t shown any unexpected or new safety concerns for the existing implants on the market.

The FDA based its Sientra approval on three years of clinical data from 1,788 participants. The latest approval permits breast-augmentation surgery in women at least 22 years old as well as reconstructive procedures for women of any age.

“Data on these and other approved silicone gel-filled breast implants continue to demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness,” said William Maisel, deputy director for science at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

The agency will also require that Sientra run post-approval studies judging the long-term safety and effectiveness of the implants as well as the risk of rare diseases among women using them.

Sientra founder and Chief Executive Hani Zeini helped launch the privately held company after an earlier stint at Inamed Corp., the breast-implant maker later acquired by Allergan.

As a plastic surgeon who performs many breast augmentation surgeries, it is exciting to have another brand available on the market to choose from! Competition is a good thing in the world of medical devices and I am glad that women will have a third option when it comes to silicone gel breast implants.