At Providence Plastic Surgery, our goal is to simply, professionally and precisely meet our patients’ satisfaction with their aesthetic choices. This starts by having a candid and thorough conversation with Dr. Gear about recommendations, wishes and realistic expectations. Providence Plastic Surgery believes that the right candidate makes all the difference in the success of a surgery or enhancement. Our consultations can be scheduled conveniently over the telephone or in-house. During this time Dr. Gear will go over a thorough analysis of your medical history, needs and anticipated results based on your current status. This is a time for questions and answers—two subjects which our office makes their highest importance. The better we know you and your medical and aesthetic needs, the better we can be at giving you the outcome you desire when it comes to your results at our Surgery Center. Surgery should be a well-thought out decision; the perfect patient is one who is well-informed and comfortable going into the procedure. We look forward to speaking to you!
Virtual Consultations
Life is busy and sometimes it’s hard to fit in an in-house consult. And sometimes distance is an issue if you are from out of town. Virtual Consults are a great way to meet Dr. Gear and review your options for surgery. If you are interested in a virtual consult simply call and schedule an appointment, so we can connect with you virtually.
Procedures
BREAST AUGMENTATION
AUGMENTATION MAMMOPLASTY
Breast augmentation, or augmentation mammoplasty, involves the placement of breast implants in the breasts to increase fullness and projection. If you have small breasts due to heredity, pregnancy or weight loss, this procedure can enlarge them to the size you desire. Also, if your breasts are not the same size or shape, this procedure will allow your breasts to appear balanced and symmetrical. If you are dissatisfied with your breast size or have asymmetrical breast, then breast augmentation surgery (boob job) or breast implants would be a good thing to consider. Breast implant surgery has one of the highest rates of patient satisfaction and can improve self-image and self-confidence as well as balance out certain figures. Please note that breast augmentation cannot correct severely sagging breasts. If you want your breasts to be both lifted and full, a breast lift or mastopexy may be required in combination with breast augmentation (breast implants).
BREAST LIFT
MASTOPEXY
A mastopexy or breast lift is a procedure that raises and tightens the breasts by removing excess skin and redundant tissue to reshape and support a new, more youthful breast contour. A woman’s breasts often change over time, losing their youthful shape and firmness. These changes and loss of skin elasticity can result from pregnancy and breastfeeding, changes in weight, aging, the influence of gravity, and genetics or heredity. A breast lift can turn back the hands of time and recreate a more youthful and uplifted breast, instilling confidence and positive self-image. Please note that breast lift surgery does not significantly change the size of your breasts or round out the upper part of your breast. If you want your breasts to look larger, consider the combination of a breast lift and breast augmentation. If you want smaller breasts, consider combining breast reduction
BRAZILIAN BUTT LIFT
If you are close to your ideal weight, eat well and exercise, and have stubborn areas of fat and a flat backside, a Brazilian butt-lift or fat grafting to the buttocks can have a positive impact on your physique. This is an ideal procedure for women who are looking to avoid the “plastic” look of most butt implants. The natural look and feel of your own fat lends it an air of authenticity that implants just can’t replicate. BBL is great for people who have lost weight but find that their backside is lacking, or wish that their bottom were less flat and more round. Skin naturally loosens and sags with age and especially with weight loss–BBL is one of the best surgical options to create that youthful roundness associated with the butts of the procedure’s namesakes. The process involves taking fat from other areas of the body and injecting it in a precise way that allows it
TUMMY TUCK
Abdominoplasty, or “tummy tuck,” is the ideal procedure to remove loose skin created by pregnancy, aging or extreme weight loss or gain. Just like underwear, skin has elastic fibers that wear out over time. If you find your belly does not respond to dieting or exercise, this may be your problem. An abdominoplasty removes excess fat and skin, and in some cases, repairs weakened or separated muscles thus restoring a more youthful abdominal profile that is smooth and firm. However, tummy tucks are no substitutes for weight loss or an appropriate exercise program. Also, tummy tuck operations cannot correct stretch marks, although these may be removed or somewhat improved if they are located on the areas of excess skin that will be excised – generally those areas treated below the belly button.
MOMMY MAKEOVER
The Mommy Makeover, is a revolutionary new practice that combines breast and tummy procedures into one session to achieve your ideal post-baby body with minimal recovery time. Dr. Gear will decide through a consultation how best to apply these procedures in your “mommy makeover”. The most common procedures included in mommy makeovers are liposuction, tummy tuck, breast augmentation and breast lift. These procedures fix problems like the stretching and fat deposits associated with post-baby bellies and sagging breasts after breastfeeding.
BODY LIFT PROCEDURES
Body Contouring patients have a variety of procedures available to assist in the removal of excess skin and restore a shapelier contour. Generally, multiple procedures will be performed to address different areas of the body, and this may occur through a series of operations over an extended period of time. Dr. Gear attempts to accomplish as much as is safely possible and perform most surgeries in less than five hours maximum. The specific procedures necessary are to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Procedures may require touch-up operations at a later time. Although, the body contouring procedures will remove large amounts of excess skin, patients should know that the skin will continue to sag over time due to normal aging. In general, most surgical procedures will leave long scars. These may fade to white or widen and stay red for lengthy periods of time. Scars can sometimes be improved with topical medication or lasers but will never be gone. Many consider it a worthwhile trade-off by to remove all of the hanging skin and fat and restore overall confidence and evenness of contour.
BODY CONTOURING
AFTER WEIGHT LOSS
Massive weight loss, through surgical or non-surgical means, is a significant achievement and the foundation to a better life. Bariatric surgery is liberating for many patients. Unfortunately, many are left with an abundance of loose skin that becomes the stigmata of their former life. This loose skin becomes just as psychologically damaging over time as the obesity, warping confidence and self-image. Every part of the body can be affected from the abdomen to the face. In the not too distant past, fixing all of these problems at once was glamorized on television—to a cultural detriment and danger. It’s important to be the right candidate for this type of procedure—a process which our staff and Dr. Gear is adamant about in our practice.
Excess hanging skin can generate hygiene problems, decrease mobility, make daily tasks difficult and create discomfort, often in the form of rashes or sores and prevent many forms of exercise. This sagging skin can be removed through body contouring plastic surgery procedures that help weight loss patients achieve a new positive body image.Patients who have recently experienced loss of a large amount of weight through procedures such as gastric banding or bypass surgery, stomach stapling, bariatric surgery, lap band surgery, or non surgical methods such as diet or exercise.
Patients must have maintained a stable weight for an extended period of time, usually over a year, and do not expect further weight loss. They should be in good health and maintain a healthy diet during the year following weight loss surgery. Smoking increases the risk of complications significantly, and should not smoke during the 6 weeks prior to surgery and are urged not to recover the habit following surgery as smoking will increase risk of complications and slow the healing process. Patients should also have reasonable expectations for the results of the body contouring procedures. Dr. Gear can accurately assess your ultimate appearance and make sure you are on the same page when it comes to your desired and achievable results.
LIPOSUCTION
Despite diet and exercise, some people have bodies that accentuate an unfortunate aesthetic look in their midsection, which is due to localized fat. These areas may be due to genetics rather than lifestyle or diet. Liposuction removes stubborn deposits of fat to shrink and reshape your body and restore it to a more youthful, evened figure. Liposuction can be used to remove these stubborn fat pockets in many areas of the body including the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, neck, back, chest, and legs. Liposuction can be performed alone or in conjunction with other procedures to add greater finesse and body sculpting. Furthermore, it is gentle enough to be performed easily under local or tumescent anesthesia. No general anesthesia or breathing tube is required. This technique has the potential to create a less painful and safer recovery. Keep in mind, liposuction does not replace regular exercise and good eating habits.
EYE LIFT
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. They are one of our most important facial features and one that is looked at the most and communicates much in our world. Sadly, our eyes are often the first part of our faces to show age. Sagging, drooping, or tired-looking eyes can make us look older than we truly are or truly feel. An eyelid lift, or “blepharoplasty”, is a plastic surgical procedure designed to turn back the clock by removing loose skin and sometimes fat. It can be performed on the upper and lower eyelids and in conjunction with other procedures such as a facelift or laser skin resurfacing. It is often comfortably performed under local anesthesia with oral-sedation, however, you can discuss other options with Dr. Gear at your request. Patients who would benefit from a blepharoplasty include those who experience:
Excess skin or sagging of the upper eyelids (which can obscure vision)
Puffy areas in the upper eyelids or bags under the eyes
Droopiness of the lower eyelids
Excess skin and fine wrinkles around the eyes
FACE LIFT
Many different variables conspire against a youthful visage. With aging, the skin becomes thin and loses its elasticity. In addition, gravity, sun damage, smoking, diet, and genetics take their toll. A facelift or “rhytidectomy” aims to rejuvenate the face by removing excess skin and lifting and repositioning the deeper layers of tissue that also sag with time. Modern facelift techniques attempt to limit incision length, reposition deep tissues, and add fat grafting to areas where facial wasting or fat atrophy has occurred.
A facelift can improve signs of facial aging, such as sagging cheeks and jowls, deep creases between the cheek and lip known as the naso-labial folds, and loose neck skin. A facelift can be combined with additional procedures to more completely rejuvenate the face including brow-lift, eyelid lift, and skin resurfacing with laser.
NECK LIFT
Sometimes a facelift isn’t necessary or desired, however, the neck may be showing progressive signs of aging. As much as we may do to try to correct the signs of aging on our necks, it’s difficult to achieve the desired result without surgery. In this case, a surgical neck lift can correct these premature signs of aging and create a more youthful appearance all around. It can also be performed in cohesion with a Facelift; however, this is a discussion between Dr. Gear and the patient.
ARM LIFT
An Arm Lift, or “brachioplasty” is the tightening of the skin under the arm which droops or sags. This can cause clothing to fit inappropriately or simply cause self-esteem issues. It is often put into place for women or men who have had dramatic weight loss and wish to reduce the excess skin, or for those who have heredity issues and aging as cause of the loose skin. Whatever the reason, an Arm Lift can restore confidence and give a more svelte appearance to a silhouette.
THIGH LIFT
For some individuals, regardless of diet and exercise, there can be excess and uneven layers of fat around the thigh area. This can create an awkward appearance but can be corrected through a “Thigh Lift”. Not only does a thigh lift remove excess skin and fat but it can reshape the contour of the upper legs, giving you a more proportioned silhouette and smoother appearance.
