No abstract available.
Breast* ; Silicon* ; Silicones*

No abstract available.
Breast*

Laser treatment for scars has improved over the past three decades. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from whole blood is immunologically inert and contains a proper ratio of growth factors and cytokines. Here we describe the case of a 29-year-old female patient with a hypertrophic scar on her right shoulder caused by an operation performed in 2012. The patient underwent 11 laser therapy sessions with a fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) ablative laser system (LineXel) and two PRP injections. Her scar was evaluated with the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), and the baseline and post-treatment scores were 11 and 3, respectively. After treatment, the dimensions and volume of the scar were diminished, and contour, texture, and pigmentation had also improved compared to baseline. The patient reported less pain, swelling, and pigmentation following PRP combination ablative laser therapy. This case provides further evidence of the potential benefits of PRP as an adjuvant to fractional laser in reducing hypertrophic scars.
Adult ; Blood Platelets* ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic* ; Cytokines ; Female ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Laser Therapy ; Lasers, Gas* ; Pigmentation ; Platelet-Rich Plasma* ; Shoulder*

BACKGROUND: Keloids are abnormal wound responses that are caused by hyperproliferative growth of connective tissue during the healing process. Recent research findings introduced the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the process of keloid formation. ROS induces oxidative stress and promotes the activities of oxidative damage-inducible genes. Aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) prevents destructive ROS toxicity by detoxification of reactive carbonyl species. Thus, this study aimed to compare the expression of AKR1C3 in both normal and keloid skin in vivo. METHODS: Six specimens of normal skin and six specimens of keloid tissues from human subjects were used to evaluate the expression of AKR1C3 by immunofluorescent staining of tissues and western blotting. RESULTS: By western blotting, it was confirmed that the amount of AKR1C3 protein is significantly reduced in keloid tissues compared to normal tissues. Weak expression of AKR1C3 was also found in keloid tissues by immunofluorescent staining. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that the expression of AKR1C3 protein participates in ROS metabolism and plays a part in the downregulation of human keloid formation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that reveals that AKR1C3 can affect the formation of keloids.
Blotting, Western ; Connective Tissue ; Down-Regulation ; Humans* ; Keloid* ; Metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxidoreductases ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Skin* ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND: Defects of the cheek present a reconstructive challenge because of the visibility of the site, as well as the limited local tissue supply. In addition, the cheek abuts several structures with expressive function, such as the eye, mouth, and surrounding facial musculature. This report describes a system of classifying cheek defects according to tumor size and location and present corresponding reconstruction techniques used to accomplish three-dimensional restoration of all missing components and adequate texture matching. METHODS: From 2008 to 2013, 27 patients with cheek defects resulting from skin cancer excision were treated. According to the size of the defect, location on the cheek, and relationships to adjacent structures and existing skin tension lines, different surgical methods were applied. RESULTS: The procedures used for cheek reconstruction included direct closure, Limberg flap, V-Y advancement flap, slide-swing flap, cheek rotation flap, and full-thickness skin graft. All flaps healed well without major complications, and no cancer recurrence was detected during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The anatomic classification of skin cancers and surgical protocols described in this report is simple and appropriate for reconstruction involving the cheek. Wide excision of skin cancer and appropriate, relatively easy-to-perform flaps based on this classification system can successfully produce safe and aesthetically-pleasing surgical outcomes.
Cheek* ; Classification ; Esthetics ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mouth ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Recurrence ; Skin Neoplasms* ; Skin* ; Surgical Flaps ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Thread lift is a minimally invasive procedure for facial rejuvenation, but complications of thread lift have been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes and safety associated with elastic lift in relation to midface and upper mandibular region lifting. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with sagging and laxity of the facial skin treated with elastic lift from September 2015 to October 2015 were enrolled in this study. Treatment was performed following the manufacturer's recommended protocol that called for 300 treatment lines. To evaluate elastic lift safety, a retrospective chart review was conducted. We used an automatic skin diagnosis system to evaluate the efficacy of elastic lift. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were female, and one patient was male. The mean age of the patients was 40.4 years, and their mean follow-up period was 3 months. There were no major complications manifesting in removal of the elastic thread during the follow-up period. The median skin laxity grade score was 5 (3-6) before surgery; the median skin laxity grade score was 3 (2-4) 3 months post-surgery, resulting in a statistically significant difference in skin grade score (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Facial rejuvenation using elastic lift is an effective and safe procedure in select patients with midface ptosis and moderate jowls.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lifting ; Male ; Rejuvenation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Augmentation mammoplasty is rapidly becoming one of the most frequently performed cosmetic surgeries. Consequently, the number of breast cancer patients with a history of breast augmentation surgery will increase. The purpose of this study is to report our experience of breast reconstruction in augmented women and discuss their treatment characteristics. METHODS: From March 2010 to August 2015, 7 patients who had previously undergone breast augmentation were treated at our institution. Epidemiologic data as well as data regarding body mass index, types of mastectomy, and complication were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age was 43.4 years, the average follow-up period was 21 months, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 19.3 kg/m2, the average weight of the mastectomy specimen was 150 g. Implant-based immediate breast reconstruction after skin-sparing mastectomy was performed in seven patients and in four of these patients, acellular dermal matrix (ADM) was used. One patient had a capsular contracture of Baker grade II. One patient had seroma. CONCLUSIONS: Previously augmented patients tend to have a slender abdomen and back. Moreover, Asians have a smaller body frame and lower muscle and fat percentage than westerners, making it more suitable for implant-based reconstruction than autologous tissue. It can be recommended as a surgical method as our patients were highly satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes.
Abdomen ; Acellular Dermis ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Mass Index ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Contracture ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mammaplasty* ; Mastectomy ; Seroma ; Silicon* ; Silicone Gels ; Silicones*

BACKGROUND: As harvesting techniques have improved the viability of transposed adipose tissue, autologous fat transfer is increasingly utilized for facial augmentation. Conventional techniques involve placing harvested fat deep in subcutaneous tissue through skin punctures. Trans-oral fat injections at the buccal and labial sulci and through the mucosa of the oral commissures obviate external scars. We report experience with this technique for augmentation of the cheeks, zygomatic arch, nasolabial folds, upper and lower lips, and chin in 130 patients over a 14-year period. METHODS: We report an observational case series of 147 procedures performed in 130 patients (118 women and 12 men, 19-69 years of age) in which 10 to 60 mL autologous fat supernatant harvested from the hips, buttocks, or abdomen were injected through the oral mucosa for augmentation. Single preoperative doses of antibiotic and methylprednisolone were administered in all cases. Fat frozen and banked during initial treatments was used for additional augmentation 3 to 6 months after initial treatments in 46% of cases. Outcomes were assessed clinically with physical exams and photographs. RESULTS: Mucosal puncture wounds healed uneventfully. Most patients tolerated the procedures well and recovered rapidly compared to historical experience with conventional percutaneous techniques. One patient developed a sterile seroma 3 weeks after facial augmentation that responded to needle aspiration. CONCLUSIONS: Transmucosal, intra-oral autologous fat grafting was associated with minimal visible scarring, swelling, or infection at the recipient site. This technique may be considered an alternative to percutaneous transfer for proximate peri-oral facial augmentation.
Abdomen ; Adipose Tissue ; Buttocks ; Cheek ; Chin ; Cicatrix ; Cosmetic Techniques ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Lip ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; Mouth Mucosa ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasolabial Fold ; Needles ; Punctures ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Rejuvenation ; Seroma ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Tissue Transplantation ; Transplants ; Wounds and Injuries ; Zygoma

BACKGROUND: Improvements in the degree of marginal reflex distance 1 (MRD1) were compared before and after use of the frontalis transfer (FT) method and closed silicone rod frontalis suspension surgery (SS) for severe blepharoptosis under general or local anesthesia with or without minimal sedation. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and photographs of 76 patients who had visited our institute between 2006 and 2013 because of severe blepharoptosis with poor levator function and treated by the same senior doctor. RESULTS: In total, 104 eyes (63 patients) were included after applying exclusion criteria; 71 eyes (44 patients) were corrected using FT, and 33 eyes (19 patients) were corrected using the frontalis sling method with a silicone rod. Among the general FT, local FT, general SS, and local SS groups, the mean preoperative MRD1 was not significantly different. Postoperative MRD1 was highest in the local FT group. CONCLUSIONS: Both FT and SS positively increased MRD1, regardless of the anesthesia used; however, the change in MRD1 of the general SS group was the lowest (1.11+/-0.848 mm). Further, general FT, local FT, and local SS groups had an approximate 2 mm or greater increase in the differences between postoperative and preoperative MRD1. Specifically, the local FT group had a definite positive correlation with postoperative MRD1.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Local ; Blepharoptosis ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Reflex ; Silicon* ; Silicones*

No abstract available.
Plastics* ; Surgery, Plastic*