Surgery Procedures

FACELIFT:

Length of procedure:  4 hrs Anesthesia:  Local anesthesia and sedation or general Hospital staying:  6 to 8 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica:  10 to 14 days.

A facelift or rhytidectomy is a procedure to give a youthful appereance, not to change the personal characteristics, so must to look “ natural” . During the surgery underlying muscles in the face are thightened, the excess of fat accumulated over the years are removed and the loose skin are gently thightened. The procedure can be perform with the eyelids.
 Folds and wrinkles between the mouth and nose, loose skin and extra fat (jowls) make the face look square in instead of oval like during the youth. Some of the skin and muscle in the neck are sagging and sometimes the loose muscle form a deformity with two bands in the anterior neck “ turkey globber” deformity.

Facelift corrects corrects all of these aging signs in a natural looking . The incisions are closed along natural skin lines and creases, so scars are fine and almost undetectable. More of the scars are in the hairline or behind the ears. The average facelift lasts 5 to 10 years depending of the patient conditions.

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EYELIDS SURGERY: (Blepharoplasty)

Length of the procedure: 1 hr Anesthesia:  local anethesia and sedation Hospital stay:  2 to 3 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica: 8 days

This surgery improves the contour of both superior e inferior eyeslids by decreasing the tired, wrinkled and swollen appearance that is manifected by an excess of lines caused by the excess of skin and the bulging resulting in bags of fat. These bulging pouches make like a sort of herniation and are projected in the skin of the eyelids.This procedures also improve the visuloa field because eliminates the sagging skin in the sides of the eyes.The scars are minimal and hidden in the upper creas of the eyelid or just below the eyelashes in the lower eyelid.

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BREAST AUGMENTATION:

Length of the procedure: 1 to 2 hrs Type of anethesia:   General Hospital Staying:     3 to 4 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica:   8 days.

Women with small breast who desire a more prominent bust-line can have the size of their breast increased by inserting implants. There is no other means for increase the breast in a scientifically and secure way. Oral or injected medications, mesotherapy, massages or others are not proven methods.
The enlargement procedure is used to enlarge small breast, underdeveloped breast, or breast that have lost volumen after pregnancy or weigth lost, or as a reconstructive technique after breast surgery
 Breast augmentation increases fullness and creates a better balance with the rest of your figure. Your clothing options will expand tremendously and you”ll be comfortable

Wearing many types of clothing you would’ve uncomfortable wearing before. There are different types of breast implants available and three different approaches for augmentation. The small incision can be made under the breast, at the edge of the nipple-areola complex, or in a skin fold in the armpit. After the incision is made , a pocket is created under the breast tissue or beneath the chest wall muscle ( the pectoralis muscle). If the breast is fallen, breast augmentation is accompanied with a breast lift to give the breast not only a good shape but also a good position.
There is no single implant or approach that is best for every augmentation. Breast are extremely different and different approaches wll give the best results.

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BREAST REDUCTION:

Length of the procedure: 3 hrs Type of anesthesia: General Hospital Staying:   6 to 8 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica:  12 to 15 days.

Breast reduction , also called reduction mamaplasty is designed to relieve the physical discomfort often associated with very large breast and enhance the overall appereance of your breast. Women with large breast can have symptoms that includes: neck and back pain, rash, painful bra strap marks, irritation of skin under the breast, difficulty fitting into clothes. Tingling in the hands and in younger girls difficulty adjusting socially.
 Breast reduction reduces the size and reshapes the contour of large breast by removing excess breast skin and underlying tissue. It may includes reduce the size of the areola , which frequently becomes enlarge as breast develops.

Over the time, the incisions were made horizontally and vertically following the natural contour of the breast, but part of the scar ( mainly the horizontal ) were problematic.  Dr Chavarría is practicing a short scar technique that reduces the amount of scarring and greatly improves postoperative aesthetics of the breast.
Breast reduction is one of the most common procedures performed on the breast. The symptoms are nearly completely eliminated with the operation. As a whole, patient who undergo breast reduction are the happiest patients we see in plastic surgery.

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BREAST LIFT:

Length of the procedure: 2to 3 hrs Type of anesthesia:  general Hospital staying: 6 to 8 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica: 7 to 10 days.

The breast naturally begin to sag  with aging and bearing children. Breast lift or mastopexy is designed to elevate or reshape the breast providing a youthful appereance. In this operation the nipple is raised and the breast tissue is lifted into a higher position.
In this situation , gain, Dr Chavarria can perform a short scar technique to limit scarring and improve the aesthetic appearance of the breast.

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BREAST RECONSTRUCTION:

Length of the procedure: 2to 3 hrs Type of anesthesia:  general Hospital staying: 6 to 8 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica: 7 to 10 days.

Breast cancer is a common malignancy in the United States  and Costa Rica; as a result Dr Chavarría has accumulated a big experience and now is a leading surgeon in the breast reconstruction field. He performs reconstruction using implants, expansor or autologous tissue ( your own skin and fat). He reported the first TRAM flap reconstruction ( using skin and fat from the abdomen ) in Costa Rica . Latissimus dorsi flap ( using skin and fat from the back ) is also a common procedure performed by Dr Chavarría. Now, this latter procedure is being performed with a modification to improve the scar and the appearance.

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LIPOSUCTION SURGERY:

Length of the procedure: 2to 3 hrs Type of anesthesia: local plus sedation or general Hospital staying: 5 to 6 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica: 7 days.

Liposuction improves body shape because removes unwanted fat deposits from specific areas of the body, for both, women and men. Through a tiny incision, small tubes or cannulas are used to suction away the fat deposits.

Suction lipoplasty is not a substitute for weight reduction, but a method of removing localized fat that doesn’t respond to dieting or exercise. It is a contouring procedure which removes bulges to blend body outlines more aesthetically. Liposuction typically are perform after targeted fat cells are infused with a saline solution containing adrenalin to decrease the blood loss, allow an easier removal of the fat and diminish postoperative discomfort. The most common locations for liposuction are chin, cheeks, neck, upper arms, upper and lower abdomen, flank areas ( love handles ), inner thighs, outer thighs ( saddlebags ), buttocks, and knee areas and calves.

Also there are various types of techniques used for liposuction, the “ Traditional “ that Dr Chavarría perform,  continue being the most common procedure performed by plastic surgeons in the world.

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TUMMY TUCK:

Length of the procedure: 3 to 4 hrs Type of anesthesia:  general Hospital staying: 6 hrs or 1 night depending of the extension of the procedure. Postoperative stay in Costa Rica:  7 to 14 days.

Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is a procedure which improves the contour and appearance of the abdomen. It removes excess skin and fat from the middle and lower abdomen and thigten the underlying muscles framework.

The loose abdomen is the result of pregnancy or important changes in body weight. Women who had multiple pregnancies and stretched their abdominal muscles and skin will specially benefit from such a procedure. After delivery, you can recover muscle tone with exercise, but it will do nothing to tighten the fascial tissues that interconnect the muscles and have been stretched, too.
Loose skin secondary to weigth loss hangs downward and does not respond to any type of exercise, but excess loose skin can be removed during abdominoplasty.

The procedure involves an incision across the lower abdomen, a little above the pubic area, but the length depends on the mass of skin and fat to be removed. Fat deposits can be corrected with suction lipoplasty alone, but abdominoplasty is necessary to achieve the best contour if stretched muscle or loose skin are present. Every patient is different, some requiring more fat to be removed ( liposuction ) and some requiring more skin to be removed ( mini or complete abdominoplasty). If you are significantly overweight, then you will get a much better correction if you achieve your ideal weight before  abdominoplasty.

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BUTTOCK AUGMENTATION:

Length of the procedure: 2hrs Type of anesthesia: regional block or general Hospital staying: 1 night Postopatative stay in Costa Rica: 12 to 15 days.

Buttock augmentation can be obtained with several procedures depending of every patient. Autologous fat injections which take fat from one body part to add volume to another is a way to perform buttock augmentation. Donor sites may includes the abdomen, hip, back or thighs. Fat cells are removed with liposuction and , then injected in “ layers “ in the buttocks. A disadvantage of this technique is it difficult to predict how much fat will be reabsorb by the body, and multiple procedures may be necessary.

Buttock augmentation implants are another alternative to reshaping your buttock. The procedure often is performed by making an incision in the fold between the buttock “ chekks “ and inserting a solid silicone implant into the pocket intramusculary in the gluteal muscle, this space has proven to be the more secure for placement of the implant. The periphery of the cheeks are taped after surgery, so the implants are held in position as the tissues heal.The patient uses an elastic dressing for 7 days after surgery, follow by the use of a lycra panty for 3 weeks.

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RHINOPLASTY:

Length of the procedure:  2 hrs Type of anesthesia: general Hospital staying: 4 to 6 hrs Postoperative stay in Costa Rica: 7 to 10 days

Rhinoplasty, or surgery to reshape the nose, is one of the most common of all plastic surgery procedures. Rinoplasty can reduce or increase the size of your nose , change the shape of the tip or the bridge, narrow the span of the nostrils, or change the angle between your nose and your upper lip. It may also correct a birth defect or injury, or help relieve some breathing problems.

Depending of every patient the nose cartilage and bone are modified. A bump can be reduced or eliminated, the sides of the nose can be brought closer together to make the nose narrower. The tip can be lifted and improved in appearance and definition.

Most of the operation is performed making only small incisions inside the nostrils. When surgery is complete , a splint will be applied to help your nose maintain its new shape. Nasal packs or soft plastic splint also may be placed in your nostrils to stabilize the septum, the dividing wall between the air passages.

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EAR SURGERY:

Lengh of the procedure:  1.5 to 2 hrs Type of anesthesia: local plus sedation or general Hospital staying:  4 to 6 hrs Postoparative stay in Costa Rica: 7 days

Some girls and boys have a congenital ear defect called “ prominent “ ears. It cause psychological problems during the infancy as their classmates make fun of them.

Otoplasty is the surgery to correct this defect. The procedure make a small incision in the back of the ear, sometimes remove part of the prominent convex cartilage from the back of the ear.. Then, the cartilage is bent back toward the head.Generally, the surgery is performed on children between the ages of 4 to 14.

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