Recently, I received an inquiry from a surgical nurse who saw a feature on “The Doctors” TV show demonstrating the “latest, less invasive” neck lift technique from Beverly Hills that is supposed to be less expensive with faster recovery:
Aug 12:Each day, I meet new children for preop evaluation, brought by smiling family members huddled at bedside in the Pingliang People’s Hospital. In the faces of the parents, I see a combination of fear, concern and hope.
Although I anticipate the answer, speaking with them through an interpreter, I ask what they want me to do for their child. Rather than reply verbally through the interpreter, the answer is almost always made by pointing to the obvious cleft of the lip, or by opening the child’s mouth to point to the gaping opening of the roof of the mouth, a cleft palate.
Aug 8: Some background on Pingliang, (平涼) located in central China: the most famous landmark is Kongtong Mountain (崆峒山), the cradle of Taoism.
Pingliang is almost exactly in the middle of the map of China, right.
I had a chance to visit Kongtong Mountain, which is a short taxi ride from our accommodations in Pinliang. It is interesting to note that traffic regulations are quite different here. It appears that the lines in the road are merely “suggestions.” Cars do not hesitate to drive on the “wrong side” of the road, if it is convenient for the driver. This adds interest and excitement to the trip, like watching a national tournament of vehicular “chicken.”
August 6: Dealing almost daily with the unexpected and with schedule changes are the rule on surgical trips to underserved areas. Each trip is unique in the nature of the challenges.
Communication is always a challenge in remote parts of the world with different languages, dialects and cultures. I particularly remember a time in Ziwane, Kenya. We accessed a remote village using 4-wheel drive trucks traversing dried river beds and wash-outs, over 45 minutes from the nearest road of any form. The clinic was set-up in a 2-room structure with a dirt floor. Each of the blankets we spread on the floor was a separate “treatment area.”
August 3: I just finished the first case of our schedule here in Pingliang, China, reconstructing a cleft lip and nose deformity in a 12 year old girl. The team is relieved that the case went well: there is a tension until we get the first case done and know we work well as a team and with the local hospital staff.
As is typical for these surgical trips, the schedule doesn’t go as planned. Most of the scheduled cases for the morning are delayed for a variety of reasons. Adapting to the conditions and the unexpected is critical and never-ending: even as I write this, I overhear one of the nurses, “The boy for the next case has a cold.”
Colorado skin care latest development is LASER treatment for skin rejuvenation called Fractional LASER therapy (often known as “Fraxel”). This mode of laser resurfacing for Denver residents is in great demand because it allows a quick recovery for people wanting to improve the texture and pigment of their skin and reduce lines and wrinkles.
So, how does it work?
Let’s start with the basics of how lasers help to rejuvenate the skin: how does laser resurfacing reduce wrinkles? The answer is heat!
We are posting some guest physician blogs that we feel are compatible with the way that Dr. Zwiebel practices. This blog from Dr. Paul M. Parker provides some valuable insight on how patients can educate themselves on the surgical procedures they are interested in.
Whether you’re thinking about boosting your breasts, trimming your belly, reshaping your facial features or full body contouring, plastic surgery has something to offer. A simple surgical procedure can get you the New You that you’ve always dreamed of. The first step is to do your homework and get educated.
I received a phone call, late Wednesday night requesting I join International Medical Relief team going to Port au Prince,Haiti. We left Friday night, encountering an obstacle,Saturday morning, with security refusing to let our team board our connecting flight from NYC. Apparently, they lost authorizing paperwork. We were diverted to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and took a 10 hour van ride to get to Port au Prince.
My role here has been as a primary care doctor and as a reconstructive surgeon tending to wounds of varying complexity.
Pain-free Denver plastic surgery is within reach.
New technology has made it possible to control postoperative discomfort more effectively. The Pain Pump (anesthetic pump) is a breakthrough technology that has dramatically improved the comfort of my patients during the post-op period. The Pain Pump is a simple device that connects a reservoir of local anesthetic (“novacaine”) to a very fine tubing (catheter) that drips the local anesthetic right into the surgery site to keep it numb for days after surgery. The result is much greater comfort for our patients.
In my practice, I have many patients who come to see me requesting revision rhinoplasty (nasal surgery) after they have had an unsatisfactory result from a procedure performed by another surgeon.. The problem is usually an unsatisfactory appearance, but may sometimes include functional (breathing) problems.
Why does this occur?
The nose is a complex structure and Denver rhinoplasty requires thorough understanding of the anatomy, facial aesthetics, nasal function, and refinement in surgical technique. Perhaps most importantly, (and no matter the specific specialty of the surgeon) consistent results in rhinoplasty depend upon the good judgment and experience of the well qualified Denver plastic surgeon.
This is why some of us have developed a reputation as surgeons to see for revision rhinoplasty.
The experienced rhinoplasty surgeon knows that the process begins with careful listening to the patient’s goals. Confirming that understanding is often done with computer imaging. The surgeon has to have the experience to know what can be realistically achieved and be able to communicate this to the patient.
The added complexity of secondary rhinoplasty includes working with the scarring and anatomy changes from the first procedure.
To know what to do is essential, but at least as important is to know when to do it.
That insight is an important qualification of the experienced surgeon.
Paul C. Zwiebel, MD, DMD, FACS | Call us at 303-470-3400
206 West County Line Road | Suite 210 | Littleton, Colorado 80129
