1140 West La Veta Avenue • Suite 860 • Orange, CA 92868 • Ph: (714) 835-6500 • Fax: (714) 541-6105
November 5th, 2009 Dr. Taleisnik
Breast Lift Specialist Orange County
Serving Newport Beach, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County
Unfortunately for our bodies, gravity is always pulling. This leads to drooping eyelids, drooping faces, drooping tummies, and yes, drooping breasts. Big breasts tend to droop or sag more than small breasts as time passes, but no breast is immune. There are other important reasons that breasts can droop. Pregnancy is a major cause of breast drooping (medically referred to as “ptosis”). I’ve recently written several articles about “The Mommy Makeover,” a combination of procedures (including breast enhancement) designed to counteract the effects of pregnancy and breastfeeding. Some women develop breasts with unsatisfactory shapes, often with ptosis, right from the start, during puberty. Other women experience severe breast drooping after losing large amounts of weight. Fortunately, procedures are available to improve all of these problems.

Breast drooping, or ptosis, is usually improved with a surgery known as a mastopexy, or breast lift. A mastopexy can raise the nipple and the areola (the darker skin around each nipple) to the appropriate height. It can help to restore cleavage, lift the breast off the chest wall, and improve the appearance and feel of breast fullness. If the areola diameter is too big, the areolas can be reduced to a more pleasing size. Many women tell me that it’s much easier to find properly fitting bras, and attractive swimsuits or clothing, after undergoing a breast lift.
The first step is to determine whether you actually need a breast lift, or if your breasts are simply “empty” or “deflated,” as can often occur after pregnancy and breastfeeding. Many patients who see me in my Orange County office requesting a breast lift actually benefit more from a breast augmentation. It’s important to consult a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery if you’re thinking about enhancing your breasts. Your surgeon must have the necessary education, training, experience, and judgment to help you to decide which procedure will provide the improvement you desire. Certainly, there are many women who do require a lift, and others who benefit most from breast augmentation in combination with a breast lift. A breast lift alone may not be able to restore the volume and upper breast fullness that some women seek. For such patients, adding implants to a breast lift can produce beautiful results.
Any breast lift will create come scarring on the breast. In most patients, the scars fade and become fairly inconspicuous with passage of time. Some patients, however, will form scars that remain more visible (but not in clothing or a swimsuit). There are different types of lifts, each producing different degrees of scarring. Many factors determine which type of lift is appropriate for any given patient.
When ptosis, or breast drooping, is quite severe, patients require a traditional type of mastopexy, or lift. This type of lift creates more scars, but is also very powerful. The breasts can be totally reshaped and repositioned with a full mastopexy. Once again, it may be helpful to add implants as well to improve upper breast fullness and cleavage.
I often perform a modified type of breast lift for my patients undergoing breast augmentation who also require slight tightening of the breast skin and slight elevation of the nipples and areolas. This is referred to as a “concentric mastopexy.” This type of lift creates a scar around the areola only. Since the scar is at the border of two different colors and textures of skin, it tends to blend in well. Photos illustrating this can be seen on my website
If your breasts are heading south, or if you’re unhappy with them in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at 714-835-6500. We can arrange a free consultation, where I can help you to decide the best way to obtain the improvements you want. I evaluate and treat patients from all over Newport Beach and Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and LA County, as well as patients from other states, who are dissatisfied with their breasts. I look forward to helping you too.
Posted in Breast Lift Surgery, Home, Mommy Makeover | No Comments »
October 26th, 2009 Dr. Taleisnik
Mommy Makeover Surgeon- Dr. Andres Taleisnik
As many women know so well, there can be a physical price to pay for having children. Unfortunate changes often occur in the breasts, abdomen (tummy), or other areas. I recently wrote an article about The Mommy Makeover, a combination of plastic surgical procedures designed to help women to regain their pre-pregnancy figures (or even better). A Mommy Makeover almost always includes a tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty), and procedures to improve the breasts. I also wrote recently about the tummy tuck component of The Mommy Makeover in greater detail. This article addresses the enhancement of the breasts after pregnancy.
Many women who were entirely satisfied with their breast size and shape prior to pregnancy complain of decreased volume, emptiness of the breasts, or sagging afterwards. Fortunately, I can offer surgical options to improve each of those problems. It is important to consult a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, as I am, since the surgeon must have the training, knowledge and experience to provide an individualized plan for every patient, since every woman’s needs and desires are unique.
Some women complain to me that their breasts are “saggy” after pregnancy, when they are actually just “empty.” Such patients may do extremely well with breast augmentation alone, using either saline or silicone implants (I’ve discussed the differences in a prior article). The implants can restore fullness, which is usually quite lacking in the upper breast and cleavage area in particular. There may be choices as to the final size or volume of the breasts as well. When you meet with me for your consultation, I will help you to determine whether augmentation alone will achieve your goals.
While augmentation alone may be sufficient for many women, there are certainly others who might benefit from a lift, or mastopexy, with or without implants. If the nipples are on the lower part of the breasts, or point downwards, a lift could be helpful. A lift is often beneficial if the nipples are near or below the level of the inframammary fold, which is the crease or fold beneath each breast.
If the breasts already have enough volume, a lift alone may be fine. Often, however, it’s not possible to restore the degree of fullness in the upper breasts that many women want without using implants. Such patients are candidates for an “augmentation mastopexy,” or lift plus implants.
There are also different types of lifts that can be used. If there is significant drooping (breast “ptosis”) or laxity of the breasts, a larger, more traditional type of mastopexy, or lift, must be used. Such lifts create more scars (which usually fade and become fairly inconspicuous as time passes), but are also more powerful, reshaping a severely saggy breast very nicely. If a more minor degree of lifting or tightening is required, there are lifts that involve, for example, scars only around the areolas. These are known as “concentric mastopexies,” “crescent lifts,” and others.
The good news is that a caring, well-trained plastic surgeon can improve MANY of the unwanted body changes that accompany pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. As you might imagine, it’s critical to seek a surgeon who is not only well-trained and certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, but who will also take the time to evaluate your specific issues and desires, and to review them with you in an understandable fashion so that you can make the best possible choices. I take pride in caring for my patients with more individualized and complete attention than can be found anywhere else, as you’ll discover when we meet. Please call my office at 714-835-6500 to schedule your free consultation.
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Home, Mommy Makeover | No Comments »
October 20th, 2009 Dr. Taleisnik
Now that you’ve given birth to your child or children, one of the most wonderful and miraculous things a woman can do, you may be left questioning “What happened to my body, and what can I do to make it better again?” The Mommy Makeover was designed to help the millions of women who share these same concerns. I recently posted an article about The Mommy Makeover, a combination of surgical procedures performed at the same operative session. The main procedures include a tummy tuck (medically referred to as an abdominoplasty), a breast augmentation and/or breast lift, and liposuction of problem areas such as the thighs. In this article, I’ll discuss the tummy tuck component of The Mommy Makeover in greater detail.
Three unwanted changes can often occur to your tummy, or abdomen, after pregnancy: stretching or sagging of the skin, loosening or bulging of the muscles, and development of stretch marks. Fortunately, a well-performed tummy tuck can often improve all three of these problems. The main purpose of a tummy tuck is to remove excess, loose skin (and some fat at times). Every woman’s skin recovers differently after pregnancy. Some women are fortunate that their skin tightens up nicely, staying smooth and without stretch marks. More often, the skin doesn’t tighten back to its pre-pregnancy state. The tummy tuck excises, or cuts out, the excess skin. The extra skin, accompanied by drooping, folds or creases, and jiggling with movement, can occur in women of any age or size. I have performed tummy tucks, with excellent improvement, on women who are 5 feet tall and weigh over 200 p0unds, and on women who are 5′7″ tall and weigh 110 pounds. ANYONE can develop loose, hanging skin after giving birth. There are photos of women of different sizes on my website.
Another important part of the tummy tuck involves tightening the abdominal muscles. I don’t remember ANY post-pregnancy tummy tuck patients who wouldn’t benefit from tightening and flattening the muscles. Muscle laxity, of varying degrees, is just a fact of pregnancy, and occurs even in athletes and fitness trainers who do hundreds of sit-ups each day. Strong, permanent sutures (stitches) are used to tighten the rectus abdominis muscles. This pulls in the waist and flattens the bulging of the tummy.
Fortunately, tummy tucks can also frequently eliminate or markedly reduce stretch marks. Much of the skin containing the stretch marks may be cut out, with the remaining skin pulled tight and smooth. If the stretch marks are mainly at the level of the belly button or below, you may have few or no stretch marks after surgery.
It’s important to remember that, although Mommy Makeovers or tummy tucks are cosmetic procedures, they are indeed surgeries, and should be performed by plastic surgeons with the highest degree of training, ongoing education, and experience, including certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Andres Taleisnik has been a highly respected member of the medical community in the Newport Beach and Orange County areas for well over a decade. Please call 714-835-6500 to schedule a free consultation. You will meet only with Dr. Taleisnik, not a nurse or assistant. He will help you to determine which procedures are best and most appropriate for you, and will start you on the path back to the body you had before, or never had and always wanted.
Please watch for upcoming articles on other components of The Mommy Makeover, including breast augmentation/lift and liposuction.
Posted in Home, Mommy Makeover | 1 Comment »
October 13th, 2009 Dr. Taleisnik
Mommy Makeover Specialist
Orange County, Newport Beach, Riverside County
Having children is a wonderful experience for most women, but it often leads to many undesired changes in their bodies. Some women are fortunate (not many!), since their bodies recover almost to the pre-pregnancy shape. Most never quite regain the figures they had before giving birth.
Common unwanted changes include deflation or emptying of the breasts, sagging of the breasts, and development of stretch marks or loose skin and muscles on the tummy. These problems can develop even with an excellent diet, vigorous exercise, or use of creams and other “potions.” Fortunately, as a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Andres Taleisnik, M.D. frequently helps women in Orange County to regain their more youthful, pre-pregnancy bodies.
The popular term today for a combination of surgeries designed to reverse or improve the damaging effects of pregnancy is “Mommy Makeover.” Dr. Taleisnik often performs abdominoplasties (tummy tucks) together with breast surgery (breast augmentation, breast lift, or both) to provide a rapid and dramatic appearance improvement. Liposuction, such as for the hips or flanks, can be added as well.
For most women who are in reasonable health, it’s reasonable to do the various procedures at once. This results in a single anesthetic, a single recovery period or absence from work, and a lower overall cost than doing procedures separately. Dr. Taleisnik will help you to determine which procedures will be most beneficial for you, and whether you’re a candidate for the full “Mommy Makeover.” Please call his assistant Linae at 714-835-6500 to schedule your free consultation with Dr. Taleisnik.
Please watch for future articles on the individual surgeries that make up the “Mommy Makeover.”
Posted in Abdominoplasty, Breast Augmentation, Home, Liposuction, Mommy Makeover | 1 Comment »
September 8th, 2009 Dr. Taleisnik
Every woman hopes that her breast surgery, whether it be an augmentation, a lift, or a reduction, will produce beautiful results that last for many years. Often, this is indeed what occurs. Sometimes, however, there can be causes for dissatisfaction, either from the original surgery itself, or from the changes that occur with passage of time. Most of the time, these concerns can be improved with a well-planned and executed breast revision surgery. Revision surgery can be tricky, so please be sure to consult a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, as I am. I help patients from throughout Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties (and from other areas and States) to achieve the results they’re seeking.
I perform revision breast surgeries for many different reasons. After augmentation, some women feel that their size is not what they were seeking. Implant size and shape can be changed to produce a result that pleases the patient. In my own practice, very few patients request a change of implant size, since I routinely insert sizer implants at the time of surgery to best determine what size implants will best accomplish the patient’s goals. Patients come to me who have had breast augmentations that resulted in one implant sitting higher than the other. I’m usually able to improve that situation as well.
Sometimes a patient can be very happy with her original augmentation, but she develops problems as time passes. The implants can leak (either suddenly or gradually), since we don’t expect them to last forever. It’s usually straightforward to change the implants when that occurs. Some patients may develop capsular contracture. This refers to the tightening and hardening of the scar tissue (or capsule) that always forms around foreign objects in our bodies. Usually, the capsule stays thin and soft. Occasionally, it becomes thicker and harder. This can make the breasts unnaturally hard, and can distort the shape or position of the implants. Sometimes, it can even be painful. The treatment involves exchanging the implants, combined with performance of a capsulectomy. This means that the hard scar tissue is cut out, leaving the breast soft again.
Another cause of dissatisfaction after breast augmentation can be the breast drooping that may occur as time passes. Skin loses elasticity as we age, and may begin to stretch out. This can happen often to women who haven’t undergone augmentation as well, but the extra weight of the implants can contribute. I frequently perform breast lifts, or mastopexies, to help women in this situation. The breasts can be lifted and tightened to provide a nicer, more youthful appearance (often with more comfort as well).
I also see women in my practice who have undergone breast lifts or reductions elsewhere, and now need a revision of those procedures. As with anything else, the breast tissue can stretch and sag even after a lift or reduction, especially as the patient ages. A revision of the lift or reduction can often improve the situation significantly.
Once again, please remember that any revision surgery is more complex than the original procedure. It’s important to consult a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery who performs revision procedures often.
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September 4th, 2009 Dr. Taleisnik
Most women have some degree of breast asymmetry. This is natural, and it’s rare for a woman to have breasts that are exactly the same. There may be differences in size between the right and left breast, or differences in shape or the degree of ptosis (drooping). Sometimes, the differences are significant enough that correction or improvement is desired. As an Orange County plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, specializing in cosmetic breast surgery, I frequently perform surgeries to help such patients.
Differences in size are often improved with the use of breast implants. Different volumes or implant shapes can be used on each side, generally improving the symmetry. Usually, other modifications are needed a the same time in order to maximize the results. The position of the inframammary fold (the crease beneath the breast) may need to be raised or lowered. Changes might be necessary within the breast tissue itself, such as to allow a “cone-shaped” breast to become more rounded.
Some Orange County patients benefit from a mastopexy, or breast lift. There are different types of mastopexies that are possible. Some patients may require a lift on both sides, with one side lifted or tightened more than the other. Some patients may require a lift on one side only. Yet other patients may benefit from a reduction on one side, and a lift or even augmentation on the other side.
Surgery for breast asymmetry is specialized, and every patient in Orange County is completely unique. It’s important to consult a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, as I am. It’s just as important to find a surgeon who will take the personal time with you to determine the best way to address your asymmetry.
Dr. Andres Taleisnik
Posted in Breast Augmentation, Breast Implants, Home | 1 Comment »
November 17th, 2008 Dr. Taleisnik
As a plastic surgeon serving the city of Newport Beach and all of Orange County, Dr. Taleisnik is pleased to offer his services and experience to help you with your decision to undergo plastic surgery.
Specializing in procedures such as breast augmentation, liposuction and tummy tucks, to name a few, this Orange County cosmetic surgeon is able to answer all your questions and concerns about the benefits, risks and choices involved in plastic surgery.
Please feel free to read this blog and learn more about plastic surgery. You can visit Dr. Taleisnik’s website for more detailed information on the cosmetic surgery services he provides in Orange County.
Dr. Taleisnik is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is centrally located in the City of Orange adjacent to St. Joesph Hospital, and frequently cares for patients from the following cities:
Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton,
Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Habra Heights, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills,
Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia,
Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park
Westminster, Yorba Linda, and Orange County.
Dr. Taleisnik also serves Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Los Angeles County.
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