As Dr. Brian Howard reports, the search for effective, painless, noninvasive and permanent fat reduction in the field of plastic and cosmetic surgery may have just come a step closer to reality in Atlanta, Alpharetta, and Roswell Georgia with the introduction to the Vanquish device! One of the many Holy Grails sought in plastic and cosmetic surgery is a device that meets these exact criteria just mentioned – a method of fat reduction that is permanent, noninvasive, painless and effective. Several new technologies attempting to deliver these goals have been introduced recently and include fat freezing (Zeltiq, Coolsculpting. or Venus Freeze), radio frequency devices such as Exilis, ultrasound devices such as Vaser Shape and Liposonix, and now fat heating devices including the new Vanquish. Although each of these different technologies has shown promise with some of the desired criteria for non-invasive fat reduction, Dr. Brian Howard notes that each has also shown associated unique limitations ranging from possibly being painful to not being permanent or overly effective.

Vanquish has been FDA approved for the heating of deep tissues, but the real goal of the Vanquish device is to selectively heat fat cells to the point where they die and are cleared away by your body’s own protective systems, according to Dr. Brian Howard. Vanquish has found a way to selectively heat only the desired fat layers of your treated tissues without affecting the surrounding tissues. The fat cells can be heated to a high enough temperature for a long enough period of time to selectively kill the fat cell. It uses a focused-field radio frequency technology to target the unwanted areas of fat without damage to nerves, hair, skin or muscle. Built-in sensors in the Vanquish device automatically evaluate and adjust the settings after going through a set-up reading of your own body. Each treatment session takes approximately 30 minutes and initial studies are showing an average of two-inch waist reduction in just four treatments spaced one week apart! Patients report the treatment as no more than “feeling warm,” without pain! The only after-treatment instructions are to drink plenty of fluids to flush out the fat! You may experience a few days of mild redness and swelling after the treatment.

Dr. Brian Howard in Alpharetta/Roswell/Atlanta Georgia is excited about this latest advancement in the search for noninvasive painless fat reduction. Call to schedule your consultation with Dr. Howard to see if you are a candidate for the Vanquish!

The underside of the upper arm – specifically that portion from underarm region to elbow – is likely to get your attention only when it itches and you need to scratch it. As you age, however, it may become an area of concern aesthetic-wise. This is especially true when genetic factor, aging, and significant weight fluctuations would combine to affect the shape of your upper arms. When your upper arms already appear sagging and full due to the presence of extra skin and fat, it is time to seriously consider an arm lift surgery aka brachioplasty.

The loose appearance of your upper arms may not be so much to affect your whole life and limbs. But if the hanging of loose skin is noticeable enough on the upper arms, it is sufficient to affect your total body shape and confidence. If you can take it, you can just of course keep it that way. Or, you may opt indeed to have the excess fat and skin on your arms removed surgically.

Remarkably skilled Atlanta plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Howard has performed successful brachioplasty operations over the years. He has both the surgical talent and artistic touch to harmonize your upper arm form with the rest your body contour. Generally, he will remove any pockets of fat that have formed in  your upper arm through the process of liposuction (sometimes simple excision will do). Then, the inner tissue in the arm will be tightened and smoothed out. The expected result is to make your upper arms look more proportionate and toned.

While brachioplasty is relatively a minor procedure, Dr. Howard will make it clear that the final decision whether or not to perform a surgery is yours (and the extent of such procedure). Rather, he will be in close discussions with you from the moment you step into his Roswell, GA office (also has offices in Alpharetta and Atlanta, GA) for consultation until your post-op recovery. He is mindful that some Atlanta Arm Lift Procedure patients would seek for a comprehensive outcome, thus giving each patient options to perform complementary brachioplasty procedures such as tummy tuck. Moreover, the Atlanta Surgeon puts emphasis in making your surgical incisions and potential scar least noticeable as possible.

Dr. Brian Howard is part of a select group of medical professionals with board certification in plastic surgery. At the very least, it means he has substantial training and experience to undertake safe surgical procedures.

Call us at (770)-619-9566 today or contact is via this Contact Form to schedule an appointment with Dr. Howard.

The decision and admission of Angelina Jolie to undergo a breast procedure has produced – mostly positive – ripples across all media. But the very glaring message is that the actress has owned up to what she think is best for her body. After all, she decided to have a double mastecomy procedure in order to reduce her potential risks from breast cancer.

In the same way, this is applicable to all women out there who may not be as popular as Ms. Jolie: you have the freedom to choose what you think is the best for your body. So if you are not happy with your small breasts, consider having breast implant augmentation to achieve your physical satisfaction. On the other hand, if you have excessively large breasts or your breasts have gradually grown extra large over time, you have the option to have them reduced surgically.

All women (or men as well, for that matter) live in a certain context or society. Whether you like it or not, it cannot be helped sometimes that you tend to get dictated by societal norms. While it is almost universally accepted for women to aspire for bigger breasts, it is not the same level of acceptance for women with large breasts to have them reduced. Some people might even say, “why make them small when so many women are trying to get their breasts enlarged” and so on and so forth. But at the end of the day, you just have assess within yourself whether you are still comfortable and confident with having extra big breasts. Are you?

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon Dr. Brian Howard provides you with genuine options to correct your breast size in proportion to your overall body contour. Starting from consultation/discussion period whether an Atlanta Breast Reduction procedure is ideal for you, Dr. Howard will lay down to you all aspects (pros and cons) of the said surgery. He will see to it that you have informed choices as to what to do with your breasts. Needless to say, the surgeon values your personal and voluntary choice to the utmost.

If you finally decide on having a reduction operation, he will explain to you further the expected benefits and risks. Moreover, using advanced technological tools, the Atlanta Surgeon will customize a surgical plan based on your particular aims and medical condition. Cosmetics aside, the Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Dr. Howard is known for his safe and effective breast surgery procedures.

Call us at (770)-619-9566 today or contact us via this Contact Form to schedule an appointment with Dr. Howard.

Dr. Brian Howard welcomes the Dermapen micro-needling device to help treat one of the more difficult cosmetic conditions to treat in my Atlanta/Alpharetta/Roswell, Georgia, practice, which has always been my patients who desire to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles on the face. This also happens to be one of the most common conditions that people present with to have treated! While many treatments are available to help with this skin condition, many are not powerful enough to really significantly improve the wrinkles and many are way too powerful and have many possible risks and unwanted side effects. Many of the existing powerful lasers can readily tighten fine wrinkles but have potential side effects of hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation and scarring, and some have a prolonged recovery associated with them. The same holds true for various chemical peels and dermabrasion. We have always lacked simpler approaches to treat fine lines and wrinkles without adding undo risk and prolonged recovery. Fractionated lasers, such as the Fraxel, which I have used for many years in Atlanta, can have inconsistent results with regard to fine line elimination while being extremely reliable to minimize skin pigmentation issues.

I am excited about a new device called the Dermapen, which is designed to help eliminate fine lines and wrinkles without having to employ lasers and chemicals; and therefore hopefully lessen the risk of dyspigmentation, scarring and prolonged recovery. The Dermapen is an automated micro-needling device that is easy to use and has shown promising results in early studies. Much like the Fraxel laser, multiple microscopic holes are punched in the skin with each procedure resulting in new collagen formation and secondary skin tightening. Also like the Fraxel, it requires a series of usually 4 – 6 treatments to get visible results. Unlike the Fraxel laser, no laser is required so there may be less chance for the afore-mentioned side effects, and it can be safely used on all skin types. The treatments are done two to four weeks apart. Best results are seen at six to eight months after completing the series of Dermapen treatments. We are excited to implement the Dermapen in our Roswell and Atlanta, Georgia office and already have a list of patients!

Call Dr. Brian Howard’s office in Roswell, GA, to see if the new Dermapen is an option for you!

Breast augmentation continues to be the number one cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the United States as well as Atlanta/Alpharetta/Roswell, GA, as recently announced by the American Society of Plastic Surgery in the 2012 Annual Plastic Surgery Statistics, and the Keller Funnel is being increasingly adopted int the popular procedure. In 2012, there were 286,274 reported breast augmentations performed in the U.S.

All plastic surgeons are well aware that the most common side-effect of breast augmentation which requires a trip back to the operating room for revision is a phenomenon called capsular contracture. The body’s normal immune response to anything that it detects as foreign is to wall it off with layers of scar tissue. The immune system sees this as a protective measure to separate the foreign object from the rest of the body. Women’s bodies have the same response to the placement of breast implants and this is considered a normal response. At times, however, the body can produce a very thick layer of scar tissue around the implant, which can lead to implant hardness, discomfort, and a change in the appearance of the breast.

This type of response is termed a capsular contracture and is the most common surgical risk after breast augmentation around the world including Atlanta. Although we still do not fully understand all of the reasons that some women develop this reaction and some do not, it appears likely that one cause may be bacteria that latch onto the implant during the surgery and set off the excessive immune response. Knowing that many bacteria live on the skin surface, and that not all bacteria may be killed during the routine sterilization skin prep that takes place during the surgery, the Keller funnel offers a way of getting the implant into the body without it coming into contact the skin. This, in turn, may lower the number of implants that come into contact with normal skin bacteria and hopefully lower the overall risk of capsular contracture formation.

Dr. Howard and his staff in Atlanta, GA, are excited to be one of the early adopters of this method with the goal of improving patient care and lowering risks for breast augmentation women. Call Dr. Brian Howard’s office in Roswell, Georgia, to set up your consultation for breast augmentation and discuss the merits of using the Keller Funnel.

Dr. Brian Howard is proud to state that he is in his sixth year of using the SmartLipo laser-assisted liposuction device in Atlanta/Roswell/Alpharetta, Georgia. Do you have body fat that is hard to eliminate despite all your dieting and exercise efforts? If you do, worry no more this stubborn fat can be surgically treated using a special laser technology called “laser fiber”. First, the laser fiber produces heat to liquefy and consequently break up fat cells. Next, the broken down fat will be removed from your body in a vacuum-like technique using tiny cannula. Then the same laser energy will continue to heat up the treated area, so that loose skin is accurately targeted. In turn, due to the same principle of thermal heating and tissue coagulation via laser, the targeted skin is tightened. If done skillfully and accurately, the treatment will result to an ideally contoured body of yours – fats removed and skin tightened at that!

The described surgical procedure sounds familiar, right? Yes, it is a liposuction surgery. But no, it is not the traditional liposuction that you know about. Rather, it is an advanced innovation to the older lipo procedure — known as SmartLipo Laser Liposuction.

SmartLipo has two essential improvements to the traditional procedure: (a) the use of laser technology called laser fiber to facilitate accurate and less invasive removal of fat cells; and (b) the added benefit of skin tightening to improve the appearance of loose skin.  With skin tightening alone, you are already getting a better deal than conventional lipo. The use of laser also makes everything about SmartLipo efficient: minimally invasive, faster results, less complications, and minimal downtime. In other words, after the procedure, you can go back to your routine almost immediately and with very minimal swelling and bruising.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Brian Howard is a skilled practitioners in the SmartLipo Laser Procedure. Based in Atlanta, he has successfully addressed fat concerns affecting these particular body areas: Abdomen, Chin, Cheek, Neck, Back, Male Breast, Pubic Area, Back, and Upper Arm. Patients previously not allowed to undergo the traditional liposuction for some medical reason may be evaluated for SmartLipo.

If you wish to talk with Dr. Brian Howard regarding this innovative SmartLipo procedure, please contact us now at (770)-619-9566 or via this Email Reservation Form.