Chicago Plastic Surgeon | Otto J. Placik, M.D.

Age catches up with all of us eventually. Fine lines and wrinkles develop and eventually become not-so-fine lines and wrinkles. No matter how young you feel, too often these telltale signs of aging give you away.

In the past, the only really effective way to remove these lines and restore a youthful appearance was through a full surgical face-lift. Today, innovative use of injectable fillers can give you a dramatically more youthful appearance without the complications and risks of surgery.

The use of injectable fillers has become more and more popular, largely due to the reasonable cost and convenience of the procedure. If you choose to have a non-surgical face-lift, the procedure can be performed right in Dr. Placik's office, under a light local anesthetic, and you can resume your normal activities immediately afterward. Fillers like Evolence® and Radiesse® can greatly reduce even moderate to severe lines, such as the nasolabial folds from the nose to the corners of the mouth. There's no down time, and today's fillers can leave you looking younger for as long as six months to a year.

If you'd like to eliminate nasolabial folds, crow's feet, or other fine lines and facial wrinkles, but don't want to take the step of a full face-lift, a non-surgical face lift might be just what you're looking for. For more information, please contact Dr. Otto J. Placik of Associated Plastic Surgeons at his Chicago, Illinois or Arlington Heights, Illinois plastic surgery offices.

In the world of wrinkle-relaxing injectables, BOTOX® is no longer the only game in town.

New products Reloxin and PureTox®, based on the same basic formula as BOTOX®, are receiving a great deal of attention. Though they’re all derived from Botulinum Toxin Type A, Reloxin and PureTox are said to work faster and last longer than the original BOTOX® formula. While BOTOX® lasts about three months, Reloxin and PureTox appear to maintain wrinkle-free results for four to six months.

Reloxin has been in use in about twenty countries, with great success, under the name Dysport®. Some doctors feel it can affect a wider area than BOTOX®, especially in the forehead. PureTox, developed by Mentor, appears to provide similar results to Reloxin.

The new options might even be priced slightly lower than BOTOX®, bringing a wider variety of options to patients looking to relax wrinkles, especially between the eyebrows. BOTOX® has had the market to itself for many years, however these new products will provide consumers with more choices to meet their specific needs.

Please contact Dr. Otto J. Placik at Associated Plastic Surgeons for more information about BOTOX® injections in Chicago, Illinois, and Arlington Heights, Illinois, as well as Reloxin and PureTox.

Bigger companies seem to be swallowing up smaller companies every day, and the pharmaceutical business is no exception. Just a few months ago, industry giant Johnson & Johnson acquired the much smaller Mentor, taking control of one of the last remaining companies to offer silicone breast implants in the US. Allergan, the other company that still offers silicone options for breast augmentation, participated in a similar buyout of Inamed a few years ago. As Johnson & Johnson completes the Mentor deal, some industry analysts, such as those at the Wall Street Journal, believe the pressure is now on Allergan. However, web rumors, being what they are, also say that Allergan may be looking to make its own acquisitions. The bottom line is: No one knows for sure who will be doing what.

Are these kinds of consolidations good or bad for patients? The answer might be a little of both. While mergers like these often lead to a reduction in competition, and thus higher prices and even less innovation, they can also increase availability of specialized products to customers. For example, Mentor has also recently developed a BOTOX® alternative, PurTox, which could give them – and now Johnson & Johnson – a product that would compete directly with BOTOX, which is currently produced by Allergan. This competition could be very positive for the market. But if Johnson & Johnson goes on to acquire Allergan the nature of the competition will change drastically.

In short, only time will tell. In the meantime, if you’d like more information about silicone breast implants, BOTOX, or new BOTOX alternatives, please contact Dr. Otto J. Placik at Associated Plastic Surgeons in Chicago, Illinois or Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Clitoral hood reduction is a plastic surgery procedure some women choose in order to reduce the amount of skin covering the clitoris. The clitoral hood consists of folds of tissue at the top of the vulva that protect the extremely sensitive, erectile tissue of the clitoris. When the clitoris is stimulated, it enlarges, emerging from beneath the hood. This allows for further stimulation, leading to orgasm.

If the clitoral hood is too large, however, the clitoris can remain hidden beneath it, making orgasm difficult. Some women who have difficulty achieving orgasm, or who have been unable to achieve orgasm, will choose a clitoral hood reduction to allow more intense stimulation of the clitoris.

Women who have chosen to have a labiaplasty, or surgery to reduce the size of the labia, find that the clitoral hood is left looking too large and out of proportion. For this reason, Dr. Placik often recommends a clitoral hood reduction in conjunction with labiaplasty. If the trim method of labiaplasty is used, the clitoral hood reduction can be added without making an additional incision.

If you wish to pursue labiaplasty and would like to find out if clitoral hood reduction would also be appropriate, don’t hesitate to ask about this approach during your initial consultation with Dr. Placik. In addition, if you’d like to find out if a clitoral hood reduction might help you achieve a higher level of sexual satisfaction, a consultation with Dr. Placik could help you decide if this procedure is for you.

For more information about clitoral hood reduction, please contact Dr. Otto J. Placik, at his Chicago or Arlington Heights, Illinois plastic surgery offices. We’d be happy to answer your questions or schedule an initial consultation.

Labiaplasty and vaginoplasty are related but different procedures. Both alter the female genitalia, but they focus on different areas.

Labiaplasty

Labiaplasty focuses on the labia, or the lips of the vulva. The vulva – the external female genitalia – consists of the labia majora and the labia minora. Sometimes the labia majora are altered through surgery or liposuction, but labiaplasty is usually performed on the labia minora, which are the inner, smaller lips.

Most women who seek labiaplasty do so because the labia minora are larger than the labia majora, and they protrude, leaving them vulnerable to friction and pressure. This can lead to discomfort even during everyday activities. A labiaplasty can reduce the size of the inner labia and put an end to longstanding pain.

Vaginoplasty

By contrast, vaginoplasty is a procedure used to tighten the opening to the vagina or the vaginal canal itself. Women who seek this procedure usually want to regain the tightness they had before childbirth because the muscles of the vagina have been stretched and gone lax.

Whatever the reason for undergoing labiaplasty or vaginoplasty, choosing one of these procedures is a very personal decision. Dr. Placik will discuss your goals for your surgery at length in an initial consultation to be sure you understand what can and can’t be accomplished with labiaplasty or vaginoplasty and how it can help you.

To find out more about Chicago, Illinois area labiaplasty or vaginoplasty, please contact Dr. Otto J. Placik at his Chicago or Arlington Heights, Illinois offices.

Many women who choose to have labiaplasty do so after pregnancy. Often this is because of the changes that occur to the labia after pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy hormones cause enlargement of the labia, and sometimes this can cause discomfort that can be greatly reduced or eliminated with labiaplasty.

Some women, however, are born with labia that are uncomfortably large, and wish to pursue labiaplasty to correct this condition. Some doctors recommend that you wait until after childbirth to have labiaplasty, but if you’re experiencing discomfort or pain due to the natural size of your labia minora, it doesn’t really make sense to wait to pursue a correction of the condition.

A consultation with Dr. Placik will help you decide if labiaplasty is the right choice for you, regardless of whether you’ve had children already or plan to start a family in the future. The decision to have labiaplasty is a delicate and personal one, and should be based entirely upon your personal situation.

By scheduling a consultation with Dr. Placik, you can discuss the pros and cons of labiaplasty in your individual case, and determine if the procedure is right for you. Dr. Placik and his staff at Associated Plastic Surgeons will do everything they can to make you feel comfortable about your decision and to maintain your privacy.

For more information about labiaplasty, please contact Dr. Otto Placik at his Arlington Heights, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois plastic surgery offices.

Undesirable nipple aesthetics can easily be changed through numerous nipple reconstruction techniques. While nipple cosmetics are subjective and abnormally shaped areolae pose no health risk, if your nipples are a source of self-consciousness, it is worthwhile consulting with an experienced, breast surgeon about surgical solutions.

Both men and women pursue nipple reconstruction for various reasons, including:

• Nipple adjustments after breast augmentation or breast reconstruction
• Differing sized areolae
• Nipple positioning differs on each breast
• Undesirable nipple shape

Nipple Reconstruction Techniques

There is no solution that is applicable across the board. However, for many men and women, areola tattooing is the most ideal nipple reconstruction solution.

Recent technological advances have created a diverse selection in tattoo colors, allowing surgeons to perfectly match any skin color. For men and women requiring new nipples after reconstructive surgery, skin can be taken from other areas of the body and grafted to create new nipples. While erotic sensation will never return, this is a cosmetically feasible solution to restoring the pleasurable aesthetics nipples provide.

Nipple reconstruction is generally performed on an outpatient basis, can take upward of two to three sessions, and requires two hours of your time per session. Depending on how extensive your nipple reconstruction is, either local or general anesthesia will be used.

If you are interested in changing your nipple aesthetics or learning more about nipple reconstruction, please contact the Chicago, Illinois plastic surgery office of Associated Plastic Surgeons, S.C.