Sagging of the breast or ptosis occurs when the skin looses its elasticity. This can be due to many factors like heredity, aging, breast feeding, pregnancy, and weight loss, to mention a few. Whether you will have a cut around the areola only, or down and under your breast, or whether you will need an augmentation at the same time will be determined and discussed with you during the initial consultation with Dr. Melki. Regardless of the chosen approach, the common principle is to lift the breast tissue by getting rid of the excess skin and tightening the breast envelope thus achieving the desired elevation with an adequate nipple position. If an augmentation is to be done at the same time, Dr. Melki will insert the implant through the same incision.

Breast hypertrophy or enlargement affects a large number of females. The breasts are large and heavy and disproportionate to the rest of the body, which constitutes not only a physical but also a psychological handicap. Because of the heavy weight they have to carry on their chest, women with this condition commonly complain of neck and back pain. They find it difficult to find the proper clothing and are often unable to engage in some sporting activities. In addition, girls in their teens feel self conscious and are sometimes ridiculed by their friends, which can leave them psychologically scarred. Reduction mammaplasty aims at reducing the size and weight of the breasts achieving by the same token the lift needed to reduce the accompanying sagging. Except for some special cases when it is performed earlier, this operation is usually done after 16, age at which the breasts are expected to have fully developed.

Body lifting is a general term used to describe the operations aimed at tightening up the loose skin of the body which happens after massive weight loss. It can be applied in the arms, the abdomen, the breasts, the back and the thigh area. If several areas are affected and need to be addressed, Dr. Melki will then discuss with you the most efficient but most importantly, the safest approach to stage your surgeries.

Multiple pregnancies, severe weight fluctuations or just excessive weight loss can lead to a protruding belly with loose skin and weak muscles. Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck aims at tightening the abdominal musculature from under the breasts to the pubic area and at removing the excess fat and skin from the lower abdomen, resulting in a tighter and flatter abdomen. This operation is often performed in conjunction with liposuction to remove fat deposits from the hips in order to achieve a more pleasing result.

If the abdominal wall weakness or the skin redundancy is localized to the region below the belly button, a miniabdominoplasty becomes indicated. This procedure is very similar to the full abdominoplasty except that the incision is shorter, the amount of skin excised does not exceed 3 or 4 cms, and muscle tightening is limited to the area below the umbilicus.

For millions of people who are striving to improve their body, liposuction is a dream come true, because it can remove stubborn areas of fat, which refuse to answer to diet or exercise. Liposuction is often used to sculpt specific areas of the body such as the chin and neck, the upper arms, abdomen, buttock, hips and thighs, the knees and calves, as well as the upper and lower back.

Through very small and well hidden incisions, salt water containing an anesthetic solution is injected in the areas to be suctioned. A narrow tube or cannula is then inserted and pushed back and forth in order to break up the fat cells, which are then suctioned out.

The final result will depend upon your skin elasticity as well as the surgeon's expertise. This is why, choosing a surgeon like Dr. Melki, who is well trained in this field is of utmost importance.