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Free Implants donated by Mentor Corporation at our May 11th Soirée

by Juris Bunkis, M.D., F.A.C.S.

We hope that you will join us for our Orange County Plastic Surgery Soirée this Thursday evening at 5:00 pm. The event will be held in our medical building at 4501 Birch St in Newport Beach, in the lobby of the new Distinction Surgery Center (Suite A). Come and meet with Dr. John Compoginis, Dr. Staci Compoginis and Dr. Deborah Ekstrom. This will be a social and educational event. Of course, we will have our “wheel” which you will be able to spin for some fabulous prizes.

The grand prize was donated by Mentor Corporation – we will have a separate bowl for collecting names of patients interested in a breast augmentation procedure and will draw the name of one lucky person who will be given a pair of implants by Mentor Corporation (to be inserted by Dr. John Compoginis).

The food will be catered by one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Newport Beach, BarOne, which is next door to our office. Dr. John Compoginis will give us a brief presentation on body contouring, including BBL’s and buttocks implants. Dr. Staci Compoginis will review weight management, including the latest on Ozempic, HCG diets and other hot topics. Dr. Deborah Ekstrom will review her experience with microfat grafting and breast surgery. I will cover facial rejuvenation, ear and nasal surgery.

The word Soirée means “a fancy evening affair” in French. The word comes from the French word, “soir”, meaning evening. As is typical for words borrowed from French, in English, soirée, implies an evening event that is refined in some way. Ours will be – come and join us! Bring your friends! Just please do RSVP to help us plan to have the proper amount of food and drink available for you.

Spotlight on Plastic Surgery – Are all breast augmentations done the same?

By Juris Bunkis, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Few things can make a woman feel more self-conscious than a perceived inadequate breast size or shape. Few things can make a woman feel more attractive and sexier than receiving a breast size and shape she perceives as perfect! Breast augmentation involves using implants to create fuller breasts or to restore breasts that never fully developed, may have developed asymmetrically, or may have lost volume due to weight loss or from pregnancy. Breast augmentation can increase the fullness and projection of a woman’s breasts, improve the balance and proportions of her figure and improve her self-image and self-confidence.

This 32 year old who wished for more breast fullness. She is seen here before and after a breast augmentation performed by Dr. Bunkis, using a Mentor, smooth surfaced, ultra high profile, 300 cc silicone gel implant

There are many variables when performing a breast augmentation. First of all, the implants themselves vary by size, shape, fill and texture. Drs. Compoginis, Ekstrom and I generally use smooth surfaced, higher profile, cohesive silicone (i.e. “gummy bear”), gel filled implants. We do not use textured implants because of the possibility of developing a rare type of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma – so rare that neither of us has ever seen one in our careers, but we will not take even a remote chance of leaving a patient with cancer. Saline (salt water) filled implants are not popular simply because they do not feel as natural long term – they develop ripples years later and can feel unnaturally firm.

The implants can be placed in a pocket or space below the pectoral muscle or above it – unless the breast is borderline droopy, we place our implants below the pectoral muscle because long term, they tend to be softer and have less problems. Occasionally, by placing an implant over the muscle, we can center the implant behind the nipple of someone with mild ptosis (drooping) and avoid breast lift scars.

32 year old healthy female with history of breast feeding 455cc Silicone implants (Actual patient of Dr. Compoginis)

It is interesting having partners because we all do things slightly differently. Two ways that I have seen where I differ from Drs. Compoginis and Ekstrom is in implant size/placement and the use of pain medication afterwards. In my experience, if an implant is placed in a pocket that is much larger than the implant, long term, the breast will look normal, not be top heavy, and remain soft. Drs. Compoginis and Ekstrom are willing to use much larger implants than I am comfortable inserting – and I have seen their patients afterwards, their breasts are fairly soft and the patients are happy (although to my eye, they are a little full at the top and look “done”).

A slightly larger natural breast will fall to the side when a woman lays on her back, and I tend to dissect a pocket further laterally, to allow the implanted breast to fall naturally to the side when a lady is supine. But Drs. Compoginis and Ekstrom do not dissect as far laterally, the breasts point upright when the woman lays on her back, and their patients tend to prefer that. And finally, we all know that inserting a breast implant under the muscles will result in pain afterwards. Drs. Compoginis and Ekstrom manage that by prescribing narcotics after surgery, have had good luck with that approach and their patients are happy. I am bothered by the opioid epidemic in this country, have seen many instances of good people getting hooked on narcotics after relatively simple operations, and tend not to give opioids to any patients, choosing instead to control any discomfort with pain pumps (little catheters in the operative site, that on the outside, are connected to a reservoir containing local anesthesia, that is infused for the first 2-3 days, keeping my patients comfortable).

There are “many ways to skin a rabbit”. The important part is keeping patients safe and happy, and providing patients with the results they desire. The beauty of a three person practice is that patients can choose a doctor and procedure that meets their needs.

24 year-old healthy female who has not had children 400cc saline implants (Actual patient of Dr. Compoginis)

If you want to see if you can have any part of your body improved, contact us for a consultation:

For CA, please call 949-888-9700 or visit www.orangecountyplasticsurgery.com
Or for MA location, call 508-755-4825 or visit www.salisburyps.com

You can write to
Dr. John Compoginis at compoginis@ocps.com
Dr. Staci Compoginis at staci@ocps.com
Dr. Deborah Ekstrom at mds@salisburyps.com
or Dr. Juris Bunkis at bunkis@ocps.com