Affordable plastic surgery

Plastic surgery has always been associated with cosmetic surgery and the lay population always considers it as pricey and affordable. However cosmetic surgery is only a part of plastic surgery and with a large number of plastic and cosmetic surgeons being available, cosmetic surgery is now beginning to be affordable to the general population at large. I have always tried to make it affordable to my patients by providing them large discounts and feel sad when they leave due to lack of funds.
A large  number of insurance companies in India provide health insurance coverage like :

• Apollo DKV Insurance Company Ltd.
• Aviva Life Insurance
• Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.
• Birla Sun Life Insurance
• E-Meditek Solutions Limited
• Family Health Plan Limited
• Health India-Bhaichand Amoluk Insurance Services Pvt. Ltd.
• HSBC Health Insurance
• ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd.
• Life Insurance Corporation Of India
• Max New York Life Insurance
• Med Assist India Ltd.
• MetLife India Assurance Company
• National Insurance Company
• Paramound Health Group
• Reliance Health
• Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company Limited
• Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited
• Tata AIG
• The New India Assurance Co. Ltd.
• United Healthcare
• United India Insurance

while these companies do not provide insurance support for cosmetic cases, they do provide coverage for:
accidents
 injuries
 wound management
 reconstructions
 skin grafting
 tumor excision and flap reconstructions
breast lump excisions
cancer reconstructions
hand injuries
crush finger, foot and body injuries
road traffic accidents
and a host of other cases

One should always check with the insurance company about the coverage lest one looses the chance to claim.

Similarly ESIS or employees state insurance scheme http://esickerala.gov.in/
 is also a great boon to the less privileged as they are able to get quality treatment at affordable costs.

Employees must also request their employers to take group health insurances for them so that they are able to get quality treatment when emergencies arise.
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How does the male breast look immediately after liposuction surgery ?

A lot of patients often ask me - Doc, can you know immediately on the operation table how my breasts are going to look like after surgery ? The picture shown above is one of our patients who underwent gynecomastia surgery- both liposuction as well as some excision of glandular tissue which would not come out by liposuction:  fat is one that comes out through liposuction. Also resistant tissue underneath the nipple needs to be excised at times to prevent a puffed nipple appearance.  The picture shows the immediate correction that can be achieved by surgery+

Beware of - Dogs and dogbites!!!

Dogs and dog bites

A dog is supposed to be a man's best friend. Dogs are cute and humane. We once had a dog called Mickey a Labrador breed- jet black in color and with large eyes and a longish face. Looking in his eyes one felt like Mickey was actually talking and conveying something. For years Mickey remained my only friend and confidante; we went for long walks and sometimes I even talked to him, while he gazed back knowingly, sometimes evening nodding and barking in approval or disapproval. When my young niece (3 years) was brought home to be looked after by my parents, Mickey had to be given away. I never learnt whom dad gave away the dog to, but for years whenever I met a similar looking dog I used to call out loudly ‘ ! Mickey!’  Mickey! ’ thinking that maybe this is my lost dog -Mickey. Now 25 years later Mickey still remains in my heart having etched a permanent impression of love and friendship.

Dogs can be troublesome and sometimes dangerous too... they keep shedding their hair and this is a mess especially if you are staying in an apartment. In humid climates and rainy seasons they can actually stink. Fleas can be problematic and be all around them if not taken care of. They may even have intestinal worms and will have to be de –wormed regularly. 

Dogs can bite and their bites can cause wound infections and if the dog has rabies then this can be transmitted to the person who is bitten. Some breeds can be aggressive and one should refrain from keeping these breeds as pets. 

Dog bites may need multiple levels of treatment. Tetanus toxiod and immunoglobulin may be needed to start with depending on the extent of the wounds. Anti rabies treatment protocols need to be followed. The oral cavity of dogs has a lot of organisms and antibiotic coverage will be needed to prevent wound infection.

Local care of he wound is very important and a through wash and debridement should be done. Some wound may be closed primarily while other may be secondarily closed. Some wounds will also need injection of immunoglobulin into and around them.

I would suggest two good links for those who are looking for more info on dog bites as adding more details on the topic would only be a repetition:

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/dog-bites/index.html

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0415/p1567.html

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Why wear helmets?

Why wear a helmet? 
That's what a lot of people keep asking me.  We drive safely, don't over speed and  follow the traffic rules. Besides helmets prevent us from hearing well, as well as diminish our vision. 
Well,  it may be doing some things like that but still helmets protect you from accidents- things that happen even if you are following all the traffic rules. 
The gentleman shown below was a victim of a traffic accident. he suffered  a severe scalp injury - the ear has been badly damaged , the cartilage of the ear is all crushed up, the scalp skin is lost and the skull bones have been exposed. He underwent extensive plastic surgery and had some form and balance restored. The first stage of surgery has been shown in the picture below.

This young unfortunate child was hit by the glass of the windshield which resulted in multiple injuries

So do drive safely, follow the traffic rules and have a nice day!!!!

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Gynecomastia liposuction and surgery, male breast surgery, man boobs surgery, dr alexander, plastic cosmetic surgeon, cochin India+

This young gentleman had a painful  Gynecomastia or male breast enlargement and underwent keyhole liposuction to remove the fat and a cosmetic breast gland excision. Details of Gynecomastia surgery and discussion can be accessed as
http://thecosmeticplasticsurgeon.blogspot.in/2012/12/cosmetic-surgery-asthetic-surgery.html

preoperative picture  

preoperative picture

preoperative picture

intraoperative pic with gland excision

post op day 5 picture

post op day 5 picture

post op day 5 picture

postop day 5 picture

Are we following the road traffic rules?

 FACE INJURY, FOREHEAD INJURY, ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT, TREATED BY PLASTIC AND COSMETIC SURGERY PRINCIPLES

Road traffic accidents commonly lead to face and head injuries. Driving within the car or other vehicles the absence of an airbag means be thrown against the windscreen or other areas and suferring severe injuries. The gentleman shown in the first picture above was involved in a road traffic acccident. Pieces of broken glass were embedded in his wound as well as the skin and soft tissue were lost. He underwent two plastic and reconstructive procedures to achieve the result shown above. His scars will need further treatment and follow up to improve them. The second picture shows a similar patient involved in a car road accident with loss of skin and soft tissue and exposed skull bones. An immediate reconstruction picture is shown alongside.

Road traffic accidents occur almost everyday and in almost every city, town or village. Millions of lives are lost from rash and drunken driving, over speeding, not following road traffic rules, not wearing  helmets and not using seat-belts and child restraints.  Very few countries actually have rules that correctly address these issues. According to WHO estimates approximately 1.24 million people die every year on the world’s roads, and another 20 to 50 million sustain nonfatal injuries as a result of road traffic crashes. Eritrea  appears to top the list with about 48.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants while the Dominican republic, Libya, Oman, Iran, Thailand and others follow closely.  India  stands at  18.9 while the USA had 10.4 deaths per 100000 inhabitants by these statistics.

Imagine the anguish and the pain that each of these individuals who have sustained serious injuries go through. The financial implications of these accidents have often been grossly underestimated or has been difficult to estimate due to lack of proper information and logistical support. Children are orphaned, millions are maimed, others bedridden and still other  families robbed of their breadwinners.

We may not be able to entirely stop traffic accidents that occur by chance or 'accidentally'. Yet, we can by uniting ourselves in this en-devour reduce the number of accidents. Creating awareness in the community is the only way and stressing the need to follow all the traffic rules on every road or lane will help in the long run+

Gynecomastia - male breast enlargement, plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, keyhole surgery, liposuction+

Gynecomastia or make breast enlargement continues to be a perpetual problem that can lead to psychological problems besides social ones. This gentleman shown above could not attend the gym nor go swimming because of fear of mockery. Often young individuals go around suffering silently not knowing that treatment is available for such conditions. The pre and post pictures ( before and after pictures) are shown here following liposuction which was the only procedure needed in this case.

For a detailed discussion on Gynecomastia please visit+
http://thecosmeticplasticsurgeon.blogspot.in/2012/12/cosmetic-surgery-asthetic-surgery.html


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Gynecomastia male breast surgery video by Dr Alexander cosmetic plastic surgeon cochin, kerala, India+