|
Plastic and cosmetic surgery is serious business. At
Accent, your well-being and safety is our highest priority.
We are first and foremost a medical practice and will
assure that surgery is appropriate from a medical standpoint.
Sometimes we will require your primary care physician
to clear you for surgery if you have other medical
conditions, and if you do not have a primary care physician
we work with several that are available to you. Furthermore,
it is vitally important that you understand all aspects
of the procedure, including possible risks. To make
sure you are medically fit for surgery and understand
the procedures, our doctors personally will spend a
great deal of time with you during your consultations.
Surgical procedures require an operating room and anesthesia.
For most cases covered by insurance, the surgery will
be done at North Florida Regional Medical Center or the
North Florida Surgical Pavilion. Most cosmetic procedures
will be done in our fully accredited office surgery suite.
Our office suite is equipped and staffed in the same
way as the hospital or outpatient surgery center. Anesthesia
in our office is provided by a physician anesthesiologist.
In fact, we are the only practice in our area that guarantees
you will have a board-certified physician anesthesiologist
do your anesthesia in the office operating suite.
Top
Cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery is done to change
body shape or appearance, usually when no medical condition
is present. However, sometimes, the surgery treats conditions
that have resulted from another medical condition that
is no longer an issue. Examples would be changes after
massive weight loss, or scarring from abdominal surgery.
Most often, insurance companies will consider such conditions
cosmetic. Nevertheless, we will work with you and your
insurance company to provide coverage if possible.
We are keenly aware of the relationship between body
image and self-esteem, with great appreciation that cosmetic
surgery is very effective in affecting this relationship
in a very positive way. In this light, we provide our
services in a very warm, comfortable, and private setting,
with most procedures being done in our private, office
surgery suite.
Reconstructive plastic surgery generally involves treatment
of conditions that have caused an abnormal change in
body shape or appearance. Examples of such conditions
treated in our practice include breast reconstruction
for mastectomy or birth defects, difficult and nonhealing
wounds, burn scars and other abnormal scars, and various
cancers of the skin or soft tissues. Also included in
reconstructive surgery are conditions that require body
changes for appropriate treatment. The best example of
this is breast reduction surgery to treat chronic back
and neck pain. Insurance companies cover most of these
types of procedures. We will work aggressively with you
and your insurance company to make sure that you are
provided coverage that is due you.
Top
Dr. Mast is dedicated to the care of breast
cancer patients. Unfortunately, breast cancer is
a relatively common cancer affecting one out of eight
women in the United States. Treatment for breast
cancer requires two types of surgery depending on
the specific circumstances of an individual's tumor
in the breast. Breast conserving surgery is when
a lumpectomy is done, in which the tumor and rim
of surrounding breast tissue is removed. This is
almost always followed by radiation therapy to the
breast. If breast conserving surgery is not possible
or not wanted, then a mastectomy is done, in which
the entire breast is removed. Sometimes radiation
treatment is needed before or after a mastectomy.
Chemotherapy may also be needed as additional treatment
with lumpectomy or mastectomy.
Plastic surgery for breast cancer patients most often
is done to reconstruct a breast that has been completely
removed with a mastectomy, but sometimes is required
to correct deformities after lumpectomy and radiation
treatments. At Accent, we provide various types of
reconstruction, including implants and flap reconstruction.
The particular procedure best suited to each patient
is selected during a comprehensive office consultation
and evaluation. We provide plastic surgical care to
breast cancer patients in the context of their complete
cancer care. We have close communication with the patient's
oncologists and provide long-term follow up. Reconstruction
can be done at the same time as a mastectomy or anytime
after the initial breast surgery. Timing of reconstruction
often depends on the need or use of radiation treatment
or chemotherapy.
Breast reconstruction surgery is covered by health
insurance (including Medicare), as mandated by federal
law. In fact, if a lift, reduction or implant is needed
for the opposite breast to provide the best symmetrical
results, insurance companies must cover this as well.
It doesn't matter if the mastectomy or lumpectomy was
done last year, 3 years ago or 10 years ago. If you
are ready to have reconstruction, then insurance needs
to provide coverage and Dr. Mast is ready
to help you.
Top
Every year, more and more people are committing to
a healthier life by losing weight. Massive weight loss
refers to people who lose more than 75 pounds. The
vast majority of people who have achieved this that
are seen in our practice have undergone bariatric surgery,
most commonly a gastric bypass, but also gastric banding.
Whether the weight loss was surgically induced or achieved
strictly by dieting and exercise, there are frequently
consequences that can be unsightly or even cause medical
problems.
Many people who lose such weight are left with loose,
excessive hanging skin. This most often affect the
torso with loose, apron like skin of the abdomen, but
also involving the hips and buttocks. The inner and
outer thighs are also frequently affected, as are the
upper arms. Breasts in both men and women are often
problematic as well. Sometimes, recurrent rashes, sores
and infections can occur in the folds of skin. Also,
with excessive loose, hanging tissue of the abdomen,
lower back pain can become an issue.
Dr. Mast is dedicated to helping patients
with such conditions and offer all the up-to-date,
latest procedures that can lead to a life altering
change. Coverage by insurance will be sought when indicated
and we will work closely and aggressively with you
in the matter.
Top
Living in sunny Florida has many advantages. Unfortunately,
all the sunshine has a significant disadvantage: skin
cancer. There are several types of skin cancer, most
of which are easily treated with a very high chance
of cure. Basal cell cancer is the most common skin
cancer. This type of skin cancer very rarely gets into
the glands or blood stream, but tends to grow in one
place. If left in place long enough, it could grow
into deeper structures such as bone or cartilage, if
it is on the face. Complete removal of the cancer usually
completely cures it without any further treatments.
Squamous cell cancer is very similar to basal cell,
but has a greater tendency to spread into the lymph
glands or bloodstream. For this to occur, the cancer
usually has been present for a very long time. Therefore,
most squamous cell cancers are also curable by complete,
early removal. Melanoma is the third most commons skin
cancer and also the worst one to have. Melanoma can
get into the glands and bloodstream and spread to various
organs. Early removal is potentially curable, depending
on how deep the tumor has grown. Also, lymph nodes
may also need to be removed.
Dr. Mast offers the entire spectrum of skin
cancer treatment from initial diagnosis and biopsy
to reconstructive surgery. Treatments include: biopsy,
laser therapy, cryotherapy, surgical excision, sentinel
lymph node biopsy, lymph node removals, and reconstructive
surgery with skin grafts and tissue flaps. If needed,
organized care with an oncologist is also provided.
Top
|
