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Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery-SanFrancisco Bay Area|Marin County

What is a Keller Funnel?

March 30th, 2013 Miguel A. Delgado Jr, MD

Keller Funnel

Dr. Delgado has been using the Keller Funnel for his San Francisco Bay Area patients for quite some time now. Always wanting the best possible results for all of his cosmetic surgery patients, he is on top of all new procedures and devices.

The Keller Funnel was brought to market in August 2009. It is a device designed for easier insertion of silicone breast implants for cosmetic plastic surgeons performing breast augmentation surgery. Patients seem to heal faster and adjust to their implants easier.

The funnel is a nylon pouch shaped like an icing bag with an interior coating of a special lubricant, allowing any style or size implant up to 800cc’s to be inserted. The narrow end is placed into the incision, and the surgeon squeezes the implant into the breast. The traditional delivery system for augmentation mammoplasty,  the surgeon uses his finger tip to guide the implant through the incision into the pocket.

The Keller funnel is a one use “no touch” disposable device. It allows the surgeon to make a smaller incision with less stress on the implant; in fact an independent study claims the method reduces force applied on an implant by 95%.

Another advantage of a “no touch” technique is that it greatly reduces possible contamination. The breast is not a sterile organ; there is colonized bacteria living in the nipple ducts. Even with proper surgical preparation there is no guarantee of a completely sterile surgical field. Bacterial contamination is believed to be one of the leading causes of capsular contracture.

Facelift Procedures up 6% in 2012

March 15th, 2013 Miguel A. Delgado Jr, MD

American Society of Plastic Surgeons
2012 Annual Statistics

 

The latest statistics on cosmetic plastic surgery procedures for 2012 were released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Surprisingly breast augmentation is not the fastest growing procedure as it has been in the past. Cosmetic plastic surgery procedures show a 5% increase over 2011. This increase is fueled by the significant uptick in minimally-invasive procedures enjoyed by many San Francisco Bay Area patients such as; Botox, Dysport, Juvederm, Restylane and Radiesse.

Facelifts increased by 6%, and eyelid surgery was up 4%. There are several different theories as to why facial rejuvenation is seeing such an increase. Some believe that facelifts became less popular during the economic downturn, but people seem to be feeling better about the economy and are more optimistic about the future. Also, it is believed as the “baby boomer” generation is growing older many are opting for methods to maintain their youth. They are staying active longer and remaining in a competitive work place much longer than even a decade ago.

The top 5 procedures were:
•    Breast augmentation (286,000 procedures, down 7 percent)
•    Nose reshaping (243,000 procedures, no change)
•    Liposuction (202,000 procedures, down 1 percent)
•    Eyelid surgery (204,000 procedures, up 4 percent)
•    Facelift (126,000 procedures, up 6 percent)

Note that while breast augmentation remains the #1 procedure, it was down 7% from 2011. Interestingly for men, male breast reduction surgery increased by 5%, this is believed to be attributed to increased awareness and acceptance of the procedure.