Many people believe that going to other countries for plastic surgery means they will receive the same quality of care as they do in the U.S. While there are highly qualified plastic surgeons all over the world, the U.S. has some of the highest safety standards that these practices are not required to adhere to. The facility and the surgeon may lack the equipment, safety guidelines, or emergency care in case something goes wrong. Researching the facility and plastic surgeon you choose to perform your procedure can go a long way insuring your safety. Look for board certifications, accreditation and ask questions.

By choosing a qualified plastic surgeon, you can be sure that you are receiving quality care. Dr. Slenkovich at Colorado Plastic Surgery Center is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology. Our medical facility in the Denver, Colorado area features state-of-the-art equipment and incorporates the highest standards of safety.

In addition to board certification, the right plastic surgeon is going to put your health before anything else. Did Ms. Hershey’s doctors in Brazil look at her safety, or were they more interested in helping a woman achieve a record setting breast size? The right plastic surgeon will consider your medical history, as well as your reasons for undergoing a procedure, to frame realistic expectations. Dr. Slenkovich values open communication during your consultation to discuss expectations and recommendations to guide you in the decision making process.

If you are in the Denver, Colorado area and considering plastic surgery, please contact experienced and board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Nick Slenkovich for an initial consultation.

Dr. Slenkovich places the implant under the muscle using an inframammary incision (in the crease under the breast). You can expect to be in the building for about 3 hours and your caregiver may wait in our comfortable waiting room. If a breast lift is recommended, the incision may be placed around the areola (darker area around the nipple). Saline or silicone gel implants may be used, as each has different characteristics. The incision may be 1 inch to 2.5 inches depending on the type and size of implant. We provide complimentary cosmetic consultations to patients requesting information about breast surgery. Our clinic is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and we typically perform surgeries on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

2) WHAT HAPPENS DURING A CONSULTATION?
A consultation typically lasts an hour. Here you will meet Dr. Slenkovich and our staff, receive information on the surgery, be examined by Dr. Slenkovich and try on breast implant sizers to help you decide which implant size you like best. You will then receive a price quote  from our patient coordinator, Lyndsay, as well as information on financing and steps for booking surgery. You can even get a tour of our surgery center if you like. It can be helpful to bring your significant other, a friend or family member to the consultation for support. You are welcome to come back as many times as needed, free of charge, until we have answered all of your questions.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SILICONE GEL AND A SALINE IMPLANT?
Both implants are excellent choices these days. Technology has come far and manufacturers have created an excellent, natural-feeling breast implant. Saline implants have been around the longest. They are less expensive, can sometimes be felt or seen under the skin, and are more noticeable if they deflate. The silicone gel implant is made up of a cohesive gel which is similar to a gummy bear. It feels more natural, is more costly, and requires an MRI every few years to screen for potential silent leaks. Both implants are available in a variety of sizes and projections. Dr. Slenkovich will make a few suggestions after he examines you based on the base width of your current breast tissue. Ultimately, the decision is yours in choosing the best implant for you. For more information, see this blog entry on the differences in implants.

IS THERE ANY LAB WORK REQUIRED BEFORE SURGERY?
Generally, if you are healthy, labs are not required by Dr. Slenkovich. This will be determined at the consultation visit. However, any woman with a family history of breast cancer or who is over the age of 30 is required by Dr. Slenkovich to have a baseline mammogram prior to your pre-operative visit (generally 2 weeks before surgery). This provides an excellent screening tool for breast cancer. You will need to tell the mammographer in the future that you have breast implants so that certain views and techniques are used.

3) WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON COMPLICATIONS YOU SEE?
Breast implants are a man-made device and therefore can fail. Although many women have their implants for years and years, complications can still occur. The most common nuisances associated with a breast augmentation are discomfort, pain, swelling, bruising, temporary changes in sensation of the breast or nipple and asymmetry. Less often, but more concerning are hematoma (internal bleeding in the breast), infection and capsular contracture (scarring around the implant potentially causing firmness, pain and asymmetry). The latter complications could potentially lead to re-operation.

4) WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF A BREAST AUGMENTATION?
Our breast augmentation price quote will be itemized and will include the implants, surgeon’s fees, anesthesia fees, facility/supply fees, all your post-op medications, an early on-site Solstice peri-operative therapy appointment to decrease swelling, CosmetAssure 30-day Insurance covering early complications and all your pre-op and post-op visits (typically at 1 week, 6 weeks, 6 months and annually). The manufacturer of the implants also provides an upgraded warranty for an additional charge in case of an implant rupture years down the road.

Other surgeons may seek to reduce risks by performing surgeries in a hospital. Although a hospital is a licensed surgical facility, neither the facility nor the personnel is dedicated to plastic surgery. This can lead to scheduling difficulties and delays. Plus, hospitals often have less comfortable and private recovery areas. Infection rates can also be much higher in a hospital than in an ambulatory surgery center.

At Colorado Plastic Surgery Center, we put your safety first, and that’s why we decided to build our own ambulatory surgery center dedicated to ensuring the safety of our patients. Our surgery center is licensed, accredited and certified by three different agencies with rigorous and distinct standards. This gives us the confidence to know that we have done everything in our power to ensure your safety.

Your comfort and convenience matters to us as well. Our surgery center allows us to have more control over scheduling and enables us to give our patients the level of post-operative care and comfort they deserve.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery in Colorado, please contact Colorado Plastic Surgery Center today to schedule a thorough consultation with Denver cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Nick Slenkovich and learn more about surgery in a hospital vs. a surgery center.

The Ideal Implant is designed to combine the best features of saline and silicone-gel implant: the natural result of silicone gel and the safety of saline. Many women prefer silicone implants because of the natural look and feel they provide, but are hesitant to use them because of the chance of “silent rupture” and the FDA’s MRI recommendation.

The Ideal saline-filled breast implant looks like a standard silicone implant on the outside, since the edges have been lowered to contour better to the chest wall. Inside it contains several additional implant shells that are “nested” together. This design allows for more control of the saline solution and lessens “sloshing.” The internal structure also helps to minimize wrinkling and rippling, which are common complaints of traditional saline implants.

The new implant is still in clinical trials and will require two years of follow-up research in order for the implant to be approved by the FDA. If they do complete FDA-approval Dr. Slenkovich will most likely offer the Ideal Breast Implants at Colorado Plastic Surgery Center for his breast augmentation patients.

Learn more about the difference between saline and silicone implants.

Silicone breast implants can leak into my body.

The type of silicone used in today’s silicone breast implants are made of a thick, cohesive gel that bonds to itself. Even if a silicone breast implant were to break, the silicone would not leak out into your body. It would remain in one cohesive mass.

Silicone breast implants are more likely to break than saline breast implants.

Silicone breast implant casings and saline breast implant casings are often made out of the same material. Nothing in either type of breast implant is more likely to make the outside of the breast implant break.

The silicone in breast implants is toxic to my body.

Your body contains trace amounts of silicone naturally. These amounts of silicone are not toxic to your body and do not cause any form of illness or disease. The silicone contained in breast implants also does not cause damage to your body, and does not seep into the surrounding tissue to damage it.

For more information on the difference between saline and silicone implants, see this entry.

To learn more about silicone breast implants, please contact breast surgeon Dr. Slenkovich today, serving Denver and the surrounding areas of Colorado.

• Breast augmentation
• Breast lift
• Breast reduction

There are many options for finding your right bra size. After breast enhancement surgery you will be fitted with a pressure garment to help your breasts heal and to provide comfort after surgery. We generally recommend patients shop for new bras no sooner than six weeks after their surgery. At that point implants have settled into their breast pockets and incisions will not be irritated by any underwire.

The easiest way to find your right bra size is by taking advantage of a bra fitting service like those available in a department store or lingerie shop. If you are uncomfortable with this option, however, you can follow these steps using a tape measure:

1. Measure around your rib cage directly below the crease of your breasts in inches. This is your band size.

2. Loosely measure around the fullest part of your breasts in inches.

3. Subtract the band size from your second measurement. This represents your cup size. For each inch you should go up another cup size. So 1” difference is an A cup, 2” difference is a B cup, 3” difference is a C cup and so on.

4. Once you have a band and cup size, try on several bras to make sure they support you correctly and fit comfortably in the band. You may find that you need to go up or down a cup size or even a band size to find the correct fit.

At every breast patient’s 6-month follow-up appointment, she will receive a gift certificate to Pampered Passions Fine Lingerie. Pampered Passions specializes in professional bra fittings and focuses on “nurturing the female spirit” with every customer.

Please contact breast enhancement surgeon Dr. Slenkovich today to learn more about breast enhancement options available to you in the Denver, Colorado area.

Getting the Look That You Want

Photos can be a great communication tool, helping you convey the changes you picture in your mind without the mix ups that can occur when you merely describe your goals. But you need to choose them carefully and understand what you really like about the images. If you find a picture of someone with the hips and face that you want, breast surgery is not going to give you that look.

On the same token, if you find a picture of the breasts that you want, keep in mind factors such as body type and proportions, age, and skin quality. Every person has a very different anatomy and results will differ patient to patient. Plastic surgery can help you achieve your ideal lookand Dr. Slenkovich is always honest and frank about his expected outcome for your procedure.

Results Take Time

All plastic surgery procedures, big and small, take an extended period of time to heal. Bruising, swelling, pain and asymmetry are all common during the recovery period following your surgery. Knowing what to expect after surgery makes your recovery easier and less stressful. For most procedures, it takes six months to see full results.

If you are considering plastic surgery in Colorado, please contact Colorado Plastic Surgery Center today. During your consultation, you and Dr. Nick Slenkovich will discuss you goals and he will help you understand your options and what you can realistically expect from the procedures you choose.

Board certification in plastic surgery is your guarantee that your cosmetic surgeon has the right training and experience to perform plastic surgery, and has proved through rigorous education and testing that he or she has the knowledge to perform it safely and correctly.

Before a doctor can be eligible to take the exam for board certification, he or she must have the proper training. After medical school doctors must complete on-the-job training, working under the supervision of a licensed physician before they themselves become licensed to practice medicine on their own. This phase of training is called a residency.

In order to take the exam for board certification, plastic surgeons must have completed a residency of three years or more in general surgery plus two to three years of plastic surgery residency.

Once a plastic surgeon becomes board certified, he still has to keep learning and stay up-to-date to keep his certification. Plastic surgeons may choose to complete additional fellowships to learn more about their areas of specialty.

When you are choosing a cosmetic surgeon, board certification should be at the top of your list of requirements. With a little research you can find out if your prospective surgeon is board certified. Those who are will usually advertise the fact, and with which board or boards they are certified. It is up to you to double check make sure it is an honest claim. This is something you should do before you go in for your initial consultation.

Dr. Nick Slenkovich is certified with both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology.

If you are looking for a board certified plastic surgeon in Colorado, please contact board-certified Denver cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Nick Slenkovich at Colorado Plastic Surgery Center today to schedule your consultation.

Your initial consultation with Dr. Slenkovich is the best way to gather information regarding any cosmetic procedure you may be considering. We always encourage patients to see several doctors to determine which the best fit is for them.  Since comfort and confidence in your surgeon are extremely important, we always encourage patients to visit multiple doctors in order to find a surgeon who is a fit for them.

As Dr. Slenkovich’s patient coordinator, I’ve learned what patients can do in order to enhance their consultation experience.

1. Do your research before coming in for your initial appointment.  It helps patients get a feel for the doctor’s beliefs and preferences, such as the types of incisions they use or their board certifications, as well as helps in putting together a detailed list of questions.
2. Create a list of questions or concerns to discuss with Dr. Slenkovich.  Oftentimes a patient will forget all of the questions they had before their appointment. Having certain questions in mind can give the appointment more direction and patients leave with the most information.
3. Try to schedule your consultation on a day where you will be able to devote an hour and a half to be in the office. We want to be sure to give you adequate time to ask all of your questions and get the information you desire.
4. Bring photos that represent what you are looking to accomplish.  This may mean photos of you when you were younger or before you had kids. This helps Dr. Slenkovich understand your goals and will allow the two of you to come up with a plan to give you the best result. For facial rejuvenation patients, Dr. Slenkovich recommends bringing photos of yourself during a time when you felt the most beautiful. This will help to get you the most natural result.
5. Breast augmentation patients will do initial implant sizing at their consultation, so we recommend bringing in bras or swimsuit tops to help better predict your size outcome.
6. Bring a supportive family member, spouse or friend to your appointment if you are comfortable. It can make you feel more at ease, as well as serve as another source for questions, and that person gets a better idea of what to expect during your recovery period.
7. We frequently hear from patients who bring their children to their consultation that they wished that they hadn’t because of the distraction.  Children are always welcome to come to your appointments with you, but it does make it difficult to completely focus, especially during your first visit.
8. If you are considering a procedure that might be covered by your health insurance (i.e. breast reduction or septoplasty) it is helpful to contact your insurance company to see if it will be covered and what the requirements are for medical necessity.  Typically a letter from your primary doctor or physical therapist (in the case of breast reduction), or proof of breathing difficulties, is necessary to help support the need for medical necessity.  Gathering those items before your initial appointment saves time and allows us to submit your claim to your insurance company faster. See this entry for more information on getting your breast reduction surgery covered by insurance.
9. We will mail or e-mail your patient intake forms a week prior to your appointment. Filling those out beforehand saves time once you arrive at the office and makes your wait time much shorter.
10. Consider any possible lab work or tests. Dr. Slenkovich requires an EKG for all patients over the age of 50 and a mammogram for all breast surgery patients over 30.  If you would like to have surgery soon after your consultation, it is a good idea to schedule those beforehand.

Lyndsay, Managing Patient Coordinator