Medical Update ADVERTISEMENT

I. Richard Toranto, MO. Aesthetic Surgical Center

The most frequently performed plastic surgery operation today is suction assisted lipectomy. Suction lipectomy removes localized fat deposits anywhere on the body, even the face. It is not a surgical treatment lor obesity and cannot make a fat person thin. It is strictly a contouring procedure using minimal incisions. A person may be thin elsewhere but has a fat deposit such as “saddle bags,” “love handles” or “double chins” that cannot be removed through diet and exercise. Those best suited to this procedure are men and women in good physical condition with youthful resilient skin tone.

A blunt-end tube known as a cannula connects to plastic tubing and a vacuum pump. Depending on the area, an incision 1/2 inch or less is made, the cannula inserted and fatty deposits literally sucked from under the skin. Surgery is almost scarless. Patients can lose 2-3 inches from their thighs and waist or several inches from their hips.

Complications are rare, but there is a chance of infection. Utilizing pre and post antibiotics lessens the risk. Most patients say that pain and discomfort are minimal after the first 24 hours. A girdle is generally worn lor three weeks following suction of the abdomen, hips or thigh to reduce swelling and insure smooth results.

It is important in selecting a surgeon for suction lipectomy that it be someone qualified to treat the involved area both via the suction or closed method as well as the open surgical method. It is only in having a surgeon fully trained in the anatomy and operations of the area that you have the most protection in the event of a problem or an anatomical variation. Critical choices of a suitable patient, meticulous technique and careful bandaging are further conditions for getting good results.

Linda R. Hughes, M.D.

Linda R. Hughes, M.D. is medical director of Charter Hospital of Dallas, an 80-bed psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment center which opened August 17 in Piano. She is the first woman medical director at any of Charter Medical Corporation’s 81 facilities.

Hughes is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in adolescent and adult psychiatry. She is a Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association and serves as a board examiner tor the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

As an active participant in community affairs, Hughes is a member of the Piano Crisis Board and is on the steering committee of the Collin County Mental Health Coalition. She is vice president of Physicians for Piano, a philanthropic organization, and is on the advisory board for the Soroptomist Camp for Crippled Children.

Hughes has given numerous workshops for teachers and parents on Your Vital Balance.” She has also served on the parent-teacher association executive boards of the Dallas and Richardson school districts.

Hughes received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Southwestern Medical School. She completed her residency at UT Health-Science Center and Timberlawn Psychiatric Center.

A native of Denton, Hughes is married to Lannie Hughes, M.D., a Dallas gastroenterologist. The couple have three children: Gregory, 15, Mike, 12, and Laura, 7.

Hughes encourages anyone who would like information on Charter’s treatment programs to call the hospital at 214-964-3939.

HCA Willow Park Hospital Announces Eating Disorders Program

Eating, it seems, has become our national pastime, perhaps even a vocation if one observes the numerous fast food shops which have replaced gasoline stations on every corner.

Paradoxically, it also seems that if we are not eating, we are dieting. To some people, dieting means skipping a meal on Monday after a weekend of indulging. To others, it means passing up an ice cream sundae. Those who take losing weight more seriously may obey a doctor’s strict orders for nutritious, non-fattening fare.

But lor some, both eating and dieting have become dangerous obsessions, involving starvation on the one hand and cycles of ravenous eating and purging on the other.

These are symptoms of eating disorders. Known as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, and Compulsive Overeating, these disorders dale back to the 17th century.

The disorders have remained relatively rare until recent years, when the slender, stunning woman became modern advertising’s favorite ploy to sell products. Bombarded by this image, women began to think they could never be too thin. In addition, women’s roles have changed drastically. No longer are they restricted to being only wives and mothers. But the increased opportunities mean women must make choices, choices often fraught with anxiety and self-doubt.

These two factors-the quest to be thin and the pressure to make tough life decisions-have made eating disorders much more widespread.

To help conquer these illnesses, HCA Willow Park Hospital, a new 76-bed mental health hospital opening in Piano in December 1987, will offer an in-patient Eating Disorders Program. This program provides state-of-the-art medical evaluation and treatment to individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and related illnesses.

Individualized treatment helps reverse the medical problems and often life-threatening effects of eating disorders. While such disorders generally affect young women, their occurrence among older women and men is becoming increasingly common. Thus, the Eating Disorders Program of HCA Willow Park Hospital serves individuals of both sexes, ages 13 and older.

Arnold W. Mech, M.D., brings an extensive background in eating disorders to the position of hospital medical director of HCA Willow Park. He has been medical director of the Psychiatric Services Unit of HCA Medical Center of Piano since 1985.

Prior to moving to the Dallas area in 1985, Dr. Mech was founder and director of the Eating Disorders Program at C.F Menninger Memorial Hospital of Topeka, Kansas.

For more information about the Eating Disorders Program, or to receive a free pamphlet entitled, “Here’s What You Need To Know About Eating Disorders,” please call HCA Willow Park Hospital at (214) 867-8670.

What’s The Line On Wrinkles?

Men and women are confused about moisturizers containing collagen, injectable collagen or silicone, retinoic acid cream which reduces wrinkles, chemical peels and face lifts. What do these things actually do and what types of skin changes are being treated by which?

Moisturizers that contain collagen or similar substances bind water in the skin, which gives the skin a smoother look. This is temporary of course and does not prevent wrinkles.

Retinoic acid (Retin-A) applied to the skin increases the skin’s collagen and “normalizes” the skin. It actually reverses a lot of the damage caused by the sun and aging.

Collagen or silicone can be injected into the facial wrinkles. These cannot be used in the thin area around the eyes.

II there are many fine lines and wrinkles, especially around the eyes and mouth, and general skin aging, a chemical peel is the best treatment.

For sagging of the face, particularly the jowls and neck, a facelift is necessary.

Dr. Pedro Perez

Dr. Pedro Perez has dedicated his practice in psychiatry to the care of troubled adolescents. A native of Ecuador, and president of the medical staff of Green Oaks Hospital, Dr. Perez has treated young people from all walks of life, and from an array of divergent backgrounds and nationalities. Yet, the recurring theme that bonds them into a sort of kinship, Dr. Perez has noted, is the problem of depression-depression that is reflected in behavioral or conduct problems. Dr. Perez has a particularly special dedication to the treatment of these young people, to adolescents whose care requires hospitalization, and to those with eating disorders.

He believes strongly that family involvement is a vital link in working toward wellness, and that along with introspective therapy and sufficient structure, patients can form solid relationships and effect changes that will be lasting.

Dr. Perez received his professional training at Universidad de Navarra Medical School in Pamplona, Spain, Southwestern Medical School of Dallas, Parkland Memorial Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital and Childrens Medical Center. He continues an active inpatient practice at Green Oaks Hospital. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and a diplomate of the American Board of Child Psychiatry.

Dr. Perez and his wife, Elena, are the parents of three children.

Texoma Eye Institute

At Texoma Eye Institute, Dr. Ronald Schachar, who routinely uses the latest laser techniques, removes cataracts in a very pleasant manner. The patients do not have to take any special precautions. In fact the patients are served doughnuts, coffee and fruit before having their cataracts removed. No intravenous medications, no narcotics nor any controlled substances are given -imagine no intravenous fluids. The patient is wide awake and is conversing with Dr. Schachar during the entire procedure. After the procedure, the patient can immediately go home and perform any activity they would like. There are no limitations. Medicare pays for the surgery at 100%. Dr. Schachar is a participating physician and therefore there is no cost to the patient. The institute is approved by Medicare and the Texas Department of Health. Dr. Schachar has a patent on his office which has been written up in Medical Economics because of its rather unusual design, efficiency, and smoothness of operation. >fou can call the institute, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday at 214-4657311 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

EyeCare & Surgery Center of North Texas

The physicians of the EyeCare & SurgeryCenter of North Texas devote their practice and research interests to cataracts, corneal disease, macular disease, glaucoma, reconstructive surgery and secondary lens implantation. Patients who have previously had intraocular lens surgery resulting in later complications represent an area of special interest.

Wesley K. Herman, M.D. and Bradford B. Pazandak, M.D. received their ophthalmology training at the University of Minnesota and continued their subspecialization with fellowships in microsurgery of the eye. Dr. Herman developed a Dallas subspecialty practice in ophthalmic microsurgery and consultation ophthalmology in 1981 and this has continued with the association of Dr. Pazandak in early 1987.

Both Dr. Herman and Dr. Pazandak are members of numerous prominent professional societies and have published their research in various professional journals.

All surgery is performed in the new outpatient surgery center, providing the least costly and most convenient approach to outpatient eye surgery.

Eyecare & Surgery Center of North Texas, (214) 890-0932 or (800) 443-2688.

Beyond A Great Smile

Today there is much more to be gained than healthy teeth and gums from the ritual of semiannual dental checkups. With everything from “bonding,” “veneers,” porcelain fillings, TMJ treatment, to artificial tooth implants available, people are asking for, and receiving, more beautiful smiles and great looking teeth.

One dentist with a special interest in cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry is Dr. James K. Martin, D.D.S. He maintains a private, health centered, family practice in North Dallas. Dr. Martin’s interest in trie specialized areas of “bonding” and TMJ treatment began while in the Air Force specialty training program in San Antonio, Texas. (TMJ treatment involves head, neck, and facial pain related to damaged jaw joints, excessive clenching and grinding, or a bad bite.) “I’ve been interested in the cosmetic benefits of dentistry since high school-1 wore braces for four years. I had not realized before San Antonio that my own severe headaches, ear, and visual disturbances were a result of bite problems not completely solved by orthodontics.”

Since moving to Dallas more than eight years ago, Dr. Martin has presented seminars for fellow dentists on the recognition and treatment of TMJ dysfunction, advanced bonding techniques, and dental materials. He serves as a consultant to several major manufacturers of cosmetic filling materials, as well as enjoying a full time private practice.

Can dentistry really be enjoyable? “Yes,” says Dr. Martin. “Today, many people look forward to enhancing the smile they always wanted, instead of Just getting a filling they needed. That’s something to smile about!” Dr. James K. Martin, (214) 6613666.

David S. Pita, M.D. Colon and Rectal Surgery, Colonoscopy

New technology in colon and rectal surgery is the C02 Laser treatment for hemorrhoids, the most common problem afflicting mankind. Laser hemorrhoidectomy makes it possible to send patients home the day of surgery and return to work in one to two weeks. Everyone with bleeding hemorrhoids should have them removed so as not to be confused with bleeding from colon or rectal cancer. Many of us will be saved by early detection and improved chance of surgical care. Do not assume that the blood in the stool is from hemorrhoids and miss the opportunity to discover the cancer early. David S. Pita, M.D., (214) 821-4300.