Cosmetic Beauty Directory - Destination Hawaii

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destination hawaii

a more common option for Australian clients seeking

quality plastic surgery combined with a relaxing recovery

overseas. With the Australian dollar performing so strongly

against its American counterpart, the United States

currently offers an attractive travel opportunity as well as

good value.

Hawaii-based plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr

Robert Peterson attended Harvard Medical School and has

been chief of plastic surgery at Kapiolani Medical Centre for

Women and Children for the past 10 years. ‘I understand

the sensitive nature of cosmetic surgery, and strive to

develop a rapport with every patient,’ says Dr Peterson. ‘A

key component of any successful procedure is smooth

communication between doctor and patient. Each patient

has unique needs and my staff and I strive to offer

individualised care to fit those needs. Our goal is to make

patients feel relaxed and confident by answering all

questions and being as informative as possible.’

At his practice in Honolulu, a complete range of

treatments and procedures are available, including breast

augmentation, facelift surgery and rhinoplasty and non-

surgical procedures such as laser skin resurfacing. Dr

Peterson aims to create extraordinary improvements while

maintaining a very natural look.

He has been invited to present five talks on cosmetic

surgery to The 50th World Congress of the International

Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, one of which is titled

Painless Abdominoplasty.

‘Having a tummy tuck used to be a very painful

procedure that required general anaesthesia and overnight

stays in hospital,’ Dr Peterson says. ‘My technique allows

the patient to go home the same day, and prevents

the need for general anaesthesia, even with significant

tightening of the stomach muscle. Most patients take only

one or two pain pills on the first day after the operation.’

An abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, is designed to firm

and smooth the abdomen. The procedure removes

excess abdominal skin and fat and may tighten the

muscles of the abdominal wall, resulting in a flatter

abdominal profile. People who have loose abdominal

skin may have this condition due to moderate or

substantial weight loss or abdominal muscles that have

been separated and weakened by pregnancy. Along with

those who have excess fatty tissue concentrated on the

abdomen, protruding and out of proportion with the rest of

the body, they can benefit from abdominoplasty.

Full abdominoplasty begins with an incision above the

pubic area that extends laterally between the hipbones.

The skin is separated from underlying tissue and tightened.

The navel is then relocated and stitched into place.

The surgeon trims excess skin and sutures the original

incisions. The procedure is outpatient-based, but the

specifics of each operation – as well as duration of

AUSTRALIAN COSMETIC SURGERY

Hawaii plastic surgeon Dr Robert Peterson discusses the cosmetic surgery procedures

available in Honolulu. Christine Doggett reports.

I n recent years, cosmetic surgery holidays have become

travel

hospitalisation and type of anaesthesia (general or local) –

varies according to individual patient needs.

‘My approach to all surgeries has evolved to make

the patient as comfortable as possible and it enables a

rapid recovery,’ Dr Peterson says. ‘Rather than a general

anaesthetic, the patient is given intravenous sedation so

that their comfort can be monitored at all times. The entire

abdominal area is numbed so that the pain pathways to

the brain are not activated. This is an application of the

Gate Theory. Also, I use a suturing technique which

provides some give or elasticity, so that there is no pulling

post-operatively.’

The Gate Control Theory of Pain was developed in the

1960s to account for the clinically recognised importance

of the mind and brain in pain perception. Generally we

understand that pain messages originate in nerves

associated with the damaged tissue and flow along the

peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and up to the brain.

However, in the Gate Theory, before they can reach the

brain, these pain messages encounter ‘nerve gates’ in the

spinal cord that open and close depending on a number of

factors, possibly including instructions coming from the

brain. When the gates are open, pain messages get

through more or less easily, and pain can be intense. When

the gates close, pain messages are prevented from

reaching the brain and may not even be experienced. This

BEFORE

AFTER abdominoplasty by Dr Peterson

‘My technique allows the patient to

go home the same day, and prevents

the need for general anaesthesia’

means blocking the initial barrage of pain impulses that

flow from the site of the tissue injury, or surgery, to prevent

them from reaching the spinal cord.

Therefore the application of anaesthetic blocks to the

nerve tissues closest to the site of the operation before

the surgeon touches the patient renders the area numb.

Compared with a conventional general anaesthetic,

patients who receive the block require lower levels of pain

killers after surgery, even when the numbing effect of the

block has worn off.

‘I have not invented anything new, but the application

of the individual procedures combines well to maximise

patient comfort, minimise the necessity of lengthy use of

strong pain killers, ensure a safe and rapid recovery and

achieve a natural-looking result,’ Dr Peterson says.

The combination of Dr Peterson’s abdominoplasty

techniques, anaesthesia and patient comfort makes

travelling to Hawaii for cosmetic surgery a safe and sure

choice for those considering such overseas options. acsm

BEFORE

AFTER abdominoplasty by Dr Peterson

AUSTRALIAN COSMETIC SURGERY