Get back to the beach this summer even if you have been suffering with endometriosis, fibroids or undiagnosed pelvic pain or abnormal bleeding.
Vanity, understandably, is a deciding factor in many important life situations. A woman’s body and psyche go through hell. From the first period to the last hot flash; bathing suits, bad haircuts, ‘90s fashion; and the first kiss to the first heartbreak, the years between ages 14-65 are physically and emotionally exhausting. We become our worst critics. Our bodies suffer the effects of fad dieting, pregnancy, and age, while we mentally will them back into a pair of skinny jeans from high school. It’s no wonder there is a deep concern over potential scarring from surgery.
The first rush of hormones in puberty starts the clock on potential gynecological conditions. For many women, monthly symptoms are manageable. For others, they can be life changing. Adding to the already long list of life stressors, pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding, or weight gain are all disruptive symptoms of underlying GYN conditions.
Surgical treatment, where appropriate, can remove the effects of the condition (fibroids, pelvic adhesions, endometriotic tissue or endometriomas) for women wishing to maintain fertility. Definitive treatment for many GYN conditions (fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine prolapse) is surgery that removes the source of the condition like a hysterectomy, partial or full (this is only recommended by most surgeons only after childbearing is no longer desired).
“With the advent of minimally invasive surgery, surgeons can now provide hysterectomy patients with cosmetically pleasing results.” Scar Assessment for Patients Undergoing Minimal Invasive Hysterectomy. PubMed.gov.
In this small perception study from November 2014, 93 percent of women stated that cosmetic issues were important to them for hysterectomy procedures. Surgery without visible scars was appealing to 92 percent.
The least invasive, most advanced laparoscopic procedures improve recovery, minimize blood loss and return patients to themselves faster with less pain. Cosmetically friendly incisions to avoid visible scars are a happy by-product of these advancements.
Minimally invasive surgery began more than 100 years ago with a laparoscopic procedure performed on woman’s best friend. It has evolved over the past century, becoming more advanced.
At The Center for Innovative GYN Care, our surgical specialists use incisions the size of paper cuts and perform advanced surgical techniques for exceptional visibility of the pelvic cavity. With better visibility our highly skilled surgeons created safe, efficient procedures for even the most complex cases. Over 20,000 gynecological procedures have been performed by CIGC surgeons. These procedures have the lowest risk of complications of any GYN procedure.
DualPortGYN is used for most GYN procedures at CIGC. It uses one incision at the belly button and another at the bikini line, each approximately a ¼ of an inch. For myomectomies which are traditionally performed open, CIGC developed Laparoscopic Assisted Abdominal Myomectomy or LAAM. This procedure uses a ¼ inch incision at the belly button, and a 1.5 inch incision at the bikini line to remove fibroids of any size or number from the uterus, while leaving it intact for fertility.
*Both DualPortGYN and LAAM use incision placement that is cosmetically appealing, and the incision sites are virtually invisible 1-2 months after surgery.
Robotic procedures can leave a constellation effect or a rainbow of scars across your abdomen. As cheerful as that may sound, it looks like a sad face and can take up to 4 weeks to heal. Robotic procedures have the potential to be converted to open surgery when something goes wrong.
Some women go into a robotic surgery thinking they are getting a minimally invasive procedure, only to wake up and find an open procedure was performed. Open procedures can take up to 8 weeks to heal and leave wide, deep scars.
Vanity, though seemingly superficial, is an important factor for many women considering gynecological surgery.
The Center for Innovative GYN Care specialists perform these groundbreaking minimally invasive procedures, leaving practically no visible reminder, so that even with the last 10lbs to lose, and under the most unflattering florescent light, scars won’t deter you from trying on the bikini. The designer price tag, however, may keep you from wearing it to the beach.
Surgical specialists can often see patients sooner because they are focused entirely on surgery. Each patient gets detailed, in depth attention from Dr. Danilyants and Dr. MacKoul. This personalized care helps patients understand their condition and the recommended treatment so that they can have confidence from the very start. Our surgeons have performed over 20,000 GYN procedures and are constantly finding better ways to improve outcomes for patients.
Book a consultation today with Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD or Dr. Natalya Danilyants, MD.
Even if you are not from the DC area, many patients travel to The Center for Innovative GYN Care for our groundbreaking procedures. We treat women from around the world who suffer from complex GYN conditions.
Learn more in our travel program.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about how we can treat your condition today.