Episode 34: Why Does Dr. Whitfield Not Use Drains?

Foreign. Doctor Rob Whitfield, the board certified plastic surgeon specializing in explant surgery Breast implant illness is a topic that is not often talked enough about, especially in medical community, but is something that affects many women. In this podcast I will be discussing the latest research, treatment options and personal stories of women who have undergone explant surgery in an effort to heal breast implant illness. In this podcast we'll explore the symptoms of breast implant illness and delve into the latest surgical techniques for explantation and the recovery process. Whether you are currently experiencing breast implant illness or are considering explant surgery, this podcast is a valuable resource for anyone looking to take control of their health and wellness. So let's dive in. Before we get started today, I wanted to tell you about a way you can speed your healing and to begin reverse aging in your body. Reducing inflammation is especially important for women with breast implant illness. In fact, one of the most important pre explant surgery steps we take is to get rid of as much inflammation in the body as possible. So I've created a special inflammation support bundle to give you everything you need to reduce inflammation as quickly as possible. Don't let inflammation hold you back. Visit drrobsolutions.com now and grab the inflammation support bundle today again you can get it@drrobsolutions.com why does Dr. Whitfield not use drains? How can I get away with that? I asked this all the time. It all goes back to one of my clients who came who did not have breast implant illness symptoms, just simply wanted their old implants taken out and was begging me to do a fat transfer. I did their fat transfer, I used drains on them and that began my like interest in providing more fat transfers simultaneously for patients experiencing breast implant illness and fast forward now we do fat transfers all the time. We have a very specific program. Look at your genetic testing, your toxicity testing, gut microbiome, microbiome food sensitivity testing, hormone balance and get you set up for success with both lowering inflammation pre op with our supplement package Inflammation Support Bundle and then doing phase one detox with our detox practitioner using cellcore products. So that helps get you prepared for fat transfer. What basically started really bothering me in the operating room was getting your liposuction garment on a patient who just had a fat transfer, wrapping them up with a gentle ACE wrap and then having a drain tube sticking out. So it just was bothered me so much and I worried about them getting an INF because drain tubes ultimately leave your body through an opening. So by you know, looking at that retrospectively, of course, more people will get infections who have drains because it's a tube sticking out of your body. It's not rocket science. So how do I not use drains in my cases? So for a long period of time, a tummy tuck has been done without a drain. It's called the drainless tummy tuck. And there's a particular suturing method you can use and you can use a, if you will, like a internal surgical glue glue, and you can help seal it and reduce the dead space, etc. Etc. Etc. So how do we do that when we're doing breast surgery? So we have the breast pocket where the implant sat, and typically it's behind the muscle. In the United States, some are above, but most of the patients are behind the muscle. So you have that opening of the breast pocket. You may not have that much breast tissue, you may not have that much fatty tissue, and then there's the skin. So this all once again came out of my patients who I did fat transfers for. So a fat transfer for me starts with the patient on their tummy. And we typically are taking love handle fat. And I prefer to take posterior inner thigh fat and outer thigh fat from the prone position using a small 3 millimeter opening under the butt cheek in the crease. Those are well hidden. It's very easy for me to take fat. It's very easy for me to get a nice result. If I want to provide skin tightening with body tight at the same time, I do that through those same incisions. We then will put some long acting local anesthetic in so patients have more comfort in those areas and we'll flip over and then, then we'll either add fluid to the abdomen, take more fat, do more skin tightening, or if we're not using their abdomen, we'll go ahead and do their explant surgery. We'll get back to this show in a moment, but I wanted to share something that I think can really help you. You might not be aware, but part of my work as an innovator in the cosmetic surgery space is to create products that will give my patients the best possible outcomes and restore their health as quickly as possible. I can't tell you how critical it is for all of my patients to actively work to reduce inflammation in their bodies. We do this through diet and supplementation. In fact, I've created a special inflammation support bundle for my patients and now you can have access to it as well. One of the reasons this bundle is perfect for my patients is that so many of them have pill fatigue. It's just not going to work for them to have a handful of pills each day to reduce inflammation. So I made sure to include the liposomal version of many of the vitamins and minerals within the bundle. You'll still get the full absorption of these supplements in your mouth without having to go through your gut first in order to be absorbed. You can get the inflammation support bundle@drrobsolutions.com and begin to feel better when you make the supplements a part of your daily health routine. The website again is drrobsolutions.com I can't wait for you to get this help in your hands. So once the explant's done, think of you're laying now, your patient's laying flat. They're on the operating room table. And I can see in the breast pocket. I can see in the armpit area. I can see down towards the tummy. You can almost imagine where I did the flank liposuction and, or the tummy liposuction or both. And then I will connect the breast pocket because a lot of times I'll do liposuction on the upper abdomen through the breast pocket, which is pretty common. That connects the spaces that I already created by doing fat retrieval liposuction on the flank area or the tummy area if I used it. And then so if I'm doing a lift and a fat transfer, or if I'm just doing a fat transfer, you know, I close the pocket through the incision that I made to get the implant out, and then I'll put the fat in. I prefer to put, put the fat in from the armpit approach because I like to have the ability to rebuild and rejuvenate the cleavage area, the upper two thirds. And I find it easier through the incision of the armpit. And then I'll gently wrap you up with an ace wrap. We'll put your liposuction garment on, and then your body will drain the fluid downward through the breast pocket and underneath the skin in the fatty channels that I created. Doing liposuction of the abdomen and flank area, lower back area. You'll come to my office the following day, get out of your liposuction garment. Typically do a lymphatic massage in our German device called Balancer Pro. And that day you may as well, or oftentimes we'll do a hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which I like to do for our clients. So if you just follow along, you're taking the body and its ability to collect fluid, put it in lymphatic system and then get it out via urination. Basically that's how I hack not using drains. We create spaces so the fluid will drain down via gravity internally in the tissues, which is completely normal. We do it in liposuction all the time. I have never put a drain in anybody I've performed liposuction on for any circumstances because as I mentioned already, it goes against philosophically what I would believe in and limiting the chance of an infection by using a foreign body. I just rely on your body to heal itself. So the fluid that we use traditional liposuction has to be absorbed. We use compression in our office, we use lymphatic massage all the time. And that I feel is a safer, better way to get rid of the fluid than having to drain tube in. And that is how I do explants without drains. Thanks for joining me today. I hope you found the information and stories shared on this podcast helpful and informative. Remember, taking control of your health and wellness is key to recovery from breast implant illness wellness. If you're looking for additional resources and support, be sure to visit our online store, Dr. Rob's Solutions at drrobsolutions.myshopify.com you'll find a wide range of wellness products and supplements to support your journey to recovery. From specially formulated detox supplements to personalized skincare products, we have everything you need to aid your recovery. Visit Dr. Rob's Solutions today at DrRobsSolutions.com thank you for listening and we'll be back with another episode soon. Remember, you're not alone in this journey and together we can overcome breast implant illness. Take care. Of.