Week 2: On to Office Hours

This week I got to observe Dr. Spector’s office hours. It was very interesting to see the large variety of reasons that people would seek out a plastic surgeon, whether it be for a breast reduction, Botox injection, or to treat an open wound. It was definitely a different experience to see office hours because this is the first time that I saw a conscious patient who was going through serious pain. We were able to see a patient seeking out a breast reduction right before meeting with a patient who had just received one so in a way it was like being able to see the immediate results of the surgery. I learned a lot about the concerns of the scar tissue and how the scar may appear redder on those with paler skin at first, but ultimately will end up healing better than on individuals with darker skin. There was also a patient who was interested in having future work done on their stomach and I learned that liposuction is not able to remove all of the fat in the upper abdomen so many patients may be disappointed following surgery if they are not at their ideal weight.

On the surgery days, I observed a patient with a tongue carcinoma receive a graft from their thigh, a mastectomy, and a liposuction with a corset trunkplasty surgery. The first surgery was very similar to the mandible surgery from last week, in that there was a flap surgery taken from the thigh to treat a patient with carcinoma. Again, the OR was full of many different surgeons working on both the mouth and thigh areas. Dr. Spector again used microsurgery along the blood vessels of the patient’s native tissue, which we were able to see on the microscope’s monitor. After the second patient received a mastectomy, Dr. Spector inserted an expander for the reconstruction of the breast. To preserve the patient’s nipple, it needs access to the bloodstream so the breast is only taken to a small portion of its original volume at first. Over time, the patient returns to Dr. Spector to receive injections, and eventually, the breast returns to its original size. The most fascinating part of the liposuction was that I was able to see into the patient’s stomach prior to the corset trunkplasty and observe the tissue. Afterward, they put the patient into a position where both their back and feet are lifted so they can determine where to cut off their stomach to remove the excess skin. Dr. Spector also designed their new bellybutton where he explained that you just want to create a small hole because it will usually become bigger over time. I also was in the lab a bit more this week and got to hear about current projects in the lab as I start to narrow down to my specific project over the immersion term and how that will translate into my Ph.D. research project.

-         -Halle

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