Types of services
The Cosmetic center at Min-Sheng General Hospital offers a variety of surgical and non-surgical medical techniques aimed at the enhancement of appearance. Appropriate candidates are healthy individuals with realistic expectations. Cosmetic surgery is a personal choice and should only be undertaken for one self, not to please someone else, or try to fit an ideal image. Although the list below is not exhaustive, it introduces the most common services offered at the hospital, and can be divided between the techniques dealing with the patient’s face and those dealing with her or his body. Some procedures require that the patient stay hospitalized overnight, and since for most a follow up visit is necessary and travelling restrictions post-surgery apply, the patient will have to stay in Taiwan for a certain number of days.
Surgical Procedures
Face:
Face Lift (Rhytidectomy)
As we age, the effects of the environment and daily life tend to show in our faces. Deep creases form, muscles lose their tone, skin loosens and starts sagging. A facelift is a surgical procedure appropriate when non-surgical rejuvenation treatments reach the limit of their effectiveness. It is a restorative procedure and as such it cannot stop the ageing process. What it can do is improve the most visible signs of ageing by removing excess fat and skin, tightening underlying muscles, and re-draping the skin of the face and neck. Patients undergoing a facelift stay hospitalized overnight for observation, and should remain in Taiwan for 7 to 10 days.
Nose Surgery (Rhinoplasty)
While the shape of your nose is often the result of heredity, its appearance may have been altered. A rhinoplasty can improve the appearance and proportion of your nose, enhancing facial harmony and self confidence. It may also correct impaired breathing caused by structural abnormalities in the nose. A rhinoplasty can reduce or increase the size of your nose, change the bridge or tip, change its angle, or narrow the opening of the nostrils. A rhinoplasty usually doesn’t require a hospital stay and the patient can leave Taiwan three days after surgery.
Otoplasty (ear pinning)
Recommended after six years of age, when the ear cartilage is strong and stable enough for correction, ear surgery, or otoplasty, can improve the shape, position or proportion of the ear. It is a surgical procedure that modifies the shape of the cartilage within the ear to allow the ear to lie closer to the side of the head. An otoplasty can correct a defect in the ear structure that is present at birth and becomes apparent with development, or it can treat misshapen ears caused by injury. Performed on adults, the procedure doesn’t require a hospital stay and patients are advised to stay in Taiwan for about 8 days.
Eyelid surgery (Blepharoplasty)
Eyelid surgery can improve the appearance of the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. The surrounding area of the eyes looks rejuvenated making you look more rested and alert. A blepharoplasty can remove excess fatty deposits that bring about the puffiness of the upper eyelids, and the excess skin and fine wrinkles of the lower eyelid. An eyelid procedure can also correct the bags under the eyes and correct the droopiness of the lower eyelid. The procedure doesn’t require a hospital stay and patients should stay in Taiwan for 5 to 8 days.
Body
Breast Enlargement (Augmentation Mammaplasty)
Breast augmentation surgery is a simple procedure that involves placing implants behind the breast to fulfill your desire for fuller breasts or to restore breast volume lost after weight reduction or pregnancy. Specialists at Min-Sheng General Hospital also offer the option of Autologous Fat Transfer (using fat from your own body therefore reducing the risk of rejection) as an alternative to saline or silicone implants. Patients undergoing a breast augmentation remain hospitalized overnight for observation and should remain in Taiwan for a minimum of three days.
Breast Reduction (Reduction Mammaplasty)
A breast reduction is a procedure to surgically remove excess breast fat, glandular tissue and skin to achieve a breast that is firmer and more in proportion with your body. This procedure can also reduce the size of the areola, which is the darker skin around the nipple. Patients undergoing a breast reduction remain hospitalized overnight for observation and should remain in Taiwan no less than three days.
Breast lift (Mastopexy)
Sagging breasts and loss of skin elasticity often occur in women after pregnancy, breast feeding, weight fluctuations, or due to the natural ageing process. A mastopexy is a surgical procedure which raises and firms the breasts by removing excess skin and tightening the surrounding tissue to reshape and support the new breast contour. A breast lift will also reduce the size of an enlarged areola, the darker skin around the nipple. Since a breast lift does not significantly alter the original size of the breast, women who would like fuller or smaller breast can combine a breast lift with a breast augmentation or a breast reduction. Patients undergoing a breast lift remain hospitalized overnight for observation and should remain in Taiwan for up to ten days.
Liposuction (Lipoplasty)
Liposuction surgery is not a treatment for obesity and is not a substitute for regular exercise and good eating habits. Used to treat stubborn fat pockets in various parts of the body, especially the waist, thighs, and lower back, a liposuction helps improve and sculpt the shape of the body. A liposuction can be performed alone, or it can be used in conjunction with other cosmetic surgical procedures such as a facelift, breast reduction, or a tummy tuck. Patients undergoing a liposuction remain hospitalized overnight for observation and should remain in Taiwan for up to ten days. It may take up to three months for all swelling to subside and the final contour to be visible.
Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
A Tummy tuck, or Abdominoplasty, is a surgical procedure to remove excess fat and skin from the middle and/or lower abdomen area and restore tightness to the muscles of the abdominal wall. Although the procedure can dramatically reduce the appearance of a protruding abdomen, it is not a substitute for weight loss or an appropriate exercise program, and it cannot correct stretch marks unless these are situated in the areas of excess skin. The results of an abdominoplasty procedure are long lasting; however the positive outcome can be greatly reduced by significant fluctuations in your weight. It is therefore recommended that patients who are planning substantial weight loss or women who are considering future pregnancies postpone abdominoplasty surgery. Patients undergoing a tummy tuck remain hospitalized overnight for observation and should remain in Taiwan for up to ten days.
Body contouring
Body contouring is often necessary after major weight loss to improve the shape and tone of the underlying tissue that supports fat and skin and to remove excess sagging fat and skin. This type of procedure is often undertaken to correct the effects of rapid and massive weight loss following bariatric surgery.
Thigh Lift
A thigh lift reshapes the thighs by reducing excess skin, and if needed fat, resulting in smoother skin and better-proportioned contours of the thighs and lower body. This type of procedure is often undertaken to correct the effects of rapid and massive weight loss following bariatric surgery.
Arm Lift
An arm lift, or brachioplasty, reshapes your arms by reducing excess skin and fat between the underarm and the elbow, resulting in smoother skin and contours. This type of procedure is often undertaken to correct the effects of rapid and massive weight loss following bariatric surgery.
Non-Surgical Procedures
Wrinkle Relaxing Injections (Botox®)
Short of a surgical facelift, a rejuvenation treatment using botulinium toxin, often called Botox after a popular brand of this substance, is the most popular way to reduce facial wrinkles. Botulinum toxin can be used as a wrinkle treatment to smooth frown lines, crows feet, forehead furrows, and skin bands on the neck. Injections of this substance block muscular nerve signals, which in turn relaxes the muscle so that it can't contract and allows the skin to smoothen out. This procedures takes only a few minutes and you can resume normal activity immediately afterwards. A botulinium toxin injection can be combined with other cosmetic skin procedures such as chemical peels, dermal fillers, or micro-dermabrasion to further improve the results.
Dermal Fillers
Fast, and offering good temporary results, dermal fillers can be used to plump up lips, enhance shallow contours or soften facial creases and wrinkles. Dermal fillers come in many forms and are often made from natural substances found in our body. The most commonly used are autologous fat (fat harvested from your own body, purified then injected as dermal filler), collagen (a protein that is the main ingredient in cartilage and bones), hyaluronic acid (another natural substance found in many parts of the body, and is also often injected to relieve joints pain), and Calcium hydroxylapatite, (found naturally in human bones, it is used to fill the deepest creases). Dermal fillers can be used in conjunction with other skin rejuvenation treatments.