MEET DR. MICHAEL EDWARDS: PARTNER IN ANSON, EDWARDS, HIGGINS IN LAS VEGAS
Michael Edwards, MD, FACS, is a board certified plastic surgeon who has an unmatched comprehensive understanding of the medical profession. Not only does he hold two board certifications—general surgery, in addition to plastic surgery—he was an RN before obtaining his medical degree,
He recently formed a new group practice in Las Vegas with plastic surgeons Dr. Goesel Anson and Dr. Terry Higgins, which offers a full range of facial and body procedures and treatments. Dr. Edwards specializes in breast revision surgery, a focus he feels very fortunate to address. Anson, Edwards, Higgins Plastic Surgery Associates also includes a board-certified dermatologist and a fully trained skincare team.
Here, Beauty in the Bag talks with Dr. Edwards, who is also President Elect of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), to get his tips for getting the results you seek from a surgeon.
Tell us a bit about your background. How did you come to choose plastic surgery as your specialty?
There aren’t many jobs in the medical field I have not worked at. This includes working as an EMT, ER technician, nursing assistant, and house orderly. I then became a registered nurse not knowing exactly what lay ahead. Thanks to a very understanding and supportive wife, I pursued medical school while working nights as an RN. Once in medical school I knew early on that I was bound to be a surgeon and really enjoyed the wide variety of surgical procedures the plastic surgeons were performing. I was hooked once I rotated in my fourth year of medical school. I decided to follow the more common general surgery route and completed five years of general surgery training and I still maintain my board certification. Plastic surgery was all I had hoped it would be. Our surgical cases are virtually head to foot with microsurgery, hand surgery, and incredible reconstructive techniques. I have never looked back and draw on my medical and surgical training almost daily as I care for my patients.
You recently joined a new group practice in Las Vegas. What is the group’s objective and what types of services/treatments does it provide?
I recently merged with Dr. Goesel Anson and Dr. Terry Higgins (Anson and Higgins). We have an 11,000 sq. foot office with three board-certified plastic surgeons, a board-certified dermatologist, two RN nurse injectors, four medical grade aestheticians, a highly organized and efficient practice manager, and a great staff of medical assistants, surgical technicians, and front desk personnel. We are able to provide our patients a complete range of state-of-the-art surgical and non-surgical procedures allowing each of the surgeons to focus on a specific area of expertise. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive approach where our patient’s experience, safety, and satisfaction come first. We are committed to coordinated, personalized aesthetic care for life, not just a single procedure.
What is your signature procedure?
Over the years I have been fortunate to focus my talents primarily on breast surgery, more specifically breast revision surgery. We, as plastic surgeons, all want our patients to be happy with their surgical results and we strive for that. Sometimes results don’t meet expectations as well our bodies go through changes from weight loss or gain as well as pregnancy. The breasts do change and sometimes benefit from revision. I would say my signature procedure is removing implants from above the muscle, placing new ones partially under the muscle for better coverage and prettier result, followed by a breast lift.
What is the best way to minimize scaring with a breast lift or augmentation?
With any surgical procedure there are incisions and scars. Our job, as plastic surgeons, is to plan and conduct our procedures with gentle tissue handling, tension free closure, and compulsive post-op wound care. I prefer topical silicone therapy for most of my healing incisions but on occasion there may be a need for local steroid injections or laser therapy.
Are there any new developments in surgical or non-surgical body contouring procedures that you find particularly promising?
There are always promises of new, wonderful modalities on the horizon. Unfortunately many of them fail to live up to their expectations. We, as plastic surgeons, try to look deeper at the science, to see if using evidence-based medicine, these are worth bringing into our practice. Surgical innovation is a great aspect of our specialty and we are willing to share our newly developed techniques with other board-certified plastic surgeons. Non-surgical devices are abundant and some appear to give better results in one set of hands than another. External body contouring techniques using freezing, radiofrequency, or ultrasound are promising for the right patient. They are not a means of weight loss but body contouring.
What questions should a prospective patient always ask their plastic surgeon during a consultation?
1. Are they a board-certified/eligible plastic surgeon?
2. Do they have hospital admitting privileges to perform the same procedure they are proposing to perform in an out-patient setting?
3. What are the potential risks/benefits/alternatives to the proposed procedure(s)?
4. How much experience do they have in the procedure you are seeking?
I could go on and on….
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