Two years ago, Shirley Birnbaum suffered from asthma and chronicbronchitis, which were exacerbated by the 170 pounds she carriedon her 5–foot–1 frame.
“I couldn’t breathe,” the 73–year–old retired school bus driver said.“I couldn’t even walk across a room without wheezing. When I spoketo people, they thought I had just finished running.”
After learning about Dr. Thomas Jeneby, a board–certified plasticsurgeon, on the Internet, Birnbaum verified his credentials. After aconsultation, she eventually had liposuction and a tummy tuck.
“It saved my life,” Birnbaum said. “Since then, I haven’t had bronchitis.Anyone else would have turned me away because of my age, butDr. Jeneby said, ‘As long as you’re healthy.’ That’s his main concern.”
Encouraged by the results and having gone from a size 18 to a size8, Birnbaum recently returned to the surgeon’s office for a lower facelift,and said she is pleased with her improved appearance and withJeneby’s expertise.
Jeneby is founder of The Plastic and Cosmetic Center of SouthTexas, which he opened four years ago in the Medical Center. The37–year–old Washington, D.C., native specializes in cosmetic surgeryand reconstructive breast surgery.
“I enjoy doing breast reconstruction on patients who have hadmastectomies because of cancer,” he said. “I like doing the cosmeticside, as well. I’m about 90 percent cosmetic and 10 percent reconstructive.”
He also is an expert in SmartLipo, abdominoplasty, adjustablebreast implants, breast augmentation, breast reduction, brow lifts,facelifts, rhinoplasty (nose surgery), liposuction, lip augmentation andotoplasty (ear surgery).
SmartLipo is one of today’s popular cosmetic surgical procedures,Jeneby said, adding that he was the first to offer it in San Antonio.“It’s a laser–assisted body lipo sculpture technique where you placethe laser under the skin, melt the fat, shrink the skin, and then youabsorb the fat,” he said. “I’ve noticed in the last nine months it’s betterused in combination with regular liposuction to remove bulky fat.”
Women often come to Jeneby for adjustable breast implants,which, he explained, is the post–operative adjustment of the breast implantthrough the skin. Jeneby inserts a needle through a port and addsaline while the patient is awake. She can then tell him whether or notshe likes the size of the implant.
“Thirty–seven percent of women go back to the operating roomto change the size of an implant,” he said. “(Through adjustable breastimplants) they don’t have to go back. When they’re done, I make themwait two weeks to go try on summer clothes or bathing suits, and then they come back, and I remove the port under local anesthesia.”
The Plastic and Cosmetic Center of South Texas also offers FractionalCO2 Laser Resurfacing, a state–of–the–art procedure for removingacne scars and wrinkles.
“You dial in how much you want to laser off,” Jeneby explained. “Ifyou want to laser off 60 percent, leave 40 percent healed so the healingzones will populate the unhealed zones.”
While women account for a majority of his patients, about 15 percentof the surgeon’s clients are men. Many receive liposuction, browlifts and mini face lifts. According to national statistics, Jeneby canexpect that figure to steadily increase because more men of all agesand walks of life are getting nips and tucks, according to the AmericanSociety of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) website.
The top five male cosmetic surgeries in 2004 were nose reshaping,hair transplantation, eyelid surgery, liposuction and breast reduction,the ASPS stated.
“I have a lot of guys come in here for SmartLipo for their pecs andbuttocks,” he said. “I get rid of the fat, and I can do abdominal sculptingwhere I etch little lines to make them look like they have a six–pack.”
There are times, Jeneby said, when he will not perform cosmeticsurgery on a patient, and that usually involves people undergoing adramatic life change or those suffering from depression.
“They tend to need a little more guidance before undergoing a surgicalprocedure because they may be depressed about something else,and they may put that under your surgical care,” he said.
And in those instances when people will come to him to changetheir appearance to look like a celebrity, Jeneby said he guides themaway from that decision.
“Plastic surgery is only as good as the canvas,” he said. “If it’s sparklingwhite, and there are no blemishes, it’s going to be a better–lookingpainting.”
One of Jeneby’s concerns is that people seeking plastic surgeonswho are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For moreinformation, visit www.abplsurg.org and click on FAQ.
“Ask the doctor to show you his degree and his board certification,”Jeneby advises.
For those who come to him for plastic surgery, Jeneby prefers togive them a natural post–surgical look.
“The key to any good plastic surgery is almost like you weren’tthere,” he said. “It’s like the Navy SEALS. You go in, do your job and getout without leaving any tracks.”
