Reconstructive Surgery Visionary Advances Innovative Autologous Fat Transfer Expertise After Wife's Mastectomy

Winter Park, FL (PRWEB) May 07, 2014 -- The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 300,000 women will receive breast cancer diagnoses this year and that 40,000 will lose their lives to the disease. Although the numbers are overwhelming, statistics project a dramatic improvement in just four short years thanks to increased awareness, early detection and advanced treatment options.

Michelle Hartog learned she had breast cancer in 2010. Shortly after undergoing a mastectomy, her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Hartog, began perfecting an innovative procedure called autologous fat transfer (AFT). Many women including Michelle recognize the overwhelming benefits of natural reconstruction for mastectomy patients. Today, Dr. Hartog is helping women like Michelle with their treatment and plans after a mastectomy.

AFT is an emerging breast reconstruction technique that involves using gentle liposuction to remove fat tissue. In an outpatient procedure, removed tissue is processed and injected in small amounts to recreate the breast. The AFT procedure is virtually scarless, and breasts reconstructed with fat look and feel like a natural breast.

Michelle, a registered nurse, is the Director of Aesthetic Technologies at the Bougainvillea Clinique and works alongside her husband. As the Patient Care Coordinator for their reconstruction patients, Michelle knows firsthand all of the advantages of the AFT process, and as a breast cancer survivor she not only guides her patients through the breast reconstruction process, but also helps restore hope to women who had once lost all faith.

“Michelle’s courage and strength continue to serve as a powerful source of inspiration to our patients because she’s able to relate to everything that they’re going through both mentally and physically,” said Dr. Hartog. “When Michelle was first diagnosed, I was absolutely committed to providing her with the very best outcome that modern medicine could provide. We achieved outstanding results for Michelle with the AFT process.”

Dr. Hartog has completed more than 4,000 breast surgeries in his career and is an acknowledged expert in breast augmentation and regenerative breast surgery. As a reconstructive surgery visionary, he continues to develop specialized techniques for extracting, storing and grafting fat tissue, and is able to use patients’ own fat to enhance breasts, improve scars, diminish the signs of aging and provide breast cancer survivors with an alternative to implants after lumpectomy and mastectomy procedures.

Women can also store their fat, removed through gentle liposuction, at the Bougainvillea Clinique’s Liquid Gold Lipobank, an FDA-approved Cytori StemSource® Lipobank. As an FDA-registered tissue bank, the Lipobank enforces very strict standard operating procedures to ensure sterility and proper identification.

Located in central Florida, the Breast Center at the Bougainvillea Clinique is the premier destination for individuals seeking the best in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures of the breast. Jeffrey M. Hartog, M.D., and his wife, Michelle Hartog, RN, established these facilities with the goal of improving quality of life through state-of-the-art plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures. The practice is adjacent to the Aesthetic Surgery Center of Winter Park, a free-standing state- and federally licensed surgical center that caters to all client needs. For more information, visit http://www.lookandfeelbetter.com and call 866-985-4741. Follow Dr. Hartog on Twitter or like him on Facebook.

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For additional information, interview and image requests, contact public relations firm, Axia Public Relations at 888-PR-FIRM-8, ext. 700.

Marjorie Comer, Axia Public Relations, http://www.axia.net, +1 888-773-4768 Ext: 700, [email protected]