Tummy Tuck Discomfort Minimized With New Technique, Says Houston Plastic Surgeon

HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwire - Jan 23, 2013) - Dr. James F. Boynton, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston, strives to deliver beautiful, natural-looking results while enhancing each patient's experience both before and after surgery. Recently at his private practice, Dr. Boynton incorporated a local analgesic named EXPAREL (a liposomal formulation of bupivacaine, a well-known local anesthetic), which is designed to dramatically reduce postoperative discomfort and further expedite the recovery process for patients receiving tummy tuck surgery.

Dr. Boynton believes the innovative pain-management method is a "game-changer" in the postoperative care available to tummy tuck surgery patients nationwide:

"We have been using pain pumps with Marcaine for the last ten years, and I think the results were mixed. Some patients really noticed a significant improvement while others did not. EXPAREL is essentially like an 'internal' pain pump that I can inject under the muscle fascia in the specific areas that cause the most discomfort. This gives patients postsurgical pain relief without the need for internal catheters and external bags associated with pain pumps.

"A single administration of EXPAREL given at the time of surgery can give patients up to three days of postsurgical pain relief, which is typically the most difficult time in the recovery process. For the first time, I have been able to comfortably send tummy tuck patients home the same day after their surgery, and often times, they do not require an overnight stay. I have also seen a significant decrease in the amount of narcotics patients typically need, and patients are getting around and out of bed much easier even the day of surgery."

Dr. Boynton says EXPAREL is the first medication specifically designed to release pain medication to a targeted area over time. The Houston plastic surgeon adds that while most local analgesics last for six to eight hours, EXPAREL continues to deliver medication over the course of up to three days, and anecdotally up to seven days.

While more traditional postoperative medications -- like opioids -- are generally systemic, EXPAREL is localized and delivers medicine directly to the source of the pain by numbing the tissues around the surgical site. Dr. Boynton says systemic medication cannot target specific areas of the body, and therefore affects one's body as a whole, potentially leading to drowsiness, nausea, and itching sensations. With EXPAREL, tummy tuck patients can receive pain relief in the precise areas needed.

Additionally, Dr. Boynton says patients using EXPAREL require fewer postoperative opioids and very little supplemental pain control of any kind. Without the stress opioids place on the entire body, he adds that patients are able to recover from their tummy tuck procedures quicker and return to their normal activities sooner.

At his Houston plastic surgery practice, Dr. Boynton uses EXPAREL as one component of a multimodal treatment regime. The aim of multimodal therapy is to use a combination of medications that target different points of the central and peripheral nervous systems in a systematic effort to reduce postoperative pain. He says he is excited to continue utilizing EXPAREL for pain management, and he hopes patients interested in tummy tuck surgery will recognize its advantages and benefit from is exceptional results.

About James F. Boynton, MD, FACS

Dr. James F. Boynton is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. In 2012, Dr. Boynton was voted a "Super Doctors Rising Star" by Texas Super Doctors and a "Regional Top Doctor" in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery by Castle Connolly. In 2011, the Consumers' Research Council of America named Dr. Boynton as one of "America's Top Plastic Surgeons," and the International Association of Plastic Surgeons (IAPS) selected him as a "Leading Physician of the World" and "Top Plastic Surgeon in Texas."

Dr. Boynton is available for interview upon request.