Richard V. Dowden, M.D., C.M., F.A.C.S.

Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Inc.
6770 Mayfield Road, Suite 410
(Mayfield Heights) Cleveland, Ohio 44124
(440) 449-7470


Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about
breast enlargement through-the-navel ( TUBA ):

My surgeon wants to learn how to do the TUBA method, will you show him/her?

Sorry, but no, because I have already had the unpleasant experience of having a plastic surgeon as a casual observer for a day or two, then having him go around telling people that I fully trained him. That can be dangerous. But what I am perfectly willing to do is to discuss the finer points of the TUBA method over the telephone with any board-certified plastic surgeon who has already taken the full training course and who has done some cases.

All the breast augmentation methods, including TUBA, are very safe in the right hands. Any breast augmentation method, including TUBA, can be dangerous in the wrong hands. There are doctors doing breast augmentation who are not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and whose training consisted of a quick weekend course. That is a recipe for disaster. See the discussion about whether a patient could die from breast augmentation.

Years ago I taught at the international TUBA teaching courses, and helped train about thirty plastic surgeons from around the world in doing the procedure; I have given lectures on the TUBA method at several international seminars and meetings of plastic surgeons; I have written three book chapters and two journal articles on the refinements of the TUBA technique; and I directed the residency training program at the Cleveland Clinic for many years. But despite the fact that I like to teach, there are several reasons that I am no longer teaching any procedures, the primary one being that I no longer permit observers to watch any of my patients' operations.

And specifically to the TUBA technique, the proper training course is lengthy and rigorous, takes a long time, and requires laboratory facilities to do properly and safely, and these facilities I don't have available. Anything less would be inadequate training and could give the procedure an unwarranted bad reputation. Sooner or later, someone unqualified and inadequately trained is going to cause a disaster.

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6770 Mayfield Road, Suite 410
(Mayfield Heights) Cleveland, Ohio 44124
(440) 449-7470

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Last Update: 7:14 PM on 06/01/2008
URL of Dr. Dowden's home page: http://dr-dowden.com/index.html
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URL of breast enlargement via navel page: http://dr-dowden.com/main/tuba.html

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