p lastic surgeon
Fort Myers Plastic Cosmetic Surgeon - Dr. Brueck

About Dr. Brueck Philosophy Testimonials Before/After Call 239-939-5233/How to Get Here Forms

Meet Dr. Robert J. Brueck MD FACS

Offices at:
3700 Central Ave. Fort Myers, FL 33901 &
14 Del Prado Blvd. Cape Coral, FL 33909

Speak German?

Board Certified in Plastic Surgery
Caring & Understanding
30+ Years of Cosmetic Surgery Excellence

I am intensely interested in all things relating to health, skin, weight management and beauty. From time to time, I discover news or facts about these subjects that don't necessarily fit anywhere else on this web site. I will post them here for you to read.

WHERE D YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION ABOUT PLASTIC SURGERY? - The way patients get information on plastic surgery is undergoing evolution.

Years ago, it was by word of mouth or by a referral from your family doctor. Then advertising hit the air. Now we have the internet.

In a recent survey, the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgeons showed 42% of prospective patients get their information from social media sites such as Facebook.

It is amazing to me, as a Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon, the power and popularity that social media are experiencing. I have patients who spend 1 to 2 hours per day on sites like Facebook.

My suggestion? Don’t rely of this ALONE to make your decision on who to go to for your cosmetic surgery.
That said, if Facebook is your thing, you'll find me at ttp://www.facebook.com/DrBrueckMDFortMyersplasticsurgeon. You can "like" me there and receive my informative, and occasionally amusing message on your newsfeed.

GLAUCOMA AND GEOGRAPHY - What could this vision problem have in common with geography? As a plastic surgeon concerned with physical beauty, I am intrigued by news about vision problems. Well, they both begin wiht G (just kidding). It appears however, that people who live south of 41dwgrees north latitdue (the line passing through hicago) have a significantly lower risk of developing exfoliaition glaucoma, which causes protein deposits in the eye, which can lead to vision loss. And here, we thought people were moving south to Florida for the weather.

ANTI-AGING PROCEDURES BY AGE OF PATIENT - Common sense would tell us the “older” generation or baby boomers would be undergoing the most procedures to head off aging.  But surprisingly, a study by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, of which I am a member, found that people aged 31-45 actually led the way with 43% of the 10+ billion spent on cosmetic procedures in 2010.  The baby boomers, of which I’m also a "member" accounted for 28% of the total spent.  There were a total of 13.1 million cosmetic procedures done and of this total 11.6 million were non-surgical.

YOU EAT WHAT YOU ARE? - It seems we are always finding connections between two entities; cause and effect. When you eat too much of a food you are more likely to get or suffer from something related to that food.

Now, research links personality to body weight.

A growing body (no pun intended) of research suggests that the part of our brain that controls our emotions and stress also controls our appetite or hunger center.

People who were “impulsive” were more apt to be overweight. People who were not overly agreeable tended to put on more weight over the years.

It's a connection between emotions and weight that begins early in life.

Kids who had low emotional relationships with their mothers tended to be more obese by the age of 15.

“Food for thought” is not far from the truth.

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Fish Oils? - Fish oil is important in our diet. I take fish oil everyday. Unfortunately, fish oil and face-lifting don’t go hand in hand.

I tell all my patients to avoid fish oil a couple of weeks before surgery.

That aside, there is good reason to eat fish: a recent study of people in their 70’s found that a diet of fish once a week for over 10 years their brains were bigger. The brain's area linked to memory and learning seemed to be the most affected. Some people think Omega 3 acids reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to the brain.

But if you eat fish, bake it or broil it. - NO fish frys.

Implants are safe - Recently the French government announced it would pay to have all Gel implants in French women removed. This gnerated considerable concern. Why? What's the problem? Are you at risk here in the US?

You should know that only implants manufactured by a French company, PIP (Poly Implant Prosthesis) were to be removed. From what research I have done, it appears that the gel used in PIP implants was INDUSTRIAL grade NOT MEDICAL grade.

As a Fort Myers plastic surgeon, I only use MENTOR implants, which are medical grade silicone.

I guess it’s like buying a steak. You can order choice or you can order prime. There appear to be many European women with PIP implants. Unfortunately, PIP used industrial grade silicone because it simply was CHEAPER.

Several years ago, I took care of several patients who had “industrial” grade silicone actually injected into their breasts. No implants. Just industrial grade material placed into syringes and then injected into their breasts.

The results were terrible. These women developed severe inflammations and multiple nodules. Mammograms became more difficult to perform. Many of these women required simple mastectomies and reconstruction.


The European company, PIP, went bankrupt in 2010 and shut its doors. Their president/founder, M. Jean-Claude Mas, is 72 and in poor health. As all this will be resolved in the courtroom…many years later. Till then, rest assured, unless you received a PIP implant, most likely in Europe, all is well.

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Testimonials - Most doctors receive "thank you " notes. Trust me, they are greatly appreciated. I maintain a page dedicated to such notes from happy patients. In a way they are 'testimonials'. Since I feel it is helpful for prospective patients to know about experiences of women who have undergone cosmetic procedures, I like to share what tyhey have to say. Most recently, I received one referring to a breast augmentation. Interestingly, this patient entered into the process with her fiance sitting in on the consultation. After the surgery and recovery, she was married and commented on how good she looked in her wedding dress. Notes like these are very gratifying.

Hand Sanitizers - It seems, no matter where we go, we bath our hands in “hand sanitizer”. Several years ago they were non-existent, and now they’re everywhere – gyms, restaurants, stores. You name it, they have it.

There are some risks, however:

1. They cut down on the exposure of our immune system. Our immune system pours out antibodies (like antibiotics) in response to contact with germs; no germs – no exercise .
2. They are NO replacement for the time-honored use of good ole' soap and water.
3. They have high concentrations of alcohol which removes skin oils from our skin.
4. They can give you a false sense of security.

I can tell you, after three decades as a practicing plastic surgeon, your best protection is a vigorous hand washing with soap and water.

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A Whole Lot of Beauty - According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons there were 13,100,000 cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States last year (2010). It will be interesting to see what this year brings as we close it out. More or less? Feel free to comment.

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Why Do Drugs Cost So Much? How many times have I heard – “that’s outrageous!” - when talking about the price of a particular medicine?

My brother, Bill. takes a pill every day that costs upwards of $25.00. That’s pricey. But in the end, it all comes down to the cost to develop the drug, the cost to manufacture and the size of the potential market.

Drug research is $100 billion a year endeavor. Two years ago, some researchers in Boston showed how they could kill cancer cells by targeting a protein in the cells called STK33 – don’t ask me what it stands for.

Amgen, the well known biotech pharmaceutical company, jumped all over it. They put together a team of scientists/researchers totaling 24 to see if they could duplicate this. If they could, this could prove to be a pathway to create new drugs to fight cancer. After 6 intensive (and expensive) months – all their efforts had failed.

One of the cornerstones of original research is reproduceability. In other words, if one lab does research, say, in Chicago, can that research AND results be duplicated in a lab in Miami or Paris? That is crucial. These Phase 2 trials involve reproducing results from other labs.

The bottom line is that those FAILED attempts cost money – cost real dollars. This helps explain in part the rising cost of prescription drugs.

Obviously, we all wish that drugs could be developed at lower cost. But researchers must be paid, facilities must be maintained and gambles are taken that the research will produce a life-saving or life-enhancing drug. When it doesn't, that cost drops to the bottom line of the drug companies.

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Dr. Brueck received his undergraduate degree from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois and his MD from the University of Illinois, College of Medicine.

After medical school, he participated in a select surgical internship at Rush Presbyterian through the St. Luke's Medical Center. He remained at St. Luke's Medical Center to complete his plastic surgery residency.

His plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery training culminated with the completion of a burn fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and an aesthetic surgery fellowship in Miami, Florida.

Dr. Brueck is associated with professional medical societies, including:

Florida Medical Association / Lee County Medical Society / Southern Medical Association / American Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons / American Association of Laser Medicine & Surgery /
Aesthetic Surgery Association / American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery


 

 

Contact Dr. Brueck at 239-939-5233, through email or through his Aesthetic Co-ordinator, Judy. (Please understand that email, even encrypted email, is not secure since your written message may be seen by unauthorized people after it is received in our office.)

Would you like to see before-and-after photos of Dr. Brueck's cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery results? We understand and are proud to present them. Simply click here. We are careful to treat them privately; they contain images that some people may find offensive. If you are offended by nudity or are under 18 years old, please do not view these pages.

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Dr. Robert Brueck MD, Board Certified plastic surgeon


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