About Us
Three years ago, Plastic Surgeon Luis A. Vinas, M.D., F.A.C.S., stood in his plastic surgery center and listened to an anxious Breast Reconstruction patient ask him the same question that other patients had asked when they viewed what had been their nipple area:
“Doctor, isn’t there something that can make my breast whole again?”
Right then and there he decided to do something about it.
“I had thought about this dilemma for years,” says Dr. Vinas. “But earlier the technology to create the perfect cosmetic prosthetic nipple just wasn’t available. Now I decided it was time to try again.”
Like other Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Vinas knew that there was no cosmetic nipple prosthetic worth offering to a patient. All that was available was the option of nipple reconstruction. But the results of nipple reconstruction, no matter how skilled the surgeon, were rudimentary at best.
Dr. Vinas put together his team: a Biomedical Engineer and a Chemical Engineer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, a top Hollywood make up artist, and several of his breast reconstruction patients. Their goal: to create a beautiful and practical cosmetic prosthetic nipple to end the dilemma of breast reconstruction patients.
The cosmetic prosthetic nipple had to be as lifelike as possible. It had to be thin, resilient, hypo allergenic, and self-adhering. It had to be translucent so a woman’s skin tone would blend in with the nipple’s coloration for a perfect match. It had to mold perfectly to the contours of a woman’s breast for a natural look. And it had to be reusable so women could afford it.
With painstaking attention to detail, thousands of hours were spent in a laboratory pouring over available ingredients, pigments, adhesives and compounds. Prototypes were tested again and again by real life patients and their input led to more and more improvements. Focus groups of women spent hours sitting around a table discussing nipple projection, texture, color, and feel. A whole new manufacturing process was developed to give the nipple the natural look and feel that the patients desired.
After a two year birthing process, in December of 2007, everybody involved agreed: ReForma was perfect and ready for use by women everywhere.
One of the very first women to try ReForma thanked us for our long task with words that will always stay with our company:
“Dr. Vinas, for the first time in ten years, I feel whole again.” Now we are dedicated to continuing the high standard of quality that our patients demanded when we developed ReForma. We want women to have a product of unparalleled excellence, comfort, and beauty. ReForma is made in the U.S.A. of the highest quality silicone and pigments available. Each ReForma is inspected for color, smoothness, texture, and adhesiveness before it leaves our manufacturing laboratory.
ReForma purchasers have flooded us with letters and emails thanking us for our product. We are very proud of those endorsements.
The inventor of ReForma, Plastic Surgeon Luis A. Vinas, M.D., F.A.C.S., is Board Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Vinas’ clinical appointments include several Florida hospitals, and he maintains memberships in several medical societies, including:
- American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Florida Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
- Florida Medical Association
Dr. Vinas has been practicing medicine for 30 years, 23 years devoted to the practice of plastic surgery.
Dr. Vinas is a recognized expert in the breast and breast surgery. He is a nationally recognized innovator of new plastic surgery techniques and has been invited by the Plastic Surgery Division for Harmonic Ethicon, a division of Johnson and Johnson, to educate and lecture fellow doctors on the use of the new Harmonic Scalpel. Dr. Vinas trains other plastic surgeons in the use of this exciting new technology which decreases a patient’s swelling, bleeding and pain, and cuts down time in half.
Dr. Vinas has developed many new techniques in plastic surgery, including dermal graft suspension suture face lifts, and the breast lift with internal suspensions which creates a more permanent lift similar to that achieved with implants. He has perfected the superior medial pedicle breast reduction surgery, which provides higher lift and projection with no horizontal scarring.
Dr. Vinas has advanced training in all aspects of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
He is most proud of his recognition as a Heroes in Medicine Finalist for his volunteer humanitarian surgical missions to Honduras and Peru over the past eight years.
Cosmetic Surgery Consultation with Dr. Vinas is free of charge, and is provided as part of his extraordinary patient care. L.A. Vinas Plastic Surgery Center and Med Spa is located in West Palm Beach, Florida and boasts the most advanced techniques and options for patients, both women and men. If you would like to have a complimentary consultation, please call the center at 561-655-3305, or visit the website, www.lavinasmd.com.