General Practitioners

• Warts
• Medical Weight Loss
  The skin of the breasts can become loose after weight loss, pregnancy or simply the passage of time due to gravity. This unattractive saggy appearance can be corrected by a skin tightening operation called Mastopexy. This type of surgery is generally not covered by insurance, so it is performed in our office surgical facility to lower the cost. The operation lasts 2-3 hours depending on the type of technique used.
• Infectious Diseases
  Patients with a blood-related cancer had the greatest shingles risk — more than three times that of people without cancer, according to the recent study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Gynecologists

• Pregnancy

Internists

• Colon Cancer
  “The largest gaps are for the most preventable cancers,” she said. For example, in the early 1970s, colon cancer death rates were 20 percent lower in poor counties, and today they are 35 percent higher, when compared with people living in richer counties, Siegel said.
• Prostate Cancer
  While cancer risk factors such as family history and aging can’t be controlled, lifestyle changes such as eating right, staying active and not smoking can lower your risk, said Dr. Elias Obeid. He is director of breast, ovarian and prostate cancer risk assessment at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
• Lung Cancer
  Siegel noted that “lung cancer still kills more Americans than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined.”

Neurologists

• Neurology
  Dr Riou is the child of immigrant parents and grew up in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. His parents were raised alongside 5 and 8 siblings on small farms in Brittany, France during the second World War. They only had a middle school education, and sailed to America with little money and no knowledge of the English language. As most immigrants to America, they instilled a strong work ethic and emphasized education as they themselves did not have the opportunity. Dr Riou was the first in his family to graduate from High School, let alone College or Medical School. He has emphasized Academia throughout his life and is grateful to have realized the “American Dream”. He moved to the greater Charlotte area in 1994 after completing 14 years of higher education in New York and New Haven. He has shared a medical practice with his wife Dr. Lori Schneider for the last 25 years. She practices Neurology and they have been together since 1984 attending the same prestigious college, medical school and residency Hospitals (NYU and Yale). They are strong believers that good medicine begins with good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Multiple Sclerosis

Endocrinologist

• Thyroid

Radiologist

• MRI
  There were 114 patients with deflation(Between July 1994 and May 2012. This is our most common reason to re-operate. All implants eventually deflate as they have a finite life span. If the implants are saline and one of them ruptures, that breast will lose volume rapidly. The need to replace it will be obvious. The exchange is usually simple and can be done under local anesthesia (if no pocket work is necessary) and the cost is covered by both manufacturers if it happens in the first 10 years. If the implant is silicone gel, rupture is usually silent (the patient will not notice any change) as most are intracapsular. Where the gel is outside the initial implant shell but contained by the capsule scar. The diagnosis is radiological (MRI, Mammogram) or clinical (pain, hardening, change in shape). The exchange of ruptured gel implant requires a total capsulectomy (removing the scar capsule) but no harm occurs from the gel to the rest of the body. We feel strongly that silicone gel is safe and we use it on all mastectomy patients and augmentation patients that are underweight and/or severely underdeveloped. In our saline experience we have had 148 deflations with the earliest at 8 months and the latest at 27 years. We have found that the textured saline implants deflate more often than the smooth, that the smooth McGhan (AKA Allergan, Naturel) deflate more at the valve while Mentor smooth deflate more at the peripheral fold (fold failure) but that both manufacturers’ smooth saline deflate at the same rate. In addition, a disproportionate number of deflations were either under inflated or had no added volume (i.e. minimum or less than minimum volume) so, in general, we add saline beyond the minimum, for example 325+25. The first number is implant minimum volume and the +25 is the number added beyond that. We also have measured all the implants volume of intact implants that we remove for revision and have found that they remain within 4cc of original volume even years later. So, over time they remain completely filled for years until the day the shell or valve weakens and the volume is lost suddenly.
• Chemotherapy
  But among patients with solid tumors, the greater risk was largely associated with receiving chemotherapy treatment, rather than with the cancer itself, the researchers said.

Surgeons

• General Surgery
• Hand Surgery
• Reconstructive Surgery
  Dr. Riou, Lake Norman’s first plastic surgeon, brings with him superb credentials from Yale University. He has had outstanding results, with extremely high patient satisfaction rates. His practice is dedicated exclusively to plastic & reconstructive surgery of the breast and body contouring (liposuction and tummy tucks).

Plastic Surgeons

• Botox
• Liposuction
  Liposuction is the surgical removal of localized, diet resistant, fat deposits through small incisions. The technological advances in the last decade have made liposuction a tremendously safe and effective procedure. As a result it has become one of the most commonly performed surgeries in the United States. The use of wetting solutions containing adrenaline and local anesthesia, which are injected into the tissues, have enabled surgeons to suction fat with minimal bleeding. Also, the smaller size of the cannulas used to remove the fat has decreased the amount of trauma to tissues and keeps blood loss to a minimum. In addition, it allows us to remove the fat with a smoother contour. If patients are overweight or have significant looseness of the skin, they are not generally good candidates. These patients are advised to lose weight first and will likely require subsequent skin tightening surgery such as tummy tucks.
• Breast Augmentation
  Breast Augmentation is a surgical procedure that enhances the size & shape of a woman’s breast. This is often desirable in patients that have lost significant volume after pregnancy and breastfeeding (involutional mammary hypoplasia). It is also beneficial in patients that have underdeveloped or absent breast tissue. This can be a genetic predisposition or in association with congenital deformities such as Poland Syndrome (absent chest wall muscle with or without upper extremity abnormalities) the procedure is also helpful in correcting breast asymmetries where the size and shape are different. Finally, it can be a balancing procedure in patients that have undergone mastectomy reconstruction to enhance the non-cancer side.
• Breast Reduction
• Breast Lift
• Plastic Surgery
  Welcome to Riou Plastic Surgery Center, where we take a personal interest in helping you achieve the look that you desire. Our dedicated staff will do their utmost to make you feel at ease during your initial consultation* and throughout your experience with us.
• Abdominoplasty
  Pregnancy puts a lot of stress on the abdominal wall. Even women who do not exceed normal weight gain (25-30 pounds) and exercise throughout their pregnancy can still develop loose skin and abdominal wall weakness after their delivery. Genetic predisposition, multiple births, large babies, excessive weight gain and lack of exercise can all contribute to the extent of the abdominal laxity. Unfortunately, if this looseness develops, dieting and exercise seldomly restore the abdomen to the pre-pregnancy state. The abdominal wall between the sit-up muscles, once stretched, cannot be strengthened through workout alone. Surgery such as Abdominoplasty, or “tummy tuck”, is required to correct this “diastasis recti” defect.
• Breast Surgery
  At age 20, Dr. Riou was the youngest student in his medical school class at NYU. He completed his plastic surgery training at Yale University and scored top 1% in the nation on the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For 28 years he has dedicated his practice exclusively to Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery and Mommy Makeovers.
• Body Contouring
  Childbearing and weight loss fluctuations can lead to significant loose skin and unwanted fat deposits that are often resistant to diet and exercise. Removing these through direct skin excision and liposuction can restore the body back to a more youthful appearance. Tummy Tuck and Liposuction are the most common Body Contouring Procedures.
• Gynecomastia
  Gynecomastia is an abnormal growth of breast tissue in males. It frequently begins during puberty and often resolves spontaneously. Weight gain and certain medications contribute to the deformity. The use of marijuana has been linked to Gynecomastia. If the excessive breast tissue persist beyond the initial adolescent growth spurt, surgery to remove the gland is advisable. This often has a dramatic psychological impact on the patient, as significant embarrassment is often associated with the deformity. The breast tissue is removed through a small incision at the lower areola and liposuction of the chest is usually performed for a smooth contour. If Gynecomastia results from large weight gain, some skin may be removed as well to correct the redundancy. The surgery formerly was covered by insurance but more recently has become difficult to approve. As a result, we usually perform the procedure in our office surgical facility to make it more affordable. The surgery takes 2 hours and patients recover over the weekend.
• Cosmetic Surgery
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Dermatologists

• Skin Cancer
  The strongest link between exercise and reduced risk of death was seen with eight types: breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, bladder, endometrial, esophageal and skin cancer, the research team said.
• Chemical Peels
  Our experienced aesthetician Gabrielle Johnson, has been with us for more than 15 years.  She has been trained extensively in facial and chemical peels.  Her vast knowledge and experience  will help guide you through achieving your best results.  Gabrielle is available Monday through Friday by appointment only.
• Rashes
• Skin Care
  Call for your initial consultation to discuss your skin care concerns and see what treatments would be best for you.
• Burns

Physical Therapists

• Neck Pain