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Cosmetic Surgery StoriesToday's Featured Doctor |
In Times of Recession, Botox Beats Out Facelifts
Cosmetic surgeons are saying that surgeries such as facelifts and breast augmentations are down, while procedures that don't entail going under the knife - and which are less expensive - are up.
This is according to a recent study by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. "What they found is that 53 percent of the plastic surgeons were actually seeing a 30 to 40 percent decrease in the business," said Dr. Constantino Mendieta, a cosmetic surgeon in Miami. The worsening economy, he said, has caused Americans to turn away from expensive procedures, and to rush instead to get cheaper cosmetic work done on themselves, such as botox treatments, wrinkle injections, liposuction or mini-facelifts.
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Dissolving Away Fat in the Doctor's Office
It seems like the cosmetic physician's magic wand.
Just inject one of a variety of chemical cocktails into fat deposits in the body and watch them evaporate! This technique is called mesotherapy or LipoDissolve.
Or the doctor can aim a radio wave at problem areas of, say, the face or arms to tighten skin without any incision at all. This process is called Thermage, Thermacool or Thermalift.
The physician can even target and destroy fat cells with high-intensity ultrasound, a strategy known as LipoSonix.
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Injectable Fillers Produce Youthful Appearance
The latest strategy to overcome wrinkles, sagging facial flesh, bony hands and flappy earlobes is under-the-skin injections of cosmetic fillers with exotic names like Restylane, Radiesse, Sculptra, ArteFill, Juvéderm, Ultra Plus and Perlane.
The idea behind all of these fillers is to inject an organic chemical, such as poly-L-lactic acid (in the case of Sculptra) or hyaluronic acid (in the case of Restylane) - which have been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration - to plump up the skin. This erases wrinkles, lines, jowls, creases and the like - for a period of time.
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Cosmetic Laser Surgery: The Cutting Edge
Laser surgery has become the cutting edge in cosmetic medicine. Why? Because it's able to accomplish just as much as invasive surgical techniques in less time and with faster recovery rates.
Using laser surgical techniques is also more precise, and produces less bleeding, bruising and scarring. A patient will typically get an injection of anesthetic, making the procedure painless, and be done in 30-40 minutes.
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Body Contouring a Good Follow-up to Liposuction
Obese patients who undergo the weight-reduction procedure known as liposuction are left with unsightly sags of skin that are uncomfortable and embarrassing. The excess tissue may even lead to irritation and infection as it rubs against the body.
Enter body contouring. This technique gets rid of the unattractive folds, making the patient sleek and "normal"-looking. But it's a complex, highly invasive procedure that involves considerable discomfort during recuperation.
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Understanding Changes in Overeating As We Age
Key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older, according to a Monash University scientist. Dr. Zane Andrews has found that appetite-suppressing cells are damaged by free radicals after eating and said the degeneration is more significant following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars. Dr. Andrews claims, "The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are damaged, and potentially you consume more."
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Stay Active or Grow Old
People who are physically active in their free time may be biologically younger than those who live sedentary lifestyles, a recent British study suggests. Researchers looked at the physical activity levels, smoking habits and socioeconomic status of 2,400 white twins. DNA samples were collected from participants in order to examine length of telomeres-repeated sequences at the end of chromosomes in white blood cells - which serves as a possible marker of a person's biological age. Study participants had an average telomere loss of 21 nucleotides per year. But those who were more active in their leisure time had longer leukocyte telomeres than those who were less active.
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Large Numbers Support Interest in Cosmetic Surgery
A survey conducted by UCLA scientists and reported in the latest issue of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery shows that most women and large numbers of men are intersted in having cosmetic surgery. Forty eight percent of women in the survey showed interest in cosmetic surgery, liposuction or both, and 23 percent said there might be a possibility of interest. For men, 23 percent said they would be interested in surgery, and another 17 percent expressed possible interest. Additionally, 21 percent of women and 11 percent of men described themselves as unattractive, and 31 percent of women and 16 percent of men reported feeling so uncomfortable in a swimsuit that they avoid wearing one in public.
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If Left Untreated, Varicose Veins Can Pose Risks
Varicose veins are an unsightly nuissance for one in two people over 50 who enjoy wearing warm weather clothing during summer months. For many people, the aesthetic benefit of getting treatment to clear up these bulging, ropy, or bruised looking veins offers enough incentive. However, few people are aware of the health dangers that can arise if varicose veins are left untreated.
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Plastic Surgery, the Who and What of It
Ever wonder who's getting plastic surgery? For the most part, it's women. Statistics compiled by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that of the 11.5 million cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures done in 2005, over 90% were preformed on women. In fact, surgical procedures for women showed a modest annual increase of 2%, while they were down 8% for men.
People ages 35-50 years are the most likely to have a cosmetic procedure done, accounting for nearly half of procedures, compared with just 4% of people 65 and older.
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