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Male Cosmetic Surgery is a Steadily Growing Trend

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Nat

In a recently released NBC News article, it has been reported that nearly twice as many men are choosing to have cosmetic surgery as did fifteen years ago. Much of this growth may be accountable for the cultural shifts that have surrounded cosmetic surgery and male image in the last few decades.

“I think now it’s becoming more acceptable and men are looking more into plastic surgery and I think this trend is gonna go from 10 to 15 to 20 percent. I think it’s gonna go up,” says El Paso, TX surgeon Dr. Ozan Sozer. Some of the most common cosmetic surgeries performed on men are liposuction, chin surgery, nose jobs and breast reductions.

Men Having More Chin Surgeries, Breast Reductions

Men may tend to be a little more cautious. According to Dr. Sozer, “Everybody has doubts, especially if you’re having surgery for a reason that is not absolutely necessary. To make them feel more comfortable, I usually see female patients with a female nurse with me. With the males, I see them by myself so it’s just a male to male conversation so I think they feel more comfortable with that.”

In many cases, men choose to undergo additional procedures after a consultation on a simpler matter. Henry Parisi’s initial consult was for a growth on his jaw. “I got to talking to Dr. Sozer about doing some extra things for me. He showed me some photos of his male patients before and after and what I could see all of them kinda looked refreshed. They didn’t look plastic or overdone. I got a little bit excited. I thought, ‘What the heck. I’m going under the knife…go the whole nine yards.’”

While Parisi eventually opted for a facelift, some of the most common surgeries for men are liposuction and chin surgery, often with an augmentation for more prominent features. Male breast reduction is also very popular.

Posted in Men | Tagged cosmetic surgery for men, In, male cosmetic surgery | Leave a comment

Increasing European Breast Augmentation Unaffected by Austerity Measures

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Nat

As the number of European breast augmentation procedures continues to rise despite a wide range of European austerity measures, investors are benefiting, according to a recent article in The Financial Times. Also discussed in the article were dramatic increases in Botox sales, which is also an Allergan product.

Even though many European countries are experiencing record unemployment numbers and are being forced to cut back in a number of areas, breast implant growth is skyrocketing. The chief executive of Allergan, David Pyott, stated that his company had double-digit growth in its breast implant sales in the first three months of 2012.

Numerous Factors Lead to European Breast Implant Sales Increases

According to Mr. Pyott, “In southern Europe, people spend a higher proportion of their income on appearance and lifestyle. They are happy to live in a modest apartment and look good facially and body-wise when they go out.”

In addition to personal reasons, the recent scandals involving PIP breast implants have turned more patients to Allergan products. These scandals seem not to have diminished breast implant sales.

Botox, another product sold by Allergan, is also continuing to increase in European popularity. Though steadily gaining in cosmetic and medical use, sales of Botox for non-cosmetic use have now become more common in Europe than the traditional cosmetic uses. These non-cosmetic uses include migraine headache relief, joint pain relief, and additional muscular and pain-related conditions.

All together, the European increases have dramatically helped the success of Allergan, a United States pharmaceutical company. In the last year, the company’s net earnings have increased by 45 percent. Despite difficult economic times, cosmetic procedures and sales of cosmetic products continue to enjoy dramatic growth.

Both Botox and breast augmentation continue to be wildly successful procedures in American markets as well. Botox is the most popular non-surgical procedure in the US, and breast augmentation is traditionally one of the top surgical procedures.

Posted in Breast Augmentation, News | Tagged European breast implant increases, Increased breast augmentation in Europe | Leave a comment

Increasing Numbers of Cosmetic Procedures Prompt Workplace Guidelines

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Nat

An April article in Reuters lays out a number of excellent guidelines that can help facilitate comfortable conversation about cosmetic surgery in the workplace, particularly when involving those who undergo surgery themselves.

According to The Wall Street Journal, more people are undergoing cosmetic surgery than ever before, prompting a number of developments to the industry as well as requisite shifts in conversational etiquette.

Increasing Cosmetic Procedures May Require Guidelines for Comfortable Discussions

Cosmetic surgery procedures have been growing across the board, including breast augmentation, body lifts and especially facial procedures such as chin augmentations, liposuction and facial fillers.

The Reuters article quotes Dr. Mary Lee Peters, a Seattle-based cosmetic surgeon, who said that having these procedures “takes on a polarizing effect like religion or politics. People have very strong opinions about it. There is no getting around it and no denying it. It is foolish to pretend that comfort in one’s body doesn’t matter. The people most likely to deny it are mostly uncomfortable with their own appearance.”

The guidelines discussed in the article include some commonsense advice, such as “don’t ask,” “don’t judge,” and “don’t gossip.” General wisdom advises those who suspect someone has undergone cosmetic surgery to let the potential patient bring it up in their own time.

Once the subject has been broached, it is best to focus on the health side of the discussion, asking the patient how they are feeling, how their recovery has been, and how they personally feel about the results of the procedure. Asking these supportive questions is one of the best ways to be an empathetic and interested listener. If the patient remarks on a dissatisfaction with the procedure, it is best to say something along the lines of, “I see what you mean, but only when you point it out.”

In Dr. Peters’ opinion, “It’s like choosing butter over olive oil, or vice versa. If you want to do it, and you are able to, why would that be any different from using resources to go to Europe or anywhere else?”

Posted in Breast Augmentation, Cosmetic Surgery | Tagged cosmetic surgery guidelines, increasing cosmetic surgery | Leave a comment

Recent FDA Approval of the New Sientra Silicone Breast Implants

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Nat

The FDA has just approved a new type of silicone breast implants produced by Sientra, as recently reported in a Medscape Education article.

The two previously approved silicone breast implants were given approval by the FDA in November, 2006. They are the Natrelle, manufactured by Allergan and MemoryGel, manufactured by Mentor.

Third Type of Silicon Breast Implants Manufactured by Sientra

Almost 300,000 women received breast augmentation in the United States in 2010, a number which has consistently climbed each year. It is estimated that there are 5-10 million women with breast implants worldwide.

Prior to granting approval, the FDA typically insists on rigorous clinical testing. In this case, three years of clinical trials were undertaken with a testing group of 1788 women. It was determined that the potential side effects of these new implants were no more frequent or serious than the other, currently accepted silicone or saline implants.

The final findings of the FDA report stated that: “based on the totality of the evidence, the FDA believes that silicone gel–filled breast implants have a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness when used as labeled.”

The approval of the Sientra silicone implants required a number of post-approval conditions, including:

Seven years of follow-up studies on the 1788 female participants of the previous clinical trials
Undertaking of five studies that evaluate any links between the new implants and lymphoma, cervical/vulvar cancer, brain cancer, neurological disease and connective tissue disease
Monitoring of almost 5000 recipients of the implants for the next ten years, to see if they develop long-term complications

The FDA report also cautioned that it is important for women who undergo breast augmentation to be aware that they may require revision of their implants with time, and that the implants should only be used in women older than 22 years of age.

(The Medscape article linked to in the first paragraph may require a Medscape account to view.)