Silicone breast implants have changed radically over the years, coming a long way from the first prosthetics.

Link: Modern breast implants evolve to latest generation of ‘shaped’

What happens after massive weight loss? Two sisters in Tulsa, Oklahoma recently found out when they each lost over 130 lbs. After conventional weight loss methods did not succeed, Marla Sheperd and Kelly Butler decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery.

With help from Dr. Louis Garosby and a cosmetic surgeon in Tulsa, the sisters are looking great.

Link: Sisters See Incredible Results Following Weight Loss Surgery

You probably know that SPF stands for sun protection factor. But how should you apply that to your daily life and choose an SPF rating that is right for you? People often think the sun protection factor is an estimate of how much time you can spend in the sun. According to the Beauty Brains blog, this is only half of the equation….

Link: What SPF really means

When an orthopedic implant fails, much of the time the (very high) costs are passed on to the patient, Medicare, or a health insurance company. Artificial knees and hips are “normally not guaranteed” says a recent New York Times story.

But take a look at breast implants from Mentor or Allergan and you see a different story. While breast implants are typically less expensive than other medical implants, their warranties have become more generous over the years. Both manufacturers now offer financial assistance and lifetime product replacement. With any type of implant, you should ask about warranties before your surgery.

Link: Makers of Artificial Joints Rarely Offer Warranties

The Academy chose a different approach this year, polling random physicians as well as its own members for the survey. The results show numbers higher than ever seen before.

Highlights

• AACS members have seen an 8% increase in cosmetic procedures despite the economic recession.
• Procedures that increased markedly over the last 5 years include the tummy tuck, blepharoplasty, nose surgery, chemical peels and wrinkle fillers.

AACS President and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Mark Berman comments, “As the economy recovers slowly but surely, we are seeing patients come back and feel better about doing some things for themselves that maybe they’d been putting off for a while.

Read more at www.cosmeticsurgery.org

Acupuncture, the ancient Chinese therapy of strategic needle placement in the body, is long believed to alleviate a variety of physical ailments and emotional imbalances.  But could it be a cost-effective wrinke treatment?

In this ABC News segment, plastic surgeon Dr. Bruce Genter is critical of acupuncture for the purpose of wrinkle treatment, pointing to the lack of scientific evidence.

Julia Engstrom, who is featured in the video, says she has undergone Botox treatment and laser treatment in the past. She believes facial acupuncture has improved her skin texture and reduced her wrinkles. Nearing the end of 10 treatments, she says her improvements have come through improved sleep and relaxation. “I’ve noticed that my skin is a lot smoother, [there’s] a lot less red pigment in there and the wrinkling seems to be a lot less,” Engstrom said.

In an article for Prevention magazine, licensed acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner Phyllis Olson asserts that acupuncture can indeed lessen the appearance of wrinkles. She attributes this to a core premise of acupuncture – that health is reliant upon the healthy flow of chi (energy) in the body, which can be disrupted for a myriad of reasons. Acupuncture treatments are believed to break up energy blockages that prevent optimal blood flow to certain places in the body, improving circulation.

Acupuncturist Beata Maslanka acknowledges that acupuncture doesn’t yield visible results that compare to Botox or other facial fillers, but claims that beauty actually comes from within; when internal imbalances are resolved, people look better overall. Olson agrees, noting that the treatments foster relaxation of facial muscles, thereby reducing wrinkles. “Aside from the light, momentary stings, acupuncture is really quite relaxing,” she adds.

Althugh one can wonder about the salutary effects of relaxation and optimism, the visible results Engstrom points to are hard to discern from the video, and people sometimes have a tendency to see (and believe) what they want to see.

If acupuncture does produce any wrinkle-relaxing effects, how long can one expect them to last? NYC dermatologic surgeon Barney Kenet, MD tells Prevention: “If acupuncture relaxes the muscles, it might reduce wrinkling temporarily. As for the increased blood flow, at most it will probably give you a temporary rosy complexion–something you don’t want if you have an inflammatory condition such as acne or rosacea,” he warns. “Otherwise, cosmetic acupuncture is relatively harmless.”

Maybe it is harmless if you ignore the cost of acupuncture. The average price is about $60 to $100 per session, with 10 sessions recommended by Olson, followed by monthly maintenance procedures.

In contrast, the average Botox treatment in the US costs $472 and a single treatment will last 3-6 months. By comparison, this makes acupuncture wrinkle treatments appear costly as well as unproven. Dr. Genter (whose Philadelphia Botox patients are displayed on his site to demonstrate the wrinkle reducing effects of injectables) says: ”If it increases your well-being that’s great, I just don’t know that it can make your face look younger.”

Botox treatments in Cincinnati, Ohio

Now doctors and plastic surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are seeking approval to perform a similar operation.  According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, doctors at the UPMC have experience performing hand transplants — procedures that require highly advanced surgery techniques that reconnect tissues, veins and blood vessels – but a face transplant involves more complex aesthetic goals and may require donation of organs that are very difficult to procure.

• Read more at the Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Responding to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and their plans to promote positive media coverage, the post is warning its readers to guard themselves against “mind-bending” stories that might “soften you up” and interfere with your ability to make a rational decision.

Not only would I like to believe that people are smarter than that, but also that the Academy only seeks to counterbalance the disproportionate volume of negative (even absurd) press regarding plastic surgery – the type of journalism that you can regularly find on the Huffington Post.  It seems that much of the time, the success stories of plastic surgery get lost amid the sensationalized commentary about celebrities and their complications/addictions.

If you’re reading this, know that we trust you to think critically and think for yourself.

Your appearance may be an accurate indicator of your health and potential after all, according to results of the study: “Perceived age as clinically useful biomarker of ageing: cohort study.”

Danish researchers measured the perceived age of twins and found that perceived age was correlated with survival; i.e. the younger looking twin was likely to live longer than his or her counterpart.  Researchers also found significant correlations between perceived age and healthy functioning – both cognitive and physical.

Read More online in the British Medical Journal. Perceived age as clinically useful biomarker of ageing: cohort study.

Do….

• Investigate the procedure of interest.

Though your cosmetic surgeon should be a trustworthy, knowledgeable authority, you still need to seek out more than one resource for information. Research will help you protect yourself and help you decide if cosmetic surgery is truly in line with your personal values.

• Ask your surgeon about board certification.

Find out what board has certified your surgeon and what standards must be met to receive that certification.

• Find out if your surgeon has a prevention plan for DVT.

Deep vein thrombosis is a possible complication. Your plastic surgeon should take steps to minimize the risk and be prepared to see early signs of its occurrence.

• Ask about your surgeon’s experience with the procedure and if he or she has hospital privileges.

A good surgeon will have absolutely no qualms about sharing his or her experience and credentials.

• Inquire about the certification and safety of the facility.

If the surgery is done in an outpatient clinic, ask about accreditation of the facility. As Tulsa cosmetic surgeon Dr. Angelo Cuzalina recommends, go “to a clinic that’s been accredited by a group such as the Joint Commission or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.”

Don’t…….

• Seek out unapproved medical procedures.

According to sources for CNN, Argentine beauty queen Solange Magnano requested silicone injections for a buttock augmentation, a procedure that is not approved here in the U.S. or in Argentina.  In most cases, you should assume that such procedures are restricted for a good reason.

• Take the process lightly.

When you walk into a cosmetic surgeon’s office, it may not “feel” like a hospital, but it’s definitely not a spa. Real surgeries are performed in your surgeon’s outpatient suite, with real risks.

As Dr. Steven Teitelbaum told the New York Times this week, “[cosmetic surgery patients] are a disorganized group that has no one of its own representing it.”

“They don’t want to come out and march on Capitol Hill,” he said. “You’re not going to have a million-man Botox march.”  Aside from the occasional gripe from one or two people here in Cincinnati, there haven’t been many non-surgeons weighing in on this issue.

Plastic surgery statistics have repeatedly shown that middle class females predominantly purchase these services, so any tax levied against them will unfairly discriminate against women.

The bill also imposes the burden of making clear distinctions between procedures that are “medically necessary” and simply elective.  This is a very difficult line to draw in certain situations, and many have questioned the government’s role in making such distinctions.

Details of the bill are below:

”SEC. 5000B. IMPOSITION OF TAX ON ELECTIVE COSMETIC MEDICAL PROCEDURES.
”(a) IN GENERAL.-There is hereby imposed on any cosmetic surgery and medical procedure a tax equal to 5 percent of the amount paid for such procedure (determined without regard to this section), whether paid by insurance or otherwise.
”(b) COSMETIC SURGERY AND MEDICAL PROCEDURE.-For purposes of this section, the term ‘cosmetic surgery and medical procedure’ means any cosmetic surgery (as defined in section 213(d)(9)(B)) or other similar procedure which-
”(1) is performed by a licensed medical professional, and
”(2) is not necessary to ameliorate a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring disease.