A new study found that the anti-aging benefits of rhinoplasty were statistically significant, and, on average, patients looked 1.5 years younger after the procedure, according to Ali Sepehr, MD, and researchers at the University of Toronto.

During the study, 50 people guessed the ages of 53 rhinoplasty patients in before-and-after photos. The patients ranged in age from 15 to 61, and about three-quarters were women.

Patients who had a hump reduced or removed saw the greatest anti-aging effect. Among these patients, the reduction in perceived age was 1.6 years younger after surgery, compared to 1.1 years for patients who did not have a hump prior to surgery. Those with a droopy tip also saw more of the age reduction benefit.

Whether a patient was older or younger at the time of surgery was less of a factor, the researchers reported.

“Older patients tended to enjoy a greater degree of rejuvenation,” they wrote in the study. But the differences between age reduction in older vs. younger patients was not statistically significant.

While rhinoplasty may make you look slightly younger, this is not the reason people choose the procedure. Patients are usually motivated to have nose surgery in order to improve the look of their nose or to improve their breathing.

Dr. Sepehr told Reuters Health, “I wouldn’t say that in terms of the findings of this study, it adds a major reason to go forward with the procedure. It’s just a nice added benefit when somebody’s already going to get the procedure for another purpose.”

Nose surgery can reduce the size of the nose, remove bumps, improve the nasal angle and alleviate breathing problems. To learn more about nose surgery, contact Dr. Mandell-Brown.

Sources: MedPage Today, Reuters Health

Actor Johnny Markoudakis told ABC that he got Botox injections in his forehead and around his eyes, and a week later people told him he looked more refreshed.

But Bro-tox patients include more than just actors, models and metrosexuals, according to ABC.

For instance, Marc from Detroit is 38 and works at a chemical company. “I do a lot of industrial type work, getting dirty. … And I restore old cars,” Marc told ABC.

When he started noticing that he had some wrinkles and that he was looking older, his wife Julie decided to get him Botox for Christmas.

“The card was very nice,” Marc said. “But then there was a little note that said … ‘Botox’ on it, and I was a little shocked. … It’s just not anything I thought I would do for myself.”

Marc used the gift and now has less noticeable crow’s feet thanks to Botox.

Cosmetic Procedures Becoming More Popular for Men

ABC News reports that over 300,000 men got Botox last year, a 10 percent increase from the previous year. Men are getting more cosmetic procedures in general — one in eight cosmetic surgery procedures is now performed on men.

According to the report, from 2010 to 2011, eyelid surgeries increased by 15% for men, facelifts by 14% and liposuction by 7%.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) says the five most popular procedures among men are Botox, hair transplantation/restoration, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion and liposuction.

A consumer survey by the AACS found that 12% of men plan to have cosmetic surgery at some point in the future and that 83% of men believe that personal appearance plays a role in their professional success and advancement.

Whether from years of wearing earrings or just the natural aging process, earlobes can stretch and age a woman. Some are choosing to have this corrected either in combination with a facelift or just the lobes on their own.

“It is no secret that more women are having what could be called a ‘lobe job’,” says Wendy Lewis, cosmetic surgery adviser and editor of a beauty news website. “Gravity takes its toll on earlobes — they droop like chins and breasts do, and can make you look older.”

Lewis says that heavy earrings can stretch the earlobe out of shape and sometimes even tear the earlobe, when the hole from a pierced ear gets so stretched that it tears the lobe open and needs to be stitched back together.

In addition to surgery, some surgeons are experimenting with other ways to rejuvenate the ears. A representative of a London-based clinic reported using radio-frequency energy to tighten the skin of the ears. She also said fillers are sometimes used to plump up the ear and make them look younger and fuller without surgery.

Earlobe Repair Surgery for Stretched Earlobes

Earlobe repair surgery is a relatively simple surgical procedure to repair a torn, stretched or split earlobe. Usually performed under local anesthesia, your cosmetic surgeon will remove the skin surrounding the split to create a clean edge, and then sutures are used to close the split earlobe.

Sutures are typically removed within two weeks of surgery, and patients can wear earnings again within six months.

If you’re interested in earlobe rejuvenation, talk to your cosmetic surgeon about the best approach. If you have cosmetic issues beyond stretched lobes, ear surgery can correct issues such as protruding ears, disproportionate ears and overly large or misshapen ears.

Cigarro by jfjwak on Flickr

If your 2012 resolution is to quit smoking, researchers have another reason to motivate you. A new study linked smoking and skin cancer in women.

Women who smoked for 20 years or more were twice as likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer than those who didn’t smoke. The second most common type of skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer forms on cells of the skin’s outermost layer and is less aggressive than melanoma.

While the study found an association between smoking and skin cancer, it did not prove a cause and effect.

Study Details

The study compared 383 patients with skin cancer to 315 people without it. Researchers collected information on how much participants smoked, when they started smoking and the number of years they smoked.

In total, 355 men and 343 women participated in the study; all participants were white, which is the group who is most at risk for skin cancer.

The more people smoked, the more likely they were to have skin cancer, said the study’s lead author Dana Rollison.

Skin Cancer & Smoking: Gender Differences

For male participants, those who smoked had a “modest” risk for basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer, but the results weren’t statistically significant, according to the study authors.

Rollinson said they aren’t sure why there was a difference between the men’s and women’s risk, but the female hormone estrogen may play a role, she said.

How Smoking Ages Your Skin

While not as serious as cancer, smoking can also cause damage that ages your skin. It can cause wrinkles, uneven skin tone, sagging and lines around the lips.

There are non-invasive procedures that can help correct some of the cosmetic problems caused by smoking. Laser skin resurfacing and facial peels remove the outer layer of skin, where the damage caused by smoking is most visible.

Body contouring procedures after weight loss are often a last and necessary step in a patient’s weight loss surgery journey.

Medically-assisted weight loss often results in loose and hanging skin on the upper arms, breasts, abdomen and thighs. Because of this, one or more body contouring procedures — such as a tummy tuck, breast lift, body lift, arm lift or liposuction — may be desired.

The Austrian study, published in Obesity Surgery journal, examined patients’ expectations of body contouring after massive weight loss. A questionnaire on body image, quality of life and expectations of body contouring surgery was answered by 252 patients who had gastric bypass surgery between 2003 and 2009.

While 90% of women and 88% of men surveyed said their appearance after weight loss was “satisfactory, good, or very good,” 96% reported having surplus skin that caused itching. Some also said they had problems playing sports and finding clothing that fit well.

A majority of men and women surveyed expressed a desire for body contouring, and the top three expectations of the surgery were:

• Improved appearance
• Improved self–confidence
• Improved quality of life

Both men and women ranked the abdominal area as most in need of contouring, followed by the breasts, thighs, upper arms and buttocks.

The researchers concluded that the success of using weight loss surgery to treat obese patients can’t be judged on weight loss alone. “Patients’ expectations for body contouring surgery are very precise and high,” so it is important that patients are given realistic expectations from their cosmetic surgeon before surgery, according to the authors.

For more information, view the full text of the study.

Consider this: between 2009 and 2010 Americans spent less on food, housing, clothes and entertainment, according to the article. Yet the popularity of cosmetic surgery grew during this same time, with people increasing their spending on cosmetic procedures, such as:

• Breast augmentation (spent 1.3 percent more from 2009 to 2010)
• Liposuction (spent 5.1 percent more)
• Eyelid surgery (spent 8.1 percent more)
• Butt lift (spent 24.4 percent more)

Why Cosmetic Surgery Is More Popular Than Ever

Why the increase in spending on cosmetic surgery? A potential career boost is one reason: some hope a nose job could lead to a real job.

For instance, one surgeon reported that recently more patients say they hope their younger look will help them stay competitive in their jobs.

Since some see it as an investment in their careers, they may use financing options that are now available to many cosmetic surgery patients. Financing options have allowed more people, who may not have been able to afford it otherwise, to undergo procedures. One surgeon in Michigan reported that about one in six of his patients will borrow money to pay for their procedures.

The cosmetic industry has also focused more on new marketing strategies in recent years. Consumers can find Groupon deals on some procedures or attend Botox parties with friends, for instance.

Finally, there’s more acceptance of cosmetic surgery in general, with 69 percent of people 18 to 24 saying they approve of cosmetic procedures. Meanwhile, cosmetic surgery is up almost 30 percent for senior citizens in the last five years.

Interested in cosmetic surgery in Cincinnati? Contact Dr. Mandell-Brown, and check out our current specials.

A new study shows that treating gynecomastia also improves patients’ quality of life. In addition, researchers found that patients reported a high degree of satisfaction with the procedure.

What is Gynecomastia?

Doctors believe the excess breast tissue is caused by hormonal problems. Men with gynecomastia can get a more masculine chest by having male breast reduction surgery.

During surgery, excess glandular tissue or fat is removed, either through liposuction or surgical tissue removal.

Results of Treating Gynecomastia

The study examined 126 patients who had undergone male breast reduction surgery in Siena or Pisa, Italy. The patients, whose average age was 28, were given questionnaires both before and one year after surgery. The survey asked patients about their motivations for treatment, degree of satisfaction with the procedure and quality of life.

All of the patients said their quality of life improved after the surgery, with an average satisfaction score of 8.2 out of 10.

The researchers found the results of surgery to be so positive that they suggested that patients with gynecomastia “undergo surgery always and as soon as possible.”

The surgery is relatively short — generally about one hour of operating time. The study reported a 17.72% complication rate. Potential complications include scarring, pigment changes, asymmetry, infection, bleeding and fluid loss or buildup.

Recovery from male breast reduction takes about one week, and exercise can usually be resumed about three weeks after surgery.

Contact Dr. Mandell-Brown in Cincinnati for more information on male breast reduction.

Silicone buttock injections

A dancer in Baltimore was admitted to the hospital in March with silicone in her lungs after the procedure, and the FDA is investigating this and other instances across the U.S.

The woman who injected the dancer, who is not a doctor or nurse, was arrested in October. Court records also showed the silicone may have come from a home improvement store.

The medical-grade liquid version of silicone is only approved for the treatment of detached retinas, according to the FDA. But in the past, doctors have used it for procedures, including breast augmentation and lip enhancement.

Doctors say injectable silicone is dangerous and is not used in procedures today, as it causes an inflammatory reaction in the tissue where it’s injected, and it can spread to other organs. The encased silicone used for breast and buttock implants is considered safe.

Safe Alternatives to Silicone Buttock Injections

There are cosmetic surgery procedures that are safe for augmenting the buttocks, such as fat transfer. The procedure, which is often used for the face, is referred to as a Brazilian butt lift when used for buttock augmentation.

During the procedure, fat is harvested from another area of the body, such as the abdomen, through liposuction. The fat is then purified and injected into the buttock tissue.

Buttock implants are another option. During the procedure, a silicone gel implant is inserted beneath the gluteus maxiumus muscle.

If you are interested in a cosmetic procedure, be sure to choose a qualified cosmetic surgeon. The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery provides guidelines for choosing a surgeon on its website or read our recent blog post on the topic.

Consuming fewer calories can slow down the aging process, according to researchers at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg. And the sooner one cuts down on calories, the greater the effect.

”We are able to show that caloric restriction slows down aging by preventing an enzyme, peroxiredoxin, from being inactivated. This enzyme is also extremely important in counteracting damage to our genetic material,” says Mikael Molin of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

Other studies have shown that restricting calories can delay the onset of some age-related diseases, such as cancer and type 2 diabetes, but it was unclear why. The researchers were able to identify peroxiredoxin 1, Prx1, one of the enzymes needed for the anti-aging effects of caloric restriction to work effectively.

The study showed that Prx1 is damaged as we age, but caloric restriction counteracts this by producing more of the enzyme Srx1, which repairs Prx1.

“Impaired Prx1 function leads to various types of genetic defects and cancer. Conversely, we can now speculate whether increased repair of Prx1 during ageing can counteract, or at least delay, the development of cancer,” according to the study.

The enzyme has also been linked to disorders that affect the nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The researchers plan to study if stimulation of Prx1 could delay the onset of these diseases.

The study’s results, published in Molecular Cell journal, are promising, but be sure to consult with your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.

While cosmetic procedures can’t slow down the internal aging process, they can help you look younger. For instance, Botox and fillers can help smooth away wrinkles that appear as we age. Schedule a consultation with your cosmetic surgeon to learn more about procedures that are right for you.

A new study found that our facial expressions have an impact on how old we look. Pictures of people who were smiling were estimated to appear on average two years younger than they actually were.

The study had 154 adults guess the ages of men and women with various expressions in more than 2,000 photographs. The face in each photo had one of the following expressions: angry, fearful, disgusted, happy, sad and neutral.

Participants guessed the ages of the neutral faces most accurately, but faces with emotion tended to throw off age predictions.

“Although age estimates can often be based on multiple cues, there are many situations in which a picture of a person’s face is the only information that is immediately available,” researcher Manuel C. Voelkle of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, and colleagues wrote.

For instance, on social networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn, a picture of a person may be the only content shared, without additional background information, according to the authors.

One thing to note is that researchers said pictures of happy faces may be misleading because smiling or laughing creates temporary wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. Because it’s hard to tell temporary wrinkles from real ones in photos, people give a less accurate age estimate, Voelkle said.

In addition, people tend to find smiling faces more attractive, so they may be judged to be younger than they are.

Another interesting finding was that older female faces were estimated to be over three years younger than older male faces. Voelkle thought this might be because women tend to pay more attention to their appearance than men do.

Learn about other non-surgical options for your face.