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Study Recommends Treating Gynecomastia

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

For men with enlarged breast glands or excess breast tissue, wearing a swimsuit may cause embarrassment. Male breast reduction can correct gynecomastia and reshape the chest so it has a more masculine look.

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.

Posted in Body procedures, Men, News | Tagged treating gynecomastia | Leave a comment

Health Officials Alarmed Over Silicone Buttock Injections

Posted on December 5, 2011 by

Silicone buttock injections are not a safe procedure, but unfortunately that hasn’t stopped some women from obtaining them, reports the Baltimore Sun.

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.

Posted in Body procedures, News | Tagged silicone buttock injections | Leave a comment

Reducing Calories May Delay Aging, Study Finds

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

slow down the aging process Reducing calories leads to weight loss. But could it also delay the onset of some age-related diseases?

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.

Posted in Anti-Aging, News | Tagged slow down the aging process | Leave a comment

Smiling is One Way to Look Younger

Posted on November 21, 2011 by

Looking for an easy way to look younger? Try smiling!

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.