Cosmetic Surgery Insider

Plastic Surgery Playlists: What Doctors Are Rocking Out To In The OR

2011-08-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

In a recent article on iEnhance.com, doctors were asked what songs were on their plastic surgery playlists. Below are the outtakes from the article which feature a full list of songs and artists that some of the doctors surveyed shared.

Dr. Raffi Hovsepian

Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
Frank Sinatra - My Way
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - Garota de Ipanema
The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

Maurice P. Sherman, MD

Neil Diamond - Song Sung Blue, Coming to America, I Am She Said, Love on the Rocks
John Denver - Rocky Mountain High, This Old House, Leaving on a Jet Plane
Kenny Rogers - Lucille, The Gambler, Coward of the County
Willie Nelson - Georgia on My Mind, Don't Let your Sons Grow up to be Cowboys, Angels Flying Too Close to the Ground
Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire, A Boy Named Sue, Sunday Sidewalk, Folsom Prison Blues
Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind, The Way You Look Tonight, I'll Be Seeing You

Paul Vanek MD, FACS

Rick Braum - Body and Soul
ZZ Top
Sting
Chicago
Beethoven

Larry H. Pollack MD, FACS

Steely Dan - Gaucho
Joe Bonamassa - Further On Up The Road
Seal - Crazy
Van Morrison - Brown-Eyed Girl
Keb Mo - Whole Nutha Thang

Michelle Bonness, MD

Eva Cassidy - Over The Rainbow, Fields of Gold
Andre Bocelli & Laura Pausini - Dare To Live
Rush - Trees
The Stanley Brothers - Angel Band
Frankie Valli - My Eyes Adore You

The ‘Mommy Makeover:’ A Solution to the Post-Baby Blues?

2011-04-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding are experiences that many women look forward to and enjoy. Although they take pleasure in their new roles as mothers, there are some unpleasant changes to the body that aren’t as delightful. Throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding, the breasts and abdomen stretch, causing the skin to lose elasticity. In addition, there may also be specific areas of stubborn fat deposits that are resistant to exercise and diet.

Women who have exhausted natural means of weight loss often turn to cosmetic plastic surgery to achieve their desired goals. Typically, patients choose to undergo a combination of procedures in order to regain their pre-pregnancy shape; this is often termed a “Mommy Makeover.” Dr. Leonard M. Hochstein performs this surgery at his practice in Miami. The most frequently combined procedures include breast lift surgery (with augmentation), liposuction, and tummy tuck surgery in Miami. Some patients may also opt to undergo vaginal rejuvenation. These procedures can help restore the breasts to a more youthful shape and position, while tightening and contouring the midsection.

It is common for patients to comment that they have been able to reclaim their body with the Mommy Makeover surgery and are pleased with the results. If you are ready to learn more regarding these procedures, feel free to contact Miami liposuction surgeon Dr. Hochstein. Your questions/concerns can be addressed during an initial consultation.

Types of Breast Enhancement Surgeries and How They Affect Your Lifestyle

2010-08-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed today. Dr. Andres Taleisnik, an Orange County breast augmentation specialist, offers this procedure to women in order to help them achieve the shape, volume and size of their breasts that best matches their goals and physique.

Breast Implants

Breast implants are used to increase the size and fullness of a woman’s breasts. Breast implants can be filled with silicone gel or a saline solution, and come in a variety of shapes and textures designed to achieve a certain aesthetic effect. Implants are typically inserted into a pocket created beneath the breast or behind the pectoralis muscle. Depending on certain circumstances, the implant may be inserted through the areola, the armpit, the belly button, or at the breast crease.

Greater self-confidence is one of the main benefits of breast implants. Women also happily report that they are able to expand their wardrobes to include styles of clothing that they couldn’t wear before.

Breast Lift

Breast lift surgery (mastopexy) is used to treat breast sagging – the natural loss of elasticity, firmness and shape caused by pregnancy, nursing, excessive weight loss and aging. A breast lift typically consists of the removal of excess skin, tightening the skin and, in some cases, it is combined with breast augmentation in order to restore shape and volume.

Breast lifts result in “perkier” breasts and a more youthful overall look. Because of this, breast lifts are a popular component of the “Mommy Makeover,” a series of cosmetic procedures that is designed to reverse the effects of childbirth and nursing.

Breast Reduction

Excessively large breasts can cause neck, back and shoulder pain which can lead to chronic health complications. Breast reduction surgery helps correct this issue by removing fatty tissue, glandular tissue and excess skin so that your breasts better match your frame size and become smaller.

Breast reduction helps alleviate strain on your neck and back and makes it easier to shop for clothing and exercise. Because of the long-term health benefits of breast reduction, these procedures are sometimes covered by insurance.

Dr. Taleisnik performs these breast surgeries and others at his Orange County plastic surgery practice. For more information, visit his website or call to schedule a free consultation.

How Laser Teeth Whitening Works

2010-08-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

Although there are numerous do-it-yourself teeth whitening kits that can be purchased off the shelf, the safest and most effective tooth whitening is performed by a cosmetic dentist. The San Diego Union-Tribune ran a story about over-the-counter tooth whitening products some years ago that highlighted the shortcomings of home tooth whitening products.

Ill-fitting trays and the inconvenience of overnight multiple treatments topped the list. The issue with DIY tooth whitening is that they are designed by law to be foolproof. The active ingredient in at-home tooth whiteners (carbamide peroxide) is a much weaker dose than what is used at the dentist’s office. That’s because if applied incorrectly or for too long, carbamide peroxide can eat away at your enamel and lead to persistent, stabbing pains in your teeth that last for several minutes at a time (called “zingers” by dentists).

When tooth whitening is performed by a cosmetic dentist, a number of measures are taken to ensure safe, effective results. For whitening pastes that use trays, a custom-fitted tray is professionally made for the patient so it conforms to their teeth perfectly. Patients wear the trays under close supervision for about an hour per session. Another way that cosmetic dentists get better results with less risk is by using laser tooth whitening. After a concentrated whitening agent is applied to the teeth, a special light is used to activate the peroxide molecules for more dramatic whitening. This procedure, too, is risky if performed by anyone other than a trained professional. For optimal results, a high energy light must be used in order to “excite” the molecules—but too much heat could damage the soft tissue of the tooth. The results of professional tooth whitening are more effective by several orders of magnitude when compared to at-home treatments.

Laser tooth whitening sessions typically last 30 minutes to an hour and desirable results can usually be achieved in a single visit. Results typically last between six months and a year. Touch-ups can usually be performed concurrently to your yearly or twice annual cleaning and hygiene appointment.

Teens Against Plastic Surgery

2010-08-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

For many years, young minds have been greatly influenced by their favorite Hollywood stars – from their clothing and hair, to the products they sell or buy. Recently, with the sudden increase in publicly admitting that one has had some type of cosmetic plastic surgery procedure, teens are voicing their thoughts on the matter, and most are against cosmetic enhancements.

In a recent article written by a high school senior in Florida, the idea of altering one’s face or body is not something that teens see as a positive example. Many of today’s young stars claim that they want their fans to feel confident and secure with themselves, yet they contradict this by undergoing one or more cosmetic procedures. According the article, some actress may even risk their careers when having surgery, such as Jennifer Grey from such movies as “Dirty Dancing” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Had she not undergone nose surgery, Grey may have led a more successful career, whereas now she has virtually disappeared from Hollywood. Although some actresses have minimal enhancement in order to maintain a refreshed appearance, some have gone overboard with their surgeries. In the eyes of their fans, all things must be done in moderation and at an appropriate age – and those in their teens and 20s are much too young.

If you are interested in a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure, you may wish to contact Leonard M. Hochstein, M.D. of the Aventura/Miami area. He is a specialist in facelift surgery, breast augmentation, and tummy tuck surgery.

Stem Cell Facelift in Beverly Hills

2010-08-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jason B. Diamond, M.D., F.A.C.S. of the The Diamond Face Institute in Beverly Hills is a board certified facial, plastic, and reconstructive surgeon. He is consistently up-to-date on the latest in facial plastic surgery; the “Stem Cell Facelift,” which is said to be a new method of rejuvenation, is one of the recent techniques being advertised in the plastic surgery community.

“I keep up with the world literature and frequently discuss the latest and greatest with the elite surgeons from around the world,” says Dr. Diamond. Upon hearing of the “Stem Cell Facelift,” he researched the procedure in order to learn more of this new phenomenon; and after reading various advertisements for this technique, Dr. Diamond has found that it is the same procedure that he has been performing for over 10 years. More commonly known as facial fat transfer, this method of enhancement has been around since the 1970s. Dr. Diamond uses the patient’s own body fat from the abdomen, thighs, or other areas in order to fill in wrinkles and lines on the face, as well as to create a more youthful and attractive contour.

Due to the lack of regulations placed on doctors on what they can or cannot advertise, many are taking advantage of the term, “Stem Cell Facelift,” and using it to sell a new procedure, according to Dr. Diamond. He says that fat cells help to restore loss of volume, and although they may contain some stem cells, there is no consistent or proven evidence that there is in fact a stem cell effect beyond what the fat cells can offer.

In practice for more than 10 years, Dr. Diamond has frequently combined the fat transfer technique when performing facelift surgery in order to provide optimal results. He stresses that if this “new spin on fat transfer” were a legitimately new procedure there would be published proof of it and every surgeon around the world would have been immediately informed. Dr. Diamond encourages patients to fully inform themselves on the technique and not allow doctors’ advertisements to mislead them.

Through open communication with patients and the use of innovative technology, Dr. Diamond uses his expertise to provide individuals with a truly refreshed facial appearance. “I have performed more facial procedures than most doctors,” says Diamond.

Plastic Surgery on the Rise

2010-08-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

The economic status throughout the country has caused many individuals to cut back on certain luxuries; however, the rate of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures being performed continues to rise. In a recent survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS), procedures such as eyelid surgery, tummy tuck surgery, and rhinoplasty have seen a significant increase in the last five years.

Along with doctors in the AACS, other surgeons have also seen an influx in patients. Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), Robert D. Wilcox, M.D. of Plano, Texas has maintained a steady flow of patients as the financial woes have taken their toll. Due to the variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures offered at his practice, including Fraxel lasers for skin rejuvenation and Botox ® injections. Dr. Wilcox performs face, breasts, and body- enhancing procedures to help patients achieve a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. By combining a surgical procedure with a non-invasive treatment, patients have the ability to fulfill their desired goal in one setting.

If you are in the Dallas/Plano areas, you may wish to contact Dr. Wilcox to learn more regarding these procedures, such as facial fillers and rhinoplasty in Dallas . He can provide you with detailed information on your options. When under Dr. Wilcox’s care, you may anticipate satisfying and natural-looking results.

Breast Lift Surgery Popular in Miami

2010-07-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Recently, a study has found that certain cosmetic plastic surgery procedures are more popular in varied locations throughout the country. In Los Angeles, Botox ® is highly requested, while New York natives opt for rhinoplasty, and Miami residents are more likely to undergo breast lift surgery.

Typically, a breast lift is designed to help patients reduce the appearance of sagging in the breasts. This breast enhancing procedure is commonly requested by women who have experienced pregnancy, aging, and/or massive weight loss. Through incisions made around the nipple and vertically down the breast, into the crease, the breast can be repositioned to a more youthful location. A qualified plastic surgeon can help patients regain lost volume with this procedure. In some circumstances, breast implants may be used to achieve a more voluminous appearance. Should the surgeon determine that there is minimal sagging, incisions can be limited to placement that is necessary for breast augmentation – underneath the breast, around the nipple, or in the armpit. Additionally, those who have excess fat deposits often combine liposuction surgery with their breast lift procedure.

If you are in the Miami area and would like to learn more regarding breast lift surgery, breast augmentation, or liposuction, you can contact Ary Krau, M.D., F.A.C.S. An experienced breast and body surgery specialist, Dr. Krau can help you meet your ideal body shape.

Understanding the Long Term Impacts of Breast Augmentation

2010-07-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Breast augmentation, along with liposuction, is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures today. But while many women are flocking to plastic surgeons to have implants put in, few consider the long term impacts – both in terms of their health and their pocketbook. A recent study by implant manufacturer Allergen found that about one in three women return to the doctor for a follow-up operation within four years of receiving a breast augmentation. This, however, comes as no surprise to most plastic surgery patients who have undergone the proper consultation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted long ago that the majority of patients will need to have their implants removed or replaced either due to a rupture or other complications.

For the consumer, these concerns have touched off much consternation over which breast implants have the highest safety record and the most longevity. Lingering cautionary tales warn that certain breast implant types may require “surgical tune-ups,” which would mean increased medical risk and out-of-pocket expenses for life.

But much of this scrutiny and self-guided research is misplaced. Many breast implants carry lifetime warranties that cover the cost of the implant itself if it ruptures. The operating room expenses and the surgeon’s fees, however, are not covered. This is because the techniques and skill level wielded by the surgeon are far more variable and critical than the type of implant that is used. Choosing which implant and breast augmentation surgery will be best for a patient’s specific goals is a conditional judgment call which draws upon the expertise and experience of the doctor. Because of this, it is best for patients to engage in thorough consultations with a board certified plastic surgeon.

Recognizing this importance, many doctors, such as Dr. Miguel Delgado, a Marin breast augmentation specialist, offer free consultations for prospective breast implant patients. Dr. Delgado’s consultation includes a detailed discussion of the long-term impacts as well as computer imaging which allows patients to visualize their surgical plan. Extended consultations are the key to ensuring that patients have realistic pre- and post-surgery expectations.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Abroad?

2010-07-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

While there are risks involved with medical tourism, plastic surgery is often seen as a luxury to those who have the financials means of paying for it. For some, going to other countries where it may appear cheaper is increasingly becoming a worldwide trend; recently, an Australian teen was said to be heading to Malaysia in order to undergo body rejuvenating procedures. In Beverly Hills, Stuart A. Linder, M.D., F.A.C.S. often sees patients from afar. Along with individuals from across the country, those from out of the country have also inquired about plastic surgery procedures at Dr. Linder’s office.

A specialist in breast and body enhancing procedures, the practice of Dr. Linder is often visited by patients from such countries as Canada, Australia, Spain, and Norway. His qualifications and experience have led to several successful outcomes. Some of his most commonly requested procedures include breast augmentation, breast lift surgery, liposuction, and tummy tuck surgery. In fact, many women who have experienced multiple pregnancies often undergo a combination of these surgeries in order to attain optimal results. When meeting with Dr. Linder, you can discuss your problem areas and learn of your body contouring options.

If you are interested in undergoing a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure with internationally known Dr. Linder, you may visit his website to schedule an appointment. You may also view before and after photos of those who have previously undergone body enhancing procedures in Beverly Hills.

Laser Resurfacing with Dr. Paul Vanek

2010-07-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

Dr. Paul Vanek is a double board certified general and plastic/reconstructive surgeon with advanced training and expertise in body, facial, and breast surgery. With years of experience in providing enhancement through surgery, such as when he traveled to Haiti and provided his services after the devastating recent earthquake, Dr. Vanek also specializes in non-surgical procedures. This includes skin and body treatment with the use of the Sciton laser.

He is proud to offer men and women the chance to refresh their appearances through laser rejuvenation. Maintaining a youthful look and clear complexion is valued by most individuals, which inspires them to seek the assistance of a professional specialist, such as Dr. Vanek.

Those who suffer from such problems as wrinkles and fine lines, post-traumatic scars, acne scars, sun spots, freckles, and/or aging and sun-damaged skin, need not fret when in the care of Dr. Vanek. Using the Sciton ProFractional™ laser resurfacing system, he can improve these wide range of skin conditions with ease while refreshing the overall appearance of the skin. A laser resurfacing specialist near Lake County, Dr. Vanek ensures a safe experience, which offers patients the opportunity to be in and out with minimal downtime.

In addition to using the Sciton laser for the facial fractional resurfacing procedure, the special, innovative laser can be used for a variety of skin and body procedures, such as laser peels, skin tightening, laser hair removal, and phototherapy. The Sciton laser is also an effective tool in treating vascular and pigmented lesions.

Every patient’s skin is different; this is why the consultation is so important. It gives Dr. Vanek the chance to assess the patient’s condition and do a thorough evaluation of the skin. The type of treatment best recommended by Dr. Vanek will be determined by several factors, such as the patient’s goals and severity of his or her problem areas.

Medical Tourism Could Be a Risky Ride

2010-06-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Medical tourism is the latest trend in both cosmetic surgery and travel. Here’s the set up: patients can fly to an exotic location, such as Dubai, and get cosmetic plastic surgery performed for a fraction of the price they’d pay back at home. With the money they save, they can afford to splurge on a fancy hotel or resort, where they can recover in peace, quiet, and luxury.

It seems like a win-win situation. Patients get a vacation and a makeover all at once and can come back looking “refreshed” after recovering away from the prying eyes of neighbors and co-workers. Meanwhile, the local economies get a nice financial shot in the arm while they are there. It sounds too good to be true, and it just might be.

A language barrier between you and your cosmetic surgeon isn’t particularly conducive to getting bespoke results from your breast augmentation or facelift. But that’s not the biggest danger. In the United States, patients can recognize qualified doctors by their board certifications, from such recognized associations as the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). Overseas, there is no such luxury and even less recourse – both medically and financially – if something goes wrong.

The worst case scenario was illustrated recently, when a woman from Chula Vista, California chose to visit a cosmetic surgeon just across the border in Tijuana. The woman went in for a liposuction treatment – a procedure which is very low risk when performed by qualified plastic surgeons – and tragically died from a heart attack, presumably related to medical complications during or after surgery. Investigations are still underway, but already, officials have found deficiencies in the clinic’s operating areas and record-keeping procedures.

While death is a rare and extreme consequence of visiting an under-qualified cosmetic surgeon, getting disappointing results or altogether botched procedures which must then be corrected back at home, happens all too often.

With this in mind, patients may want to re-evaluate the merits of medical tourism over visiting a Newport Beach liposuction clinic or an Orange County breast augmentation specialist closer to home. Destination plastic surgery is not a wholly bad idea if in the presence of a qualified doctor. It should not be just about getting a bargain discount.

Gynecomastia Surgery: A Weight Off Your Chest

2010-06-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

“Gynecomastia” is a little understood condition for one good reason: Men don’t like to talk about it. In spite of any stereotypes about male fixation with women’s breasts, their attitudes quickly change when the breasts are their own. They leave their shirts on at the pool, avoid standing up in front of crowds and, for many of them, avoid acknowledging the issue at all. Instead, portrayals of gynecomastia—that is, enlarged breast tissue in men—are relegated to jocular references in sitcoms (Seinfeld) or poignant depictions of lost masculinity, as embodied by the former bodybuilder with DDD breasts played by Meat Loaf, whom the main character in Fight Club meets at a “Remaining Men Together” meeting. These pop culture discourses put a disturbing notion into the heads of men with gynecomastia: Male breasts are not only subject to derision, but also make you less of a man. This one-two punch to their ego’s gut often drives men to bury their anxieties over their breasts in shame. But this is ultimately to their detriment.

Gynecomastia is often mistakenly believed to be a symptom of being overweight. As such, many men attempt to improve this problem through rigorous exercise and dieting. But the nature of gynecomastia dooms these men to frustration. In most cases, aggressive weight loss and muscle training won’t significantly reduce the size of a man’s breasts. In fact, bodybuilders are among some of the most common sufferers of gynecomastia.

In reality, the cause of gynecomastia typically stems from a hormonal imbalance. Too much estrogen triggers glandular tissue growth and the development of breasts. As such, in order to correct gynecomastia, surgery is generally required. Dr. Miguel Delgado, a gynecomastia specialist in San Francisco, can remove both fat and glandular tissue through liposuction and other minimally-invasive surgical procedures to treat gynecomastia. Cost estimates for gynecomastia surgery vary on a case-by-case basis but average between $3,000 and $4,000, which is less than the typical costs of a female breast reduction. For many men, this one-time gynecomastia surgery is the only way to get rid of their breasts. But for now, awareness of gynecomastia and its proper treatment remain the biggest barrier to helping men get this troublesome weight off their chests

Hollywood Wants Real Faces

2010-06-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

In a time when the media is openly discussing plastic surgery procedures and the fight to maintain a youthful appearance, many Hollywood casting directors are steering in the other direction. Mothers, fathers, and grandparents are no longer easily cast due to the various facial and body enhancements that the older generation is inevitably undergoing. It seems as though aging gracefully has been replaced with looking young no matter what the individual’s age may be. There are fewer and fewer “real” faces in Hollywood due to cosmetic plastic surgery and the pressure to compete with younger, incoming actors.

Although both men and women are guilty of undergoing surgical rejuvenation, there is a greater number of female patients who seek enhancement. The most commonly performed procedures include breast augmentation Botox ® injections. While some actresses have chosen to enlarge their breasts with breast implants proportionate to their body shape, others have gone larger and possibly put their chances for a role at risk. The advent of Hi Def TV and films has caused many actresses to succumb to the likes of facial injectables and laser resurfacing, which diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. As a result, casting directors are passing them over due to lack of “character” and uniqueness. Plastic surgery in moderation is often best when an actor would like to continue working in Hollywood.

Those who are interested in a natural-looking enhancement in the San Francisco area may wish to consult Dr. Kimberly Henry. Attracting patient from neighboring towns, including Greenbrae, Petaluma, and Davis, Dr. Henry has the experience and skills to perform breast augmentation and Botox injections. Further information is available on her website.

Rhinoplasty On The Rise Internationally

2010-06-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Facial surgery is among the most popular procedures performed in the United States, especially in Beverly Hills; however, there has been a recent increase in nose surgery in Mansour, a suburb in Iraq. Dr. Abbas al-Sihn has reportedly seen his patient rate jump 50 percent in the past year, and has performed approximately 1,400 nasal procedures in recent years. Along with nose surgery, Dr. Sihn performs other facial procedures, including corrective surgery for individuals who have congenital deformities or war injuries.

Due to decreased violence in the area and low cost of the procedure, Dr. Sihn’s clinic is filled with many interested candidates every day. In addition, the summer season is likely to see an even further increase in patients as students are on vacation and will have the necessary time for recovery post-surgery. Many of the female patients who undergo rhinoplasty surgery do so in order to achieve a more attractive facial appearance, which they believe will lead to marriage at an earlier age than most. Others opt for nose surgery in order to look like the women they see in movies and magazines. Rhinoplasty has often helped women feel prettier and more confident in their facial appearance.

Many international patients will also seek doctors in outside countries. Beverly Hills rhinoplasty surgeon Dr. Jason B. Diamond is one of the most sought-after facial plastic surgeons attracting patients from all over the world. This increased interest in cosmetic surgery and medical tourism has influenced the overall demand for surgeons worldwide.

Plastic Surgery: How Young is Too Young?

2010-06-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Heidi Montag has been making headlines recently for her recent string of plastic surgeries. For Montag, who graced the small screen before having any work done, the cosmetic improvements seem unnecessary, especially since many cosmetic procedures are meant to reverse the signs of aging. Montag was a teenager when she first appeared on “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.” Facelifts, breast augmentation, liposuction and other common cosmetic surgery procedures have long been prevalent in Hollywood, but rarely for someone as young as Montag, who was 20 years old when she had rhinoplasty, collagen injection, and breast augmentation.

This raises a valid question among plastic surgeons, parents and teenagers: How young is too young to receive cosmetic surgery?

According to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 209,553 procedures were performed last year on patients between ages 13 and 19, making up about two percent of all surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2009. The most common surgical procedures included otoplasty (ear surgery), rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, liposuction and male breast reduction (gynecomastia). Granted, reconstructive surgeries – for example, to correct birth defects or a broken nose – account for some of these procedures. But others, such as liposuction, breast augmentation, and breast reduction were certainly elective.

There is, of course, no hard and fast rule for determining the right age to receive plastic surgery. Sometimes their insecurities will be outgrown once the teen matures physically and emotionally. Doctors, parents and teens must approach the question on a case-by-case basis. There are extenuating circumstances, such as a teenager who experiences back pain due to overly large breasts, as well as gray areas, such as the 18-year old Australian girl who received a vaginoplasty, tummy tuck, and breast augmentation two years after giving birth (such procedures are commonly referred to as part of a “Mommy Makeover”). Who plays which role in the judgment call—the doctor, the parent or a minor or adult teenager—will likely remain a topic of debate as cosmetic surgery patients trend younger and younger.

Marin Cosmetic Surgery Center Celebrates 10 Years of Service

2010-06-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

For nearly a decade Dr. Miguel A. Delgado has been serving Bay Area plastic surgery patients, performing various facial, breast, and cosmetic body procedures. While the down economy drives doctors and medical facilities to cut costs and cut corners, his Bay Area plastic surgery practices continues the strive for excellence that was set 10 years ago.

Dr. Delgado opened his cosmetic surgery centers with the vision of having the best-equipped, best-staffed, and patient-friendly surgery centers in the Bay Area. He is able to achieve this distinction due to the fact that he personally supervises all aspects of running the surgery center. He spends a great deal of time mastering the latest in surgical procedures, many times requiring new equipment. If it is of benefit to his patients, he will carry it.

Since he began practicing plastic surgery in 1988, Dr. Delgado has perfected many surgical techniques of the face, breast, and body that are unique to his practice. His patients have attested to his expertise based on their surgical outcome. Many of his San Francisco Bay Area breast augmentation patients state how natural their breasts look with hardly any visible scarring.

As Dr. Delgado celebrates his practice’s 10-year tenure in the Bay Area, he also reflects on years of achievement and innovation. Over the years, Dr. Delgado has been featured in several documentaries worldwide, including a documentary by English pop singer Louise Redkamp, who wanted to show the journey of a woman seeking a “mommy makeover.” He is also internationally recognized as an expert in gynecomastia surgery, which lead to the launch of his gynecomastia specialty site and inclusion on the informative industry site gynecomastia.org.

His strive for excellence and dedication to his patients and his practice have set him apart from other San Francisco area cosmetic surgeons and have made this milestone something to celebrate.

Summer Season Means High Demand for Plastic Surgery Procedures

2010-05-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Southern California weather is heating up and summer is quickly approaching, which means that women are becoming more aware of their body shape and size. Oftentimes, these individuals adopt a regular exercise routine and healthy diet in order to shed excess pounds and achieve a more slender contour. However, there comes a time when the regular means of weight loss no longer produces the results one desires and alternatives must be considered, such as cosmetic plastic surgery.

Within close distance to Orange County, Alexander Carli, M.D., F.A.C.S. specializes in several breast and body procedures, including breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tuck surgery. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), these surgeries make up a portion of the top five cosmetic surgical procedures in 2009, with women making up 90 percent of the total number of patients. As the summer heat drive women towards the beach, many are rushing to a plastic surgeon. However, these are elective, invasive procedures that should not be taken lightly. For this reason, Dr. Carli encourages patients to carefully research the procedure and doctor who will be performing the surgery.

In Orange County, Liposuction surgery is designed to remove stubborn pockets of fat from various locations on the body, including the neck, arms, abdomen, hips, lower back, and thighs. A long tube called a cannula is inserted near the target area through small incisions, and is used to break up the fat cells to allow for removal. Based on the patient’s anatomy and desired results, the most appropriate liposuction will be chosen. In addition, women who have loose, sagging skin in the stomach and stretched abdominal muscles may wish to combine tummy tuck surgery with their liposuction procedure. A tummy tuck removes excess skin and tightens the abdominal muscles in order to produce a flatter midsection. Although summer is quickly arriving, patients must understand that these procedures require approximately three to four weeks of recovery before engaging in regular activities.

Additionally, women who have small breasts or loss of volume due to breastfeeding often inquire about breast enhancement surgery. With the use of saline or silicone gel breast implants, Dr. Carli can provide patients with larger, shapelier breasts. Those who have sagging may wish to combine breast lift surgery in order to elevate the breasts to a more youthful position on the chest wall. These procedures also require a lengthy recovery time of approximately four weeks, at which point more vigorous activities may be resumed.

Proper technique and care throughout the procedure is of utter importance, which is why careful research should be done prior to scheduling surgery. To learn more regarding these breast and body enhancing procedures, prospective patients near Orange County may contact Dr. Carli.

Breast Implants Help a Rare Heart Condition

2008-10-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

What would you do -- total panic notwithstanding -- if doctors were to find your heart beating under your kidney?

In a case so rare it has no medical name -- but is being described only as “a floating heart,” -- a Florida woman’s heart was found to be shifting around in her body. Doctors found it stuck in her rib cage under her kidney.

According to news reports, the 35-year-old woman’s right lung had been removed long ago, leaving space for her heart in which to wander around.

Having never seen the condition before, physicians were at a loss to come up with a treatment. One doctor said the patient was the only person in the world with the disorder.

The treatment? Breast implants!

Robert Rey, M.D. of Dr. 90210 fame shows a breast
implant
(Photo, courtesy of Dr. Rey.)

It required a four and one-half hour operation, but breast implants -- used in the standard breast augmentation procedure -- filled the space where the lung used to be and holds the heart in the correct position.

“Clever idea, actually,” says Robert Kotler, M.D., a board certified Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon. “The chest surgeons used the breast implants as a large-space ‘filler’.”

Editor’s note: Dr. Kotler is one half of the Tuck ‘n’ Stitch bloggers.

Top 10 Cosmetic Surgery Lawsuits

2008-10-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Taking Botox to court is something akin to suing Santa Claus. Almost everybody likes Botox as much as Santa, so how would you get a jury to vote against either one? Only time will tell….about Botox, that is.

Three months before Christmas, Santa is certainly on safe ground.

So nobody is suing Santa. Yet, anyhow. But in January, all bets are off!

Given the number of lawyers looking for something to do, the Momma-put-a-lump-of-coal-in-my-Xmas-stocking class action lawsuit is just around the corner.

(Pamela Moore photo)

Patrick Hudson, M.D., a plastic surgeon in New Mexico, located some insider statistics that show which plastic surgery procedures are most likely to lead to the court house.

Here are the top ten litigated procedures, along with the percentages of actions the procedure draws. More.

1. Nose surgery……………………..22 %
2. Breast reduction………………….17 %
3. Eyelid surgery……………………16%
4. Breast enlargement……………….13%
5. Face lift…………………………… 9%
6. Various………………………… 7%
7. Breast reconstruction…………..… 6%
8. Tummy tuck……………………… 5%
9. Liposuction……………………….. 3%
10. Facial resurfacing………………. …2%

Nose surgery heads the list because it’s the most difficult plastic surgery procedure to learn and perform. More.

Breast reduction involves removing a lot of tissue; however, eyelid surgery is a surprise because it is supposed to be one of the easier procedures to perform. Breast enlargement made its way onto the list because it’s very popular, with 329,000 patients undergoing the procedure in 2007, the most recent year for which statistics exist. A tummy tuck involves a long incision across the abdomen so insurance companies should be thankful the percentage is relatively low. Ditto breast reconstruction.

Hint: If, for some reason, you aren’t satisfied with the outcome of your plastic surgery, two eminent Beverly Hills cosmetic plastic surgeons, Drs. Robert Kotler and Stuart Linder, tell the top five constructive things to do if your procedure does not go well.

Read their blog, Top 5 Remedies for Unsatisfying Plastic Surgery.

Nose Job Complication? Use Honey!

2008-09-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

One of the possible complications of a rhinoplasty is a case of sinusitis. But there’s a, uh, sweet cure for it -- honey. Now, plastic surgeons must figure out the best way to spread the stuff inside your schnoz. (Read more about nose job complications.)

(Photo credit: sxc.hu/nkzs)

What’s more, honey in medicine is nothing new -- it has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians as a natural anti-microbial dressing. Read more.

Back in present time, Canadian researchers, lead by Dr. Joseph G. Marsan at the University of Ottawa, used honey in the lab on the bacteria that cause sinusitis. The problem has always been that super-powerful germs hide inside the nose under a thick covering known as biofilms, which can’t be penetrated by “even the most power anti-microbials,” according to Dr. Marsan.

Plastic Surgery Procedures

Two certain types of honey, Manuka honey from New Zealand and Sidr honey from Yemen, are powerful enough to zap through the biofilm and kill the bacteria. (Read the whole report.)

So will plastic surgery procedures have fewer complications?

The next step: do you sniff, spread, inject, swallow, or hold the honey under your tongue to get it inside your snout? Don’t know yet. Hey, no worries, they’re working on it!

Mother’s Milk for Upscale Diners?

2008-09-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

There’s a standard list of questions a patient should ask when considering any type of breast surgery.

But, given that some places are now offering expensive dishes that contain mother’s milk, here are some more appropriate questions to ask plastic surgeons before a breast procedure:

1. If I have a breast lift, will my milk still mix well in a Crème Brule sauce for braised tenderloin tips and asparagus?

2. If I go ahead with a breast enhancement, will surgery do anything to the milk to spoil the appeal of curry in a nice breast milk creamy sauce with tender bits of Rock Island lobster tails?

3. Will a breast reduction affect the formulation and consistency of breast milk used in Bosomberry milk ice cream?

Here’s how it all came about:

Swiss Restaurateur Hans Locher, head honcho of the restaurant Storchen (Little Stork in German) intended to serve a special soup and a recipe calling for antelope steak with mother’s milk sauce. Another dish consists of small chunks of meat, also in a creamy milk sauce.

Hans Locher with his favorite recipes.
(Swiss Info photo)

For supply, Hans lined up some new moms who were willing to sell breast milk for $14.50 a quart.

Gastronomes were, ah, udderly delighted. But the authorities declared that mother’s milk for the public is verboten. Read more about Hans.

On the other side of the globe, the Chinese were not to be outdone in tapping a seemingly heretofore unknown market and started offering fresh poached abalone and perch in a human breast milk sauce. More.

Poached abalone and Perch in a creamy sauce.
(BBC News photo.)

Said the restaurant owner: “When customers are having the human milk banquet, they can experience maternal love at the same time.”

In the United States, a California entrepreneur first used his wife’s breast milk to create the following cheeses:

• Holy’s Original Blend

• Mothers’ Milk Maid Cheese

• Miss Cheese.

Care to guess what the not-so-shy guy named his business? Hooterville Farms!

You can even email them and inquire about other products like YoGoGirls yougurt or his Chunky Mammal and Bosomberry ice creams, also containing, well, hey, you’ve got the picture now.

Just go to http://www.hootervillefarms.com and check it out.

Okay, you’re a wonderful sport for hanging in there, but you’ve been had! I went for it too and quickly saw that Hootervillefarms.com is actually a shameless link farm that has nothing at all to do with mother’s milk. (But an off-kilter article says it’s the real deal. Read it just for fun.)

Nonetheless, the rest of our report is true! Really!

It seems Hans started something. PETA read about his restaurant and is now asking Ben & Jerry’s to give up cow milk for human breast milk in their ice cream. (We’re NOT making this up….read more.)

Now, here’s the disclaimer part: kill joy health inspectors say you should not actually consume any real dishes containing human breast milk because nobody knows the health status of the donor.

Now that we took care of that chore, I would like to point out that a McGill University study of 14,000 children reveals that breastfeeding results in a higher I.Q.
Read more.

If it works for babies, won’t it also help adults?

Robot Surgery: Like Playing a Video Game!

2008-09-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Gamers, check it out!

You have the manual dexterity necessary to become a top surgeon! Using a robot, no less.

Says a top surgeon: “Using the da Vinci surgical robot is almost like paying a video game, like Play Station 3.” So declares Michael Hibner, M.D., director of gynecological surgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. Read more.

A game hip surgeon working a surgical robot.
(Arizona Republic photo)

Breast Augmentation

So hey, why continue in your present job when you can game all day? And help people, too. (Of course, you have to graduate from medical school but, hey, that’s only eight years or so.)

One surgeon already tried using a robot for breast augmentation but she says she could not get the results she wanted. More.

Dr. 90210 Plastic Surgeon as Artist?

2008-09-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Q: What type of plastic surgery starts with reading all the art books any art student must know?

A: High-definition LipoSculpture.

John Millard, M.D., one of the doctors seen on Dr. 90210, learned to combine art with medicine and sculpts not stone, but people.

So who needs it?

Fitness and iron pumping buffs who strain, toil and sweat for endless hours in the gym to create bulging muscles….that are hidden by just a little fat.

Most of us would be thrilled to look like the people in the doc’s before pictures. But people who have undergone high-definition liposuction look like a living Venus de Milo (with arms, of course!) or an Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday.

What does Dr. Millard do differently? He learned where the most arty places are on the human body and now uses his plastic surgery skills to allow those pumped up muscles to shine through in all their glory. Not to get too high brow here, but it’s a concept known as negative space. Read more about High-Definition Liposculpture and art concepts.

Before and After Plastic Surgery Photos

The before and after pictures below show a 43-year-old woman who works out in the gym five days a week.

Her after picture shows what a high-def LipoSculpture looks like when just the right amount of fat is taken from just the right places…exactly like you might find in an book for art students.

Before.

After

It works for guys, too. Pictured below is a 34-year-old firefighter who has been a body builder for about 15 years.

Before Hi-def LipoSculpture

After.

(Photos courtesy of John Millard, M.D.)

Plastic Surgery is a Star in Burn after Reading

2008-09-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Plastic surgery is often in the movies in Korea; in fact, rejuvenation surgery is a constant theme. (Read our blog about one Korean plastic surgery flick.)

Now, plastic surgery drives the wacky plot of the current highest grossing U.S. movie, Burn After Reading.

John Malkovich stars in Joel and Ethan Cohen’s dark spy comedy, BURN AFTER READING, a Focus Features release. (Photo credit: Focus Features)

The movie starts as Linda, an aging gym instructor (played by Frances McDormand) sees a plastic surgeon and finds her basic rejuvenation is going to require four, “major” procedures. (READ: equal to the annual gross national product of the Isle of Man, the Kingdom of Yap and the Isle of Dogs.)

She decides on a combined breast lift and breast augmentation; liposuction, and a face lift, including rhinoplasty.

Linda’s gym sidekick and fitness instructor, Chad, who is played by Brad Pitt, is a charming but totally self-possessed dolt and all-round airhead.

Because the movie is set in Washington, D.C., a former C.I.A. operative, Osborne, (played by John Malkovich,) has penned a tell-all book about the morons who run the nation’s spy agency. But Osborne loses the book -- written on a CD -- at the gym, aptly named Hardbodies.

Costs of Plastic Surgery

The action then gets a kick in the pants when Linda lays her hands on the tell-all book and assumes it’s real, classified intelligence worth the GNP of several large nations. She and Chad then concoct a dopey scheme to blackmail the author, collect a mountain of cash and pony up for the costs of plastic surgery.

The rest of the movie is a riot of confused identities, deadly pratfalls, mistaken shootings, bedroom intrigues and a handful of bodies that need hiding, along with some stark raving madness, aptly performed by George Clooney who plays Harry, a U.S. Marshal who repeats about 20 times daily that he never fired his gun in 20 years on the job.

Before and After Plastic Surgery Pictures

The movie ends with a C.I.A. big-wig trying to figure out how it all happened, where to hide the bodies, how much payoff cash to allow, and what, if anything, the agency is supposed to have learned from the zaniness.

You’re probably wondering how Linda looks in her before and after plastic surgery pictures. But we are sworn never to give away the endings!

Plastic Surgery Stops Bullies in their Tracks!

2008-09-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

When I was in grade school, no self-respecting kid would tolerate a bully, the weakest, whiniest and most puny kids not withstanding.

We weren’t tough guys; it’s just that any boy over the age of oh, 18 months, would get far worse when his dad found out his kid had succumbed to bullies and forked over his lunch money, baseball cap, pocket knife, the family IRA or whatever.

The standing rule was: face up to bullies and fight back, even if there were dozens trying to shake you down.

I think the Father’s Instruction Book had a chapter about one punch on a bully’s nose stopping the lot of them. The one exception about fighting back: if you were in an iron lung, wheelchair or in traction, your punching ability was somewhat restricted, making it understood you might miss the bully’s nose. But you had to fight back. According to The Father’s Instruction Book, there was no shame in fighting back and losing.

But in reality, I never did come across a bully who was put off by one -- or even one dozen -- punches in the nose. I think they became bullies in the first place because they were born without pain receptors. So logic for nine-year-old bullies was simple: “Hey, we can’t feel pain. Let’s just pick on people! So what if they hit us back?”

Your lunch money or your life!
(iynmeyer photo)

However, all of that was before plastic surgery stopped the assaults. In England, a new way of dealing with the problem is by rejuvenating the body parts bullies like to taunt other youngsters about.

Some British surgeons are giving children and teens surgical rejuvenation so that bullies won’t be picking on odd-looking features or making punch-deserving jokes about large noses or ears or small breasts. (Read more.)

(Disclaimer: kids’ lunch money may still be up for grabs, even after plastic surgery!)

Rhinoplasty

*Mr. Douglas McGeorge, head of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS,) recently revealed he had reshaped the nose of one youngster and supplied breast implants for others to stop teasing and bullying. For instance, one younger teen was picked on and bullied at three separate schools, because of an unattractive nose. Her parents were about ready to go “case-o” -- British slang for “going bonkers” -- before hitting on the idea of ponying up 3,500 Pounds (that’s $6121.50 U.S. dollars) for
rhinoplasty. Her parents say the problem was solved.

Breast Implants

Because some bullied teens are still growing, the thoughtful doc has put in expandable breast implants, which help to gradually expand the bosom. (Read about how expandable breast implants work.) Additionally, a nine-year-old in Scotland begged his parents for surgery to rid his face of a mole because school bullies called him “Moley” and beat him up after school because of his appearance. (More about mole removal.)

But the trend is not news. Back in 2006, it was reported that Britain’s National Health Service was springing for cosmetic plastic surgery for bullied youngsters in Scotland. (More.)

What do you think? Will plastic surgery stop U.S. bullies? Or, should we concentrate on pain receptor transplants for bullies?

*In the British Isles, M.D.’s are known as “Mr.”

Artist Rakes in Money with Tattoos on Swine and People

2008-09-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

A leading service among plastic surgeons is tattoo removal. It’s known as “labor intensive” because the patients must return to the plastic surgeon anywhere from two to six times and let the doc do erasing work with a laser.

Basically, the cosmetic surgeon zaps the ink in the tat with a laser. (Read more about cosmetic tattoo removal.)

But when a tattoo is considered art -- and fetches a king’s ransom -- you gotta think about leaving it on.

Wim Delvoye, a Belgian artist living in Beijing, China, started by tattooing eight pigs with designs reportedly similar to Louis Vuitton logos. (Animal lovers, chill! The porkers, shown below, were anesthetized!) A few swine were inked with Walt Disney characters.

Artist Wim Delvoye and his four-footed canvases
(Ananova.com photo)

After the oinkers have lived a long and productive life, the pig skins will be sold for $120,000 each. (Can you imagine -- a Louis Vuitton football? What a way to get more chicks into the NFL! Can’t you just hear the girl talk now? “They fumbled a Vuitton Beaubourg in the first quarter and then tried an on-side kick with a Mahina XXL clutch in the 4th!”)
(Read more about the tattooed pigs.)

Tattoo Removal

The following will make tattoo removal experts worldwide cringe, but Wim’s latest project was inking an elaborate tat of the Virgin Mary on the back of Tim Steiner, a 32-year-old Swiss man who is cashing in on his tattoo.

Here’s how: Wim did his usual masterful job and sold the artwork on Tim’s back to a German art collector for a cool $275,000. The cash is split among the art gallery that arranged the sale, Wim and Tim. More.

Tim Steiner, a two-legged canvas
(Paolo Foschini photo)

Then, not unlike the pigs, Tim hopefully goes on living a long and productive life. Now, I know what you’re thinking and that’s not it -- Tim does not -- repeat, NOT -- become a football!!

Plastic Surgeons Verboten

Instead, many decades from now, just before Tim is laid down for a dirt nap, the skin of his back is removed and the Virgin Mary tat becomes the sole property of the art dealer who can sell it if he wishes.

And that’s not all. Contractually, Tim must display his back in public three times yearly to art lovers worldwide.

However, plastic surgeons who know how to remove tattoos are verboten in the shows!

Plastic Surgery for Pooches

2008-09-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yearly, some appearance-challenged canine is named top dog in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. (Read more.)

Gus, a Chinese Crested, won for 2008 even though he has had a rough row to hoe in life. He has lost one leg to disease, one eye in a cat fight, a handful of teeth due to chewing on countless bones, and a furry coat due to heredity; after all, he is a hairless Chinese crested dog. Gus was simply born to be as ugly as a mud fence.

Nonetheless, his owners think Gus, pictured below, is precious.

Gus relaxing at home
(iStock photo)

2007’s winner was even more revolting. Also a Chinese Crested, Elwood, pictured below, won that year, perhaps because he is even more crested and has even less hair than Gus. You have to admit that when it comes to looks, Elwood is also just a real dog.

Elwood, 2007’s Top Ugly Dog
(Canada News Photo)

A Plastic Surgeon for Dogs

Anyhow, there’s somebody we would like Gus and Elwood to meet -- Brazilian doctor Vet Elgado Brito, a big proponent of pet plastic surgery.

To the Brazilian way of thinking, if you make people beautiful, hey, why not make their “animal companions” beautiful, too? Works for me! (As long as the creature is house broken; there’s no way that beauty alone makes up for, well, you’ve got the picture by now.)

Botox and Breast Augmentations

Dr. Brito has used Botox to straighten inverted doggy eyelashes so that Fido’s eyeball is not irritated. Among other cosmetic surgery, the South America doc has even performed canine breast augmentation by tightening mammillae of female dogs before beauty contests so that the dogs could take part in the type of contests in which good looks -- and not vile features -- are judged. (Read more about Dr. Brito.)

The owners of this Sharpei wanted Botox
to remove the dog’s wrinkles
but could not afford 1,500 vials of Botox.
(iStock.xchng photo)

But if you look closely enough, others are making unsightly animals more attractive, too.

Rhinoplasty and Eyelid lifts

The Animal Medical Center of Southern California requires a medical reason for cosmetic treatments on animals; nonetheless, the work often results in an eyelift, facelift, rhinoplasty or abdominoplasty, a procedure we Homo Sapiens fondly call a “tummy tuck.” However, liposuction is out, partly because dogs don’t mind being fat.

If your “animal companion” is a Pug, Bulldog or a Boston terrier, breeds in which breathing problems are common, the mutt may be eligible for rhinoplasty. Sharpeis and Chows often have a congenital defect that make their eyelids roll inwards, causing the eye winkers to rub the eye, perhaps resulting in scratches. The solution? A canine style eyelid lift.

Lip Augmentation

And there is the heart-warming case of Feznick, a 75-pound gray kangaroo who lives at a farm for Hollywood animal actors. Feznick was bitten on the face by his neighbor, a wolf and fellow actor when he, Feznick, poked his snout into the next cage. That left the ‘Roo with a snarling lip and totally unsuitable for his close-ups. So, back in 2006, a vet named Dr. Wolff (really!) repaired Feznick’s lip with a little cosmetic surgery described much like the human procedure, “except with a lot more hair.” (Read more.)

This Kangaroo isn’t Feznick (we could not afford
his picture!) but another Kangaroo who is available
for movies and commercials. (His day job is being an
attraction at a petting zoo.)

Doctor, Are You a Gamer?

2008-08-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

You read it here first!

Last April, we told you about a study of 33 doctors that showed video gamers make good surgeons, plastic surgeons included. It’s because of all the hand-eye coordination that develops.

On the heels of that study comes yet another, this time of 303 laparoscopic surgeons. The testers (doctors, not gamers) recommend that patients ask an important question before any operation:

“Doc, are you a gamer?”

This is not a shooting or driving game but a laparoscopic surgeon
hard at work operating on the patient across the room. The doc tells
where his surgical tools are -- and what they are doing -- by watching
the screen in front of him.
(Archives of Surgery photo)

Here’s how it all came about: Douglas Gentile, Ph.D., a psychologist at Iowa State University, and Dr. James Rosser, chief of minimally invasive surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, compared surgeons who play video games to those who do not. Results? Gaming docs rule!

“The most important predictor of surgical skills is how often surgeons played video games in the past and how much they currently play,” says Dr. Gentile. “So the first query you should make to your surgeon is how many times he or she has done the operation you are going to have. The next question should be ‘Are you a gamer?’” Read more.

Tattoos on Face = “I Really Like it Here!”

2008-08-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

You’ve heard the expression about wearing your feelings on your sleeve, right?

Sam Bloomfield, 58, who was born on the island nation of Tonga, takes the old saying to the next level. He wears his feelings about his adopted country on his face…..in bold tattoos, below.

Sam Bloomfield
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer photo)

But it wasn’t always that way.

After Sam arrived in the U.S. in 1976, he found things in the U.S. so much to his liking, he painted his house red, white, and blue. Next, came a blue shingled roof. Then, flags and patriotic streamers seemed to sprout everywhere from his house.

After all that, where else but body art could a guy go, billboards notwithstanding? So Sam found a tattoo artist and told him to get busy. The artist did just that, amassing a bill of $1,500 for patriotic tats.

Currently, Sam’s skin includes somewhere around 100 pieces of skin markings, including the banners of 20 nations. He even bears on his back a yellow “Support Our Troops” tag.

Laser Surgery

But the day may come when Sam returns to Tonga or one of those 20 other nations and wants to be a bit more demur about his love for any one particular nation. If it does come to tattoo removal, Sam will spend a lot more than $1,500 removing the tats. Considering that one average tattoo requires two to five visits to remove, it would appear Sam would be in for somewhere between 200 to 500 visits to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon. The gross national product of Tonga would about cover the charges.

If you ever want to remove some of your own tattoos, here are three questions to ask a dermatologist or laser surgeon.

Top 10 Most Outrageous Uses for Botox

2008-07-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

All the world loves Botox, the ubiquitous wrinkle remover. But like the discovery of electricity or the Internet, people keep finding unusual -- and sometimes, off-the-wall -- uses for it.

Here’s our take on the top 10:

1. Writer’s Cramp

(nazerth photo)

Given the Internet, I don’t know who uses a pen, pencil, or clay tablet and stylus. Anyhow, the researchers managed to find 40 people suffering writer’s cramp (or maybe holding their forks too tightly) and test Botox.

And, yes, Botox can relieve the painful muscle contractions of the fingers, hand, or arm brought on by arduously applied graphomotor representation. (That’s science-speak for handwriting.) Read more.

2. Bladder Control

No, it’s not about drinking all the coffee you want on a long road trip. Some people have injuries that make it hard to recognize a full bladder. Here’s why:

Damaged muscles can send signals to the bladder at the worst of times -- like when you’re in a job interview, giving your Nobel Prize acceptance speech, during a courtroom trial, or whatever. Those errant messages cause the muscles to squeeze without warning. And although you really don’t have to go, the next thing you know, you’ve already gone.

Solution: shots of Botox to the bladder. More. (I’ve got a question for the doctors already: How long is the needle that places the Botox into the bladder muscles? And how does it get there?)

3. Sweaty Armpits

(LilGoldWmn photo)

Now here’s a no-brainer: The surgical procedure to cure overly sweaty armpits -- or, axillary hyperhidrosis, as your doctor might call it -- is no fun. Basically, the doc liposuctions some, or all, of the underarm sweat glands.

Or, you can just opt for some Botox injections every few months to paralyze the same muscles. Although nobody will see you literally sweat, the normal fear factors remain active so your heart races, you’ll have butterflies in your stomach, your eyes dart around and your brain probably goes blank at exactly the wrong time, too. But at least you will not drip with perspiration. Read more about Botox in the armpits.

4. Sweaty Palms

What could be worse than shaking hands with somebody and sensing you are gripping a clammy, warm washcloth? While there are no surgical options for removing sweat glands in the palms, Botox again works nicely to dry things out here as well. (Remember, we make up nothing, here.) More.

5. Sagging Breasts

Being a connoisseur of all things plastic surgery, you have already read everything known to humankind about breast augmentation. But if you or your partner do not want any sharp instruments near milady’s bosom, haul out the Botox.

The technique may not be ready for prime time, but several doctors are offering breast enhancement via Botox. Unfortunately, it wears off after a couple of months, returning those, ah, augmented areas to their pre-Botox state. Read more.

6. Facial Scars

Six-year-old child with four-year-old
dog bite scar on right cheek after three
scar reduction procedures.
(Ben Lee, M.D., photo)

Been to war or in a lot of fist fights? Divorced, maybe? If so, you may be interested in knowing how Botox can lessen facial scars.

Researchers at the Mayo (no, it does not refer to mayonnaise!) Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, tested Botox on 31 patients with facial scars.

Half received the real deal while the other half received injections of salt water as a placebo. Plastic surgeons then rated the wounds’ appearance on a one to 10 scale, where a one would equal Frankenstein and Christian Bale would get a 10. Read more.

Results? The Botox group scored 8.9 compared to the saline group which only scored 7.1. I would personally go with salt water -- it’s almost as effective and a heck of a lot cheaper. But that’s just me.

The researchers actually want the more expensive brand, the Botox, applied to scars when they are first created. Now, that’s okay for surgery but if you go to war, get in fights or slug it out in divorce court, what are you supposed to do? Carry emergency vials of Botox?

7. Lifting Aging Eyebrows

(brbankston photo)

When eyebrows have been around awhile and start to droop, they can make their owner look older and angrier, although the person may be thinking the most gentle of thoughts. Normally, fallen eyebrows require the skills of a cosmetic surgery procedure to look vigorous again.

But Corey Maas, M.D., an associate professor and chief of the division of facial plastic surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, lead a study that revealed drooping eyebrows can be treated with Botox.

Of course, there’s never a free lunch.

“With surgery, eyebrows can be lifted for 10 to 20 years,” says Dr. Maas. “But Botox results in sagging eyebrows that can last three to six months.” Read more.

8. Voice Tremors

Imagine this: you are trying to explain to a judge why you sped through a stop sign. Or your boss wants to know why you took the day off because you thought Halloween was a holiday. Maybe your wife wants an explanation about how your secretary’s lipstick and perfume got on your white shirt.

In all those stressed situations, your voice tends to shake and quiver. And rightfully so! You’ve been busted! How do you talk your way clear of these messes? Well, it helps a lot if whatever you say is in a voice that is clear, steady and without shaking.

You better really need the help because it requires an injection of Botox into the vocal cords. Read more about the testing.

9. Rejuvenate Sagging Necks

Surgical correction of a sagging neck.
(Robert Kotler, M.D. photo)

Usually, a sagging neck needs surgical attention. (Read more about the surgical fix for necks.) But some surgeons are using Botox to reduce the lines, rings and turkey gobbler necks. Read more.

10. Removing Wrinkles from Shar-pei Dogs

A Shar-pei puppy. Massive wrinkles at only 8 weeks! Is life unfair or what?
(beverlytaz photo)

Of course, it’s only done in the most posh regions of the nation, like Beverly Hills, Manhattan, and Miami Beach.

But many owners of Chinese Shar-pei dogs, like the one shown above, take their purebred canines to special Botox canine clinics where the dogs receive sufficient amounts of the wrinkle removers to get a completely smooth, unfurrowed coat.

I mean, it makes sense! Why would a wealthy 70-year-old who looks 40 want a dog with massive wrinkles? And is it fair that a creature under one year of age should suffer severe wrinkling long before his or her time?

(Okay, you’re not buying this; well, we did wing that last one, but the other nine are 100 percent true. Honest!)

NEXT: Plastic Surgery Games You Can Play Online.

Plastic Surgery Poll

2008-07-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Which is NOT the Real Plastic Surgery Procedure?

Of the procedures listed below, five are real and one is bogus. Leave your answers in the comment box below. Test Your Plastic Surgery Knowledge!

(1) “Bird Poop” Facial

A high-end New York City spa has come up with a way to rejuvenate delicate facial skin -- and without painful surgery. You’ve probably heard that sales pitch before, but master aesthetician Shizuka Bernstein is offering the Geisha Facial.

The concoction is made from several Japanese ingredients, held together with heavy doses of Nightingale droppings. (In Japan, it’s an ancient, time-honored ingredient known as “Uguisu no Fun.”) The treatment is being referred to as the “Bird Poop” Facial by the few who have actually had it smeared, er, that is, I mean applied and the thousands who stand by -- at a distance -- and watch in amazement.

(2) Breast Implants for the Lips

For years, surgeons have implanted empty breast implants in the chests of bosom-challenged women and then filled them with saline after the devices were securely nested inside the patient’s chest. Then, the implants were filled to a size that fits the patient’s frame, bone structure and wishes.

So why not do the same thing to make lips larger and more luscious?

Surgeons can now implant a tiny little saline bag in the lips and, then working through equally tiny filler tubes, fill the implants with just enough saline to make those smackers truly kissable.

(3) Water Jet Liposuction

You would have to travel to Thailand, but a new way to remove fat from those stubborn pockets of flab is blasting it away with powerful jets of water. One of the chief benefits is that no heat is produced inside the body, according to the owners of the SP Clinic in Bangkok, Thailand. Just think of the device as an internal Water Pik for liposuction.

(4) ScarArt Hides Surgical Scars

Have a tummy tuck scar that runs across your lower stomach or perhaps a scar left from a C-Section, but still want to look sharp in a bikini? A new temporary tattoo, designed by a woman for other women, allows you to slap on a waterproof, smear-proof, and extremely colorful tat to hide that pesky scar. It lasts three days.

(5) Robotic Breast Augmentation

It doesn’t have anything to do with a clanking, whirring automaton doing surgery on its own. But, it’s possible for a surgeon sitting at a console to perform breast enhancement by giving instructions to extremely slim robotic hands.

The chief benefit is that the robot has the steadiest “hands” known and works through extremely tiny openings in the patient’s skin.

(6) The “Earlobe Job”

While almost every other part of the human body can have its drooping, sagging or shriveling parts rejuvenated, medical science has somehow missed the earlobes.

The problem? After decades of supporting dangling, swaying earrings that usually weigh a little less than a VW, aging earlobes become stretched and can sway and flop around like the ears on a blood hound. What woman wants earlobes sitting on her shoulders? Totally ruins the effect of a spaghetti strap dress!

Solution? Lobe Pumping. Just a syringe full of a facial filler like Restylane does the job for the short haul.

Of course, Restylane wears off in about nine months. For really severe cases, patients should see their plastic surgeon about surgical earlobe reduction.

Which is NOT the Real Plastic Surgery Procedure?

…Check back soon to see if you know which plastic surgery procedure is false!

Docs Study Tattoos - And Who Hates 'em

2008-07-21T13:06:00.001-07:00

A Texas researcher surveyed 196 people who went to dermatologic clinics for tattoo removal. Results? People who want their tats removed are more likely to be women than men. They want the skin markings removed because others make nasty cracks about the tattoos, which were jeered in some (READ: high paying) work locations.

The 66 men and 130 women from the survey first got the tattoos at age 20 because:

44 percent wanted to feel unique
33 percent wanted to show independence
28 percent wanted some life experience to stand out
21 percent wanted to mark a special occasion like a birthday, marriage or their newly found independence.

A tattoo with a breast implant. It was later removed.
(photo by Lane Jensen)

The researchers next asked the subjects why they wanted the tattoos taken off between ages 24 and 39.

Here’s what they said:

57 percent were embarrassed
38 percent said it lowered their body image
37 percent cited problems with clothes revealing the tattoo
25 percent felt singled out

(Note: totals do not equal 100 because some study respondents marked multiple reasons.)

Read more about the study.

Top 10 Plastic Surgery Discounts
If you are interested in the costs of plastic surgery but concerned about spending too much, check out an article that has plastic surgeons telling how to wheedle a discount from your plastic surgeon.

Discounts are available on the family and group plan, during slow seasons, if one patient has multiple procedures, if you pay by check or in cash and if you are willing to wait to have surgery on a stand-by basis. More.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s Missing Mole

2008-07-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

It’s not as exciting, say, as the “Did Hillary Clinton may have plastic surgery?” debate, but mole removal is a huge topic among devotees of plastic surgery. The Internet is searched thousands of times daily for practitioners who know their way around laser mole removal, along with the other removal techniques.

So when Sarah Jessica Parker, star of “Sex and the City,” had that BB-size mole taken off her chin. The only real question is: why now?

New York Observer writer Rex Reed once observed: “That growth on her face just gets bigger with every close-up, and in the full-length movie version of ‘Sex and the City,’ it’s so distracting you can’t concentrate on anything else. It’s not a beauty mark.” More.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s mole, left, and after its removal.
(Zuma Press.com/AP photo)

Swedish Woman Marries the Berlin Wall

2008-06-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

While we are featuring June brides, undying love, and weddings, we could not help but notice the following headline:

Swedish Woman Marries the Berlin Wall

Well, okay, you’re hearing a lot right now about June brides because, well, it’s June!

And we blog about it here because everybody who gets married or falls in love wants to look good for the object of their affection and often take advantage of rejuvenation surgery.

But love, and those ensuing nuptials, can take many forms.

Moreover, it’s not always a guy and a gal that marry. For instance, you may be reading a lot about gay and lesbian marriages becoming legal in California. And some people afflicted with a strange new obsession known as objectophilia, become fascinated over, fall in love with, and even marry inanimate objects.

Like Eija-Riitta Elkoef-Mauer, a Swedish woman who first visited the Berlin Wall in 1979. She legally changed her name to “Berliner-Mauer” (German for “Berlin Wall”) after visiting six times and then declaring herself legally wedded to the concrete and barbed wire structure. And, yes, she was just crushed (no, not literally) when the wall came tumbling down. Read more.

Berlin Wall before its (his?) nuptials.
(Stefan photo)

On her website, the bereft Eija explains: “My husband’s job was to divide East and West Berlin. He’s retired now.”

Meanwhile, a woman in Germany whom Spiegel Magazine will only identify as Sandy K., claims to have fallen in love with New York City’s World Trade Center Twin Towers when she was eight years old. (Why is it distant things are often so-o-o-o- much more attractive?) And Sandy, too, felt let down on 9-11. She didn’t even have a chance to get engaged.

The former World Trade Center in the background in New York City
(New York Tourist Authority photo)

The Canvas blogger observes a plot line about objectophilia was used in T.V’s Boston Legal when one of the lawyers mentioned he had a client who had been in love with an electricity switch box. And one blogger Storyteller mentions a woman who was so attracted to a new ‘fridge that she wanted to get intimate with it. (If you have any technical questions about that, please hesitate to ask. I can’t figure it out either.)

Despite a dearth of weddings, objectophilia is probably a real phenomenon because there is even a movie, Lars and the Real Girl, about a lonely but sensitive man who falls head over heels for a mail-order, inflatable doll.

Well, love may conquer all but it sure won’t provide plastic surgery for that love interest! Hey, she’s already plastic! Besides, she doesn’t heal well. There’s also a priest in the movie who often smiles indulgently at the 27-year-old who totes around the plastic love doll. But we won’t give away the surprise ending!

Lars and his significant, inflatable, other. A more attractive match
than with the Berlin Wall, huh?
(Amazon.com photo)

We were curious if maybe these people get their noses fixed to look better to their significant others? Then again, the ‘fridge (or wall, building or electric box) doesn’t care if your nose is long or short. As far as I can tell, those items don’t care about anything.

But hey, this obsession is really not so strange, after all. If you see the motion picture version of Sex and the City, you’ll find four seemingly sane professional women who have raised footwear to the level of passionate desire. And what about Imelda Marcos? Didn’t she have something like 97 zillion pairs of shoes?

(Squidonius photo)

Next: Top 10 Weird Uses for Botox

June Weddings: Plastic Surgery’s Time to Shine

2008-06-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Liposuction and Breast Augmentation for Brides!
Facial Plastic Surgery for Mothers of the Brides!

Who is this woman and why is she pictured here?

Okay, we have joked around a lot, pulled your leg a little and brought you a ton of off-the-wall items about plastic and cosmetic surgery.

But now we bring you something that remains very much on-the-wall, as well as a serious matter to the 2.2 million* weddings that will take place in 2008: it is the…hold for trumpets sounding in the background... June wedding!

Plastic Surgery

Many wedding planners are recommending adding into the already astronomical budget for the nuptials an allowance for plastic surgery procedures, even if it’s only a vial or two of Botox. The average U.S. wedding now costs $28,000* and that’s before any surgical rejuvenations.

But don’t take my word for it. Read more about how plastic surgery has become as huge of an issue as…the wedding dress?

Back to the woman pictured above. She is Lynn Plante. Official title: Mother of the Bride. She and thousands like her are so feared and respected that even tough Mafia dons quake in their patent leathers. Woe betide he or she who crosses the Mother of the Bride and the planning of The Wedding!

Lynn is actually a brave, brave woman because she is undergoing four plastic surgery procedures so that she can look her best in her daughter’s wedding pictures which will be taken on July 18, 2008. Providing everything goes according to plan, that is. (READ: Nobody gets cold feet!)

Like General Eisenhower, who planned and oversaw the D-Day invasion, any Mother of the Bride oversees and plans an operation equally as complex. No wonder she looks worried!

The Cost of Plastic Surgery

Here’s another tidbit that tells you what a remarkable woman Lynn is: Over many years, Lynn has saved just a little from each paycheck to put toward the cost of plastic surgery, just so she can look her best at the wedding. After all, wedding pictures are handed down for generations, you know.

Anyhow, we’ll follow Lynn and the approaching Big Day while bringing you up to date on her continually improving appearance. Lynn only admits to being “in her late 50s,” so we will see how her appearance improves. Will she look 40ish in the wedding pictures? Refreshed? Rested? Younger than the Bride, maybe?

Emily Cannon on The Big Day
(Photo, Courtesy of Emily Cannon)

Read how a plastic surgeon saved the day when Emily Cannon’s breast augmentation came undone – resulting in a condition often referred to as a “uniboob” – just before her wedding.

Meanwhile: here’s my favorite wedding toast from the last (and I do mean last!) time I got married:

“Here’s to the Bride, Here’s to the Groom, Here’s to the Mother-in-law!
Let’s just hope there’s never a need for an attorney-at-law!”

--Old Irish Wedding Toast

And my favorite advice about weddings comes from actor Mickey Rooney, who walked down the aisle eight times:

“Always get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesn’t work out, you haven’t wasted the whole day!”

*Statistics, courtesy of The Wedding Report, Inc.

Top 10 Most Outrageous Plastic Surgery Items

2008-06-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

In any new industry, many novelty items are developed early, and quickly put into use by adoring fans and then go the way of the Dodo bird.

For instance, cars once had little ovens attached to their exhaust manifolds for cooking while you travel. When steam powered cars were popular, just after the turn of the 19th century, one thoughtful auto maker installed a steam-powered organ as a pricey option in the backseat.

But, alas, roadside restaurants came into vogue, eliminating the need for cooking while driving and car radios made any type of traveling musical instrument unneeded.

You can find the same trend taking place in rejuvenation surgery worldwide.

So, if you don’t look quick, these top 10 plastic surgery novelty items may be gone before you know it:

1. Breast Massage Robot

(Inventorspot.com illustration.)

Its purpose doesn’t seem real clear, but this machine from China purports to automatically massage the breasts of the person sitting in it. One of its supposed uses is to relieve the post-op pain associated with breast augmentation.

2.Cool Mask

(Aqueduct Medical photo)

Sure, you could do the job with a bag of frozen peas flopped on rejuvenated eyelids or a freshly lifted mid-face, but it’s much cooler -- both stylistically and thermally -- to circulate cold water through a high-tech device to remove any surgical sting. Besides that, what’s wrong with going incognito? Do you want everybody to know about your surgery? The incognito thing apparently worked well for Zorro and the “Phantom of the Opera”; let’s just hope bank robbers don’t start using them!

3.Patented Baldness Technique

(Inventorspot.com illustration)

Another invention registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lays claim to the technique we now know as the “combover” to conceal baldness. Sure, you could call it The Donald Trump, but that name is also trademarked and copyright protected. And woe betide he or she who misuses that moniker! The Donald would hire you just for the pleasure of firing you!

4.Traveling Hair Scrap Book

(Academy of Natural Sciences photo)

While we’re on the topic of hair, one thing every school child has always wanted to see: 200-year-old locks of hair from the first 12 U.S. presidents. Those snippets were taken long before anybody ever thought of hair restoration or, apparently, hair dye. For instance, George Washington’s sample is brown-gray, while Thomas Jefferson’s locks are reddish-gray. Titles weren’t exactly nailed down yet either. The second U.S. president was known as “His Excellency, John Adams.” Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Jackson were also “His Excellencies.”

5.Roll CIT device

(Des Fernandes, M.D. photo)

If you perceive this to be a shrunken model of the lawn device that rolls across your grass to create drainage holes, you’ve got the concept. But this gizmo is approved for home use; you just roll this across your face as it is slathered with some vitamin A and other minerals. The Roll CIT (“Collagen Induction Therapy”) apparently replaces the need for chemical peels, dermabrasion or laser ablation. The device makes hundreds of tiny needle holes to allow fresh collagen to flow to the surface, thereby removing sun damages, fine lines, wrinkles, acne scars, and other facial marring.

6.Vacuum Pump Breast Augmentation

(Daily Mirror photo)

Above, notice we’ve carefully airbrushed the model’s actual, ah, mammary glands to make this fit for family viewing. The vacuum device -- basically two plastic domes connected to a suction machine --- claims it can replace surgical breast enlargement. But you had better have some time on your hands. Apparently, all m’lady has to do is wear it for 10 hours a day for 10 weeks. Presto! A/B cups morph into C/D cups, sans knife, surgeon, recovery period, or great expense. And not to worry! It’s all connected to a micro computer that won’t make you too large. The system is advertised in Britain at 790 pounds, which amounts to $1,539 U.S. smackers. Read more.

7.Lip Pumper

Not only Hans and Franz from the old Saturday Night Live “vanted to pump you up.” Yet another plastic surgery device -- pictured above -- claims it can pump up your actual kissers. And you don’t have to use it for 10 hours a day to get lip augmentation!

8.Breast Implants for Tattoos

(Remember, we are not making this up.) But the leading technique of getting real curves for his tattoo of a woman, turned out to be -- no pun intended -- a bust. Seems a non-surgeon put the tiny implants under the tattoo but left behind some nasty superbugs that created a raging infection. Plus, one of the implants, not having much wiggle room, broke under the skin. Result? More infection! Kinda makes you think Dodo birds have not really gone away.

9.The Plastic Surgery Freeway

The Beverly Hills Freeway has been built to ease and speed the flow of traffic in and through Beverly Hills (the world Mecca of Plastic Surgery.) So, while you’re zipping along at 70 mph, you can easily see the names of some of the city’s favorite off-ramps, like “Tummy Tuck Drive” and “Liposuction Place.” Most people just call it the Plastic Surgery Freeway.

Okay, thanks for bearing with us but you’ve been had! (It’s really a picture of a refrigerator magnet.) While everything else here is 100 percent true, we did make this one up. However, do you think it’s possible that someday we might build a Plastic Surgery Freeways in other hot spots like Miami, Manhattan, Brazil, Korea, Nashville, and Columbus, Ohio?

10.Plastic Surgery Glue

Why go see a plastic surgeon when you can just pick up some droopy or wrinkled skin and glue it in back in place? (Is this for real?) And, hey, don’t you just love that it works to the last drop? I always get so miffed when that final drop of anything lets go!

Top Medical News of the World

2008-05-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Dementia in the Family? Get a Tummy Tuck!

Now, nobody ever said the way to prevent a case of Alzheimer’s later on in life is to rush out and get a tummy tuck . But it might improve the odds of keeping all, well okay, most of your marbles as an old timer.

Here’s how scientists found that belly fat can put bats in your belfry:

Kaiser Permanente in Northern California studied 6,583 of its patients and measured their stomachs between 1964 and 1973 when the study group was 40 to 45 years old.

Three decades later, the researchers went back and measured the same subjects’:

Waist sizes
Dementia rates

(SXC Photo)

Results? People with large bellies were 2.6 times more likely to develop dementia than people with a normal waist size. And the news got worse as study group stomachs grew larger. Obese study subjects with really large bellies -- on the order of a Santa Claus belly -- were 3.6 times more like to go bonkers as an old person.

Conclusion? Other than dieting and regular, hard exercise (whew! I get exhausted just thinking about it!). The only other way to cut down on belly fat seems to be via a tummy tuck (“abdominoplasty”).

Actually, most guys would consider the procedure if it were known as a “gut tuck” or maybe a “gut check.” There’s just something too delicate about the word “tummy.” Can you imagine anybody referring to the “beer gut” as a “beer tummy?” I should say not! It takes many years of dedicated, hard work to create a beer gut!

Obesity and Bad Breath

The bad news for overweight people never seems to end.

If being driven crazy by a little flab isn’t bad enough, Israeli researchers have found that obesity can cause bad breath, too. It’s sorta the same old story: take a group of people, study them and compare who’s got what. In this case, a study of 88 people found that the most overweight also suffered complaints about stinky breath! Nobody seems to know why yet. Maybe a tummy tuck fixes the bad breath thing, too! Read more.

Sleepy? Get a Nose Job!

Daytime sleepiness is a huge problem. Just check out living rooms at 9 in the evening and count the number of snoozers in front of a blaring T.V. Lack of z’s has also been blamed on a number of disasters from Three Mile Island to the Exxon Valdez oil spill to a massive failing of freshman English every year at most colleges and universities. (Well, okay, the colleges and universities, I attended, anyhow!)

(SXC photo)

Researchers in Taiwan studied 51 patients with symptoms of daytime sleepiness. The researchers accessed the patients a month before and three months after surgery. They found a significant drop in the rates of daytime sleepiness and blocked nasal airways.

Attention wives! Here’s the really good news: Most of the subjects also quit snoring!

One of the first things a plastic surgeon will do if you go in for a nose job will be to check on how well you breathe through your nose. Read more about sleepiness and having a nasal surgery.

Top Ten “No-No” Herbs in Plastic Surgery

2008-05-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

So you’re going in for a nip ‘n’ tuck to rejuvenate some sagging, drooping whatevers. Good for you! It will help you look and feel better.

But before you go under the knife, here’s a pearl of wisdom. (Not from me, of course; the information comes from some very smart doctors!)

Did you know that taking herbs can cause trouble during your surgery?

Sure, herbs are 100% natural but, hey, so are snake bites! And, to borrow a line from George Carlin, any time you’re talking about snake venom, all you need to know is: it’s bad for ya!

Insider hint: never confuse the word “safe” with “natural.”

Insider hint number 2: no known herb can create a breast augmentation, a face lift or remove fat from your body. But you’ll see tons of ads that promise just that. (Read more about overblown ads in cosmetic plastic surgery).

Turns out herbs are powerful medicines that vary in strength depending on if you consume the leaf or the root and the time of year the herb was picked.

Herb medley
SXC Photo

We mention all this because Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the leading professional journal for plastic surgeons, recently found that 55 percent of plastic surgery patients use herbs while only 24 percent of the general public take them. Read more.

You want to quit any herb at least several weeks before your surgery, according to top plastic surgeons Robert Kotler, M.D. in Beverly Hills and New Mexico plastic surgeon Patrick Hudson, M.D.

Surgeons bellyache because patients often forget to mention the herbs they take, thinking it makes no difference to their medical histories. And then things can get complicated or go south in the operating room (O.R.) when other meds interact with the herbs.

Here’s the list of verboten herbs before your plastic surgery procedure

1. Ginseng

Used to enhance energy levels, ginseng in the O.R. can cause high blood pressure or a racing heart if combined with some of the medicines used by the anesthesiologist. Ginseng can also slow blood clotting.

Sweet herbs
(Bura photo)

2. Ephedra (aka ma huang)

Consumed in many diet aids, ephedra increases blood pressure and, during surgery, may increase it too much when combined with common medicines.

3. St. John’s Wort

Used to treat depression and anxiety, St John’s Wort can prolong the effects of some narcotics and anesthetics. It also interacts with Demerol, a prescription pain reliever.

4. Ginko Biloba

Taken to increase circulation, ginko can cause excess bleeding in the operating room.

5. Feverfew

Often used to treat migraines, feverfew can also increase bleeding during surgery.

6. Garlic

Usually taken to lower blood fat levels, garlic can also cause too much bleeding during an operation.

Garlic chives
(jkingsbeer photo)

7. Licorice

Many people with stomach woes take licorice. But during surgery, it can cause liver problems and water retention.

8. Glucosamine

Consumed to ease joint distress, glucosamine contains chemical elements that mimic human insulin and may cause high blood sugar while you are under the knife.

9. Chondroitin

Often taken as a folk remedy for bone arthritis, chondroitin can cause excess bleeding if combined with doctor-prescribed blood thinning medications.

10. Valerian

Valerian acts as a mild sedative when you take it at home. But in the operating room, it can increase the effect of anesthesia and cause a deeper sleep.

Other herbs often mentioned in the same breath as “surgical complications” include echinacea, glucosamine, goldenseal, melatonin, kava and milk thistle.

Just remember: herbs. It’s bad for ya!

What’s Your Favorite Herb?

NEXT: Top Ten Fat-Sucking Tunes

Does Computer Gaming = Top Plastic Surgery Skills?

2008-04-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

It’s true! According to a new study, if you are a whiz at video games, you may make a better surgeon…at least the type of surgeon who performs “keyhole” surgery.

Keyhole surgery? What is that? Some kind of surgery by locksmiths?

“Keyhole” surgery
keyhole.uk.co. photo

Nope, it’s a type of surgery done through an opening in the skin as tiny as a keyhole. It’s a delicate type of work because you have to watch what you’re doing inside the body on a television monitor. (Read about the top 8 “keyhole surgeries” used in plastic surgery.)

But if you are into shooting games, join the Army Rangers instead and forget about surgery. These computer skills obviously lead to a helping profession.

Here’s how they found out about it: Scientists at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City studied 33 surgeons who actually had to audition for the test by playing three different video games for up to 25 minutes. (We’re not making this up; read the actual scientific report.)

Today, video games!
Tomorrow, operating rooms!
(Songbird photo via SXC)

Next, the testers watched each surgeon for one and one-half days while the doc was doing real surgery. Can you imagine sewing something together while watching and guiding a needle and its thread on a T.V. screen? Got a better idea now why plastic surgeons have to stay in school for so many years? (Read more about the training of plastic surgeon.)

Results? Nine young surgeons who played video games at least three hours a week made 37 percent few mistakes and worked 27 percent faster than 15 others surgeons who never played video games at all.

lapsurg.com.au photo

The same nine surgeons also scored 42 percent higher overall on the surgical tests.

The study, printed in the February, 2008, Archives of Surgery concluded: “Video games may be a practical teaching tool to help train surgeons.”

So….next time you hear a parent or teachers yell at a kid for spending too much time video gaming, tell the critic to cool it ‘cause that kid just might someday become a top surgeon!

Tell us what you have learned from playing video games!

Guys: Forget My Hair! Do my Spider Veins Instead!

2008-04-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

A chance for more evolved males after all?

When the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) was rounding up annual statistics, they made an amazing discovery: The standard treatment for spider and varicose veins now ranks as the number 2 leading cosmetic dermatological surgery.

And get this: Since 2002, guys who want their spider veins removed via sclerotherapy have increased 226 percent. Women wanting the same procedure have only increased by 3.5 percent. Read more.

Why? Because more men are letting their noggins remain bald and shiny while they tackle (I just had to get an action verb in there somewhere!) their spider and varicose veins. Read more.

Spider veins -- dude version
(AAD photo)

But some skeptics note that the cost of hair transplants has increased to $1296, while sclerotherapy decreased by $103.

You don’t suppose guys are springing for the cheaper procedure, do you? If so, maybe the next entry about bald heads means more and more guys are becoming less insecure about their hair. Hey, far stranger things have happened.

For Totally Bald Heads

Among the many new products designed to spiff up personal appeal, we could not help but notice a new product, Bald Guyz, for men who have -- often by choice -- not a single strand of hair on their heads.

What does Bald Guyz do, you ask? Easy! It cleans the bare skull. Or, at least the bare skin attached to a skull shorn of its curly locks. Makes your head as smooth as a baby’s bottom, as it were.

Bald Guyz photo

And just in the nick of time!

Actually, many hair-challenged guys choose to shave their heads daily because a totally bald head is seen by some as more masculine than a state of partial baldness (think Mr. Clean and actor Yul Brenner.)

All the while, millions of others yearn with all their hearts for some hair to grace their bare pates.

Wikipedia photo

But what could a guy do? H-m-m-m-m-m-….thinking…thinking…..nope, it’s too tough; I’m stumped.

Oh wait, maybe there is something! Perhaps somebody who wants some hair on his head could…..wait for it……get a hair transplant! Lots of dermatologists and plastic and cosmetic surgeons perform the procedure. (Read more about hair transplant procedures.)

If that doesn’t work, there are always the clubs Bald R Us or Bald-Headed Men of America. Birds of a feather and all.

Demi Moore’s Medical Leeches

2008-04-18T14:41:00.001-07:00

According to Cripes Suzette! and her unusually far out but entertaining website, Death by 1000 Papercuts, actress Demi Moore says the secret to her youthfulness is leech therapy.

No, Demi doesn’t roll around a swamp hoping the wormy little vampires will latch on. Instead, she uses medical leeches to “cleanse and detoxify” her body. Really! (It wasn’t an April Fool’s stunt.) Read more.

In response -- and probably to deflect additional comments about any questions at all regarding Hillary Clinton’s plastic surgery -- the former leading lady said she doesn’t need any medical leeches because she’s already got two ugly, blood suckers permanently attached to her!

But, hey, we don’t talk politics here! We do evidence-based medicine and plastic surgery. And to enlighten Suzette and the amazed folks at Death by 1000 Papercuts, we bring you this bonefide picture of medical leeches. With an actual medical professional who know how to use them.

Doctor’s Little Helpers
Medical Leeches (scienceinAfrica.com photo)

These creatures actually carry a low yuck factor because they live in sterile conditions and are fed a balanced U.S. FDA approved diet. (Well, balanced for leeches, anyhow.)

In fact, we once carried a story about medical leeches helping plastic surgeons save and reattach a Louisiana woman’s eyelid that had been torn off in a dog attack. Read more.

Oh, and since we do evidence-based medicine, here’s another handy tip. The body already does an excellent job of cleansing and detoxifying itself. Otherwise, you would become very, very sick -- if not on death’s doorstep -- because you would have what is commonly known as a raging infection. Read more.

What’s Your Experience with Leeches? (Note: Do not include family members!)

Next: Computer gamers make good surgeons; Guys are doing their spider veins andProducts for totally bald heads.

Are You Healthy Enough for Plastic Surgery

2008-04-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

There you are, at the office of your favorite plastic surgeon. Now, he’s telling you must go get some type of medical clearance for that asthma or high blood pressure you’ve got.

"Hey, what gives? I’m here for a nose job!"

Tuck ‘n’ Stitch tell why you must show you’re healthy enough for cosmetic plastic surgery and why a physical exam before plastic surgery is a good idea.

Top 10 Requests to Plastic Surgeons for Male Celeb Features

2008-04-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Brad Pitt and George Clooney seem to be the most admired celebrities by guys worldwide who are looking for a nip ‘n’ tuck. So, these days, many patients ask plastic surgeons to surgically create a look that mirrors a more famous feature.

According to a global survey done in 84 nations by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), male plastic surgery patients notice -- and ask for -- celebrity stomachs, noses, and eyes, say the respondents who are some 20,000 plastic surgeons. Next items on the guys’ most admired and desired list are famous chests, chins and buttocks.

Overall, Brad Pitt was mentioned more often for the most envied facial and body features. George Clooney was a close runner up with many patients mentioning features of the “Govenator,” former action star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Here are the top ten requests:

1. Buff stomachs, for instance, were often noted on Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey. Action stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Beckham, and Belgian Jean-Claude Van Damme, the “Muscles from Brussels,” followed closely.

Van Damme
(Wikipedia photo)

(Read more about high-definition liposculpture, a new liposuction procedure for gym rats that allows highly-toned muscles show through the skin.)

2. Nose. Top duo Brad Pitt and George Clooney owned this category.

Side note: Many patients in the survey cautioned their surgeons to do nothing that would leave their noses looking anything like the tiny, delicate nose on Michael Jackson. (Read more about botched nose surgeries.)

3. Eyes. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Ben Affleck tied.

4. Chest. Schwarzenegger won, hands down. Brazilian Paulo Zulu was a close runner up.
(Read about a guy who won an I-Want-a-Chest-like Arnold’s contest.)

Schwarzenegger, pre-governor version.
(TMZ photo)

5. Chin. The most requests were for chins like Clooney or Pitt. Runners up were Kirk Douglas, Ricky Martin, Antonio Banderas, and 1940s-era swashbuckler, Errol Flynn.

Errol Flynn, 1940.
(Wikipedia photo)

(Chins augmented with coral? It happens in plastic surgery! Read more.)

6. Buttocks. Brad Pitt again! Others mentioned included Mel Gibson, Ricky Martin, and Paulo Zulu.

(While many more women than men are opting for buttocks augmentation, Chicago Plastic Surgeon Roger Pielet, M.D. says he does so many male buttocks enhancements that he has special days and waiting areas for guys only. Read more about butt augmentation.)

7. Cheeks. Pitt and Clooney tied. Tom Cruise and Paulo Zulu were runners up.

8. Lips. Clooney and Pit once more! But many admired the kissers of Antonio Banderas and Korean movie star Dong-Kun Jang.

Korean movie star Dong-Kun Jang.
(Starm Photo.)

9. Hair. Tom Cruise, followed by David Beckham.

(Hair-challenged men and women will want to know about the hair transplant procedures offered by plastic surgeons.)

10. Legs. David Beckham, followed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hey, what male celebrity features do you admire?

The ISAPS now estimates that men comprise between 10 and 20 percent of the average plastic surgery practices worldwide. Closer to home, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) estimates that nine percent of plastic surgery patients were men during 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

NEXT: Demi Moore’s Leeches.

Priscilla Presley’s Silicone Woes in New Column, Tuck ‘N’ Stitch

2008-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

(Dr. Kotler and Dr. Linder aka Tuck 'n' Stitch)

A couple of Beverly Hills’ finest plastic surgeons, Robert Kotler, M.D. and Stuart Linder, M.D., -- known as Tuck ‘n’ Stitch to bloggers -- discuss Priscilla Presley and her mishaps with facial liquid injections.

Turns out there are some legitimate medical uses for injecting the stuff. The doctors tell you all about it in their latest post at YourNewBodyBlog.com.

World’s Top 10 Celebrity Plastic Surgery Requests

2008-04-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Classic Actresses -- Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren -- Still Make the Most Wanted List, say Global Plastic Surgeons.

Love Loren’s Lips? Like Lopez’s Legs? Bundchen’s Breasts, Maybe?

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS) questioned 20,000 plastic surgeons in 84 nations, asking which celebrity feature cosmetic plastic surgery patients most often request.

Here are the ten most requested women celebrity body parts:
1. Breasts: Top requests for breast augmentation look-alikes were Pamela Anderson, Brazilian Beauty Gisele Bundchen, Britney Spears and another Brazilian entertainer, XuXa. (Just say “shoo-shah” and Latin Americans will know you are a true citizen of the world.)

Brazilian entertainer Xuxa.
(CelebsGallery.org photo)

Yet a significant portion of patients added they did not want to look like Pamela Anderson, Dolly Parton, or Victoria Beckham after their procedures.

Gisele Bundchen
(Wikipedia photo)

2. Lips: Angelina Jolie was voted tops for beautiful lips among lip augmentation patients followed by Julia Roberts.

3. Buttocks: Jennifer Lopez, hands down, followed by Halle Berry and Sandra Bullock. (Only their surgeons know for sure who has buttocks augmentation or implants, if any!)

4. Nose: Nicole Kidman’s schnoz leads the pack of most admired noses worldwide by rhinoplasty wannabe patients, followed by Julia Roberts, Grace Kelly, and Princess Mary of Denmark.

5. Abdomen: Gisele Bundchen was tops, followed Demi Moore and Britney Spears (earlier in her career).

Princess Mary of Denmark
(Wikipedia photo)

6. Eyes: Angelina Jolie took this category, too. Some asked for peepers like classic actresses Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve, and Greta Garbo. (Of course, all plastic surgeons can do is open and refresh sagging eyelids via upper and lower blepharoplasty.)

7. Cheeks: Sophia Loren had the most votes among those wanting malar implant surgery, followed by Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, Angelia Jolie, and Marilyn Monroe.

8. Legs: There was a three-way tie between Tina Turner, Sharon Stone, and Cameron Diaz. Jenifer Lopez was the runner-up.

9. Hair: Gisele Bundchen has the most admired locks followed closely by Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts.

10. Chin: There was no clear-cut leader among chin augmentation patients but the voting patients equally admired the chins of Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, and Charlize Theron.

The survey also revealed that lip augmentation and breast enlargement were the leading cosmetic plastic surgeries worldwide.

Here are some articles that explain more about the enhancement of lips and breasts:

* Hip on Hot Lips

*Breast Enlargement by T.U.B.A.: Do Women Like It?

* Breast Augmentation Increases in Volume

What Celebrity Features Do You Most Admire?

Hint: If you see a plastic surgeon, don’t insist on looking too much like any celebrity. Plastic surgeons are trained to screen out nut cases who want endless rejuvenation surgery or are too anxious to be a dead ringer for a famous person. Those patients often have a real medical condition known as body dysmorphic disorder or BDD.

NEXT: Top 10 Plastic Surgery Requests for Male Celeb Features

Do Female Hormones in the Water Cause More “Man Boobs?”

2008-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Will the U.S. see more cases of gynecomastia, the much-despised condition resulting in “Man boobs” or “Moobs,” as they are also known?

It may be due to the many pharmaceuticals found in U.S. drinking water.

Some plastic surgeons in England have already noticed that their rate of performing gynecomastia surgery is going up. In 2007, according to the British Association of Plastic Surgeons, 4,000 “blokes” had cosmetic plastic surgery to create flatter, more masculine chests. In contrast, 2005 saw only 2,100 such operations.

During 2007, the U.S. recorded 20,289 such cases, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Here’s a typical story (“How I got Rid of My ‘Moobs’”) about what a guy with large breasts must put up with from his “mates.” Read more.

Doctors and other scientists say no single drink of tap water is like getting a dose of medicine. It’s just that the trace elements in water build up over time to create the effect.

Gynecomastia Causes

However, drinking water is not the only culprit. If a “bloke” drinks too much booze, uses street drugs, has hormone therapy for cancer of the prostate, eats foods containing the female hormone estrogen, his breasts often enlarge -- even in thin guys -- to the average size of teen girl.

(I know what you’re thinking! Should you wear a bra if you have gynecomastia? Or a training bra, at least? Actually, Seinfeld once called bras for men “bros.” Anyhow, this is not the way these guys wanted to get in touch with their feminine sides!)

A then 14-year-old patient is pictured on the left before his gynecomastia was corrected through surgery. (Photo courtesy of Elliott Jacobs, M.D.)

There appears to be no way to work off or exercise away gynecomastia. Alan Kingdon, M.D., a London cosmetic surgeon, noticed the increase in male breast reduction surgery and conducted a study on the tissues removed. He found that bone fide mammary gland tissue, which normally grows only in women. More.

Given the nature of male humor, it’s only a matter of time until some U.S. fraternity writes a new song for their parties and names it, “Drink and be Mary.”

But wait, there’s more! A popular shampoo may also cause gynecomastia. More.

And: read about an MTV contest winner who wanted to have a surgically created chest like that of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the “Governator.”

Guys: Tell Us about Your Life with “Man Boobs.”

Gals: How do You React to Guys with Fleshy Chests?

Top 7 Plastic Surgery Foods

2008-03-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

1. Beer for Breast Growth

Okay, so it’s not food! And it won’t replace professional breast augmentation any time soon. But beer has massive amounts of nutrients, as any dedicated beer drinker will attest after he (or sometimes, she) has gained a huge stomach. (They don’t call it a beer belly for nothing!)

Boza Beer -- brewed in Bulgaria
(TheMightyQuill photo)

But this beer promises to enlarge breasts and not stomachs! Boza Beer in Bulgaria is now big business because European Union members are traveling there to bring Boza back to their significant others….by the case. Will the suds be a cohort to the King of Beers, join royalty and become known as the Queen of Beers? And why not? We’ve got Queens of various nations, such as England and Denmark, as well as the Queen of Country Music, the Queen of the Hop, the Queen of Mean, the Queen of Soul and the royalty who rule the Isle of Dogs and the Kingdom of Yap. More.

2. The F-Cup Cookie

(Nippon photo)

You must travel to Japan to munch this product, but the buzz is that a couple of “special” cookies a day will eventually create an F-sized bustline, thereby replacing the need for surgical breast augmentation. Supposedly, the eats contain a “secret” Asian ingredient that mimics estrogen, the female hormone. Read more. A plastic surgeon’s take? Not likely!

3. Lollipop Weight Loss

Have you ever wondered what’s up with Hollywood celebrities being seen with a lollipop jammed into their mouths? At first, I personally thought it was a refreshing new wave of juvenile regression, with pseudo-adults making the quarter leap necessary to get back to full childhood.

Britney Spears with a lollipop.
(TMZ Photo)

But, no, it could be more unbelievable than that. There is actually such a thing as a weight loss lollipop. The magic ingredient this time? An African herb known as hoodia gordoni. And why a lollipop? It’s the delivery method.
You’re supposed to consume hoodia slo-o-o-o-wly for it to knock off the pounds. More.

(If you’re interested, read about body contouring, the plastic surgery procedure for people who have lost massive amounts of weight -- without any lollipops.)

4. Chocolate Facial

This is a fantastic development! Talk about a total regression to childhood! You get to wear chocolate all over your face like you did when you were a kid; licking the bowl when mom baked a cake. What’s more, this facial supposedly replaces the need for not-so-tasty, facial skin rejuvenations such as dermabrasion or facial peels.

If you’re on the more mature side, you don’t have to ask for a so-called “chocolate facial.” It’s also known as a CoCo2 facial. More.

5. Botox Cookie

Ever notice how wrinkled your tongue is? Lots of grooves and wrinkly tissues in there? Well, a picture is worth one thousand words, right?

In the U.K., a U.S. cookie is known as a “biscuit.”
(Photo: Botox biscuit by su-lin via Flickr)

Well, it appears a couple of pranksters at Flickr.com put a cookie (hey, not the F-cup kind! Wrong procedure!) in a Botox container and took a picture. You can’t really buy a Botox cookie, but the concept is more interesting than a weight loss lollipop, don’t you think?

6. Cosmetics for Meat and Fish

While we’re on the topic of plastic surgery and food, there is one type of food that may be getting its own type of cosmetic makeover.

The U.S. meat industry wants to pass H.R. 3115, a bill which would allow the industry to treat meat, fowl, and fish with carbon monoxide, (or CO, if your favorite reading is the periodic chart of the elements.) Why? Makes meat look fresher.

However, one lawmaker, Congressman Bart Stupak, brought some two-year-old ground beef that had been treated with CO to a Congressional meeting. According to Stupak, it was as red as the day it was purchased. Read more. (But hold your nose!)

7. Pigs’ Feet (Really!)

(Vixs photo)

We are not making any of this up! A scientist somewhere has found that pigs’ feet, the time-honored delicacy way down South, contains huge amounts of collagen, the protein responsible for smooth skin and taunt muscle tone. After that discovery, the inevitable happened: a classy Japanese restaurant in New York starting serving 33 dishes that feature some form of pigs’ feet. Some doctors claim a tasty dish of pigs’ feet is as good for your complexion as a collagen shot.

I would like to say yummy to all this…..but I just can’t bring myself to utter the words.

Hey, let’s be realistic, here. I always thought the true purpose of raising pigs was for the creation of footballs.
More.

Do you have a favorite plastic surgery food?

NEXT: Does our drinking water cause guys to grow breasts?

Shaking the Booty -- Women and Men Gone Wild

2008-02-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

While the trend of augmenting buttocks has taken off in the United States, it has now reached the continent of Africa where they have a new reason for shakin’ it.

It all happened because of a hit song known as “Big Bottom” in the African nation, Ivory Coast.

Here’s a YouTube take on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dH-4T6fwpw.

Ivory Coast recording artists D.J. Mix and DJ Eloh penned a smash hit, Bobaraba, or, “Big Bottom” in the local Djoula language, intending the tune as a compliment to women with larger bottoms. So when the song plays, many women and a few more men (including macho soccer stars) crowd the dance floor to shake their respective Bobarabas.

(Nobody at the American consulate seems to know if K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s top hit, “Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake Your Booty” has been translated into Djoula.)

Authentic Bobarabas
shaking.

The trend only goes astray as more and more women try to enhance their rear ends by using cheap ($2 each) Chinese supplied vitamin B-12 shots. Unfortunately, B-12 shots only cure vitamin B-12 insufficiency. More.

Authentic, enthusiastic Bobarabas
shaking. (Bazil.Rauback.SXC photo)

Imagine what will happen when the trend reaches America where many plastic surgeons offer buttocks augmentation of the female derrière.

A conversation like this may take place in thousands of American homes:

Wife: Darling, do I look fat in this dress?

Husband: I ain’t touchin’ that question with a ten-foot pole!

Wife: No, really. If my booty isn’t “big bottom” enough, I want to get it enlarged.

Husband: What’s this going to cost me?

Wife: What’s the difference? Don’t you want me to be happy?

Husband: Happiness is having a big bottom?

Wife: Sure! You can’t really dance the Bobaraba with a skinny ol’ bottom like mine! Oh, boo-hoo, boo-hoo! (She’s thinking, “Now! Hit the waterworks!”)

Husband: How ‘bout an unlimited supply of some nice B-12 shots? (Ah-ha! So the husband has been reading the Ivory Coast news!)

Wife: Nope! I want the real thing! I want buttocks augmentation from a plastic surgeon seen on television, with his own fan club and movie star patients. (And she has been watching a lot of American television!)

Husband: Uh, well, B-12 shots are quicker. (He reads the Ivory Coast news daily.)

Wife: Oh, boo-hoo, boo-hoo. You don’t love me! You want me to have a flat bottom! (She’s thinking, “I hope this works; I can’t cry much more!”)

Husband: O.K. forget the B-12 shots. Here’s a blank check for the buttocks enlargement! (He’s thinking: “Maybe now I won’t have to spend the week end moving that 900 pound, 18-piece sectional couch all over the living room to new positions so she can have it back where it first was!”)

Attention husbands and wives: under the strict medical and scientific guidelines known as “looking before you leap,” here’s more on what buttocks augmentation is all about.

The next thing we would all like to know: who’s going to write the next hit song about shaking it in the U.S. bottoms?

Tattoo with a Breast Implant: It’s ba-a-a-a-a-ck!

2008-02-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

We hate to say we told you so but, hey, did we not tell you so?

According to alert reader (and author) Dr. DiSaia writing in his most excellent blog Truth in Cosmetic Surgery., the man-with-the-breast-implant-tattoo-on-his-leg has suffered a medical setback.

For newer alert readers who have just signed onto our own most excellent blog, a January column here told about the top eight most far out uses ever for breast implants.

Number 7 told of a tattoo aficionado (that means he digs them a lot!) who inked a busty woman on his lower leg.

Here’s our blog post from January 9, 2008:

Above, Lane’s right leg. He is editor of
a body art and tattoo magazine in Edmonton, Alberta.

Thinking that a 2-D tat was too tame, Canadian Lane Jensen
asked a tattoo artist and wannabe surgeon to open his leg and surgically
implant tiny breast implants in the anatomically correct position of a
buxom woman tattoo. (Note: Do not try this at home. While these people were
totally untrained professionals working in a dangerous environment, they were lucky!
Lane still has his leg which is a miracle in itself!) And, hey, this is no time for quips about him being a breast-or-leg man!

(We don’t make these things up! Even if we did who could dream up a chesty leg?)

According to TMZ.com and the good Dr. DiSaia, the tiny implant burst, probably causing a nasty infection. That’s my guess judging from the angry red slash on the far left side of his leg.

Nonetheless, we wish him good health and remind him of the classic observation in Buddhism: “If you lose, don’t lose the lesson!”

I suppose the lesson here would be something along the lines of letting the pros do the surgery? “Pro,” in this case, meaning somebody who actually graduated from medical school.

The good news? He’s got his leg! So far, anyhow.

If you’re up for a story on what else can go wrong in plastic surgery, read more. (AFTER lunch, that is; the article is not what you would call appetite enhancing.)

A Gecko Foot for Incisions

2008-02-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Surgery helped by a lizard? Ants used for stitches?

Ever wonder how a Gecko hangs from a ceiling all day by one toe?

Turns out, if you look really, really close, a Gecko has millions of hairy, sticky thingies on the bottom of each foot that allows the creature to hang onto almost anything. It even sticks under water.

Gold dust day Gecko.

So what’s that got to do with plastic surgery, you ask? Good question.

Scientists have developed a new bandage that works the same way as a Gecko’s foot. Imagine getting some plastic surgery that has a long scar -- like a tummy tuck -- and then showing people how your skin is being held together by a bandage inspired by a lizard.

The bandage can be folded and refolded, wrapped around a hole in a bladder or used to reseal a segment of intestine after surgery. Read more.

As for ants, it gets even more weird: Certain ants have been used to suture wounds without stitches. The skin on either side of a wound is brought together and the ants induced to bite so that their jaws hold the skin together.

Then the ants are decapitated leaving their head attached with jaws clamped tight until the wound heals!

Of course, that’s mostly used in jungle medicine. Your basic plastic surgeon will probably stick to stitches and needles.

Anti-Bully Plastic Surgery

2008-02-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

You may already know that the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland) have a single, taxpayer health care system known as the National Health Service (NHS.)

(naktouf photo)

The U.K. is a very civilized place -- soccer riots notwithstanding -- so folks don’t much cotton to bullying. Also verboten is serious teasing, rude e-mail, sticking tongues out, making faces or using neiner! neiner! neiner! too forcefully. So hundreds of young bully victims have had taxpayer provided cosmetic plastic surgery -- like breast enlargement or breast reduction, nose surgery or ear pinning -- so they won’t be bugged about their looks. Read more.

The school bullies I knew in the South were so mean they would throw a drowning man both ends of a rope. Or maybe toss him a bucket of water. How to deal with them? Just remember the words of English Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: “Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke. “

Way down South in Dolly

2008-02-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

Dolly Parton has a nickname for her, er, generous bosom. Her inspiration?

Remember the invasion of Iraq four years ago?

When the U.S. Army and Air Force get serious about their work, they refer to hundreds of bombs going off on enemy targets as “Shock and Awe.”

Country singer Dolly Parton, always known for her huge bust, nicknamed them, not something logical like “Massive-Way-Too-Huge-for-a-Tiny-Frame-Implants” but, you guessed it, “Shock and Awe.”

I just hope no explosives are hidden in there!

(Like most Southerners, Dolly is also outspoken. She once said: “I wanted to be the first woman to burn her bra, but it would have taken the fire department four days to put it out!”)

It turns out Dolly is a-belly achin’ bout them thar huge knockers a-cause they is a-hurtin’ her pore ol’ back cuz she is a-carryin’ them big ole things ‘round the whole durn day.

(I’m allowed to mock Tennessee accents because I was born there and used to sound just like Sergeant York as a child, uh, that is, I mean, as a little bitty young-un.)

(jzlomek photo)
This is my cousin, my uncle and my
grandfather. He played the Hillbilly boy
guitar player in the movie, “Deliverance.”

Read more about ol’ Dolly: http://celebritycosmeticsurgery.blogspot.com/2008/02/dolly-partons-shock-and-awe.html

However, if you are bosom challenged, there is help. Read more about breast augmentation through the belly button!

Top Ten Crazy Data Disaster Recoveries

2008-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Can you do any worse than dropping your USB stick into a baby’s puree?

What's this? Data disasters? Hey, what’s that got to do with plastic surgery, anyhow?

Usually, not a whole lot. But I bet you are reading this on a computer and at some time in your computing life, have lost some data. (So chill. We’ll chat up some plastic surgery later. Wait until you read about Dolly Parton!)

Just like there are surgeons who can make you look better, there are “surgeons” who can pluck your lost data from whatever morass you have subjected your computer to. And with people messing up all over, the data recovery dudes do a land office business!

Yearly, Ontrack Data Recovery, a global firm headquartered in New Zealand, issues an annual list of the wacky ways people have lost computer information.

Here’s the list of the top data disasters recoveries from 2007:

10. A washing machine.

A woman dropped her USB stick into a washing machine, forgot about it and allowed the gizmo to wash, soak, spin, rinse and spin again. Oddly enough, the data stick didn’t seem to work any more. But the data geeks made sure the info was not all washed up.

9. Sticky baby goo.

A doting dad carrying his data stick in his shirt pocket leaned over and dropped it into his baby daughter’s dish of sticky apple puree. (Good thing he wasn’t changing a diaper!) The techies cleaned out the goop.

8. Man overboard!

You know how it is when you’re fishing. Long periods of nothing happening so you take along a book. One guy brought his laptop instead, but tripped and fell overboard, allowing the portable ‘puter to settle to the bottom of the lake. But the data life savers fixed it.

7. Remove the lens cap!

A professional photographer risked a large fee when he found he was using an already full chip to photograph a $40,000 wedding. The magicians at Ontrack Data fixed it before the bride got back from her honeymoon.

6. Electronic acid trip.

A scientist doing an experiment spilled acid on an external hard drive. Again, the experts pulled his supposedly burned data from the fire.

5. Put up your dukes!

(Penny Matthews photo)

An Australian businessman got into a fight with his partner. In the heat of combat, he picked up a USB stick -- containing valuable company data -- and threw it, breaking the dohickey into several pieces. But the data were recovered, anyhow.

4. Five Alarm Fire.

A business office caught on fire, destroying everything but a few CDs which melted onto the inside of their cases. It was a one-of-a kind job but the experts saved the contents of the scorched disks.

3. Quiet zone.

A British scientist became weary of a squeak in his hard drive so, employing the universal scientific deductive reasoning method, he drilled a hole in the case and poured in some oil. The bothersome noise stopped. So did the hard drive. But the experts found a way around a slippery situation.

2. Geronim-o-o-o-o-o-o!

To test a parachute, technicians rigged a camera as cargo and dropped it from a plane. But the parachute failed and broke the camera into several pieces. The recovery experts managed to put the camera’s memory stick back together, thereby recovering the parachute’s malfunction.

And, (drum roll please,) the top data disaster recovery for 2007, ta da!:

1. Pest control.

A Thai photographer found ants infecting his external hard drive. So he did the logical thing, removed the cover and sprayed the drive with insect killer. That did a deadly job on the pests and the hard drive until the data recovery people removed the little insect corpses and re-established control of the data.

What’s the wildest way you lost some computer files?

Top Ten Famous Quotes about Plastic Surgery

2008-02-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

1. “Plastic surgeons are always making mountains out of molehills.”
Dolly Parton

2. “A woman went to a plastic surgeon and asked him to make her like Bo Derek. He gave her a lobotomy.”
Joan Rivers

3. “I was going to have cosmetic surgery until I noticed that the doctor's office was full of portraits by Picasso.”
Rita Rudner

4. “She got her good looks from her father. He’s a plastic surgeon.”
Groucho Marx

5. “I definitely believe in plastic surgery. I don't want to be an old hag. There's no fun in that.”
Scarlett Johansson

6. “It wasn't a fortune. It cost me the price of one-and-a-half Hermes handbags.”
Anne Robinson
British TV personality, “Queen of Mean” on her cosmetic surgery.

7. “A press agent created the legend that I was in an air crash during the war, and my face had to be put back together by plastic surgery. Well, if it is a 'bionic face,' why didn't they do a better job?”
Jack Palance

8. “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”
Dorothy Parker

9. “Pretty is something you're born with. But beautiful, that's an equal opportunity adjective.”
Author Unknown

10. “I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I'd look like without plastic surgery.”
Joan Rivers

Brazilian Butts Rebooted

2008-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

My dad always used to tell me, “Boy, you are completely technologically reclined!”

your friendly blogger, studying computers to avoid suffering
a misspent youth.

So I was never sure about most high-tech gizmos. In fact, I used to think that “rebooting” meant kicking somebody in the butt twice.

Then I met somebody to whom that had actually happened. Suffering from “Flat Butt Syndrome,” 42-year-old Kim R. in Baltimore had apparently been rebooted so many times her pants were always falling down. Read more.

So she went to see Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez, a Baltimore plastic surgeon who takes care of people with the following additional female rebooting symptoms:

*Needing tops that cover the butt

*Wearing undergarments with butt pads

Padded underwear for that
added booty look.

The solution? Sure, it’s Baltimore but she had a Brazilian Butt Lift anyhow. And now, she’s got back. Although she wasn’t allowed to sit down for two weeks. More.

A basic Brazilian butt. Note, however, the
beach is not Baltimore. Beaches there are, not
sand but crushed crab shells.

Plastic Surgery and the Dating Scene

2008-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Some of the “Milestone” events for getting plastic surgery are often for:

*Weddings

If the happy couple is lucky, the pictures will be handed down for generations. (The other 50 percent will eventually cut their despicable ex out of the wedding photos and go on from there.)

So everybody -- especially the mother of the bride -- wants to look sharp. (Here’s a website that follows wedding participants who spring for a pre-nuptial nip or tuck: Lovegevity.)

*Reunions

Suddenly, it’s 25 years later and your old classmates are taking turns telling you how great you look. The 1978 class babe (or stud) is staring at you, wondering how did I ever let her (or him) get away? Considering the dog the high school babe is currently with, you can bet your bottom dollar the former flame is kicking her-or-himself. And you? Lots of cosmetic plastic surgery. Priceless! Read more about plastic surgery and reunions.

*Returning to Dating

(Or, Finding the Sweaty T-shirt that Trips your Trigger!)

So, after many decades, you’ve freed yourself from the old ball and chain. Plus, the kids are off to college and the nest is empty. (Except between jobs and bad marriages, of course.)

Next big step: You’ve signed up with an online dating service and are looking for Mr. or Ms. Right, the person you should really be with. But you also find a big Gulp! stuck in your throat. You’re nervous about your heretofore ignored appearance so you visit a plastic surgeon.

For guys, it’s usually getting the love handles taken off, maybe a little gynecomastia surgery, perhaps an eyelid lift. New-to-dating women usually ask about a tummy tuck, other breast procedures and a face lift.

However, a new dating service thinks perhaps you can skip the knife altogether. Instead, they want you to sniff your new love interest and find the smell pleasant. Even if no soap and shower has been applied! More.

ScientificMatch.com takes a dab of your DNA and, uses a process with a tongue twisting name, “Major Histocompatibility Complex.” The technology then finds a match whose scent is pleasing to you. Of course, the other likes and dislikes are included in your profile which excludes people with scents like yours.

It’s based on real science.

In one famous study, women preferred the smell of T-shirts from men whose genes were most different from their own. Really! In exact, proper scientific language, it’s known as the “Sweaty T-shirt Experiment.” Read more.

All you do for the DNA test is rub the inside of your cheek with a cotton swab.

(Sorry, gals, nothing can be done about the smell of the gene that causes football watching all weekend. And, guys, researchers are still working on locating that mysterious female shopping gene which appears to be connected to the shoe-buying gene.)

Declares Eric Holzle, ScientificMatch.com founder: “DNA matching is the chemistry of our service while values matching is the heart.

“When you share chemistry with someone, you’ll love their natural body fragrance,” he says. “They’ll smell sexier than other people.”

And, hey, don’t sweat it if you sign up. First dates do not require wearing on old T-shirt

What are your best first date stories?

Top Ten Medical DoubleSpeak Terms

2008-02-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what doctors, hospitals and other bureaucrats are really talking about? Don’t feel like only the lonely!

Yearly, the Canadian and United States Councils of Teachers of English round up examples of “doublespeak,” terms that try to soften tough words.

One of the most famous examples is politicians who talk about “Engaging in Revenue Enhancement” instead of only raising your taxes.

So you’ll know what medical administrators are talking about when you hear these double-dealing terms, we’ve added a handy translation chart. (Remember, we make up nothing up here; these are real terms collected from hospitals and actual medical offices by alert readers.)

1. Negative Patient Care Outcome.

It’s got nothing to do with statistics; it means the patient died. Death has also been referred to as “Immediate Permanent Incapacitation.”

2. Environmental Hygienist.

This is not somebody who cleans your teeth. It’s just a two-dollar word for “janitor.” (That job has also been known as “Sanitary Engineer” and “Minute Particle Placement Engineer.”)

3. Physical Freeway.

There are no cars here. It’s just a overblown term for the place that is swept by the Environmental Hygienist. You know it as a hallway.

4. Compensated Edentia.

If the patient is in for the above treatment and claims he can “gum the daylights out of his food,” it should give you a clue. It means false teeth.

5. Nutritional Avoidance Therapy.

A lot of people do this at the start of every year to lose weight. Except they usually call it what it is -- a diet.

6. Thermal Remediation Unit.

A bag of ice cubes.

7. Chronologically Experienced Citizens.

This is not a term you’ll find on a resume. It means old people who may need compensated edentia. See how easy it is? You’re understanding doublespeak already!

8. Digital Fever Computer

You don’t have to know any computer languages to use this. It’s a
thermometer.

9. Grapho-Motor Representation.

Sounds impressive, huh? And what’s more, doctors have, and use, lousy versions of it! Translation? Handwriting.

10. Outstanding Vintage Cuisine

I don’t know about you, but everything I’ve ever eaten in a hospital tastes
like this. Forget about it if you’re thinking Italian or French cuisine. It
means “leftovers.”

Imagine reading the following hospital report:

“The patient was philosophically disillusioned
(frightened) because he experienced a prematurely terminated airline flight
(crash) over his ability to continue engaging in movement experiences
(sports) and because he could not locate his data transport system (briefcase). The
patient was also was embarrassed because he was wearing a form persuader
(girdle) at the time of the accident and could not immediately go back to his
position as a loss prevention specialist (guard).

“Nonetheless, we must turn the case over to our portfolio administrator
(bill collector) even if the subject has to take a lesser paying job like
mobile mountain range technician (cowboy.)

(Well, okay, I made that up but you get the idea of what happens when
language like that goes without the handy explanations.

In my humble opinion,
writing like that kinda exceeds the olfactory thereshold (stinks,) don’t you think?

It’s almost like engaging in reality argumentation (lying.)

You have to wonder how ol’ Ben
Franklin would have been remembered if he had written:
“Nothing in life is certain except engaging in
revenue enhancement and negative patient care outcome.”

Human Fat for Biofuel?

2008-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

Many websites and newspapers reported a scheme wherein a Norwegian businessman living in Miami concocted a scheme to collect 3000 gallons of U.S. liposuction fat and turn it into 2600 gallons of bio-diesel.

Imagine the possibilities! Vehicles of a whole nation powered by cheeseburgers, gooey chocolate deserts and gallons of ice cream. All while sharply reducing foreign oil imports and flabby waist lines at home!

Will this take your car 40 miles?

And cremation? Forget about it! Just write in your will you want to become auto or truck fuel and spend, if not eternity, at least oh, maybe 40 to 50 miles burning with a little diesel fuel or some liquid corn! Maybe our bios from now on will list how many miles per gallon we’re worth. I can imagine future obituaries: “Man Mountain Dean was a big, big man. At six-foot-five and 300 pounds, he could send a Toyota 4 Wheel Drive Truck on a 2000-mile journey. And that was after death!”

Anybody ever see the 1970-ish Charles Heston movie Soylent Green? You could call this liposuction plan Soylent Gas.

Read More about the scheme to collect human fat for fuel.

Only trouble is, there are about a gazillion rules and regulations relating to what can be done with medical waste. Sending it to recycling centers with used French fry oil are noticeably absent.

Besides, the hospital says they never heard of the guy, hardly do any liposuction work and serve a low-income area where people tend not to get fat because they don’t eat all that often.

Falling for the bogus story was the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, U.P.I. and the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, among many other web sites.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it will probably be in your morning newspaper!

What’s your favorite bogus story? (We list ours below.)

[] New Plastic Surgery Freeway in Beverly Hills.

Convenient off ramps at Tummy Tuck Place,
Liposuction Drive and other popular motoring
destinations in and around Beverly Hills.

[] Plastic Surgery Shapes Patients Ears like Elves’ for Better Hearing.

Pointed ears, collect the sound of music better.

[] “Miracle” Plastic Surgery Tape beats Real Surgery

Your humble blogger undergoing the rigors of
plastic surgery by tape.

Surgical Sponges -- Phone Home!

2008-02-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

Don’t you just hate it when a surgical team forgets and leaves something inside you? Maybe it causes some rattling or that uncomfortable bloated feeling? Actually, it’s very serious.

A fix is coming -- at least for overlooked surgical sponges. A new high-tech system phones home when a sponge is used on a patient during the operation and again when the sponge is removed.

Not only that, but the device knows who put the sponges in and will tattle if one gets left behind!

Asterisc21 photo

Loyola University Health System in Illinois observed about 1500 cases every year where an object was left in the patient after surgery. Overlooked sponges are most commonly left behind because they soak up blood and look like part of the patient’s body.

So how does a dumb sponge call home? A tiny cell phone?

Nope, barcodes!

O.R. staffs now have sponges with a unique bar code attached to each. Just like when you’re buying groceries, somebody on the surgical team waves the sponges in front of another high-tech thingamajig that registers each sponge, its number, the time and the user. The clever machine knows who used the sponge because it reads the person’s bar coded badge!

Then, at the end of the operation, the device announces in a loud voice -- and displays on a bright screen -- if any sponges are missing and may be left behind. Otherwise, the patient might be inclined to call his attorney-at-you-know-what!

More bar codes for other surgical tools are coming next.

Read more:

Do you have a favorite O.R. story?

Eyelash Wigs: Newest Cosmetic Offering from Japan

2008-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

This is NOT PhotoShop. We practice evidence-based medicine around here and do not make things up! (Well, only unless we tell you about it afterwards, anyhow.)

Check out the latest cosmetic fad in Japan: Eyelash wigs.

Handmade from feathers or natural hair, the wigs are glued onto fluttering eyelids and come in a variety of colors and sizes from your friendly neighborhood eyelash wig bar. Some eyelash wigs are so long, they can even be braided. More. What do you think, gals? Thumbs up? Thumbs down?

So far, eyelash wigs have not reached U.S. shores, possibly because we offer eyelash transplants for those who are challenged in the eye winker department.

Do Movies Influence Plastic Surgery?

2008-01-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

If you’ve followed our blog, you already know some movies have used plastic surgery as a plot gimmick. (See
the posts on the films Time and 200 Pounds of Beauty.)

But do the movies influence the plastic surgeries that people want?

300 Pounds of Pecs?

One of 2006’s favorite movies was “300,” about the last stand of 300 Spartan soldiers in 480 B.C. when those few Greeks held off an invading army of invading Persians, got killed in the process but saved all of Greece.

Virtually all the actors playing Greeks had massively developed chest muscles (pectoralis major). Hey, just call them “pecs” like serious weight lifters do. But to the Persians, it must have looked like they had to fight through a wall of buff chests.

In a case where life may be imitating art, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported the number of pec implants increased 99 percent, jumping from a mere 209 in 2005. (There were no reports at all of pec implants in 2004.) Read more about the Pectoral Augmentation surgery.

A pec implant is something you really, really must want. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, pec implants alone cost $1600 a pair. The surgery to implant them runs from $7000 to $9000. Read more.

(Pec implant before and after photos, courtesy of Sam Gershaum, M.D.)

So -- movies not withstanding -- why would a guy pony up that much for a buff, square chest? Tired of having sand kicked in his face? Always the last guy picked for touch football pickup games? Need to hold off a Persian army, maybe?

Actually, a personal trainer says the appeal is projecting power, strength, health and virility. Others in the know say some other psychological benefits are providing a really nice place for the weary heads of significant others to rest upon.

And isn’t that a sweet gesture with Valentine’s Day approaching?

Any readers out there ever had a pec implant? What’s it like?

Read more about the costs of plastic surgery.

Top Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Plastic Surgeon

2008-01-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

1. I’m 45; Make me Look I did at 20.

A plastic surgeon can turn the clock back a little but
can’t reset your appearance to two decades ago. Read more.

2. Write me a ‘Script for Some Extra Pain Killers

Basically, don’t ask a plastic surgeon to break the law. Sure, you can have a prescription for a few pain killers, sleep aids or tranquilizers in connection with a surgery, but don’t try to cop a major score. More.

3. Make me Look like Angelina Jolie (Brad Pitt, etc. etc.)

One of the ways a plastic surgeon has of knowing you know the meaning of “realistic expectations” in plastic surgery is to exclude those who want to look like celebrities. The whole idea is to make the best possible version of you.

4. I want a Face Lift because (my wife divorced me; my husband is seeing his secretary; my dog died) and want to feel better.

Plastic surgeons are trained to screen out people who want the surgery for the wrong reasons. So having surgery when you are going through a divorce or some other deeply troubling event is usually out. More.

5. Why Do You Charge So Much for only Two incisions?

If you are in the office of a plastic surgeon who is board certified in plastic surgery, otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) or facial plastic surgery, it requires anywhere from four to seven years of extra training after he or she receives the M.D. degree. Not everybody has the smarts, coordination and determination to get there. More.

6. I Want Liposuction because I don’t like Working Out.

Actually, you’ll have the best results if you can get off the coach, watch what you eat and work out. Your surgeon may even tell you to go home and lose weight before he’ll give you liposuction, which is not a method of weight control. More.

7. I Want to Get off the Table Immediately Afterwards

If you want an invasive procedure, you must show the surgeon you have time to take care of yourself and let your body heal after surgery. More.

8. I Sued My Last Plastic Surgeon!

Among people for whom rejuvenation surgery is probably not right are some with an odd condition (body dysmorphic disorder) in which no amount of plastic surgery is enough. And no results are ever good enough. So they file ungrounded lawsuits. More.

9. Help Me Fudge a Health Insurance Report, Doc

See #2. Besides, almost all plastic surgery is paid up front.
Very few procedures are covered by insurance. More.

10. Don’t Bother checking my Blood Pressure (Glucose level; EKG reading, etc.etc.)

No way around it: you gotta be healthy enough for plastic surgery. Want to wind up like Donda West? If you have a chronic health condition like high blood pressure, diabetes or heart woes, the only way your plastic surgeon can go forward is to check your medical tests. Read more about why your plastic surgeon does not do the health checks him-or-herself.

Botox Has a Competitor!

2008-01-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

Pretty bold, considering there are about 4 million Botox injections given yearly! The stuff is used to treat everything from wrinkles to damp palms to writer’s cramp to urgent bladders. Read more about Botox.

Zap “The 11s”

The new kid on the block is not another drug, but a machine that zaps the nerve allowing you to scrunch up the area between your eyes. (Plastic surgeons call that area “The 11s” because it looks like, well, a big number 11 on your forehead.) The treatment is known as GFX, or glabellar furrow relaxation. Read more.

Approved by the FDA, here’s how GFX works: the doc asks you to frown real hard so he can locate your frown muscles. (I don’t know about you, but I automatically go into a massive frown at the mere mention of doctor bills!)

No More Frowning

Then, the doctor numbs up your forehead and uses a small needle to find the nerve that triggers a frown. Next, a little RF (radio frequency) energy is aimed at the nerve to zap its activity. Presto! No more frowning, even if you wanted to. Even over doctor bills! The nerve isn’t destroyed; it’s just in total shock for a while.

Showing “The 11s”.

The upside: while it requires Botox a couple of days to show results that only last for three to five months, GFX is said to last anywhere from eight to 18 months.

Downside: Botox costs anywhere from $250 to $450 per treatment depending on where you live. But because only two U.S. physicians are currently delivering GFX, a treatment is running anywhere from $1800 to $3000.

Read more about plastic surgery costs.

Getting Older? Your Jaw is Getting Square!

2008-01-25T11:04:00.001-08:00

It’s not drooping flesh. Or wrinkles. Not baggy eyelids, either.

It’s that curse of aging, the square jaw.

So declares the America Society of Plastic Surgeons in a special report studying images of 16 people taken when they were mere babes -- about 16 -- in the woods and again at “maturity,” meaning 56 or older. Read more.

So we wondered what famous people would have looked like with those jaws.

(Images courtesy of FreakingNews.com)

Einstein would not look
much older with a square jaw.
It looks like maybe boxing promoter
Don King copied the hairstyle, though.
(I’ve read both guys comb their hair
with jumper cables.)

The Golden State “Governator”
only looks tougher and more determined
to “bee bach” with a square jaw.

With a square jaw, Bonnie Prince
Charlie looks like he’s ready to take
over the Royal Reins from
the Queen Mum and be a proper
King.

Top 10 Extreme Plastic Surgeries

2008-01-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

1. Belly Button Surgery

Some people with “innies” want “outies” and vice-versa. Technically, the operation is known as an umbilicoplasty. Read more.

2. Toe-Besity Surgery

Got tubbie toes? Stubby toes? Slim them! More.

3. Eyebrow Transplants

There’s no woe like skimpy or no eyebrow woe! More.

4. Foot Facelift

A toe may be too long or short; maybe it’s the dreaded “high heel foot” condition or corns, bunions or hammertoes. Solution? Anything but sensible shoes. Puh-lease! Better: a toe tuck and foot facelift to look good in sandals.

5. Ear on the Forearm

You don’t see a lot of this but one “performance” artist
implanted a more-or-less real human ear on his forearm. Something to do
with seeing what he is hearing? I don’t get it either but, hey,
today’s avant garde is tomorrow’s ho-hum. More.

This is not Photoshopped. The ear
was grown from human cells in a
Petri dish in a university lab.

6. Rib Removal

I always thought this was taken care of in the Garden of Eden. Anyhow, some women who want an hourglass shaped figure have two or three ribs removed. But the patient also must have a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) for the whole concept to come together. More.

A patient shows her new waist just after her surgery, left,
and after things have healed better.

7. The Human Barbie

Sarah Burge, 46, an English woman, has had 26 plastic surgeries over the last 20 years, trying to make herself look like Barbie. It’s actually quite a lonely life because there is no Ken in sight. Any volunteers, guys? It has only cost Sarah $351,775 to get a certain Barbie look. So far, that is. More.

8. Plastic Surgery for Kangaroos.

Feznick, a popular Hollywood movie star, (well, in roles that call for a kangaroo,
anyhow,) was bit by one of his neighbors where a lot of acting animals live. Hey,
this is California, you know! Because his close-ups would be ruined, he had
plastic surgery on his snout. More

9. Michael Jackson

Need we say more? Some plastic surgeons figure 10 to 15 surgeries on that nose. More

10.Jocelyn Wildenstein

Ha! You didn’t think we could top Michael Jackson, huh? Jocelyn’s bill for plastic surgery -- no wait, make that bad plastic surgery -- is said to be over 3 million dollars, thanks to a multi-million dollar inheritance. More.

Jocelyn, aka “The Cat Woman”

Koreans Put Plastic Surgery into their Movies

2008-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

While American, British and Australians are fascinated with T.V. plastic surgery programs, Koreans like to go to the movies for their plastic surgery entertainment.

If you’ve followed our blog, you already know about 200 Pounds of Love, a Korean rock ‘n’ roll movie that used plastic surgery as a plot device.

Three Hankies

Now, for a three-hanky review! Star-crossed lovers deal with, not demanding families and feuding gangs, but plastic surgery and appearance.

The latest is Time, now playing on the Sundance Channel. The flick has a Korean sound track with English subtitles. Read more about the film.

While it’s a touching love story, it shows something American, British and Australian plastic surgeons (and probably many others, worldwide) would, and should, not do: provide plastic surgery to a person who wants it for all the wrong reasons. In this case, a patient is afraid her boyfriend will tire of her looks.

Take a knife to this face? Are you kidding?

Here’s what happens:

She-hee, the already gorgeous young woman above, becomes insecure about her appearance two years into a serious love affair. Her solution? Plastic surgery.

While a surgeon tells Seh-hee he can not make her any more pretty, she insists on having a surgical makeover. Afterwards, she splits on her lover, Ji-woo, while her face heals. The poor guy is heartbroken and searches everywhere for her. After six months, Seh-hee returns to him with a new name and is unrecognized. They start seeing each other again.

Another Plastic Surgery

Eventually, the boyfriend catches on and goes in for a total surgical facial makeover, too. Now it’s Seh-hee’s turn to go searching. Because she knows Ji-woo has a new face, she stops many handsome guys but the only way she can tell if a guy is really Ji-woo is by how the guy’s hand fits into hers.

I won’t give away the ending but it involves one more plastic surgery by one of the main characters, again for all the wrong reasons.

Seh-hee and Ji-woo before plastic
surgery.

The 98-minute movie is also worth seeing because South Korea looks modern, clean, uncrowded and with delicate Asian touches everywhere. As you might have guessed, the nation is also becoming a plastic surgery hot spot.

To read more about the right reasons for having plastic surgery, try the following article about choosing a plastic surgeon -- and why a plastic surgeon just might send you on your merry way.

Top Ten Myths about Breast Augmentation

2008-01-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

Breast Augmentation is the number one plastic surgery for 2006, the most recent year for which statistics exist. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 329,000 breast augmentation procedures were done in’06.

Myth #1: Breast Implants Cause Cancer
Studies and experimental data have not been able to link breast implants with cancer.

Myth #2: Breast Implants Must be Removed Every 10 Years
No specific data exists on the duration for implant replacement. Implants may last a lifetime or only a few years depending on various medical factors.

Myth #3: An Underwire Bra Should Never Be Worn with Implants
Underwire bras can be worn after healing. Over time, without proper support, the weight of the implants can create significant sagginess and stretch the breast tissue and skin. An underwire bra can prevent that.

A silicone breast implant

Myth #4: Shaped Implants are more Natural than Round Implants
Imaging studies have shown that both shaped, or anatomical, and round implants appear to have a similar natural slope when properly placed under the chest muscle. One complication of the shaped version: the implant bag can rotate and lead to disfigurement.

Myth #5: Loss of Nipple Sensitivity is Associated Only with the Periareolar Surgical Approach (through the nipple area).
Numbness can occur from any surgical approach if the nerves are stretched or traumatized during surgery.

Myth#6: Mammograms are Not Possible with Implants
Placing silicone or saline implants under the chest muscle helps with Displacement Technique Mammography and allows excellent results.

Myth#7: Over 50 Women Should not have Breast Augmentation
Patients of any age may undergo implant surgery as long as they are healthy, in good medical condition and free of breast cancer. Lab work is required for all surgical candidates while a routine mammogram is required for anyone over the age of 35 or with a family history of breast cancer.

A patient selects a breast implant

Myth#8: The Most Common Reason for Reopening the Incision is the Patient’s Desire to Remove the Implant Entirely
Actually, deflation (18 percent) and capsular contracture (also 18 percent) are the top reasons for reopening or undergoing a second procedure.

Myth#9: More Women Want to Go Larger on the Next Surgery, Believing They Went Too Small at First
That is not a myth but a true statement! Women get used to the swelling that generally occurs during the first two to three months after surgery. When the swelling subsides, they miss the fuller feeling and ask to have slightly larger implants put in.

Myth#10: It’s Easy to Detect a Rupture or Tear in a Silicone Gel Implant
Silicone ruptures are often silent because the implant holds its shape and may go undetected for years. An MRI is the most definitive method for determining a rupture or tear.

Source: Stuart A. Linder, M.D. F.A.C.S.
from his book, The Beverly Hills Shape: The Truth about Plastic Surgery.

Plastic Surgery Prices Explained

2008-01-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever wondered why the costs of plastic surgery vary so much from place to place in the United States, read more about it in a special report explaining at least some of it!

Media Watch -- 36 DD for a Day

2008-01-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

British reporter Clover Stroud, below left as she normally looks and while having the equivalent of a 36DD breast implant applied.

Stroud, a reporter for the Daily Mail in London, England, wondered about all the fuss over breast enhancements.

So a movie makeup artist applied the bosom of a woman who has 36 DD implants. Stroud then wore the getup for 24 hours and walked around London while noting the different ways men -- and other women -- responded to her.

Wrote Stroud about a range of odd reactions: “But what had inspired this frankly odd behavior from complete strangers? Quite simply, it was my pair of perfectly perky 36DD breasts.” Read more.

NEXT: Toe-besity: There’s a surgery for that!

Dox: Got Pain? Take a Computer Game!

2008-01-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

If any surgical procedure, including cosmetic plastic surgery, has left you hurting, skip the anti-pain drugs and try a video game instead.

Researchers at the University of Barcelona in Spain are using computer games and virtual reality helmets to measure how much high tech gizmos can reduce pain. So far, researchers have found the technique reduces the need for sedatives. Video games seem to work because you can only pay so much attention to any one thing; the games or virtual reality helmets distract your brain from your pain by more fully involving your other senses. More.

The Spanish are not alone in trying e-cures.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, have done experiments that show patients who are distracted in a virtual reality world like a 3-D skiing adventure, report less pain than others using drug-based pain therapy. More.

But it’s not so bad when you consider that surgical pain is just weakness leaving the body.

Physicians can read about it here: Article: Wismeijer, AAJ; Vingerhoets, AJJM, "The use of virtual reality and audiovisual eyeglass systems as adjunct analgesic techniques: A review of the literature", Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 30 (3): 268-278 DEC 2005

Chewing Gum Makes Breasts Grow?

2008-01-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

The most excellent blog, Truth in Cosmetic Surgery, written by John Di Saia, M.D, a board certified plastic surgeon in San Clemente, California,
found a hilarious commercial for a type of chewing gum known as “Boobie Chew.”

Take a look: http://www.liquidgeneration.com/Media/Videos/Viral_Videos/Bizarre/Boobie_Chew/

The video seems to date from the 1980s; nobody is sure if it ever actually aired because its medical claims never got assigned to the precise category in science known as “believable.”

Nonetheless, you can still find chewing gum that purports to increase breast size. For instance, in Japan B2UP (short for “Bust Up Gum”) is a big seller.

The magic B2UP ingredient? Extracts from the Kwao Krua plant which is said to make breasts grow, improve shape and tone. Hey, what’s this? Breasts now have tone? Well, maybe a G would be all right with most people but I imagine a B flat would be a big fizzle. Read more.

Also available for the chewing gum and bosom-challenged public are Zoft Breast Gum (Contains Phytoestrogens! Chew less! Grow More!) and Breast Success, among others.

Here’s an odd but related item about chewing gum:

While chewing gum really can make surgical incisions heal faster, the one thing it does not do is make breasts grow larger, says Dr. Si Saia.

The Chopstick Bra

2008-01-11T11:26:00.001-08:00

Rarely do you see such an, ah, uplifting story.

Here’s the heart of it: Cut down fewer trees while creating more cleavage for all those who want it. It might even replace breast augmentation procedures.

As a nation, Japan throws away some 25 billion chopsticks yearly, causing large swaths of forest to be cut down.

And what’s the best way to stop that waste?

Why, silly, wearing a chopstick bra!

If you want to see the chopstick bra in action, check out this video: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=70363&videoChannel=4

Lingerie maker Triumph Internal Japan developed the support garment so the wearer could insert several pair of reusable chopsticks into the bra’s underarm panels. See where this is headed?

Triumph didn’t explain it fully but additional chopsticks can be used against the bosom to create a more flattering décolletage.

But don’t be mislead by the woman posing for the above picture. One cup resembles a rice bowl and the other a soup bowl (Chopsticks for soup? I don’t get it either!) but it’s all a grab for media attention.

The production model bra will most likely be just ordinary cloth cups with plenty of chopstick pockets. So far, nothing special is in the works for guys who want to carry collapsible eating utensils. Maybe a longer shirt pocket?

By the way, Triumph is a fashion designer with an odd sense of style. Read more about their take on the top eight most bizarre bras.

And if you’re interested in new bustlines, here’s a more-or-less normal story about adjustable breast implants.

Top 8 Far-Out Uses for Breast Implants

2008-01-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

The world is filled with the results of unintended consequences. Sure, you can use cat litter to provide traction on an icy sidewalk, but whoever thought so many unintended uses for breast implants would crop up? We present the top eight:

1. Book Title

To win a $100,000 bet, Brian Zembic stepped up when another gambler put up the cash against Brian keeping 38C breast implants in his chest for one year. (Tip for guys: Women were fascinated and not the least bit put off by the enhancement. Maybe having a beefy chest is not such a bad thing, after all? Maybe forget the gynecomastia surgery?) The outcome? Brian became $100,000 richer and then was featured in the book, Man with the $100,000 Breasts. More. Casting for the movie continues but, so far, every leading actor has turned the role down because none wants to be seen with a bustline.

2. Airbags

Perhaps inspired by a Bulgarian woman whose 40 DD breast implants served as airbags and saved her life in a car crash, Japanese technology company Takata, the world’s leading supplier of auto safety belts, used a giant double implant template and came up with an improved air bag for cars. More

3. Man Pacifier

A San Francisco blogger known only as donnauwanna noted her life partner seemed to consider her breasts a source of comfort. So the clever donnauwanna decided to take matters into her own hands and created a squishy breast shaped stress reliever, modeled after one of her own. (We are NOT making this up. Read more.) Her fondest hope? “Maybe now he’ll leave me alone so I can get important things done!” Anyhow, here’s how to make one. But you really must want to do this because you start with a plaster cast of one breast. However, if the lady love is (understandably!) unwilling to slather her torso with cold, clammy plaster mix and sit still, waiting four hours for it to dry, some wives just toss their mates a silicone breast implant. Why? Silicone is like the real deal.

Of course, all this could easily be nipped in the bud because a new scholarly study found breast feeding can make kids more resilient to stress. More.

4. Ebay Sale

Mary Carey, an adult film start who ran for governor of California in 2003, put her 36 D implants (removed only because she wanted 36 DDD implant replacements ) up for sale on Ebay. As of January 8th, bidding was at U.S. $316.00. More.

5. Solve Crimes

A British murder victim was missing her hands and head when police found the body. But the woman had breast and buttocks implants, both of which carry serial numbers. The numbers cracked the case. More. Similar I.D.-by-breast-implant cases have taken place in New York and in Georgia.

6. Get-out-of-Army pass.

“ACHTUNG!! Today, D Cups! Tomorrow, Triple D Cups!”

(Actually, the headline reads: “The German Army will not allow my bustline.”

A German female soldier, 24-year-old Alessija Dorfmann, must leave the Army because she has D-cup size silicone breast implants. A German Army spokesman, Harald Kammerbauer, explained there is an increased risk of injury. More.

“I chust vanted to be all I can be,” lamented Alessija.

The case is under review so Fraulein/PFC Dorfman may be able to become the army medic, she signed up for after all.

7. A Curvy Tattoo

Above, Lane’s right leg. He is editor of
a body art and tattoo magazine in Edmonton, Alberta.

Thinking that a 2-D tat was too tame, Canadian Lane Jensen
asked a tattoo artist and wannabe surgeon to open his leg and surgically
implant tiny breast implants in the anatomically correct position of a
buxom woman tattoo. (Note: Do not try this at home. While these people were
totally untrained professionals working in a dangerous environment, they were lucky!
Lane still has his leg which is a miracle in itself!) More (without the
breast-or-leg man quips!)

8. Body Armor

(Photo by mzacha)

A woman’s silicone breast implants stopped a piece of shrapnel “inches from her heart” after a rocket attack in Israel. “The implants saved her life,” said an attending physician.
More.

If you’re still interested in breast implants and how they are used by more-or-less “normal” people, read more about inserting breast implants through the belly button.

Next: Implants? Who needs ‘em anyhow? Chewing gum claims it can enhance breasts!

Human Fat-Powered Speedboat?

2008-01-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

The vast majority of plastic surgeons don’t have a use for the fat they suck or melt from your body during liposuction.

Of course, a few noble souls are searching. Some even freeze patients’ fat in case some future discovery is made. A few surgeons move fat from one unwanted location of your body to another while research labs constantly look for medical uses.

Suddenly, a really practical thing comes along. Now, human fat can be used to power your speedboat! Why didn’t somebody think of this before? Will bass fishing ever be the same?

The Earthrace -- World’s
First Blubber Boat

In New Zealand, Pete Bethune, a former oil industry worker, created the Earthrace, a US$3 million dollar ship that will try to break the world’s speed record for zipping around the globe. The boat is powered by natural biofuels which usually combines recycled restaurant grease with some diesel fuel. Actually, Pete wants to promote biofuels more than snaring the world record.

To attract attention, Bethune and others underwent liposuction, collecting two gallons of fat that can drive the boat about nine miles.

Is that to say human blubber only gets four and one half miles per gallon? Well, it depends on what you’re driving and how fast you are going. At 23 tons, the Earthrace is a really big boat that goes really fat, er, that is, fast at a blazing 23 to 29 mph.

If all goes according to plan, the boat should take 75 days to race 32,000 miles around the world, thereby breaking the record by 10 days.

Unless they have to stop to take on more fat.

Top 10 Amazing-But-True Facts about the 2007 Holiday Season

2007-12-28T12:28:00.000-08:00

During the recent holiday season, alert Internet readers sent us amazing-but-true facts they have learned about the 2007 Christmas season.

We present the top 10 herewith:

1. For the first time in history, Santa Claus is being forced to relocate his North Pole headquarters. The reason? Global warming. The irony is that global warming is rapidly accelerating due to a small percentage of Americans who insist on decorating their homes with tens of thousands of Christmas lights.

2. The Norwegian word for "fruitcake" translates literally to "delicacy of questionable sensibilities."

3. The only human to ever be awarded honorary status by Santa's elves is film composer and former Oingo Boingo front man Danny Elfman.

4. In 2006, three shopping-mall Santas suffered severe facial lacerations while using cats as beards. (The toll for 2007 hasn’t been tallied yet.)

5. Santa's Christmas Eve schedule now takes into account his mandatory TSA inspection upon entering the U.S., as well as airspace congestion over New York La Guardia, Chicago O'Hare and London Heathrow airports.

6. Played in reverse, the opening line of "A Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...") eerily predicts John Lennon's untimely demise.

7. Working for the Allies during World War II, Santa Claus lifted sensitive documents from the homes of Nazi officials each Christmas Eve.

8. Seventy-five percent of holiday plane crashes are caused by pilots mistaking for overly decorated neighborhood streets for airport runways.

9. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was originally thirteen days. Superstition resulted in the modern version leaving off the verse about "thirteen broken mirrors."

10. During the long, cold Decembers of the Great Depression, many parents encouraged their kids to misbehave because they needed the coal.

(Source: Chris White, TopFive.com)

Top 10 Reasons Women Undergo Rejuvenation Surgery:

2007-12-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

1. Smooth Facial Wrinkles.
Botox did the job over four million times in 2006.

2. Remove Unwanted Hair.
Lasers took it off for 887,000 people. More

3. Increase Breast Size.
329,396 women opted for breast augmentation. More think silicone implants rule!

4. Suction fat from the stomach, butt, hips, and thighs.
302,000 people had liposuction in 2006 to reduce problems fatty spots that just will not go away.

5. Remove a bump from the nose.
307,302 people had nose surgery during ’06. Some removed a bump.

6. Fix a Crooked Nose.
Others straightened the schnozzola. Yet others corrected impaired breathing, narrowed the nostrils or fixed a botched rhinoplasty.

7. Remove bags from around the eyes.
233,000 people in 2006 removed the bags under the eyes or nipped drooping eyelids. Some did both.

8. Remove extra skin from the stomach area.
Thanks to the growing acceptance of “Mommy makeovers,” 146,240 tummy tuck cases were done. It’s a big surgery. More.

9. Plump up lips.
At least 25,626 people fattened up their kissers. The trend is growing as more facial injectables are approved for the lips. Lip implants are also available.

10. Improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin.

Isn’t payback a bear? People who spent too much time in the sun include:

69,300 dermabrasion patients

1,063,423 chemical peel cases

816,774 microdermabrasions

(SOURCE: American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Figures represent both men and women. Statistics for 2007 will be released sometimes around March, 2008.)

Botox Injections -- Fast, Fast Relief!

2007-12-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

Remedies Writer’s Cramp, Scars, Sweaty Palms and Bladder Woes.

Ironing out facial wrinkles with Botox is only one of its actual uses.

Medical researchers continue finding new uses for Botox -- which leads the pack of noninvasive procedures with 3.9 million uses in 2006. It’s now a good treatment for relieving writers’ cramp. According to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, three to seven of every 100,000 people suffer from writer’s cramp. Read more. Besides the cramping, if your fingers and hands ever become wrinkled, you’ve got that covered, too!

Plastic Surgery Incisions

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that treating a facial wound --like a plastic surgery incision -- early in the healing phase with Botox improves the appearance of a scar later. More. Al Capone shoulda been alive for this, huh?

Salesmen and others are handicapped if they have sweaty palms. It’s bad enough listening to a sales pitch but who wants to shake hands with a glad handing sales person whose paw feels like a wet washcloth?

One woman sufferer had drops of perspiration dripping from one hand. She usually suffered five sweaty palm outbreaks a day, with each lasting about half an hour. Just try selling a Lexus or a beachfront condo with water pouring off your hands! Stress, exercise, coffee or alcohol brought on her damp palm attacks. Read more.

Botox Injections

Again, Botox rode to the rescue and stopped the wet palms.

Researchers at UT Southwestern University in Dallas wanted to treat overactive bladder victims to help them regain control. Some were spinal cord injury victims whose injured nerves sent the bladder the wrong message at the wrong time. Like in church, at weddings, giving a major speech, while asking for a raise and so on. Others were MS patients, spina bifida and interstitial cystitis sufferers who, well, hey, you’ve got the idea by now. An associate professor of urology uses Botox to stop the leaks and embarrassing incidents. More.

Top 10 Saving Banks for Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

2007-12-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

While there are many payment plans available to consumers of plastic surgery -- even the Royal Bank of Scotland takes part through a plastic surgery loan program -- people are finding ever more clever ways to fork over for that long awaited surgical rejuvenation.

Some forget about making a down payment on a new car and keep the old family bus for another year; others take a part-time job and still others dump it all onto a credit card while yet others do it the hard way, saving up week by excruciating week.

That must be why there has been such an explosion of piggy banks on the Internet.

Here are the top 10:

1. Exploding Bank

The most recent is a special Japanese savings bank -- although it doesn’t have anything to do with a pig. The clever bank induces you to save by shaking and beeping hourly to remind you it needs to be fed some coins.

If you don’t feed it, the bank blows up and throws what few coins you have saved all over the floor. Well, O.K., it doesn’t explode explode; it just slams open a trap door and scatters your coins all over the floor. Seems like an explosion.

Japanese Toy Maker Tomy Co, Ltd. offers it for about $27.00

2.Coins Stop the Alarm Bank

Another savings device from the Land of the Rising Sun:

TokyoMango offers an alarm clock that won’t shut off unless you put coins in it. Want to sleep another 15 minutes or half hour? Yeah? What’s it worth to you?

3. Money Eating Monsters

O.K., no more Mr. Nice Guy Piggy Bank! Some banks are literal monsters that demand to be fed! Or else!

The Money Monster Bank gobbles up both coins and bills, then follows with 20 more-or-less age-appropriate comments (“Money, money in my tummy!”) while their eyes flash and ears wiggle. After the money is consumed, the saving monsters let out a mighty belch, letting you know your funds are secure and probably tasted good, too. Available soon for about $24.00 from Firebox via Pocket-lint. The Monster banks even heckle passers-by if they walk by without giving up some cash.

4. The Face Bank Robotic Piggy Bank.

This bank also eats money but with realistic munching motions. Just don’t get your fingers too close or you’ll need a plastic surgeon who specializes in hand reconstruction! Watch the Face Bank in action on YouTube. Go to:

http://weirdscience.ca/2007/06/10/coin-eating-piggy-bank/

How does it work? The Face Bank has motion sensors embedded in its eyes. The sensors detect your approaching hand, then latch onto the money, (hopefully!) gobble it up and swallow it for safekeeping. Depending on where you find them, the bank will deplete your plastic surgery savings by at least $14.95.

5. Digital Piggy Banks

According to the Chinese calendar, it’s the year of the pig. So that's another reason we're seeing so many piggy banks. The DigiBank from Keian takes piggy banking another step into geekdom.

You can program the bank just by showing it a coin, be it a dime or a Drachma, a half a buck or a Hallalah. After that, the bank is smart enough to recognize what type of coin it’s getting and how many coins are dropped in. It tallies your savings and displays a running total on its LCD display.
It costs around $15.00 at better piggy bank stores everywhere. (Chinese and more astute readers will note the middle bank is not a pig at all but a Panda.)

6. Economy Model Coin Counter

No programming is necessary -- or possible -- on this model. Just attach it to the top of a glass jar and let it track the amount you’re socking away for that upper eyelid surgery. The bank only costs $8.00 but, then it only recognizes Japanese Yen. (1 Yen is just about $.01.) Hey, we did say it was the economy model. Leaves more for your surgery. MORE »

7. Gold-plated piggy bank.

If you are headed to Beverly Hills for your surgical rejuvenation, here’s a bank that’s more appropriate to where you are: a gold-plated piggy bank from Jonathan Adler for $130.00. Or not. Maybe just stash 130 clams in an old sock toward your surgery?

8. Bankabank piggy banks

No, these are not the lastest iPods. They are just round, soft, supremely low-tech banks which don’t require batteries. The bank can hold $75.00 in U.S. quarters. Part with 48 of those quarters and one can be yours. From Gizmodoa.com.

9. Upscale Bank

This device also has not a shred of porcine influence and is a saving bank meant to resemble, well, a bank. Or, at least an ATM machine at a bank. But get out of the habit of withdrawing money -- it’s designed for inserting loose change. And just like its grownup, real life counterpart, you have to have an access card and a pass code.

10. Bank of Life

The Jinsei Ginkou (Bank of Life) from Takara Tomy is also called the “Tamagotchi Bank” because it has a console screen that shows the virtual lifestyle of a virtual man. When the bank is empty, the man lives in a tiny, unkempt hovel. But as you add more money, the character on the screen starts upgrading his environment all the way to a virtual fancy digs and a more lavish lifestyle. (He is also looking so much better after his surgery in this stage.) It’s designed to save $850 (real time, not virtual bucks!) but you have to save with 500 Yen coins.

BONUS BANK: Because you’re reading this on a computer screen, the last of the top saving devices hardly resembles anything else. But we’re sure you’ll appreciate having it next to your computer.

This cleverly designed piggy bank looks like a giant key from a computer keyboard, emblazoned with word “Save.”

The oversize plastic computer key (4.5″ x 4.5″ x 2.25″) serves as a constant reminder to save those spare coins you found under your desk or the couch cushions. The Auto Save Bank is just $10 from Uncommon Goods.

(While you’re recovering from surgery, here’s a head start on your next round of Trivial Pursuit: Why are many coin banks shaped like, and named after, pigs? (Hint: Doesn’t have a thing to do with hogging money.) Give up? Here’s the story, dug from the dustbin of history:

Long ago in Europe, dishes and cookware were made of a dense orange clay known as “pygg.” When people saved coins in jars made of the clay, the containers became known as “pygg” banks. An English potter misunderstood the word and made a bank that looked like a pig.

The rest, as they say, is history. Anyhow, good luck with your savings plan. Here’s more about financing your plastic surgery.

Researchers: Caffeine Reduces Thighs!

2007-12-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

Don’t you just hate it when you’re holding a full cup of coffee and the driver zooms away from a stop light, spilling the coffee all over your lap? Can’t you sue the seller of the coffee or the car manufacturer for something like that?

Sure, the coffee is scorching and makes you look funny when you get to work but that spilled coffee -- or at least the caffeine in the coffee -- just could be a blessing in disguise

Here’s why: Brazilian researchers studied a type of cream containing seven percent caffeine rubbed onto the thighs of 99 women twice daily for 30 days. At the end of the test, the researchers measured the womens’ thighs and found 80 percent had reduced their upper and lowers thighs. An unexpected bonus finding: 68 percent also reduced their hips.

(We are not making this up! Read the scientific article in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.)

This has to be truly groundbreaking research! The high-priced coffees we drink in the United States must be somewhere around 75 or 80 percent caffeine. So the obvious no-brainer application is to let the coffee cool, ask your friend to pull over, get out and apply the coffee directly to your thighs. U.S. coffee sales will skyrocket once the word gets out!

Meanwhile, Professor Omar Lupi, M.D., Ph.D. of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro had some bad news we must unfortunately deliver, much as we dislike bearing woeful tidings: Alas, the cream did not work on cellulite. “The caffeine cream may help women who want to look thinner, but exercise is still the best way to go,” says Professor Lupi.

Until more people pick up on the caffeine thing, read what plastic surgeons can do for thighs.

Got a Bald Patch? See Your Dentist!

2007-12-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Researchers at the University of Granada in Spain have found the bald patches on both women and men might be because of bad dental health.

Known to doctors as Alopecia, the hairless spots usually occur on the scalp, beard or eyebrows. The malady affects one of every 1000 people.

Wrote Professors Jose Antonio Gil Montoya: “The typical pattern is one or more round bald patches appearing on the scalp, beard or in the eyebrows or to undergo loss of eyelashes.”

Researchers say this is the first time a relationship between dental disease and hair loss has been established. Read more.

One of the least known -- but very popular -- plastic surgery procedures is hairline lowering for women. It happens when a woman’s hair line recedes and shows too much forehead. Read more.

Many plastic surgery patients are also concerned with their eyelashes. Some are transplanted. Read more about eyelash transplants.