December 2007 Blog Archive
Monday, December 31, 2007
A Look Back at the Headlines: Plastic Surgery in 2007
When the average person thinks back on plastic surgery news in 2007, the tragic case of Donda West is most likely to come to mind. However, there was a lot of other plastic surgery news worth noting this year; here's a recap of some favorite stories:
Celebrity Plastic Surgery: Donda West wasn't the only celebrity (or near-celebrity) to make plastic surgery news headlines. Some of the others include
Ashley Tisdale,
Lindsay Lohan and
Queen Latifah. Some celebrity plastic surgery news was actually about those folks who aren't getting work done like
Scarlett Johansson,
Leona Lewis and
Kim Cattrall.
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Reconstructive surgery. Celebrity plastic surgery news is always fun and interesting but there's more to the work of plastic surgeons than just touching up the stars. The more serious side of the work is really displayed in reconstructive surgery stories. 2007 stories of this nature included work done on a
young girl who was mauled by a dog and facial reconstruction for a
robbery shooting victim.
- Breasts in the news. Let's face it - you think plastic surgery and you often think "boob job". As a result many favorite stories revolved around breast surgery. These included
scientific information about stem cells for reconstructive breast surgery, information on
male breast reductions and the
return of silicone to the market.
There were plenty of other interesting plastic surgery news reports in 2007; check out our archives to flip through them. Tomorrow kicks off 2008 and plenty more news to come!
Question of the Day: What was your all-time favorite plastic surgery news story of 2007?
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Friday, December 28, 2007
A New Year, A New You
The new year is almost upon us. What are you thinking as you get ready to attend this year's events? Hopefully, you're excited about ringing in the new year with friends and family. But for many people, that excitement is marred by unhappiness with one's appearance. You look in the mirror and see the weight of the cookies that you've been eating all season long and it doesn't exactly make you want to put on your party dress and wait for the ball to drop.
Perhaps you're just suffering from some seasonal blues. But for many people, this kind of body discomfort is an ongoing problem. If you've tried to resolve it with meditation exercises and diets and still feel the same way, it might be time to commit to a change. Admit it. You've thought about
plastic surgery in the past. You've wondered if
weight loss surgery could make you feel more comfortable with who you are. Maybe just a little
tummy tuck could shave some insecurities off your belt.
If you've often thought about plastic surgery and haven't pursued your interest, maybe you should make a commitment to yourself that this year is the year to find out more about it. You don't have to say for certain that you're going to get a surgery done in 2008. But you can make a New Year's Resolution to get
the facts about the surgeries that interest you.
Find a doctor and set up an appointment to discuss your body image concerns and the options that are available to you.
With a plan in place, you can go ring in the new year with a smile!
Question of the Day: How many times have you thought about plastic surgery but never called a doctor about it?
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Thursday, December 27, 2007
Celebrity Plastic Surgery Slideshow Makes Top 25 Stories List
The end of the year is here and that means that everyone is reporting what they believe to be "the top" however-many whatevers throughout the year. There are top ten lists for technology trends and top twenty bad
celebrity plastic surgery lists and top one hundred news stories of the year. You can find a "top" list for almost everything. And if you head over to
NBC San Diego's list of their top twenty five stories of the year, you'll find that celebrity plastic surgery made the cut.
The list is for the top slideshow stories of the year. The story, listed at number ten, is called "Stars Before and After Alleged Plastic Surgery". As you would guess, it shows before and after images of different celebrities and asks whether or not you think they've had some
plastic surgery. Some are obvious, some are humorous and some give you pause for thought.
Also on the list were stories about how famous women have aged over the years, real-life celebrity lookalikes, and The Women of Comic-Con 2007.
Question of the Day: How many of the celebrity plastic surgery pictures do you think you could guess correctly?
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Wednesday, December 26, 2007
HDTV Causes Plastic Surgery Increase
Have you ever seen yourself in HDTV? Probably not, although it's possible if you have a home video recorder that can be hooked up to an HD television. If that's the case, you've probably come to realize that you have a few more flaws than you really care to show to the world. That might not bother the average person who sees themselves once or twice a year in home videos. But what if you make your living by being on TV?
Of course,
celebrity plastic surgery has always been popular precisely for this reason. The big screen shows details that the average person doesn't want seen by the world. But with HDTV heading into homes across the nation, even the average television star is seeking out plastic surgery to get themselves more fit for the screen. And it's not just stars of prime time shows either. News anchors and television talk show hosts who see themselves on HDTV are finding that they're not happy with what the new super-great images reveal about them.
The Los Angeles Times recently
ran a report on the issue. It revealed that Anderson Cooper, the host of CNN, wasn't pleased with what he saw when he saw himself on HD. He immediately began thinking about
plastic surgery to repair the fatty deposit that he'd never realized before was underneath his eye. And even anchors of local news stations are starting to think about
facial reconstruction to improve the close-up appearance that HD gives their viewers.
Question of the Day: How important is plastic surgery for news reporters?
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Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Charities
What is the reason that you're interested in
plastic surgery? It's okay if the answer is that you're completely vain. Plastic surgery improves appearances and can make people feel better about themselves. If you're slipping into a smaller size Christmas dress this year because you got a
tummy tuck, that's terrific. Toast to that! But cosmetic reasons are not the only reasons that people go to
plastic surgeons. And Christmas is about more than just tipping back another glass of eggnog and showing off your new bod.
Christmas is about the spirit of giving. What better way to give than to find a charity that could use your assistance in providing services to people in need? Your money goes towards research and care and the whole community around you might benefit. And what better way to provide assistance to people in the community than to give them the gift that was so important to you: the gift of plastic surgery.
For many people, plastic surgery is not just for vain reasons. It's for
reconstructive purposes. Reconstructive surgery is used to repair damage caused in accidents (ranging from
shootings to
dog attacks) It can also be used to repair body and facial damage that is the result of a disease or birth defect. Your money can go to supporting this assistance and really shaping the life of someone else.
Here are just a few charities that specialize in reconstructive or plastic surgery help:
- Children's Corrective Surgery Society
- Interplast
- National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction
- Operation Smile
There are other national organizations that provide assistance to people from a variety of niche groups. Would you like to help a child get corrective surgery for a birth defect? Or perhaps you want to assist veterans of war with reconstructive surgery to repair injuries obtained in warfare? Whatever the specific cause that you're interested in, you can find a charity (or even an individual!) who needs your help.
Question of the Day: Which reconstructive surgery organization are you most interested in helping?
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Monday, December 24, 2007
Give a Gift to your Plastic Surgeon
If you have a
plastic surgeon, you probably love him. After all, this is the person who takes the body that you're not pleased with and shapes it into something that boosts your self-esteem. Plastic surgeons often play a role that's more than just "doctor". They assist people in better understanding themselves and their goals. They offer advice for fitness, health and a higher quality of life. And they provide you with assurance when you're not sure that you're doing the right thing. Because of this, they are important people in the lives of those who go to see them.
Despite their importance, plastic surgeons are often forgotten at Christmastime. Most people get their
plastic surgery done in advance of the holidays in order to have their look completed before they see their friends and family. This means that by the time that Christmas rolls around, people aren't at the plastic surgeon's office and don't really have him or her on their minds. As a result, the offices of plastic surgeons often aren't decorated with as many kind cards as the offices of other doctors might be.
It's Christmas Eve which is a little late, but not too late, to give a gift to your plastic surgeon. It doesn't really matter what the gift is; it's just nice to take a moment to wish him a happy holiday season. Place a phone call to his office and sing a little Christmas carol on his answering machine. Pen out a nice letter thanking him for your new look. Or book a new appointment to discuss your 2008 surgery goals so that he knows he wasn't forgotten in the midst of the holiday season.
We remember that our friends and family are important people in our lives. But sometimes we have to think a little bit harder to realize that there are people we don't see often who have had a significant impact on us. The holidays are a time to remember all of them!
Question of the Day: Did you get a gift for your plastic surgeon this year?
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Friday, December 21, 2007
Is Plastic Surgery a Good Christmas Gift?
There is someone on your Christmas list that you've put off shopping for until the last minute. That's because you're thinking about getting them a gift certificate to get
plastic surgery, but you're not quite sure whether or not that's a good idea. On the one hand, you're fairly certain that the gift would be both used and appreciated. On the other hand, you're worried that you're committing a faux pas by more-than-hinting that someone needs a little help with their appearance. Is plastic surgery a good Christmas gift to give?
Whether or not to give the gift of plastic surgery really depends on how well you know the person that you are gifting. If you are close and the two of you have discussed plastic surgery before but the issue of cost has been a barrier to the person, giving this gift could be a great way to help someone out. Additionally, if you know someone that has gotten plastic surgery in the past and who may be considering it again, giving them a plastic surgery gift certificate will probably gain you points of appreciation. Finally, if you know someone that's thought about doing it but doesn't know enough about it, you can pay for the price of their
initial consultation to get them additional information.
When you don't want to give the gift of plastic surgery is when you don't know the person you're gifting very well. Some people may be interested in a surgery such as a
tummy tuck but would still take offense at others suggesting that they needed to lighten their load a little. Gifting in-laws, stepmothers and your husband's ex-wife with plastic surgery also requires erring on the side of caution. Gifting a girlfriend with a
breast lift that the two of you have never talked about is also something to be wary of. Think ahead as to whether the gift will be received with the kindness you mean it or taken the wrong way.
Question of the Day: Would you be pleased or displeased if someone gifted you with plastic surgery this Christmas?
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
Stem Cells Used in Reconstructive Breast Surgery
Close your eyes for a moment and picture a woman who is about to get
plastic surgery on her breasts. Who did you picture? Most people are likely to imagine a young woman getting
breast implants or a
breast lift to boost the appearance of her cleavage. While that's often the case, it's hardly the only kind of breast surgery that gets done by plastic surgeons.
Reconstructive breast surgery done to improve the appearance of the breasts after lumpectomies required by breast cancer are one type of procedure that might be done in plastic surgery offices.
A
new study may have revealed a breakthrough that could make breast reconstructive surgery better. Japanese doctors did a small study on twenty one patients who received lumpectomies. The study used stem cells that were take from fat liposuctioned off of the body to create reconstructive breast tissue. The study was successful - nearly all of the patients were satisfied with the results and none of the patients' bodies rejected the procedure.
This study is of interest to plastic surgeons because lumpectomies have been a problematic area in their practice to date. Implants don't work well in these cases because the entire breast hasn't been removed so the implant can't be implanted in a natural manner. The new surgery might be able to provide a reconstructive option for doctors to offer to women who are in this situation. However, since the study was small and new it will be necessary for additional research to be done before this procedure will be seen in plastic surgery offices across the nation.
Question of the Day: What was your mental image of the woman getting a breast augmentation that you conjured up at the beginning of this post?
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Real Plastic Surgeons Aren't On Reality TV
There is an
interesting article over at Commercial Appeal which drives home a point that most people who get plastic surgery already realize: you want a
good doctor to perform your cosmetic procedures. The article takes the much-publicized plastic surgery death of Donda West and points to the fact that Donda and many other people believed that her plastic surgeon was a good one simply because the surgeon had appeared regularly on television. The article goes on to make the point that surgeons who are more interested in celebrity status than daily procedures in their office are not the best doctors to turn to when you're seeking your own plastic surgery.
"Dr. Allen Hughes, senior partner in the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis. "But the most responsible people in plastic surgery are not the ones making movies. They're operating on patients in a quiet, professional atmosphere and not seeking the sensation and notoriety of being on TV." (source)
The report also points out that plastic surgery deaths are very rare when the procedures are performed by reputable doctors. When you go in for a plastic surgery consultation, you will discuss your medical history with your doctor. If your doctor determines that you are unfit for plastic surgery, you should forego the procedure and take care of your health problems before getting cosmetic work done. This helps to reduce the
risks of plastic surgery and keep you safe.
It may be fun to watch McNamara and Troy do their work on
Nip/Tuck but celebrity television doctors are not the ones that you want holding the scalpel above your own body.
Question of the Day: Would a doctor's performance on television make you more or less likely to get plastic surgery from that doctor?
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Robbery Victim Gets Plastic Surgery After Being Shot in Nose
The majority of the time when we're talking about
plastic surgery, we're talking about elective cosmetic surgery. This is frequently the case when we gossip about celebrity plastic surgery and is even the case when we discuss the potential for plastic surgery improvements in our own lives. However, plastic surgery is used on a regular basis by hospitals for the purpose of
reconstructive surgery after major accidents.
We've seen that in the news
here before in the case of a young girl who needed reconsructive surgery after being mauled by a dog. The need for it was seen again recently in the news in the case of a robbery victim who was shot in the nose by a man suspected of homicide. (The full case about the robbery and homicide can be read
here.) The robbery victim was only one of several victims who suffered in the incident. Several are fighting for the lives including a pregnant woman who delivered her baby prematurely after being set on fire in the incident.
The man who required the reconstructive surgery heard the noise of the robbery and ran out of his home to see what had happened. As a result, he was shot in the nose in the midst of the mess. When his health became stable, he was transferred to a regional medical center to undergo reconstructive plastic surgery for the damage done by the wounds.
Question of the Day: Do you personally know more people who have gotten elective cosmetic surgery or reconstructive plastic surgery?
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Monday, December 17, 2007
Celebrity Plastic Surgery: Ashley Tisdale's Nose Job
Ashley Tisdale started getting some major attention after she starred in High School Musical. Since then she's been a face that people recognize when they're walking around doing some star gazing in celebrity hot spots. However, that face has changed a little bit since the last time that most celebrity hounds saw her.
TMZ reports that Tisdale just got
rhinoplasty to improve the appearance of her face by altering the shape of her nose.
The report by TMZ says that Tisdale claims that she didn't get the nose job for cosmetic reasons. Instead, she reports that she had a deviated septum which needed some repair. The article looks at this with a skeptical eye and points out that celebrities Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston also both made this claim as the reason behing their rhinoplasty. Is there really such shame in getting a nose job?
Another
report by eFlux Media goes into more detail about the deviated septum. It apparently occurred as the result of two different accidents and was causing significant respiratory difficulty for the young actress. They report that the surgery was successful in reducing the respiratory damage and making Tisdale's nose more functional. The fact that it looks better doesn't hurt her either.
Question of the Day: Do you think Tisdale looked better before or after the nose job surgery?
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Friday, December 14, 2007
Silicone Boobs are Back
If you're considering getting a
breast augmentation (more commonly known as a "boob job"), there's a good chance that you probably assume that you're going to get saline implants. That's due to the fact that it's widely known that the silicone implants used in the past caused considerable medical risks to patients. However, silicone implants have been improved over time and are now making a comeback in plastic surgery offices. This doesn't necessarily mean that
your doctor will recommend silicone over saline. But it does mean that you might have more choices to make than just cup size when you go to get your breast augmentation done.
Silicone implants got a lot of negative attention in the media in the 1990's. This caused the Food and Drug Administration to do a review of the product. It was determined that leakages in the implants had caused a significant amount of damage to the health of plastic surgery patients and were putting people at risk. As a result, silicone implants were taken off of the market. They were replaced with widespread use of saline implants.
Saline implants still tend to be preferred over silicone implants by most breast augmentation patients. This is due in part to the fact that they are less expensive. It is also probably due in large part to all of the negative attention that silicone implants received in the past. However, more women are starting to look at the improved silicone implant options because silicone tends to look and feel more natural than saline implants do.
Learn more about this issue from a
recent article in the Albany Democrat-Herald.
Question of the Day: Did you know that silicone breast implants were still an option?
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
Options for Eyelid Surgery
People who are concerned about the appearance of aging usually look a their crows' feet first. That's the place where we're most likely to start seeing wrinkles as we age. And since people are always looking at our faces when they speak with us, the eyes are a place where others might notice signs of aging as well. So, what are you to do if you want to get rid of those eye wrinkles?
A
recent online article provides a general overview of the
eyelid surgery that is available to patients and compares it with the option of using wrinkle creams to improve the appearance of the face. Although the articles appears to be advertising support of wrinkle creams (which aren't necessarily the best option) it does give a good overview of the different eyelid surgeries that a plastic surgeon can provide.
There are two basic eyelid surgeries that are mentioned in the report and which are commonly done to lift the eyes and improve their appearance. The first is surgery on the lower eyelid which is done primarily to rid the appearance of bags under the eyes which are caused by aging. The other is surgery done on the upper eyelid to reduce "droopiness" of the eyes. You can learn more about both of these
here.
The article also mentions that a full
brow lift can improve the overall appearance of the eyes. What it neglects to mention is one of the most common plastic surgery choices for people who are concerned about aging in the face and around the eyes: the
face lift. One of the most well-known of plastic surgery options, the face lift remains a preferred choice for many people with this problem.
So what do you do if you're not quite ready for plastic surgery but don't buy the article's proposition that anti-wrinkle creams can provide the relief that you're seeking? In between these two options lies the possibility of using minimally-invasive procedures such as
dermal filler injections to improve the appearance of the face.
Question of the Day: Creams, injections of surgery - which sounds best to you?
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Why Bad Celebrity Plastic Surgery Gets Attention (and the Good Surgery Doesn't)
We hear a lot about "bad celebrity plastic surgery" or "celebrity plastic surgery gone wrong". But how common is it really for celebrities to get plastic surgery that doesn't suit them? The fact of the matter is that it's probably significantly more common for celebrities to get good plastic surgery which improves their appearance in subtle ways. Their attractiveness gets our attention without drawing our eye towards the cosmetic enhancements. So why don't we hear too much about this good celebrity pastic surgery? Some would argue that the good news isn't news; it's boring.
Starpulse, a blog which reports on the activities of celebrities, had
an article recently about this very issue. Well, the articles was actually about bad celebrity plastic surgery (it made a point out of Melanie Griffith) but it gave an explanation of why media outlets rarely pick up stories about plastic surgery that is done correctly on Hollywood's stars and starlets:
"Celebrities that go under the knife are far from uncommon, but most of them find amazing plastic surgeons and pay them vast amounts of money to do it well. What's the mark of good plastic surgery, you ask? There isn't one - that's the point. Good plastic surgery is like a good soy hot dog - if nobody told you otherwise, you'd believe it was the untouched work of Mother Nature herself. Unfortunately, these celebrity plastic surgery success stories are about as interesting as soy hot dogs are delicious, and so we rightly kick them to the curb in favor of the disastrous, the nightmarish, and the downright horrific."
It's the same story that is usually the case with celebrities. Most gossip lovers don't really want to know about a celebrity that gets happily married and lives a normal life in a stable relationship. They want to hear about affairs and heartbreak, about couples who are intense enough to get
matching tattoos and then split up just weeks later, about the difficulties of their romances. The rest is just considered boring. And that seems to be the story with celebrity plastic surgery as well. The good stuff, although much more common, just doesn't get fans' attention like the kind that goes awry.
Question of the Day: Are you interested in good stories about celebrity plastic surgery gone right?
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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Celebrity Plastic Surgery Lawsuit: Scarlett Johansson
Actress Scarlett Johansson doesn't want people to think that she's had
celebrity plastic surgery. In fact, she's so upset by the insinuation that she
did recently have plastic surgery that she is
filing a lawsuit against the media outlet that started the rumors. The rumors came about when
US Weekly suggested that Johansson had recently gotten
rhinoplasty to reduce the size of her nose and improve the appearance of her face. The report further said outright that she supported plastic surgery.
Johansson says that she has always been honest in her presentation of her natural body to her fans and feels that the rumors may have misled and upset them.
"US Weekly's cover story regarding Scarlett Johansson and its clear implication that she has had plastic or cosmetic surgery on her nose is an outrageous and defamatory fabrication lacking any conceivable basis or proof, despite vehement denials by Ms. Johansson prior to publication," reads a statement from her rep. (Source)
The problem doesn't seem to be so much that Johansson is against plastic surgery. Instead, it's that she feels upset about rumors about her actions which are untrue. That makes sense. Even if you aren't a celebrity, you'd probably feel a little put off if people started suggesting that you had plastic surgery on an area of your body that you were happy with. And if you were unhappy with an area of your body and people drew attention to it in this way, you might be even more displeased with the rumors.
Question of the Day: Do you think Johansson is justifed in her lawsuit?
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Monday, December 10, 2007
Slowdown in Plastic Surgery Indicative of Recession
An issue of concern at a recent meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons was the apparent slowdown in treatments that is being seen across the industry. A recent Wall Street Journal news article (available
here) took a look at that issue and how it reflects a greater economic downturn in our society.
"While anecdotal, the industry chatter is the latest worrying hint of a broader slowdown in consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of the U.S. economy -- and fodder for a broader debate on how deep such a slowdown might bite. The big question is whether the triple whammy of falling home prices, still-high energy prices and a credit crunch will crimp consumer spending so much that the nation slides into recession." (source)
As for the plastic surgery industry itself, the cutbacks seem to be visible across the board. From
tummy tucks to
breast augmentation, there seems to be less interest in spending money on enhancing the body. However, reports from doctors vary on what the specific changes in customer interest are. Some doctors are seeing an ovreall reduction in the number of plastic surgeries being requested. Others are seeing a slowdown in ahead-of-time bookings which could just indicate that patients are delaying their surgeries to see what happens with their bank accounts first.
An area of cosmetic enhancement that doesn't seem to be slowing down is
skin rejuvenation. Minimally invasive procedures such as
Botox injections are still being purchased in about the same amount by consumers. This could be an indication that although people are concerned about high-price surgeries such as breast augmentation, they aren't so afraid of the changing economy that they're putting their money into savings instead of into improving themselves.
Question of the Day: How concerned are you about the current state of the economy?
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Friday, December 07, 2007
Friday Fun: Celebrity Plastic Surgery Game
It's Friday in a month that's got too much going on and you probably want to waste some of your workday just relaxing and doing something fun. You can take a short break and entertain yourself for a minute by checking out the online
celebrity plastic surgery game recently released by iVillage.
The way that it works is that you follow the link to the game provided below and get yourself ready to rapidly identifiy "before and after" celebrity plastic surgery pictures. Twenty pictures are shown facedown on the screen (as though you're playing a game of "concentration"). There are ten celebrities on those cards and it's your job to find the before-and-after of each of them hidden on the screen.
Celebrity plastic surgery is something that you often gossip about because it's entertaining and passes the fun in a casual kind of way. This online celebrity plastic surgery game takes that fun and makes it more interactive for you. Waste the minutes as you countdown to your weekend!
Link to the celebrity plastic surgery game
Question of the Day: How well did you do on the celebrity plastic surgery game?
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Thursday, December 06, 2007
Future Problem Solvers Look at Plastic Surgery
The Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI) is an academic competition between students in a number of different countries across the globe. Each year, a different set of categories is chosen for the competition. The goal of the competition is for students to think creatively about solving a problem that is in one of those categories. And this year, one of the topics that is on the table is
plastic surgery.
There are five topics for this year's competition: body enhancement, simulation technology, neurotechnology, debt in developing countries, and child labor issues. For the body enhancement issue, students are asked to consider the progress that has been made in everything from cosmetic surgery to computerized prosthetics. They highlight the fact that "plastic surgery has evolved from assisting badly burned or maimed soldiers to those today suffering from body dismorphic disorder due to imagined needs to change his/her appearance." (
Source) Students are then asked to consider what changes will occur in the future with body enhancement or "how far" people will take plastic surgery in years to come.
The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies recently
ran an article describing the importance of the future problem solvers' program. The program encourages creative thinking among students as young as elementary school. And it's interesting to note that plastic surgery is considered to be a topic of such international and future interest that it qualified as part of this year's competition.
Learn more about the Future Problem Solvers from
Wikipedia and from
their site.
Question of the Day: Do you believe that plastic surgery could be used in the future to give "superhuman" traits to people?
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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Two Types of People who Should Postpone Plastic Surgery
CNN published an article last week warning that "not everyone's a good
plastic surgery candidate". That's true. While the average person should have no serious concerns about the potential
risks of plastic surgery, there are people who aren't suited to having it done. As described by the article (which you can read in full
here), those people fall into two broad categories: people who are at medical risk that could complicate the surgery and people who have psychological problems.
When you look at this information more closely, it really boils down to using your common sense about getting plastic surgery. On the medical side, that's the reason that you sit down with a
qualified doctor and discuss your medical history before undergoing plastic surgery. A good doctor will inform you about the risks and will let you know if they're too great to reasonably go ahead with the surgery. On the psychological side, you have to realize that plastic surgery alone has the potential to improve how you feel about yourself but isn't ultimately going to alter the entire state of your life. If you're depressed before getting plastic surgery, you'll probably still be depressed when it's done.
People who are considering plastic surgery should look at it from a realistic perspective. If you're an average person who just wants to boost your appearance a little and you don't have any significant health problems that could pose a medical risk, you're a reasonable candidate for most types of plastic surgery.
Question of the Day: Do medical or psychological concerns have more potential to impact your decisions about plastic surgery?
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Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Lap Band Alternative: Realize
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, known more commonly to you as
Lap Band Surgery, is something that an increasing number of people have been using to lose weight. This
weight loss surgery helps to limit the intake of food using a reversible procedure. Those people interested in this type of procedure now have additional choices to discuss with their doctor. That's because the
FDA approved a similar band, the Realize Band, earlier this year.
The new band has just started to see use among doctors who are approaching the new product carefully to make sure that it's effective for their patients. As it grows in popularity, it may become a more widespread weight loss option for patients. This means that if you've been considering weight loss surgery of any kind, you should do your research into it. Make sure that you
find a doctor who is able to answer your questions about this new technique and to help you decide if it's something that is right for you.
Question of the Day: Which weight loss procedure most interests you?
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Monday, December 03, 2007
Pectoral Etching for Men
Were you excited when we gave you the news that you could get great abs through plastic surgery? (See the post on men's abdominal etching
here.) If so, then you might also be happy to find out that there's the chance that the plastic surgery world is going to move up from those abs and include pectoral etching in its portfolio.
"During pectoral etching, targeted liposuction is used along the lower and outer edges of the chest muscles. A modest fat pad is left over the pecs, creating a noticeable contrast outlining the muscle." (source)
Pectoral etching is most commonly done by men who are uncomfortable with the appearance of their chests because the way that the fat is situated gives them a somewhat feminine appearance. It's gaining attention now because
a study done by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showed that men who have had the work done have been happy with the improvment in their appearance.
Goodbye crunches and push-ups, hello sexy.
Question of the Day: Would you be more likely to get abdominal etching or pectoral etching?
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