Stephanie Kuleba, a Florida teenager and high school cheerleader, died after breast augmentation. She died of malignant hyperthermia, a rare reaction to anesthesia, after her operation. This incident brings new attention to the increasing popularity of cosmetic surgery procedures in the United States.

Kuleba’s death has brought attention to the growth of plastic surgery among teens considering that there were about 400,000 breast augmentation surgeries done in 2007. Nearly 8,000 of these were performed on women 18 years old and below, as reported by WPTV in Florida.

Dr. Richard D’Amico, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) said that what happened to Kuleba can happen in any surgery, on any part of the body, in any setting.

Lawmakers in the state of California want a new legislation for regulating plastic surgery in order to ensure patient safety when undergoing plastic surgery procedures. This move has become evident six months after Kanye West’s mom died after liposuction and breast implant surgery.

California has been urging to regulate outpatient surgical centers. Since most of the procedures are now done outside the hospital, it is best to check whether the situation is best for a patient to undergo surgery. Lawmakers see the necessity to oversee plastic surgeon qualifications, accreditation of facilities and readiness of safety measurements.

A new technique is now employed to address nasal obstruction without changing the appearance of the nose. This technique is called Z-plasty and it is minimally invasive that can be used to treat internal nasal valve collapse. Unlike traditional rhinoplasty, Z-plasty relieves nasal obstruction with less recovery time, according to a research done by Rush University Medical Center.

Internal nasal valve collapse is one of the most common causes of nasal obstruction. Normally, this is addressed through an open nasal surgery or rhinoplasty. However, for those who are wary that the appearance of the nose might be altered, this traditional approach may not be the best.

According to a review of previous studies published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery May/June issue, there has been a prevalence of objective and validated measures for assessing outcomes after facial plastic surgery over the past decade.

There are three categories of these studies namely, the patient-reported outcomes, clinical efficacy outcomes and the actuarial or financial outcomes studies. Patient-reported outcomes studies focus on patient satisfaction through the use of a validated quality-of-life instrument. Clinical efficacy outcomes studies are more on using objective scales such as physician reports to measure the effectiveness of a given treatment. And lastly, financial outcomes studies gauge results based on cost measures.

Johanna Botta was to participate as Miss Peru USA at the Miss Peru Universe 2008 Pageant. However, due to a constant pressure from the organization to get plastic surgery,
Johanna left and did not join the event.

The pageant was held on May 1, 2008 and declared Karol Castillo as the winner.

The 2008 Miss Peru Pageant was allegedly sponsored by a plastic surgeon. With this, constant pressure was applied to the contestants to get plastic surgery. Johanna was urged to go under the knife to enhance her breasts and nose. She said that she has nothing against plastic surgery but she was dismayed by the fact that people are telling her to do it.

There were rumors and speculations about Jenna Bush and her allegedly plastic surgery endeavors. The former wild child has been the subject of plastic surgery rumors because of her hard-partying lifestyle.

Jenna’s nightly activities must have already become an open book because people are concluding that the presidential offspring must have had plastic surgery to bring back her youthful glow and charm, which was somehow lost because of her lifestyle.

Past photos of Jenna reveal premature crow’s feet around her eyes according to Make Me Heal. She also allegedly appeared to have hollow cheeks and tired eyes, depicting a sunken appearance caused by her nocturnal activities. However, recent photographs of the young lady suggest that Jenna has had more rest and she looks refreshed.

A new plastic surgery picture book for children is making a lot of buzz in the United States. The book was written by Michael Salzhauer, a plastic surgeon based in Florida. The book, entitled “My Beautiful Mommy” was aimed at four to seven-year-olds to help them understand what’s going on when their mommy goes under the knife.

Salzhauer, a father himself, stressed that most of his patients who come to his office are bringing their kids along. These patients were concerned about how to tell their children about their plastic surgery. He told Reuters, “This is for a specific consumer at a specific time in their life that is going to turn their household upside down for a couple of weeks.”

Academy Award winner Sally Field told Ladies Home Journal magazine for its May issue that she is considering plastic surgery.

The 61-year-old Hollywood, who is known for her roles in Sybil, Places in the Heart, and Steel Magnolias, has been enjoying a lot of movie and television projects. She is currently seen on the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters for which she won Emmy honors for her role as matriarch Nora Walker.

Currently, Field is the spokesperson for Roche Laboratories for Boniva, an osteoporosis treatment drug. She also has an upcoming voice role as Marina del Ray in Disney’s The Little Mermaid III.

Americans who are not satisfied with their looks are trying to save money on their plastic surgery makeovers by going abroad. There has been a proliferation of cosmetic surgery tourism packages from exotic locales like Costa Rica, Philippines, Mexico, and Brazil. However, experts warn that cosmetic surgery tourism might result to patients spending more than they expect especially in terms of health and money.

Surgery practices overseas employ the help of travel agencies to attract potential clients from the United States and United Kingdom. Cosmetic procedures plus a vacation package is the common offer which includes your pick of operations for a little as half as the cost in the United States and tour itineraries like resort stays, and spa services.

Arm lift surgery is beginning to become a popular procedure among women. Excess fat and sagging, and also the hanging skin on the upper arms are common cosmetic issues and most women are trying to find ways to deal with these problems through cosmetic surgery.

Patients go through arm lift surgery or Brachioplasty in order to address the problem of sagging arms. According to the data from ASAPS, there were 21,870 arm lift procedures performed in 2007, an increase of 769% since 1997.

Dr. Daniel Morello, a board-certified plastic surgeon in White Plains, NY, observed that when liposuction first became popular about ten years ago, there was a decrease in the number of Brachioplasty procedures being performed. Today, liposuction is usually one part of the procedure.