Plastic Surgery News

Blame it on the Egyptian government’s less rigid regulation on cosmetic surgery standards. Or do we see a bit of conceit -- as some historians argue that Egypt may be one of the birthplaces of cosmetic surgery and that reconstructive facial operations were already performed under the Pharaohs, as early as 3,400 BC.

Yes, the native country of the mysterious Cleopatra and the enigmatic Nefertiti is not too secretive about its latest offering: “Plastic Surgery -- Massive Discounts”
Such publicity is contained in one splashy magazine referring to plastic surgery offered in bargain rates.

She is regarded one of the most beautiful women who ever existed -- as her 3,300 year-old bust attests. But the reality of aging, and wrinkles to match, was upon this admired woman, ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti. Matter of fact, it was something she had to deal with -- problem of wrinkles and bags under her eyes.

A new investigation on the bust that has become the international symbol of beauty revealed some fascinating thoughts on the aging Nefertiti – not something that is to be divulged by Nefertiti admirers -- at least to those who like to see the Queen remain in her most beautiful form.

There are websites doing well by guiding young people with potentially deadly eating disorders -- until these observations of a recent US study published in a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Visitors create communities around disorders such as shunning food or binging and purging, sometimes promoting the behavior as a lifestyle choice.
Chat rooms and other interactive forums often refer to anorexia as "Ana" and bulimia as "Mia." Some websites highlight extremely thin models as role models for "thinspiration."

According to a published study by the researchers at Stanford University's school of medicine and children's hospital in Silicon Valley, pro eating-disorder websites have gained popularity in recent years, despite efforts to shut them down. It is even found that websites dedicated to fighting the disorders were mined for ways to reinforce the sickness.

There is this delicious thing happening in the cosmetic world – the advent of 'tasty' treatments. Only this is not about to be in anyway primed for gobbling. It melts not in your mouth, but “Chocolatherapie” treatments are made for daubing on the skin, on the face.

"Chocolate in skin treatments follows on from a phenomenon that we called tasty treatments," says the company Zelda Gavizon, which has registered several cocoa-based biochemical patents for its "Chocolatherapie" treatments.

After a heady mix of fresh fruity treatments made juicy, sensational entries into the cosmetic counters, cocoa is following suit – which is not utterly new. Lest we don’t know, the Maya people have discovered the cosmetic virtues of cocoa more than 3,000 years.

Not that a patient is required to sip a cup of coffee while undergoing this new wrinkle treatment. But it is akin to that as it takes only seven minutes to get rid of ageing signs, including sunspots, blemishes, unsightly veins and scars.

Before you can even sigh, consider the 'express' promise of a new cosmetic procedure called Aesthera PPx. The technique works by combining a laser with vacuum suction to erase signs of ageing and rejuvenate the face.

Unlike conventional lasers, cosmetic surgeons claim that the device is virtually pain-free and is five times faster than existing laser treatments. “Over a period of time, Aesthera PPx can also help plump out and smooth the skin, helping the patient look years younger,” the doctors added.

The banner reads:

"Never miss a bite. Nutritional tracking at the speed of a shutter. Now you can track how much you eat and how often you exercise simply by using your camera phone."

And it works with any camera phone. Yes, trust the Internet technology to live up to its claim of providing convenience to the highly mobile, busy professionals. This time, the Internet is treading the treadmill.

The goal of this innovative technology is to eliminate the need for cumbersome written diet logs. The diet conscious can snap a picture of their meal and immediately send the photo to an online food diary, in the website Nutrax.com.

So you’ve got folds and fine lines on your face, and you want to get rid of it. The problem is, you’re too afraid of Botox injections, much less any type of cosmetic surgery.

Fortunately for you, you can now do something about it that doesn’t involve breaking the skin. Called Angellift, this new device is said to yield immediate results, and costs only $350. According to this report from CBS 42:

"What this is, is a prop,” cosmetic dentist Paul Landman said. “It actually props the tissue up and reverses that aging procedure."

Do you sweat a lot? Do you often find yourself in embarrassing situations such as having to go around in sweat-stained clothes even though no one else seems to be perspiring? If you do, then maybe you’re suffering from hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by abnormally increased perspiration way beyond what body temperature regulation requires.

Many people suffer from it, and they tend to try any sort of relief for the condition, often to no avail. But a popular cosmetic procedure is showing promise in the fight against hyperhidrosis: liposuction. The Boston Channel gives us the details:

A team of doctors in Australia have begun tests that will try to find out if wrinkle remover Botox could also give millions of women relief from menstrual pain.

The West Australian reports:

In a world-first trial at Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women, doctors have begun injecting Botox into the womb of women with severe and prolonged monthly cramps.

Up to 10 per cent of fertile women suffer from period pain, when the uterus contracts erratically and "fights" against itself.

Professor Thierry Vancaillie from the department of endo-gynaecology said anecdotal evidence seems to show the toxic bacteria botulinum toxin can paralyse the region and bring relief.

Stacy Ferguson, more popularly known as Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, has been quoted as saying that she has never had any cosmetic surgery procedure done whatsoever, that she would, however, be open about going under a cosmetic surgeon’s knife when she feels she already needs it.

But if you are to form an opinion around these pictures, that need for cosmetic surgery has already come, and has been promptly satisfied.

From the looks of the pics, Fergie, who is at present trying her luck as a solo artist with a brand-new album, has already had a nose job and perhaps a facelift.

It is rather a trite research: asking volunteers to rate pictures of 59 young women aged 19 to 25 for attractiveness, health and femininity. But the overly curious among the researchers at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland compared the results to an analysis of the photographed women's levels of estrogen.

And so they found that those with high counts of the sex hormone were judged to be prettier by both male and female participants. Attractive bone structure and smooth skin were found to correspond to high levels of the hormone.

Simply put: more estrogen present in the body could mean more attention of the opposite sex. Scientists can easily back that up because estrogen does have an impact on a girl's appearance during puberty, particularly on bone growth and skin texture. And scratching the evolutionary terms, it makes sense for men to favor feminine, fertile women. "Our findings could explain why men universally seem to prefer feminine women's faces," says a psychologist who led the study.

The National Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health was quoted:

"It is encouraging that among lesbians there is some self-awareness about body weight…what we don't yet know, and what we must establish, is whether lesbian adults understand the health risks of being over weight or obese."

The comment was made after a new US survey reveals that over three-quarters of lesbian adults says they are overweight while 67 percent of all female adults declares the same, when asked to describe their body weight.

In this survey of 2,200 American adults aged 18 or older -- of which 119 adults were self-reported GLB respondents and an additional over-sample of 341 self-reported lesbians -- lesbians more accurately perceived their body weight than women in general because when the body mass index (BMI) is applied to survey responses, the percentage of overweight adult women (80%) is much closer to the proportion of overweight lesbian women (84%).

"I am very scared of doctors and of being operated on," says the man widely credited with inventing modern plastic surgery.

It’s no wonder Brazilian Ivo Pitanguy spews his kind of sarcasm "naturally" -- as quoted by the Europa press agency:

"People today are obsessed with physical beauty and ignore the importance of intelligence and spiritual well-being...pastic surgery should help people feel at ease with themselves, it should not be for other people."

Pitanguy calls it "exaggerated" -- referring to today's fascination with the cult of the body and is quick to suggest that “the spirit, the cult of intelligence” was more important.

Many cosmetic surgeons have shared their particular points of view on the case of a 12-year old Texan girl who underwent liposuction to lose weight. Some spoke favorably about it, while others warned against the dangerous precedent set by the much-ballyhooed operation.

Now the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery or ASAPS has expressed its stand on the issue: Liposuction should never be used as a treatment for childhood obesity.

According to The Birmingham News:

Doctors said they were concerned that obese youths might be tempted to seek liposuction based on the experience of 12-year-old Brooke Bates, whose 35-pound weight loss from liposuction was chronicled in People magazine and has been widely reported elsewhere. The ASAPS, whose members are board-certified plastic surgeons, said there was no evidence the procedure is safe or effective for children.

If the results of the world’s first partial face transplant is any indication, the British team that is now in the middle of preparations for the world’s first full facial transplant is on the right track.

BBC News gives us the goods:

The recipient of the first partial face transplant has recovered so well she can go out without people noticing her scars, her surgeon has said.

Isabelle Dinoire, from Amiens, France, received the graft from a brain-dead donor after being mauled by her dog.

One year on, her surgeon Bernard Devauchelle said she continued to make excellent progress and that he had plans to carry out more operations.

Through the years, study now, pay later or fly now, pay later schemes have proven to be an effective marketing tool for many businesses.

Apparently, some enterprising cosmetic surgery-related businesses in Australia are taking this _____ now, pay later ploy a bit too far.

According to The Age:

A new promotion encouraging people to get nip-and-tuck cosmetic surgery now and pay later has been slammed by plastic surgeons as a "new low".

Hundreds of homes have been mail-dropped a 16-page pamphlet promoting breast enlargements, nose jobs and liposuction, describing them as "generally simple day procedures".

We’ve always thought of middle age as that stage in our lives when we feel we are neither young or old. In years, middle age is considered to be somewhere between 40 and 60.

But a recent survey by global research group AC Nielsen has revealed that people’s perceptions about middle age are changing. A significant percentage of the poll’s respondents believe their sixties are the new middle age because of cosmetic surgery and other factors. Reuters has more:

If Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield were alive and gaiting today they are rightfully among the eight percent – only, of women who actually have hourglass figure -- that well-proportioned body shape where bust and hip measurements are nearly equal along with a narrow waist, and then put on some shapely legs.

But a recent study reveals that most fashion designers and clothing manufacturers continue to create clothes intended for a fraction of 'womanity'.

All along, nobody is seem minding; not when a little of bulging fat is permissible. Even, some claustrophobic shopaholics endure their stays in fitting rooms, just for the snug.

Yada, yada, yada -- as if this is something utterly new.

Okay, this is all about men being tall and women being slim. Researchers from the University of Essex in London now are ‘officially’ saying (so we are talking about measured data here) that when it comes to love, or rather attraction, physical dimensions really does matter.

(Short men and fat women are in for some beating – not again!)

At least in speed-dating sessions, the study found that for every inch taller a man is than his "rivals," the number of women who want to meet him again increases by five percent.

With the FDA finally lifting a 14-year ban on silicon breast implants in the United States, makers of the devices have expressed optimism that a sales boom will soon follow. And more implants sold mean more business for cosmetic surgeons as well.

The Los Angeles Times gives us the details:

Any surge in silicone implants would be good news for surgeons such as Steven Teitelbaum, who met more than half a dozen patients considering breast surgery early this week in his sleek Santa Monica office filled with photos of naked women and still lifes of fruit. Teitelbaum, who said his patient logs were already pretty full, said he believed that silicone was clearly the better choice for most women.

A good Samaritan of a cosmetic surgeon has recently given a 10-year old boy from Christchurch, New Zealand, a new nose. Alex Summers, who was born with a rare type of birthmark called an arteriovenous malformation, had to endure four operations conducted by plastic surgeon Charles Davis, but was happy with the results. Stuff has more:

Last week, in the last of four operations in Wellington, the final stage of his nose reconstruction was completed by plastic surgeon Charles Davis.

The process involved taking skin from Alex's thigh to create the nose lining, cartilage from his ear for the bony structure, and skin tissue from his forehead moulded to match the other side of his nose.

Tom Jones is one of the few male celebrities who have openly admitted to getting cosmetic work done—a lot of it, in fact, that his plastic surgeon warned him that any more operations and his face will collapse.

Apparently, he has heeded that piece of advice. A Daily Mail report features a Tom Jones looking as old as he is.

But with heavily wrinkled eyes and deep facial crevices, it seems that 40 years of plastic surgery have taken their toll on the Welsh star.

It’s alarming enough that cosmetic surgery patients get younger by the day, especially after reports of that 12-year old girl from Texas who had liposuction as a way of losing weight.

But it’s even more alarming when a growing number of these patients go under a cosmetic surgeon’s knife so they can look like their favorites stars.

A growing number of young people are turning to plastic surgery in order to look like their favorite celebrities. In fact, 10 percent of all people who get cosmetic procedures are under 20 years old.

“Look at her. She looks completely different,” said Vicky Hahm, admiring Ashlee Simpson’s new look. Hahm is among the growing number of 20-somethings getting cosmetic surgery. She is in the doctor’s office for a series of procedures that will make her lips, skin and eyes more like that of Simpson.

After the first news of the day has been delivered, hit your surgeon's clinic and make sure your operation is scheduled before 12 noon.

Now, you should be rushing -- that is if you like to heed the call of a recent research which reveals that mornings’ the best time to go under the surgeon’s knife, and conversely, more complications occur when surgery is performed in the afternoon.

Now this could be a significant finding since not one is loving the idea of being told to fast all day or spend an anxious morning waiting to have the surgery in the afternoon.

The BBC quoted the researchers at Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center in Duke University saying:

This rumor has been in the mill for quite some time – busty Canadian women with suicidal tendencies. This time around there are statistics to prove: suicide rates among women with breast implants are 73% higher than in the general population.

With this concern, plastic surgeons were encouraged to observe sound medical practice by paying particular attention to the reasons why women want to undergo breast augmentation.

When the insecurity of being flat-chested cannot be remedied by plastic surgery, doctors are advised to refer their patients to mental health professionals.

These issues were raised after researchers at the Laval Faculty of Medicine and Canadian Public Health Agency have found that women, who undergo breast implant surgery, are more likely to plunge into depths of despair.

Believing that injections of fat-derived stem cells have the potential to regenerate breast tissues, the use of adipose or fat stem cells is being studied as an alternative to breast reconstruction surgery. Said option may represent a better solution for soft tissue reconstruction in breast cancer patients.

With the National Cancer Institute (ANI) funding and pursuing the research, the doctors expressed this concern:

"The surgical options for breast reconstruction involve either the use of implants or a procedure whereby fat tissue taken from another part of the body is shaped into the form of a breast. Neither is ideal nor without risk."

By a simple grin, there are comedians who strike funny, pronto. And then there are those acts that make our sides hurt as soon as they spew forth sarcastic one-liners.

Those funnymen were not born laughing. We are certain about that. But if we are to believe this new research, they need not set up an audition to spot good stand-up comedians. It’s a cinch. It's in the face – with mouths shut up.

But it seems that when it comes to making people laugh, those comedians who look funny are the ones who tend to be the most successful, for a scientific study have "auditioned" what a funnyman’s face needs to look like.

A string of many other uses for Botox have been discovered just for this year alone, but the Botox train is showing no signs of slowing down.

A Journal & Courier report recently revealed that Botox can also be used against excessive underarm sweating.

Excessive underarm sweating, or "severe primary axillary hyperhidrosis," usually is relieved for about six months with one Botox treatment. The underarm is given 15 to 20 pin-prick injections just under the skin.

Botox blocks the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. Cheryl Foley, Swan's cosmetic services nurse, says that some patients have reported reduced sweating within two days. A major reduction is normally seen within four weeks. The treatment was approved in 2004 by the federal Food and Drug Administration. It usually costs $1,000 to $1,200, and is sometimes covered by insurance.

Sure, our cats and dogs now have their own spas where they can be pampered by trained professionals who will cater to their every need. There are even restaurants just for pets.

But cosmetic surgery for our furry little friends? CBS News tells us:

To Ralph Liberatore, the thought of having his miniature pinscher Butch neutered was painful.

Was it concern for his vanity?

"Well, probably ... sure," says Liberatore. "How is he going to be looked at by the other dogs in the dog world?"

Then he heard about Neuticles - testicular implants made of silicone that would make Butch look like Butch again.

For wanting a shot at being beautiful, Americans spent $9.4 billion on cosmetic surgery – the 2005 records of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reveal.

We guessed it right, the trend shows no indications of reversing.

This is the big trend – at least according a new book "Beauty Junkies: Inside Our $15 Billion Obsession With Cosmetic Surgery," which contains facts and figures, and ‘why and hows’ of today's culture of cosmetic enhancement.

No immune to the pull, author Alex Kuczynski admits to an addiction to cosmetic enhancement that starts with Botox® and progresses to liposuction and an unfortunate lip-filling incident that causes her to miss a good friend’s memorial.

The Advertiser reported that East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey Primary Care Trust (PCT) has allowed the spate of free operations in the past five years -- paying for 485 people to have cosmetic surgery, including tummy tuck, liposuction, penis reconstructions and nose jobs.

The number also included three individuals who have been granted sex change operations and some 45 men who went through a "reconstruction of the penis." No precise dates and other details were released because it could lead to the people being identified.

The most sought procedure – 135 persons, was Rhinoplasty (nose job), an operation that would cost the patient at least £4,500 if carried out in a private cosmetic surgery clinic.

This woman decided to have plastic surgery because she wanted to wear a bikini after the birth of her fourth child. She decided on a Pounds 2,400 minor liposuction operation at the private 17-bed Broughton Park Hospital.

What transpired after: the 40 year-old, mother of four spent six weeks in a coma after a plastic surgeon perforated her colon and small intestine nine times during what should have been a straightforward operation. She is scarred for life and has had more than 20 further operations to try to correct the damage. At one stage, doctors put her chance of survival at only 30 percent.

Canada lifted its ban on silicone breast implants last month. A few weeks later, the United States has followed suit.

CNN tells us more:

The FDA is allowing silicone breast implants to be sold again, 14 years after they were removed from the market by the same agency over questions of safety.

The approved silicone implants are made by two companies, Inamed Aesthetics, now a part of Allergan, and Mentor.

The FDA says these implants are approved "for breast reconstruction in women of all ages and breast augmentation in women ages 22 and older."

It seems like every week, doctors come up with all new uses for Botox.

Recently, researchers from the Mayo Clinic discovered that there will be minimal scarring if a facial wound can be treated early with botulinum toxin. WCBS-TV tells us more:

One New York City plastic surgeon said he's been using Botox that way for years.

"The basic mechanism of Botox is that it gets muscles to relax," surgeon Michael A.C. Kane said. "So if you can relax the muscles around the cut there's less tension on the cut so it heals better."

It’s not really written down in corporate policies that their personnel should possess good looks to be able to further their careers. However, it is a fact that looking good at work sure has its benefits, and that you do get noticed when you make heads turn every time you enter the office.

This is why three out of four Koreans have considered going under a cosmetic surgeon’s knife, according to a report by The Korea Times.

The survey author Career, an online job search portal, said that over three out of four Korean workers or 78.6 percent, say they have considered getting cosmetic surgery, believing that good looks will give them an edge in the nation’s tight job market.

When will people ever learn?

In today’s world of near instantaneous information at your fingertips, it’s probably safe to assume people already know that plastic surgery is no child’s play, that getting some done is a major decision that needs proper preparation and study, that it could alter the course of their lives.

But this Vietnamese woman probably never knew that. And now will never know so, since the plastic surgery decision she has made did not only alter the course of her life. Plastic surgery ended it, at the hands of two quacks. Thanh Nien News has more about this tragedy:

A significant number of Hollywood actors and actresses have already gone under the knife of the many plastic surgeons in the area. But not Academy Award nominee Diane Lane, who says she is absolutely terrified of plastic surgery.

According to Contactmusic, the star of such movies as Unfaithful and Under the Tuscan Sun has no intention whatsoever of getting plastic surgery. She has, however, hasn’t totally slammed the door on any cosmetic work in the future.

The 41-year-old says, "It scares the s**t out of me. And I don't relish the thought of people staring at me, trying to figure out what I've had done."

In a field where nearly 90% of procedures are done on women, it’s quite interesting to note that men dominate almost every aspect of the plastic surgery profession. But with more and more women requesting cosmetic procedures of the more intimate sort, it’s only natural for them to have these operations done by women, for whatever reason. But there are just too few female cosmetic surgeons to accommodate every single request.

But British women, however, need not fret about their choices of surgeons to do ‘cosmetic gynaecology” jobs on them, for an all-female plastic surgery group is now offering its services for women who want women for their vulvar and vaginal nips and tucks.

A bachelor named Hussein prepares for a nose job surgery. No prodding, the university student freely follows his mother, a brother, an aunt and a cousin who have all had various cosmetic enhancements.

Today, in the capital city of Tehran alone there are more or less three thousand plastic surgeons operating. This is rather peculiar for a country, which is populated with women who adhere to strict Islamic dress regulations and meant the only thing peeking out was their faces.

And so, when cosmetic surgery was introduced in the country after the revolution in 1979, Iranian women wanted their noses done -- talk about making the best of what shows, their faces. Since then, Iran has become one of the world's leading centers for cosmetic surgery.

Women who have cut it clean from breast cancer through radiation therapy and lumpectomy are feeling unhappy with the results. This is according to a recent study presented at the conference of American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Lumpectomy, as defined in the Cancer Glossary of Terms (Legacyhealth.org):

A surgery to remove the breast tumor and a small amount of surrounding normal tissue; the procedure is usually followed by radiation therapy.

The ASPS study disclosed that though lumpectomy is a procedure known to correct breast cancer and guarantees no additional reconstructive surgery, it fails to do so in many cases.

You’re probably wondering why, despite papparazzis crawling practically every corner of Hollywood, so many celebrities get to have plastic surgery, deny it, and get away with it.

Here’s probably a part of the answer to that question: there’s a secret plastic surgery recovery retreat in Beverly Hills. It’s where people who don’t want to be seen or don’t want people to know they’ve had plastic surgery seek refuge.

Well, it was a secret until CBS2 broke this story:

Shanteque Recovery Retreat is made up of 15 suites in the Le Meridien hotel in Beverly Hills, to which the back door entrance is so secret we aren't allowed to film it.

Just when you think that the term “flossing” applies exclusively to teeth, here comes a plastic surgeon who says he can do the same thing on the creases on your face.

Plastic surgeon Neil Reisman says he can do something about your frown lines with a procedure that is akin to flossing. According to him, the whole procedure “is all about releasing the muscle's attachment to skin". The good doctor shows ABC13 how it’s done:

Dot Klein smiles a lot and that has made creases from her nose to her mouth. Dot's face has been numbed before the procedure. It's done like at the dentist's office.

What else has Botox in store for us? Let’s see: on top of smoothing out wrinkles, Botox has been found out to be effective in treating Bell’s Palsy, depression, incontinence, knee pain, etc.

Now here’s another use for botulinum toxin, according to denverpost.com: it could ease spasms from stroke.

Botox is a drug derived from botulinum toxin. At high doses, it paralyzes muscles. At lower ones, it relaxes them. It is well-known as a wrinkle reducer. But Botox was originally approved as a treatment for uncontrollable blinking (blepharospasm) and misaligned eyes (strabismus), and it is used for a number of neurological conditions that feature overactive muscles.

Getting a cosmetic surgery procedure or two done is one thing. But going under a cosmetic surgeon’s knife almost 30 times within only 30 years of life in this planet is downright insane.

But Jenny Lee, a 30-year old mother from Dallas, Texas, has done just that. Recently featured by The Insider, Lee confesses to the fact that she has undergone more cosmetic surgery procedures than most women, that she is a plastic surgery addict. And the best that she could do about it? She promised she’s not going to have any plastic surgery for a year, a promise she has all too willingly broken. The Insider provides more details:

Alarmed by the spate of botched leg extension surgery procedures that have left patients disfigured, the Chinese government has decided to ban the practice of the said procedure, at least for cosmetic purposes.

According to a report by The Independent, China’s health ministry said it would only allow the procedure for strictly medical grounds, and that leg-lengthening can only be done by hospitals that conduct at least 400 orthopaedic operations a year and offer post-surgery care and rehabilitation.

Just how exactly is leg extension surgery done? The Independent gives us the goods, in a nutshell:

Undergoing plastic surgery is not the easiest decision to make. Whether it’s breast augmentation, a rhinoplasty or a facelift that you want done, it is essential to go into a cosmetic surgeon’s clinic with eyes wide open, that you know the dos and don’ts of cosmetic surgery.

This is something Shannon Leeman, cosmetic surgery advisor to the stars, is only all too willing to share to The Daily Mail.

Just how reliable is this Miami-born woman, who was once regarded as the LA circuit’s best-kept secret? The Daily Mail gives us a rundown:

At her smart Holland Park office, Leeman gives impartial advice to rich and famous clients who want to access the best surgery, quickly and discreetly. She’s been the LA circuit’s best-kept secret for years, since helping her first Oscar-winning Hollywood actress to turn back the clock and get away with it.

Indians have been one of the most visible front-runners of cosmetic surgery. Bollywood elites aren’t the only ones going under the knife to have their bodies and faces done. Even middle-class folks and perhaps even those who belong to the lower social strata have also availed of the services of a cosmetic surgeon.

Indians are so enthralled with looking good thus, it is somewhat normal for most of them to subject themselves to a surgical intervention as long as it would make them look a lot better and feel a lot better about themselves.

Now, aside from helping people land on their dream jobs, cosmetic surgery has tapped another market for its services – young boys and girls readying to tie the knot. Yes, cases of pre-wedding surgery in India are at their peak and experts can do nothing but express their observations.

There’s more to keeping skin young, smooth and flawless than just using Botox and injectable fillers to remove wrinkles. Though the latter effectively staves off remnants of aging on the face, it is quite a lot better if we deal with wrinkles right before they even appear. No matter how we look at it, the principle that says, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, is so much at work in this situation.

So to help us understand the concept better, Scotsman.com asked the guidance of an anti-ageing expert Tina Richards on the things women should do in order to age gracefully. Here are her recommendations:

One of the problems that people find themselves in after weight loss is the presence of sagging skin on their arms. You can’t be completely happy with hitting the target weight when your arms look like bat wings when you wave, or even just simply, when you move.

Weight loss, especially when induced through a gastric bypass surgery, usually gives this sort of effect. Arms flabs, though very nasty to behold, are by-products of weight loss, and there’s no way they will go off easily unless they are removed through a surgical procedure.

This surgical procedure is called brachioplasty. This procedure, which is also called arm lift, removes loose skin and excess fat deposits in the upper arm. In some cases, an arm lift is accompanied by liposuction in order to effectively remove the excess fat and achieve the desired results.

In today’s highly competitive world and cutthroat corporate culture, it has become quite common for career women—and men for that matter—to enlist the services of a cosmetic surgeon to further their careers. And this trend exists not only in the United States or Europe; this also happens to be true for the men of the United Arab Emirates.

Gulf News tells us more:

Beauty may be only skin deep, but more men in the UAE are going under the knife to get ahead professionally.

Plastic surgeons here are reporting an increase in surgical and non-surgical procedures for men, which they attributed largely to their patients' career concerns in the competitive work environment here.

Must be the curry, because in this study India is conspicuously absent in most categories, only to appear – the cities of Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai -- among the top 5 searching for the term "man boobs."

And, observably not among the vainest of the lot -- Is it all about the desire to rid themselves of love handles and beer bellies acquired through overstaying in the pub, that the Irish emerged to have been eagerly searching the Internet information on cosmetic surgery?

The cosmetic surgery website, www.lipo.com published on October 30 a new study that posted the top five nations searching for information on cosmetic surgery: Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand – in that order.

Normally, cosmetic surgery procedures are done in the private clinics of cosmetic surgeons. And there are literally thousands of them across North America.

But CTV News reports that many public hospitals in Canada allow cosmetic surgery procedures such as breast augmentations and tummy tucks to be performed within its facilities. And however you look at it, this practice among some Canadian cosmetic surgeons effectively makes taxpayers subsidize the costs of cosmetic surgery.

Now here’s something you don’t read about everyday.

While millions of men and women all over the world would give anything just to be more beautiful than they already are, here’s a news item from China Daily telling of a young Chinese woman who went to a plastic surgeon and essentially asked that she be freed of the burden that is her “beautiful face”.

A young woman from Chongqing sought plastic surgery to make her face less attractive recently, after being crossed in love.

The 23-year-old woman's sweetheart left her weeks ago to stay with another woman. Although the two had been in love for six years, her ex-boyfriend feared that her too-beautiful face might lure many other men and thus he didn't feel safe staying with her.

Had 'em lifted in Nashville -- because apparently, it helps that there is good music in the air to sooth the sting of stitches afterwards.

Nashville, aside from its rich music heritage, is attracting a new set of guests – those wanting and needing of the latest in nips and tucks. Not quite a cosmetic enhancement mecca of sort, but plastic surgery procedures performed here are boosting to noticeable figures to rival such favorite cosmetic surgery destinations as Southern California, South Florida or New York City.

Notably, Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center has pioneered the now famous "shallow" treatment tip to safely deliver monopolar radiofrequency energy to treat the delicate skin of the eyelids -- which is the thinnest skin on the body -- particularly the sagging and drooping eyelids. The technique is now hailed as the best alternative to Brow Lifting.

Wrinkles are not all to blame, so gladly give your wrinkles some thanks -- at least the laugh lines.

Sure facial wrinkles are telltale signs of ageing. That’s one. And in case you haven’t noticed it yourself, this new study is interesting: poor skin tone can add 10 to 12 years to a person’s actual or perceived age.

The journal Evolution and Human Behavior, in its new research revealed that women with blotchier skin tones appeared older while faces with more even skin tone were judged by others to be younger.

Several factors could alter a person's skin tone:

Cumulative ultraviolet from too much sun exposure can damage the blood vessels under the skin, which can create red areas, and can lead to freckles, moles and age spots. Natural aging can also cause a yellowing and dullness of skin color.

Another painless cosmetic enhancement procedure is most welcome.

Just yesterday acne scarring is treated through blasting or sandblasting off the top two layers of the skin – both very invasive types of treatments. With the news already out, dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons all over the world must be harking on this one revolutionary skin treatment technique. It sure is -- a major breakthrough in cosmetic enhancement is a non-invasive procedure to eliminate acne scars called Harmony Pixel Laser.

The method works by pinpointing lasers to the affected area to activate body's own repair system and stimulate collagen. Optimum results can be achieved after five treatment sessions where each sitting costs about $800.

Migraines have been bothering people since God knows when. Up to this very day, there is no known cure for this painful and debilitating neurological condition, which is known to affect some 28 million people in the United States alone.

But plastic surgery is giving millions of sufferers hope. A new study funded by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reveals that migraines can be remedied using plastic surgery techniques. WLNS.com gives us the goods:

In the study, 76 patients suffering from severe migraines were examined by plastic surgeons and neurologists. Fifty patients had surgical treatment for their migraines, while 26 patients were selected for a placebo-controlled surgery group. Patients were randomly selected for surgical treatment or the placebo group. Migraine suffers who were treated surgically experienced a statistically-significant decrease in frequency and intensity of migraine headaches, as compared to the placebo group.

There are already a bunch of materials present on the World Wide Web for those who are looking for information about cosmetic surgery. There are plastic surgery websites created and managed by plastic surgeons themselves to answer patient’s inquiries and similar stuff. There are also plastic surgery blogs that provide the latest news and articles concerning the trends in cosmetic surgery, popular procedures, and new techniques. All these and more aim to deliver quality content for those who might have interest in going under the knife or to simply just have a considerable amount of knowledge regarding the trade.

The plastic surgery hit series Nip/Tuck has won the hearts of many fans nationwide. Now, Nip/Tuck fans can have more of the program through the nifty features FX Networks managed to bring in to its website.

According to Digital Animators, FX beefed up its site to keep savvy fans engaged with both the TV show and each other. The site now includes an area where users can upload pictures and let fellow viewers solicit advice on whether they should go under the knife.

More and more people are getting into the cosmetic surgery craze. Reports tell of the remarkable interest women in Mackay exhibit over plastic surgery makeovers. Here’s a news article from The Daily Mercury:

Cosmetic surgeon Dr Jassim Daood is now making regular visits to Mackay in response to the many inquiries about cosmetic surgery he has received from women here.

"I always receive calls from women in Mackay who can’t afford the time or the money to come down to Brisbane for surgery, so I started coming up," Dr Daood said.

Have you noticed lately that more and more applications for Botox are being discovered as the weeks go by? In case you haven’t heard, these past few months have been pretty heady for botulinum toxin, which became one of the most popular treatments for wrinkles. First, Botox was reported to be effective against Bell’s Palsy. Then there’s the news that doctors are studying ways to make Botox useful in treating incontinence. Now comes another study that explores the possibility that Botox can be used to treat knee pain. Business Journal writes:

A 13-year moratorium on silicone implants was finally lifted when the Canadian government granted two American firms licenses to market such implants in Canada. News-Medical.net has more:

Health Canada has granted licenses to two U.S. companies, Mentor Corp. and Inamed Corp., a unit of Allergan Inc. to market their implants in Canada, following conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Under the conditions set by Health Canada the manufacturers must continue to provide data for at least 10 years from an ongoing clinical trial and must also agree to launch another large and long-term study, involving tens of thousands of women in Canada and elsewhere, to see if there are rare side-effects that would only become apparent once large numbers of women have received the devices.

In the league of the human cloning spectacle -- yes, but not quite. Still, this is one of those before-and-after revelations that will have world’s frivolous to earnest anticipation.

The world's first full face transplant is happening sooner. Blame or thank the NHS Ethics Board for finally giving its nod. It’s a “full makeover” and the operation will take place within months in the UK.

To date, the imminent breakthrough in the field of aesthetic enhancement can be considered as the ultimate facial surgery. Then again, the stakes are high or at least this is the medical team led by Peter Butler, UK's top expert on face transplants, has to say:

Just when you think you’ve seen all the cosmetic surgery procedures surgeons could come up with, here comes another one which, from the way things look, will soon become a commonly requested procedure.

Eyelash transplant surgery wants to become the new must-have procedure for women — and the occasional man — convinced that beauty is not so much in the eye of the beholder as in front of the eye itself.

Using procedures pioneered by the hair loss industry for balding men, surgeons are using "plug and sew" techniques to give women long, sweeping lashes once achieved only by glued on extensions and thick lashings of mascara.

Yes, there are mathematical tools for predicting facial surgery results.

A plastic surgery procedure called Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery is a medical specialty focusing on facial and skull reconstruction -- specifically patients with such disorders as cleft palate, malformations of the upper or lower jaw, and problems with the facial skeleton due to injury.

To ensure that the medical purposes of the surgery are achieved intensive pre-operative planning is needed. This is where the ‘math’ comes in – giving the patients a sense of what their faces will look like after the surgery is performed.

Or at least that is what the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) recommends in its latest study.

Consider the possible complications: fluid collections and infection at both the reconstructive site and the flap donor site. Also, hernia and bulge was much more common than in normal weight patients because when the flap was harvested from the abdominal area, weakness and deformity of the abdominal wall occurs.

According to the findings of the ASPS, "significantly obese women may wish to consider delaying breast reconstruction following mastectomy until they achieve a healthier body weight."

For the last five years, numerous injectable fillers have been introduced to the market to the delight of the ‘lip-poverished’ population. The benefits are smackingly good: larger, sexier lips. Injectable fillers also work to combat aging around the lips and mouth -- good news for the mature set since lips lose fullness and appear older as people age.

Pouting’s never been good. However, presenters to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2006 conference in San Francisco alleged that not all injectable fillers are created equal – “some can even lead to long-lasting complications.” More significantly, the snag lies on where parts of the lips the fillers are injected.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that treating the facial wound in the early healing phase with BOTOX® (botulinum toxin) helps improve the appearance of the scar later and can even eliminate the formation of bad scars. Accordingly, BOTOX® works by paralyzing the wounded region, creating a smooth surface in which the wound can heal.

"This is the first medication found to minimize scarring. This is of substantial interest in the field of scar treatment. When a wound occurs, especially on the face, people are always worried about the scar. We can now try and improve scars with these injections," according to Holger Gassner, M.D., lead study researcher at Mayo Clinic and now a fellow in Facial Plastic Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Apparently, boob jobs don’t work on British men nowadays. In fact, it turns them off, according to a recent survey conducted by a magazine. A report by The Daily Telegraph on the poll says:

A poll for More magazine found that 85 per cent of men aged 18 to 34 said they hated plastic surgery and found it a "complete turn-off" in women.

The survey, which polled 1600 men in the age group across the UK, found a further 15 per cent claimed not to even notice women's cosmetic surgery.

Boob jobs can turn off people, but only when they’re awfully done, just like the ones Tara Reid and Vivica A. Fox had to go through. Or when women get breast implants that seem bigger than their actual body mass.

Two Ohio doctors, one a cancer surgeon and the other a plastic surgeon, have teamed up to offer breast cancer sufferers what they call “oncoplastic surgery”. This Journal News report says Dr. Jennifer Manders, a UC Physicians breast cancer surgeon, and Dr. Anureet Bajaj, a University of Cincinnati Physicians plastic surgeon began offering this procedure in August.

What exactly is “oncoplastic surgery”?

Journal News gives us the goods:

It is a procedure in which a cancer surgeon and plastic surgeon work side by side to assess treatment options, remove the cancerous tumor and surrounding tissue and immediately reconstruct the disfigured breast using the patient's own tissue.

Botox, the wonder treatment that has become a worldwide craze in banishing unwanted wrinkles, unsightly neck bands, and crow's-feet, is finding itself in the news a lot lately.

After recent reports that Botox helps people with Bell’s Palsy and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as the rather negative news that it is addictive, here comes the latest discovery about Botox, or botulinum toxin: it can be used to treat depression.

At least that’s what Dr. Eric Finzi, a dermatologist from Maryland, says. According to this News 14 Carolina report:

Now here’s one for the record books.

A 12-year girl from Pfluggerville, Texas has possibly become the youngest person in the United States to undergo liposuction, says a Statesman.com report.

Brooke Bates, a middle school student who once weighed 225 pounds, had 45 pounds of fat and skin removed from her by controversial plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ersek, who once performed liposuction on himself in front of local news cameras in 2004.

The kid and her parents are extremely happy with the procedure. Other plastic surgeons, however, are not.

There was a time when plastic surgery was thought of as just another fad exclusively for the ladies. But with the need to look young and attractive brought about by a cutthroat work environment, more and more men, especially those who can afford it, are jumping onto the plastic surgery bandwagon, and are in effect fuelling a boom in cosmetic surgery.

Male executives in their thirties are among those having facial injections of Botox relaxants and collagen to smooth out the tell-tale signs of ageing.

In a cut-throat working environment, where any sign of weakness is seized on by rivals, bankers and office high-fliers are spending thousands of pounds a visit. [Daily Mail]

Undergoing plastic surgery is potentially a life-altering decision, and must therefore be carefully weighed before making a decision. However, too many people have undergone major makeovers without really giving it much thought. As a result, not a few suffer bouts of depression, while some are even driven to suicide, after cosmetic surgery procedures that didn’t quite get them the results they wanted.

To give potential plastic surgery patients a concise checklist of things to consider before going under a cosmetic surgeon’s knife, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has come up with an acronym designed to promote a sensible approach to plastic surgery: S.U.R.E.

Now here’s something new.

A plastic surgeon in San Antonio is offering adjustable breast implants, the kind that allow patients to change the size of their saline implants even three to six months after their initial operations, without removing them and putting in new ones.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Jeneby said nine out of 10 women who get breast augmentation say later they wished they'd gone bigger.

"I think people underestimate the sizes of bras, and what their friends tell them, and what they see on TV, and I think it's my job to offer them a solution," he said.

That solution is an implant that's actually adjustable. The enhancements are put into the patient through a one-and-a half-inch incision. During the procedure, the surgeon attaches a tiny port, a rubbery piece with a tube on the end that can be used to add saline later. The port sits on the rib under the breast.