A primer on breast implants

Tired of not filling out swimsuits and T-shirts to her satisfaction, 32-year-old Kristin Brackemyre decided it was time to get some serious breasts. But before that could happen, she knew she had to do some serious homework.

She and her lawyer boyfriend researched breast-augmentation surgery as if they were preparing a case for trial. After three years of contemplation and scrutiny, Brackemyre got saline breast implants in August from Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre in California. Today, she wears a C-cup bra and describes her surgery and her new figure as 'amazing'.

"I feel so much better about putting on clothes, wearing bras and just the fact that I now need a bra," she says. "They (her new breasts) just make me feel better about myself."

Plastic surgeons wish all breast augmentation patients would be such diligent consumers.

Choice between silicone, saline implants is still not easy to make

After 14 years, women who want to surgically add more curves to their figures again have a choice: saline or silicone.

However, those who opt for the newly approved silicone breast implants may find their choice is padded in confusion, frustration and added costs.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration lifted its ban on silicone gel implants, dismissing concerns about harmful effects from leaks as unsupported by extensive testing. But the agency, along with manufacturers of the implants, urged women to undergo a special magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) every couple of years "over a woman's lifetime" to detect ruptures.

The series of MRIs could cost women $10,000 in the first 10 years, on top of the costs of the original cosmetic surgery, usually $5,000 to $8,000.

More Hispanics are Opting for Cosmetic Surgery

In 2006, Hispanics led minority racial and ethnic groups undergoing cosmetic procedures (9.5% of all procedures performed, up from 6% in 2000), according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. This is especially the case in California, where Latinos make up a large portion of the population. More Hispanic women are seeking plastic surgery, according to Dr. Lloyd Krieger of Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Krieger, who has been featured in Fortune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Access Hollywood, and other media, states that over 35% of the patients at his California plastic surgery center are Hispanic men and women. The majority of Dr. Krieger's patients who ask for his renowned "Rodeo Drive Mommy Makeover" are Hispanic women in their 20's and 30's.

Chinese woman gets cosmetic surgery to look older

A 60-year-old Chinese woman called Chen, who looks younger in the wake of a series of cosmetic surgery procedures, returned to the hospital this week in Hankou, Hubei, to ask doctors to restore her original old appearance.

Chen’s husband, surnamed Zhang, strongly opposed the cosmetic surgery and refused to talk to her for three days. Zhang wouldn’t even let her leave home after the surgery.

Zhang is said to be worried that Chen would fall in love with someone else, as many local old men have begun inviting her to dance since the operations. To save her marriage, Chen had to concede.

Just goes to show that some people are never satisfied.

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Cosmetic surgery group launches non invasive treatments

After 12 months of consultation amongst its medical and specialist non surgical solutions team of dermatologists, doctors and nurses, The Harley Medical Group is launching computerized photo-imaging skin analysis and personal treatment plans with treatments carried out by trained medical staff. Using the most up to date computerised photo imaging skin analysis technology, the surface and subsurface of the skin is analysed as the face is photographed and then microscopically examined - a photographic report is then printed out with a reading of the skin’s characteristics such as pore size, age spotting, pigmentation, skin unevenness and lines & wrinkles. Taking into account the patient’s age and lifestyle, it gives a score for each of the key factors relating to the skin’s condition using a grading relative to the 3,500 women and 1,500 men whose details are stored in the system.

Cosmetic surgery group launches non invasive treatments

After 12 months of consultation amongst its medical and specialist non surgical solutions team of dermatologists, doctors and nurses, The Harley Medical Group is launching computerized photo-imaging skin analysis and personal treatment plans with treatments carried out by trained medical staff. Using the most up to date computerised photo imaging skin analysis technology, the surface and subsurface of the skin is analysed as the face is photographed and then microscopically examined - a photographic report is then printed out with a reading of the skin’s characteristics such as pore size, age spotting, pigmentation, skin unevenness and lines & wrinkles. Taking into account the patient’s age and lifestyle, it gives a score for each of the key factors relating to the skin’s condition using a grading relative to the 3,500 women and 1,500 men whose details are stored in the system.

Plastic surgery smack down

Sure, Janet Jackson's plastic-surgery-enhanced nose looks good -- if you compare it to siblings Michael and LaToya. By most standards, though, the nose looks overdone and, well, plastic. But if Miss Jackson's nasty nose is an example of the "bad," to whom do we look for the "good"?
Ashlee Simpson. Her fans debate whether or not she should have tinkered with the "I Am Me" original version, but most onlookers would agree that the surgery itself was a success. Rumored to have undergone a new, less-invasive form of surgery that requires less time to heal, the difference is dramatic yet natural.

United States Plastic Surgery: men do not leave it out ...

To keep up with their younger counterparts at the office‚ more and more male boomers go through plastic surgery. Breast-reduction‚ liposuction‚ lip augmentation would be increasing by 20% a year.
Once considered a woman's domain‚ cosmetic surgery is increasingly attracting men keen on remaining competitive in the workplace‚ improving their love lives or getting rid of physical hangups. With procedures for droopy eyelids‚ bulging love handles and over-sized breasts‚ more men are trying to enhance their looks and stack the odds in their favour. Philip Haeck‚ 53‚ a plastic surgeon in Washington state‚ says he's seen a 19 per cent increase in male clients during the past five years. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons‚ the number of cosmetic procedures on men grew by 16 per cent between 2000 and 2005‚ with breast reduction‚ tummy tuck‚ lip augmentation‚ eyelid surgery and liposuction among the most popular.

More US men are choosing cosmetic surgery

With procedures for droopy eyelids, bulging love handles and over-sized breasts, more men are readjusting their bodies to enhance their looks and stack the odds in their favour career-wise. "It's much more acceptable in society today for men to seek plastic surgery," Dr Phillip Haeck, a plastic surgeon in the western state of Washington, told reporters. "There is an incredible push for men to smell good, to have smoother skin and coincidentally to pay more attention to how they look," said Haeck, 53, who underwent surgery on his eyelids two years ago and who has seen a 19 percent increase in male clients in the last five years. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the total number of cosmetic procedures on men grew by 16 percent between 2000 and 2005 with breast reduction, tummy tuck, lip augmentation, eyelid surgery and liposuction among the most popular.

Cosmetic surgery demand soars

Demand for cosmetic surgery is soaring in the UK with new figures showing the number of people having liposuction rose by 90 per cent last year.
Nose jobs and eyelid surgery are still the most popular procedures and men are increasingly booking themselves in for so-called "moob jobs" to have their breasts reduced.
But the number of people undergoing liposuction has rocketed - prompting experts to warn it is not a solution for obesity.
The operation has jumped from being the eighth most popular cosmetic procedure in 2005 to the third most popular in 2006.
According to today's figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), 3,986 liposuctions were carried out last year - up from 2,099 in 2005.
BAAPS, which is based at the Royal College of Surgeons, said other operations - such as breast surgery and nose jobs - had also seen a rise.

Anti-aging goes skin deep

That face-lift that leaves you looking as if you're standing on the prow of a ship in a stiff breeze is so 20th century.
True, more than 10.2 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures are performed annually, a number that's increasing by about 10 percent a year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
"For many, cosmetic plastic surgery is the new take on growing old gracefully,'" says Dr. Bruce Cunningham, ASPS president.
But the types of procedures are changing. For the first time in many years, the numbers of face-lifts are declining, he says. Instead, there is consumer demand for minimally invasive, injectable wrinkle fillers that, in theory, combat facial aging, Cunningham says.
"I see this whole beauty industry going toward skin.

Doctors' Hidden Secrets

JACKSONVILLE, FL-- Marcia Beaird is a flight attendant whose true passion is not travel but instead the outdoors. She loves boating and kayaking, hobbies she can't do anymore. Life stopped for Beaird a year and a half ago when the 46-year-old decided she wanted a change. "It was an easy fix in my eyes and everyone around me was having lipo done," says Beaird. She says she went to a Miami plastic surgeon, Dr. John Tiller. Beaird says she had liposuction done on her stomach and knees. "Everyone said it's so easy you go in and two days later you can be back to flying." Within hours of going under the knife, there were problems. "I was feeling a lot of like a burning sensation behind my right knee." Two days after surgery, Beaird says paramedics rushed her to the hospital.

Body Contouring, a Plastic Surgery Trend

A new shape is what Maria Diaz is focused on these days. Diaz, a 29-year-old mother of four from St. Paul says, "You know, four kids and a lot of weight loss you get some saggy skin. It's not very attractive." It was three years ago, when her size 26 pants didn't fit anymore, that Diaz decided to have gastric bypass, a form of bariatric, or stomach reduction, surgery. "I was just getting too heavy and I was worried about heart attack or diabetes," she says. After the surgery, Diaz went from almost 300 pounds to around 175. What she didn't lose was her stretched out excess rolls of skin. "It makes it hard to get clothes because a lot of stuff, with that excess skin, it doesn't quite fit right." So Diaz is having all the excess skin cut off to redefine her figure.

Google, garden but no surgery, thanks

THE occasional nip and tuck is gaining acceptance around the world but for Australian retirees plastic surgery is not a priority.
An Axa Retirement Scope survey covering 16 countries found Australian retirees were "less positive" about a surgical makeover compared with working Australians.
Behavioural scientist Dr Stephen Juan said the research showed that there was a greater acceptance of plastic surgery among those still working but Australian retirees were less positive.
"Retirees still see plastic surgery as being in the domain of the rich and famous but for working Australians, perhaps greater life expectancies dictate that maintaining one’s looks is becoming accepted as a viable option," Dr Juan said.
While retired Australians may be shying away from complete makeovers, they have embraced new technology and prefer to Google than garden.

Pursuit of beauty requires homework

The pursuit of beauty can have beastly consequences for consumers who don't do their homework. Dr. Alastair Carruthers, cosmetic dermasurgeon and president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, has had patients arrive in his Vancouver office after a range of botched treatments, from the victim of an incompetent laser treatment who ended up with zebra-like stripes, to another who lost one lower eyelid and partially lost the other. Considering some of the other horror stories, they were the fortunate ones. There are the four people in Florida who landed up in hospital, paralysed and on respirators after being injected with an unapproved botulism toxin more than 200 times stronger than the Botox injections used to smooth out wrinkles. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has issued a warning to consumers after reports of pain and disfigurement from procedures being performed by unlicensed practitioners and the tragic case of a woman who died after being injected with cooking oil in a California beauty salon.

Is Cosmetic Surgery Right For You? New Patient Education Campaign ...

Today men and women from virtually all walks of life are turning to cosmetic surgery as a way to bring their personal visions of beauty to life. But, with so much information out there, how do they know what's best for them? To help navigate their personal way to beauty, the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) launched Be Wise About Beauty - an integrated, multi-faceted campaign dedicated to arming patients with the facts about cosmetic surgery, patient safety and qualified practitioners so that they can make informed decisions about cosmetic enhancement.

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'Ugly Betty' vs. Cinderella

As regular readers of this column know, I love to point out how the media portrays an image of women that most real women can never achieve, try as they might.
In recent years, this trend reached ridiculous heights, with the avalanche of "makeover" and plastic surgery shows, in which women went under the knife to become as slender and youthful looking as possible.
I almost tossed my cookies watching a few minutes of Fox's "The Swan," a show in which so-called "ugly ducklings" went on starvation diets and sustained several painful surgeries, so they could compete with one another to become "The Ultimate Swan."
But now, ABC executives are pulling muscles patting themselves on the back as their new hit show "Ugly Betty" actually is making an effort to raise the self esteem of young women all over the country.

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Silicone breast implants return - in a big way

Yes, those implants, the kind that led to billions of dollars in product-liability payments to compensate hundreds of thousands of women worldwide who claimed the devices left them sick or disfigured.
The Food and Drug Administration has deemed the latest versions of gel implants to be "reasonably safe" - and that's good news for the growing number of women who want them.
"I know there's a big risk of reoperation. And that they can rupture. And there can be problems with mammograms," said Carolyn Brusilow, 44, who switched from saline-filled implants to gels. "But I was willing to take that chance."
"I'm very happy with the results," added the Ardmore, Pa., wife, mother of four, and administrative assistant.
Although only 11 weeks have passed since the FDA lifted its 14-year-old ban on gel implants for "augmentation" patients, the devices are expected to once again corner that market.

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Plastic surgery and breast implants popular for brides

Try a nip and a tuck or a little extra around the chest -- those were some of the most popular items on the weekend at Winnipeg's Wonderful Wedding Show.
"I see a lot of people who have concerns when they're getting married about what they're going to look like," said cosmetic surgeon Dr. Manfred Ziesmann, manning his own booth at the trade show.
Ziesmann said non-surgical laser skin procedures have become increasingly popular with brides who want their skin to look fl awless in their wedding photos.
Also popular are tightening creams to help smooth out bumps and sags and Botox injections to tackle wrinkles.
But the majority of brides interested in cosmetic enhancements are looking to fi ll out their wedding dresses.
Despite the $5,000 price tag, Ziesmann said silicone breast implants are still his biggest sellers.

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Silicone Breast Implants Are Unsafe

Despite FDA's recent approval of silicone breast implants, there still are "considerable risks that women must consider before walking into the operating room," Edward Melmed, a Dallas-based plastic surgeon, and Judy Norsigian, executive director of Our Bodies Ourselves, write in a Boston Globe opinion piece (Melmed/Norsigian, Boston Globe, 2/2). FDA in November 2006 approved the use of silicone breast implants manufactured by Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Mentor and Irvine, Calif.-based Allergan for breast reconstruction and cosmetic breast augmentation, but the agency limited cosmetic use to women ages 22 and older. Most breast implants, which often are given to women who have undergone a mastectomy to treat breast cancer, contain saline solution. Silicone breast implants were banned in 1992 because of safety concerns.

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