Tuesday, October 30, 2012

SWEET HALLOWEEN!!

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With Halloween upon us, this is timely news about a procedure that is growing in popularity. Scary as it may sound, it is one procedure to help BOO – tify patients who have it. Facelifts are invasive procedures that involve injections and cuts. But a new treatment called the Vampire Facelift is needle-free, using lasers for smooth skin free of wrinkles. And the recipient of the first Vampire Facelift, Amie Mee, underwent the procedure in Glasgow.
The Daily Mail is reporting that the newest cosmetic procedure, which administers thousands of tiny holes in one’s face through a carbon dioxide laser, pushes plasma from the patient’s blood through an ultrasound probe. The treatment costs approximately £750.
Mee was happy with the results and would recommend it to others. “The procedure makes such a great improvement to your skin in terms of pigmentation, texture and in other ways.”
The non-invasive procedure’s creator, Dr. Taimur Shoaib, performed the treatment at his Belle Forme clinic. The technique is named after vampires because it uses one’s own blood to rejuvenate the skin. It is an update to the traditional vampire facelift that uses a series of injections in one’s face.
Dr. Shoaib believes that the facelift removes deep surface lines and wrinkles, with the additional benefit of continuing to aide restoration under the skin. “It then keeps on working in various ways under the surface to enable the skin to produce collagen, its own youth serum.”
Mee found the laser to be slightly uncomfortable but the quickness of the procedure made it worth the discomfort. “After you’ve had a bit of downtime your skin just looks amazing,” she said.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

PLASTIC SURGEONS TRY NEW METHODS ON THEMSELVES





Sometimes we are the best test subject for a new methodology, practice or habit. And the plastic surgeons of The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery are practitioners of trying new products and procedures on themselves before using them on patients.
Surgeons Perform Treatments On Themselves Before Patients
Cision Wire posted an article about the board-certified doctors and their unique way of finding out whether a procedure or product works.
Dr. Robert Sigal and Dr. Byron Poindexter practice what they preach. “It’s simple: if you want to know if something works, get it done yourself,” said Dr. Sigal. Added Dr. Poindexter, “We try it on ourselves and on staff volunteers so that we can know the utility of it. And so after a proper amount of  time to evaluate something, we know if it’s something that we’ll  have at our office, and offer to our patients.”
This is old hat for the surgeons at The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Washington, DC, with the three plastic surgeons—Dr. Poindexter, Dr. Sigal, and Dr. George Weston—having more than 55 years of combined experience.

The doctors have tried everything from Expression hyaluronic acid filler (similar to Restylane) to miraDry for underarm sweating and Dysport (a Botox competitor) on each other with no regrets. “It’s the right thing to do, and when you do the right thing, good things come back to you. Our practice is living proof of that.”

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Before and After Plastic Surgery



Do you feel better after your plastic surgery? Tell us about your experience and inspire others that need to improve their confidence.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

SHOW-AND-TELL FOR BREAST RECONSTRUCTION AWARENESS DAY



According to a survey by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, women who have undergone cancer treatments aren’t willing to commit to the rigors of breast reconstructive surgery until they see the potential results. Indeed, 89% of all women considering reconstructive surgery want to be able to see in advance how their breasts will look.  After dealing with the difficulties associated with breast cancer treatments, it makes sense that women would need to have a visual idea of what their breast will look like following cosmetic surgery. Breast reconstructive surgery is no easy undertaking and women who have to gear up for the procedure need to feel like they’re going end up with a final result that’s not only acceptable but worth their while.
In response to the survey, a group of board-certified plastic surgeons have put together an event to show-and-tell women about breast reconstructive surgery as part of Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day in the United States. The event will take place in New Orleans on October 17, 2012. Essentially the event will connect breast reconstruction patients with breast cancer patients who are considering reconstruction in order to help women decide which procedure would be right for them.
The topic of breast reconstruction has been taboo until now. As women like Suzanne Somers step forward to talk about their personal successes with procedures that aren’t even available yet in the United States, reconstructive procedures are creating a bit of a buzz. By giving breast cancer patients the opportunity to chat with actual breast reconstruction patients, the women will have more information to work with than just before-and-after pictures to make the decision.
The decision to go ahead with breast reconstructive surgery is a big one and women who have the opportunity to pair up and talk with other women who have been through the ordeal represents some progress in this field of plastic surgery. Doctors may try to inform their patients about the options available to them, but the factors involved in making the decision are multitudinous and convoluted.
Right now in the United States, less than a quarter of all women know what reconstructive choices are available to them and even fewer have a sense of the outcomes that they  might expect from having those procedures. Breast reconstructive surgery must follow a particular chronological sequence and the timing of their decision can actually limit their reconstruction choices later on down the road. Further, women who have been having cancer treatments are not typically emotionally prepared to make difficult and life-changing decisions about breast reconstructive surgery.
The majority of women (70%) who are diagnosed with breast cancer are never even told about breast reconstructive surgery and their options, but the show-and-tell event on Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day will hopefully change some of those problems. Whereas in the past, women were limited by a lack of information and a two-dimensional look at how breast reconstruction helped them feel good about their self-image, women today can get a more in-depth idea of how breast reconstruction could help them. Hopefully, by making the topic less taboo, women will be able to access the resources they need to achieve results that they can be happy with for a lifetime.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Psy told to get a Facelift




Korean Popstar Psy Told to Get a Facelift
October 7, 2012 By Trevor Green


The breakout song “Gangnam Style” has gained Korean music artist Psy international fame, but he was told years prior to have cosmetic surgery to seek success.

Psy talked about this with Contact Music, noting that “he was horrified when label chiefs demanded he undergo a drastic image overhaul.” One agency thought that the voice on his music was a different person than what emerged.
“The agency heard my raps and were picturing a six-foot tall, sharp-looking, trendy guy. But the CEO opened our meeting with the statement, ‘What are we going to do with this?’ Staff said, ‘How about we make him wear a cool mask?’” Psy recalled.
The agency’s solution was plastic surgery, but the CEO did not think that would be enough, according to Psy. But the joke was on the company, as Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has more than 353 million YouTube views and is topping the UK music charts.
Korean Pop Star Psy Told to Get Facelift (Photo Courtesy: policymic.com)

Thursday, October 4, 2012

SAVE YOUR LIFE, CHOOSE A CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON


 


Transgender men who cannot afford the surgical procedures necessary to make a full transition from male to female have been resorting to health-jeopardizing procedures under the hand of untrained, unskilled “pumpers” who promise to inject feminizing silicone throughout their bodies. The silicone is able to produce curves and softness that is coveted by these transgender males, but the injections take a hefty toll on these women’s lives and their health. Though sometimes they produce the desired results, often transgender women experience devastating side effects that make them wish they had never had the injections.

Transgender individuals are not able to access health insurance to help them make a transition from male to female or vice versa. But often these people are desperate to make their appearance match their gender identity on the inside. As a result, there is now a black market for transgender males to become more feminine using silicone injections. Typically, doctors recommend that silicone be used within enclosed implants, but the pumpers who serve the transgender community inject loose silicone directly into the body. Medical grade silicone can be difficult for pumpers to obtain, so often these people will resort to using other substances like industrial grade silicone, fix-a-flat, or cooking oil instead. Loose silicone of medical or industrial grade can migrate to other areas of the body, causing disfigurement and scarring.

The main reason why transgender women will seek out pumpers rather than going to qualified medical doctors is because they simply can’t afford the tens of thousands of dollars that it costs to make a full transition to the female gender. Men who want to become female have to endure multiple surgeries and injections of female hormones in order to take on a more feminine appearance. There are a multitude of different procedures that can help feminize masculine features. For example, transgender women will often have their hairline moved down, a forehead lift, chin work, and a rhinoplasty to feminize their facial features. Lip augmentation is also often recommended. All of these surgical procedures are performed in addition to breast augmentation and genital reconstruction. The price tag is currently at about $70,000 and most transgender women living in the United States simply can’t afford it. Many transgender women will use pumpers to at least achieve a more feminine appearance even though they can’t afford hormones or any of the other bells and whistles that are possible with transgender surgery with a qualified and board certified plastic surgeon.

Some experts estimate that 22 percent of all transgender women in New York have used a pumper’s services to create a more feminine appearance. Unfortunately, many pumpers have used alternatives to medical grade silicone, or cut the medical grade silicone with baby oil or Crisco to cheapen the procedure and make a bigger profit. Often, they perform their injections in unsterile environments like a hotel rooms, sometimes inviting ten or twenty other transgender women to have the same procedure done at the same time. Silicone injected into the bloodstream by accident at one of these parties can cause a variety of different autoimmune disorders as well as respiratory distress and death. But as long as the cost of transgender surgical procedures remains exorbitant and inaccessible as a result of insurance regulations, pumpers will still be able to make a profit even despite the potentially deadly consequences.  

Monday, October 1, 2012

SOFT SKIN AFTER BURNS?...POSSIBLE!!



Stem Cell Skin Gun Treats Severe Burns in Days


One of the most dangerous aspects of a severe burn is the potential for infection. Our skin protects the body from invading organisms, providing a twenty-four hour defense. When the skin gets severly burned, however, that defensive mechanism is melted away. Not only does the patient have a lifetime of scarring to endure, but the fear of invasive pathogens that could cause serious infection while the burn is healing. Hastening the healing process has been approached in a number of different ways, but today, a new stem cell treatment is on the horizon that could revolutionize burn treatment and provide hope to individuals who have been severely burned over a large area of their body.
The treatment for serious burns is often time consuming and painful. It can take weeks or even months for a burn to heal and patients must often stay in the hospital or return frequently for treatments to keep infection at bay and the healing process on track. After healing has taken place, patients are often left with extensive scarring. But miraculously, a new stem cell spray gun, promises to reduce the time it takes for patient’s to heal from a severe burn, while promoting the growth of normal looking skin rather than the scar tissue that is characteristic of a healed burn wound.
The flames or heat itself that burns the tissue is not the most serious or deadly part of a severe wound. Rather, infections pose the biggest threat to a patient’s survival. The ability to regenerate a protective barrier over a major burn wound can literally save a patient’s life and the stem cell spray gun is able to do just that. This device utilizes stem cell technology to regrow skin, spraying the stem cells onto the area to be treated. The process is relatively simple and straightforward. Amazingly, a few days after the treatment, the patient regrows skin that looks normal and healthy. Because of its quick action, the stem cell spray gun allows patients to heal quickly, lessening the risk of infection.
The stem cell spray gun was developed by Dr. Jorg Gerlach from the University of Pittsburgh’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The stem cells are harvested from the adult burn victim and then  sprayed directly onto the wound. Because of the way stem cells work in the body, healthy skin is able to be regenerated without major scarring. And the process of regrowing skin is remarkably fast. Faster than any other burn treatment currently available today.
Because the stem cells used for the spray gun belong to the patient themselves, there is no risk of an immune response against them. The patient’s body will not reject the stem cells and indeed, these specialized little units are able to build any type of tissue in the body according to the specifications laid out by each individual’s DNA. The stem cells used for the spray gun are not embryonic stem cells, so there is no controversy over making use of them.