Cosmetic Surgery Center, Dallas | Dr. Rai

As you probably know, the Democrat-led Congress is trying to put U.S. health care under government control and last week the House passed a bill in this direction. Now the Senate is working on their plan. The plan backed by the White House would put a five percent tax on cosmetic surgery.

With all the frantic spending this past year by Congress, the government needs more income. That means more taxes and higher taxes on everybody. This cosmetic surgery tax is estimated to raise about 5.8 billion dollars over ten years that would help to pay for the 849 billion dollars the proposed healthcare plan will cost.

A Five Percent Tax on Cosmetic Procedures

You would not be able to have any type of plastic surgery such as liposuction or a rhinoplasty without paying the five percent tax – unless you were having it done to correct an injury, a disease disfigurement, or a congenital abnormality. In other words, if your procedure is done for cosmetic reasons, it will be taxed.

This new tax would start in January 2010. So far, the slumping economy has not affected cosmetic surgery demand. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were 12.1 million cosmetic surgery procedures done in 2008, although figures are not available yet for 2009.

If the economy continues to decline, the addition of this cosmetic surgery tax may finally lower the public’s interest in improving their appearance – especially if existing taxes are raised, such as sales and income taxes and if other new taxes are imposed. However, the government has not yet succeeded in taking over health care, and the cosmetic surgery tax is still just a desire on the part of Democrats in Congress and the White House. Time will tell how this plays out.

Meanwhile, there is no tax on cosmetic surgery. Perhaps you could give yourself a tax-free Holiday treat or buy a gift for a loved one. If you would like to know more about any of the procedures we offer, such as breast enlargement, facelifts, or male breast reduction, the first step would be to schedule a free personal consultation with Dr. Rai. To do that, please call or email our cosmetic surgery office today.

Charity organizations are rightly upset at the moment over reports that one Trista Joy Lathem deceived them and obtained over $10,000 in donations for breast enlargement. Lathem had married this past April but her marriage was having problems. According to a police affidavit, she decided to tell her husband that she had cancer, in hopes that this would “bring them closer together”.

She shaved her head and communicated with acquaintances and local community leaders that she had lost her health insurance and needed to complete her chemotherapy. Various benefits were held to raise money for her, bringing in the $10,000 from some businesses and about 24 individual donors.

News reports are not explaining how the fraud was discovered, but at some point she was exposed and according to the McLennan County Sheriff’s office, she has been arrested on a charge of “theft by deception”.

It appears that of the $10,000, she used $6,800 to have breast implants in hopes of saving her marriage. Her husband was apparently appalled and filed for annulment the day she was arrested. He denies knowing that her cancer claim was false and is now filing for custody of their two children – evidently step-children, since Lathem married him only in April.

One has to wonder how a new wife could convince her husband that she had a fatal disease, and was receiving drastic treatment for it, when that was all lies. Did he not want to talk to her doctor?

Background Checking Always Important

Charity spokespeople are suggesting that before donating money to individuals entirely based on the story told to them, the organizations do a little more checking. Background checking is also important for cosmetic surgeons, and in this space on November 10, 2009 we posted a story about criminals deceiving plastic surgeons in the Philippines.

Breast enlargement is major surgery, as are many of the cosmetic surgery procedures, such as facelifts and tummy tucks. Good communications between doctor and patient is essential for a good outcome. At the Cosmetic Surgical Center, Dr. Rai talks to his new patients in depth, learning what they would like to achieve, learning about their medical history, and answering all questions.

If you would like to learn more about any of the cosmetic surgery procedures we offer, please contact our Dallas, Texas office today for a free personal consultation with Dr. Rai.

In the 1990s, not many plastic surgeons were promoting their practice on the Web, but Dr. Steven Denenberg blazed that trail. He noticed that of the few cosmetic surgery websites that were on the Web, none had any Before and After photos.

He launched his own site and added several hundred such photos to show viewers how he could change and improve a person’s appearance with each cosmetic surgery procedure. Such Before and After Galleries are now very popular, although not of equal quality. Our Before and After Photos are nicely organized by procedure and by gender.

New iPhone Application

Dr. Denenberg has continued his inventiveness on the Web by writing his own iPhone application for people to pick a facial cosmetic surgery procedure they might be interested in having and see Before and After photos of its results. For example, if you would like to have nose surgery, breast enlargement, or a male tummy tuck, photos on your own iPhone would be available any time you had the leisure and privacy to study them and imagine how such procedures might enhance your own appearance.

Dr. Denenberg is a physician, not a computer programmer. But he bought a stack of books on how to write applications and over six months, in his spare time, he coded this new application. He tested it and has now had it approved by Apple, the maker of iPhones. You can download it on to your iPhone or your iPod Touch.

You can also send Dr. Denenberg your own photos and he will send you some plastic surgery suggestions for how you could enhance whatever feature you are not happy with.

New Company to Serve Other Cosmetic Surgeons

Looking ahead, Dr. Denenberg has now started his own company that will develop iPhone applications for other cosmetic surgeons – or for cosmetic dentists, or anybody who would like to show photos to prospective patients.

Patient education is an important part of good plastic surgery outcomes. Dr. Rai is always happy to spend time answering questions and explaining how a given procedure might or might not be a good option for you.

If you would like to learn more about a cosmetic surgery procedure you are interested in, the first step is to contact our Dallas, Texas office for a free personal consultation with Dr. Rai. We look forward to meeting with you.

Doctors have been searching for the ideal grafting material to use in rhinoplasties and perhaps they have now found it. A person’s own cartilage has often been the best choice, but too often there is not enough of it, or it is too thin, or there may be a problem at the location where it is taken.

The ideal substance should be:

• Readily available and in large amounts
• Resistant to infection and to being absorbed by the body
• Easily shaped and molded for each individual patient
• Easily integrated into the patient’s facial tissue
• Not likely to cause any injury or illness in the patient

A research team of people at the University of Texas Medical School and at Facial Plastic Surgery Associates in Houston recently studied the medical records of 357 patients who had had a rhinoplasty between 1984 and 2008. The surgeons had used irradiated rib cartilage from a donor in all cases, although they had mixed it with other substances in some cases. The cartilage was irradiated to help prevent any chance of rejection or resorption after it was placed.

Low Rate of Complications

Researchers found complications in just 3.2 percent of the cases. In a total of 1,025 grafts done over the 24 years, there were just ten instances of warping, nine of infection, ten of resorption, and three of graft movement.

This rate of complications is about the same as the rate when a patient’s own cartilage is used. The study found overall that irradiated rib cartilage was safe and reliable and eliminated the risk of possible problems at a patient’s own donor site if her own cartilage is used. It can also be used when a person’s own cartilage is inadequate.

The researchers concluded that irradiated rib cartilage should be considered when a rhinoplasty graft is needed, and perhaps even regarded as a primary grafting material.

The Best Nose Surgery

Dr. Rai uses only the highest quality materials and the most thoroughly tested technology. His first priorities are your safety and your good cosmetic surgery results. Rhinoplasty is an outpatient procedure designed to give you excellent facial balance and an attractive facial profile. Dr. Rai uses the closed rhinoplasty technique, as it gives more natural-looking results, and the incisions are made inside the nose, which leaves no visible scars on the face.

To learn more about how rhinoplasty is done, and whether it would be a good option for you, please contact our Dallas, Texas office for a personal consultation with Dr. Rai.

We have all seen media photos of people like Michael Jackson who had too much cosmetic surgery, and nobody wants to look “fixed” or “done” after their cosmetic procedures. We just want to look more youthful, more attractive, or better proportioned, with no visible evidence of having had anything done to effect that improvement.

Looking Natural

If you choose a properly-qualified and experienced surgeon, you can expect to look natural afterwards. Part of achieving natural results is being a good candidate for the procedure you are having, and the best plastic surgeons screen their patients carefully. Dr. Rai will spend time with you, explaining how various procedures can meet your goals and why one might be better in your particular case than another.

Besides being a good candidate, choosing the right procedure is crucial. Some women come to The Cosmetic Surgical Center wanting breast enlargement, but after they learn more about their options, they realize that they really only need a breast lift to achieve the contours they want.

In other cases, discussion with Dr. Rai may lead a person to realize that a non-invasive procedure such as a facial filler is more appropriate for them than a facelift. This is a matter of good patient education, and Dr. Rai, along with his entire team, is convinced that the best cosmetic surgery patient is a well-informed one.

Looking More Like Yourself

Part of being well-informed is having realistic expectations for your cosmetic surgery. No surgery can change who you are; it can just change some aspects of what you look like. There are news reports of teenagers or young adults wanting plastic surgery to make them look like some movie actress or TV star; that is not a good way to approach cosmetic surgery, aside from the issue of how that teen will feel when the movie star has been discredited or gone out of fashion.

Recovering Well

A well-informed patient knows that the surgeon’s post-op instructions must be followed exactly. Dr. Rai gives you printed directions for your self-care during recovery, and you ignore them at your peril. They are designed to maximize your cosmetic results and your recovery comfort. There will be a series of follow-up visits so Dr. Rai can check your progress and catch any problems early. All surgery brings risk and by following your recovery instructions, you can reduce all risk and emerge with the enhanced appearance you wished for.

If you have had the right procedure done by a superior cosmetic surgeon, for improvement rather than transformation, and have managed your recovery according to directions, you are virtually guaranteed to be delighted with the results.

The first step towards enhancing your appearance and looking more youthful is to schedule a free personal consultation with Dr. Rai. Please contact our Dallas and Fort Worth office today.

In Melbourne, Australia, a three-year trial is beginning to test whether a cancer patient could grow new breasts after a mastectomy. This is the first time that such a hypothesis has been tested and only the second time that tissue engineering is done on a human being. It has been tried with pigs, which did grow new breasts in six weeks.

This experiment will implant stem cells from the woman’s own fatty tissue, and as they rapidly multiply, will shape them into a replica of the lost breast. The technique is called Neopec and if it is successful, may replace breast reconstruction and breast implants within a few years. The three-year trial is being done at Melbourne’s Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery, which previously succeeded in making working heart tissue.

How the New Breast Will Grow

First, a biodegradable, synthetic chamber will be implanted beneath the woman’s skin, in the correct shape to act as scaffolding for the new breast. Then an underarm blood vessel will be redirected through the chamber to a small piece of the woman’s fat, about five milliliters.

The cells in that piece of fat will multiply, nourished by the blood vessel, and continue to multiply until the fatty tissue reaches the edges of the implanted chamber. Then the chamber will degrade and will not have to be surgically removed. It is expected that this whole process will take between four and six months.

The chief surgeon, Dr. Phillip Marzella, has a team of doctors who have developed a gel called Myogel that will promote fat cell growth in the chamber, speeding up the process. It will gradually dissolve and be excreted by the body.

What are the Implications?

If this trial is successful, the implications for plastic surgery are enormous. Any defect in the body contour could potentially be corrected in a similar way, whether it is an accident injury or a congenital deformity, or just a contour that the person would like to change for cosmetic reasons. Perhaps women will be able to grow larger breasts naturally.

Meanwhile, there are many existing choices for how to change your body contours. Perhaps you would like to know more about Ultrasonic Liposuction or the male tummy tuck.

If you would like to schedule a personal consultation with plastic surgeon Dr. Rai, please call or email our Dallas, Texas office today.

A news item from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, reports that the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is urging the Department of Health to draw up a law to protect unsuspecting cosmetic surgeons from criminals on the run. There have been some cases where a wanted criminal has had cosmetic surgery done for a disguise, giving a false name to the surgeon.

The NBI Deputy Director, one Ruel Lasala, stated:

• “Surgeons, doctors or medical staff become “instruments” of these unscrupulous hardened criminals to alter their faces to hide their identities as part of effort to avoid being caught by law enforcers. These medical practitioners may not be aware that one of their patients is a criminal who will give different names to avoid being detected.”

In a particular case, one Alvin Flores, “the notorious leader of the ‘Alvin Flores Armed Robbery Group’” obtained plastic surgery from Dr. Dominador Pedracio on September 30 this year. Flores gave a false name and told the surgeon that he was a closet gay and wanted to have a more feminine look.

In a single, 11-hour procedure, three cosmetic surgeons worked on Flores, doing rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, and a facelift. Flores was then killed in a shoot-out on October 29. Flores’ lawyer tried to claim that the NBI had shot a different Alvin Flores, and that anyway his client was not accused of anything and was innocent. But Dr. Pedracio could tell that it was the same man – understandably, since only four weeks had elapsed since the surgeries.

Dr. Pedracio was required to testify to the NBI about the cosmetic surgeries he and his colleagues had performed for Flores. He told the NBI and reporters that he had not known that his patient was Flores and that he hoped some protection could be arranged for cosmetic surgeons in this sort of situation.

• “We have to be shielded because in the first place we may be used again by these people who hired our services. And because we know nothing regarding their background, we accept them as our patients.”

Perhaps the Filipino cosmetic surgeons should screen their new patients more thoroughly, although the idea of having to produce your police record before having a nose job is repugnant. Cosmetic surgery is certainly popular worldwide these days, if not always for the best reasons.

If you would like to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Rai, please call or email our Dallas, Texas office today.

Recently there were two surveys done of Australian men asking if they would consider cosmetic surgery. One was done for the Victorian Cosmetic Institute in Melbourne, Victoria and those researchers found that one out of three men would consider it. The other was done by the University of Sydney and found that “lookism” is on the rise.

Lookism is causing men to feel that they “can reinvent themselves and there is no stigma attached anymore to having work done,” according to Dr Chan of the Victorian Cosmetic Institute. Men are more than twice as likely as women to have cosmetic surgery done for professional reasons, believing that they can land a better job if they look good.

It was found that 41 percent of Australians over the age of 18 would have cosmetic surgery, and the main reason given in the surveys was that they want to “freshen up” because they feel past their “Use By” date. Even those in the 25-34 year old age bracket feel that they are “over the hill”.

Anyone over the age of 40 or 50 will probably laugh at that idea. But popular treatments for those young ages include BOTOX® Cosmetic, chemical peels, facial fillers, and liposuction. One must remember, too, that Australians spend a lot of time on their beautiful beaches.

At the Cosmetic Surgical Center, Dr. Rai works closely with all his patients, discussing options and making sure that each person fully understands the risks and benefits of any plastic surgery procedure they are considering.

If you would like to know more about any given cosmetic surgery procedure, please contact our Dallas, Texas office today for a personal consultation.

On the south coast of Queensland is a beach called Surfer’s Paradise, bordered by big hotels Florida-style. Other beautiful surf beaches are nearby and a little north of this whole area, called the Gold Coast, the Barrier Reef begins.

The Gold Coast has become Australia’s “nip and tuck capital”, according to news reports. As this is a popular holiday area for tourists as well as Australians, one’s beach appearance is felt to be important and cosmetic surgery has flourished.

One woman in particular, one Pamela Noon, has done a lot to promote it. She produced advertisements and videos and set up an agency in Surfer’s Paradise where people come who want to have cosmetic surgery in that area. The current recession, which affects Australia and other countries as well as the U.S., has not reduced the demand.

Breast enlargement is at the top of the list and the trend is towards ever larger implant sizes. Also popular is liposuction (a “workout waistline”), and tummy tucks.

Noon herself, now aged 63, has had 150 cosmetic surgery procedures since she was 38. At that time, she was doing a TV program and invited a cosmetic surgeon on. He said, “Why don't you have your eyes done? You'd look better on camera.” She did, and since then has had:

• Liposuction on six body areas
• Two facelifts
• Blepharoplasty
• A brow lift
• Rhinoplasty
• 28 BOTOX® Cosmetic treatments

She has also had some less-well-known procedures such as a “lip-flip” for fuller lips, a neck lift, and a temporal lift. Like many women, her hair is colored and she has it cut and styled every three weeks. In answer to the question: “Why not grow old gracefully?”, she said:

• “Most people want to look good, whether in their grooming or make-up or hair-do. Cosmetic surgery is just taking it a little bit further."

Perhaps 150 cosmetic surgeries is taking it quite a bit further, but she is happy with her beach appearance and runs her agency with confidence.

If you would like to know more about the plastic surgery procedures we offer, please contact our Dallas, Texas office for a personal consultation with Dr. Rai.