A group of women at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver recently completed a survey of cosmetic surgery coverage in popular women’s magazines. They studied articles published between 2002 and 2006 in publications such as Cosmopolitan, Prevention, Flare and The Oprah Magazine.
The procedures most often written about were:
Breast augmentation
Liposuction
Facelifts and
Specific facial surgeries such as rhinoplasty and facial implants.
The researchers found that 59 percent of the articles made a specific link between pre- and post-surgery emotional health. They used such language as “restoring lost youth” and referred to aging as “a problem that needs to be fixed”. The message they […]
Several recent news reports items have reported an increase in cosmetic surgery procedures in the current “slumping” economy. This includes increasing numbers of men who have been laid off and want to look more vigorous and youthful in their upcoming job interviews.
Eyelid surgery and liposuction have been among the most-demanded surgeries, as men have been working on eliminating the evidence of fatigue and ill-health.
“No-one wants to hire someone who looks fat, tired and unhealthy,” said one patient featured in one of the news reports. This man had facial liposuction for his double chin and a skin rejuvenation procedure to reduce […]
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has issued its forecast for 2009. They based it on many interviews with cosmetic surgeons around the country.
Overall they expect to see the same diversification of cosmetic surgery patients as happened during 2008. Surgeons have been tailoring procedures for more and more individual situations and this in itself invites more individuals to come for a customized procedure. More men have been coming for rejuvenating work and that trend is expected to continue.
Dermal fillers will continue to be popular and new products will evolve
There will be increasing demand for body contouring surgeries as more […]
While it seems that the entire female population is going after breast enlargement, there are some who would like to have smaller breasts. Breast reduction is one of the few cosmetic surgeries that are done for health reasons as well as beauty reasons. Another such procedure is often rhinoplasty, as reshaping the nose can improve breathing and in some cases that is the goal of the procedure.
When the breasts are very large and heavy, a woman usually suffers from backaches and pain in the neck and shoulders. Bra straps bite into the shoulder skin. Agility and speed of movement are […]
Botox injections are the top non-surgical cosmetic procedure according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In 2007, 4,625,192 Botox injections were given, up from 4,090,517 in 2006. The next in popularity is injections of dermal fillers, at only 1,050,722 procedures in 2007.
How Does Botox Work?
Unlike dermal fillers, which inject some type of substance beneath the skin surface to plump it up or support it, Botox works by paralyzing muscles. The tiny dose is injected into a specific muscle and for a few months prevents that muscle from contracting. It does that by blocking a chemical called acetylcholine which motor […]
The abdomen is the entire area between the ribs and the pubic bone. It contains a cavity which holds the digestive system and other organs such as the liver and spleen. The cavity is enclosed in front by the abdominal wall, composed of muscle, fat and membranes.
The abdominal wall has five muscles and their fibers run diagonally, horizontally, and vertically. They are in layers with various membranes in between known as fascia. Directly beneath the abdominal skin is a fascial layer with fat. When we gain weight, this layer expands as the fat cells store more fat.
Less Muscle Support
The muscles […]
According to Fox News recently, cosmetic surgery patients are loudly asking for famous facial features. Fox News interviewed plastic surgeons in several states and learned that media coverage is the guiding light for what new patients think they want to look like. Mere beauty is not enough, and negative fame is not inspiring these patients; their Pied Piper is favorable publicity.
So there are few requests to look like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. And as media fame waxes and wanes, requests change accordingly. Many patients previously asked for Sharon Stone’s nose but now ask for one like Jessica Alba’s. Where […]
Hairs are made of dead cells — if they were live, it would hurt to cut them. Each hair is from 0.02 to 0.04 millimeters wide and an average head has somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 hairs. Blond heads tend to have more than red or dark heads. Men have around 30,000 hairs in a mustache or beard.
A Three-Phase Cycle
1.Anagen — the Growth Phase
Each hair grows from a root inside a follicle in the skin’s middle layer, the dermis. The follicle is a tiny bulb-shaped structure with an oil gland next to it to lubricate the hair. The base of […]
We hear a lot about collagen being an ingredient in some dermal fillers such as Cosmoderm and Zyderm. It is also an ingredient in some skin lotions and creams. In past years it was used alone as an injection for treating wrinkles, but is not popular now, since other fillers such as Restylane give longer-lasting results.
Everyone has a great deal of collagen in the body, as it is the principal protein in connective tissue like tendons and supportive membranes around body organs. It is found in bones, teeth, muscles, cartilage and blood vessels, and is often used in skin and […]
On November 25, 2008 this space discussed the early history of breast augmentation and ended where doctors were experimenting in the 1950s with ivory balls, wool, and ox cartilage. Part 2 will bring things up to date.
Silicone Gel
In 1961, two Houston surgeons developed the first silicone gel implants, marketed by Dow Corning. They used silicone rubber shells and over the next thirty years, made successively improved models with thicker gel and thinner shells.
Saline Implants
Meanwhile a French doctor developed inflatable saline implants in 1965, also with a silicone rubber shell. But too often the shell broke, deflating the implants, and in […]