Plastic Surgery Blog

Forget the old-fashioned diet and exercise approach to rippled abs, firm pecs, and sculpted calves. Nowadays, cosmetic surgery is giving rise to a new trend: instant muscles for men.

Abdominal etching (a liposuction procedure that creates a six-pack appearance), pectoral implants, and calf implants can help men achieve a buff appearance without the workout. Plastic surgeons say these “enhancers” are becoming more and more popular among male patients.

The trend has some fitness and health experts up in arms. Why would someone go under the knife to achieve something possible with proper diet and exercise?

But this question ignores the fact that some people—no matter how much protein they consume or how many calf raises they do—are not genetically blessed with well-proportioned, muscular lower legs. The same holds true with regard to pecs and abs.

Even in cases of good genetics, it really all comes down to a matter of personal choice. Men, like women, are increasingly turning to cosmetic surgery to enhance this body part and tweak that one. And who knows, maybe one day cosmetic surgery will be looked upon as “old-fashioned”…

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Anesthesia comes in different forms, each of which carries its own risks and benefits. If you’re considering cosmetic surgery, it’s important to understand fully your options for anesthesia. To help you make a more informed decision, be sure to ask your surgeon the following five questions:

• What anesthesia options are available to me for this procedure? What are the risks?
• What are the qualifications of the person who will be responsible for administering my anesthesia?
• Who will monitor me throughout the procedure?
• Will you or an anesthesia specialist conduct a pre-surgery evaluation?
• What should I expect while coming out of anesthesia and as it wears off?
• Making knowledgeable decisions with regard to your cosmetic procedure is key to having a safe surgical experience and achieving an optimal outcome. Never be afraid to ask questions!

Technorati Tags: anesthesia, anethesia options, anethesia surgery

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Parents giving their young daughters the gift of breast implants for graduation or some other rite of passage is a relatively recent phenomenon. However, it’s a phenomenon that raises a serious question: At what age is a girl too young for breast implants?

The Food and Drug Administration has approved silicone breast implants for use in women over the age of 22. For saline implants, the age is slightly lower at 18—the age at which many high school seniors graduate.

Still, many ask if breast implants are appropriate at such a young age. Doctors recommend that young women wait to get breast surgery—implants and reductions—until their breasts have fully developed, usually between the ages of 18 and 22. This especially holds true in cases where the young girl simply wants to enhance a small bust.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Breast surgery may be appropriate for young women (under the age of 18) in cases involving:

• Severe asymmetry or disproportion
• Abnormal breast development
• Disfiguring condition such as tubular breast
• Excessive breast tissue that causes both physical and emotional distress

Breast surgery in women with any of these conditions can result in significant improvements in self-esteem and social confidence.

Technorati Tags: breast implants, saline breast implants, silicone breast implants

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Want to get rid of unsightly acne scars? Varicose veins? Other pesky skin problems like rosacea or uneven pigmentation? Now is the time to take action. Recent advances in cosmetic and dermatologic procedures make dealing with skin issues easier than ever.

Consider these effective treatments for four of the most common skin problems:

Acne scarring—Microdermabrasion represents a more subtle, conservative approach to treating acne scars. The procedure is used to gently resurface the skin and is usually done in a series of six or more visits. Dermabrasion can be used to achieve more dramatic results and involves the “sanding” down of scarred areas. Injectables like Juvederm and Restylane can be used to fill in depressed scars with immediate results. However, results are only temporary. Fractional resurfacing is the only FDA approved long-term, light-based procedure for treating acne scarring. It resurfaces the skin and also stimulates collagen production, improving texture and repairing structural damage.

More than 14 million Americans suffer from a skin condition known as rosacea, which is characterized by facial redness and acne-like symptoms. Remedies for rosacea include prescription topicals and/or oral antibiotics as well as light-based treatments such as IPL PhotoFacial.

Leg veins are more than an aesthetic problem. They can also cause a variety of health issues including blood clots and infection. Spider veins and varicose veins can both be treated with a procedure called sclerotherapy, which involves the injection of a solution into the vein that causes it to swell and seal shut. Once the flow of blood is stopped, the vein turns into scar tissue and eventually disappears. Laser treatments can sometimes also be used to eliminate unsightly leg veins.

Irregular pigmentation, including dark splotching and sun spots, can be treated with topical lightening products, chemical peels, or light-based treatments. Topical treatments can be obtained over-the-counter of by prescription but must be used consistently to achieve optimal results. Chemical peels can be used to exfoliate the upper layers of skin, diminishing the appearance of pigment irregularities and also improving texture. Fractional resurfacing, IPL and other light-based treatments can significantly improve coloration problems, sometimes completely. These types of treatments are usually conducted in a series of multiple office visits and often require follow up to maintain results.

Technorati Tags: microdermabrasion, juvederm, restylane, acne scarring, sclerotherapy, rosacea

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Last week, a new beauty was crowned Miss USA. Full of youth and blessed with a body to die for, Rachel Smith epitomizes the ideal pageant queen—and also a kind of ideal beauty. But it’s not an ideal that appeals to everyone. And a small town in Iceland is out to prove it.

On April 18th, the town of Isafjoerdur will be hosting an “alternative” beauty pageant aimed at challenging the Western ideal of beauty by rewarding contestants for their imperfections. From saggy breasts to heavy wrinkles, the more flaws the better.

The pageant’s one rule: No plastic surgery allowed.

Plastic surgery is sometimes criticized for having a homogenizing effect. This pageant seems to want to combat that with its celebration of non-conformity, of difference.

On the one hand, I applaud the efforts of the pageant organizers. I think it’s important to reject exclusive standards of beauty and accept and celebrate individual differences. Difference is what makes us all beautiful.

However, not all plastic surgery seeks sameness. What this pageant seems to want to deny is the positive impact plastic surgery can have on a person’s self-esteem and own personal sense of beauty.

Beauty, as the saying goes, is in the eye of the beholder. And whatever makes a person feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful in his/her skin should be accepted—plastic surgery or not.

Technorati Tags: Isafjoerdur, beauty pageant, alternative beauty pageant

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