Can you answer Ivan’s question about Plastic Surgery?:

I do not mean surgery that corrects a problem or is medically necessary. I mean when it is done purely for cosmetic reasons, to change the shape or size.

And, for the record, I am equally puzzled by men who do the same.

Cosmetic Surgery Breast Augmentation

Can you answer LeO MeSsi’s question about Plastic Surgery?:

The removal of keloid scars is by plastic surgery,that’s what I’ve heard so far.But is it possible for other alternatives to remove keloid scars? Maybe by applying some kind of ’special cream’ or something?

Breast Implant Removal

Desperate people can do desperate things when consumers become more savvy and sophisticated as they shop around for the very best deals offered on websites promoting surgical procedures.

That’s right folks; you can offer a bid for that eye lift or tummy tuck on Bidforsurgery.com, just like you would bid on a piece of jewelry or camera equipment on eBay. If you select to pursue a bid, you are entitled to a free in-person consultation with the physician of your choice. This forum is designed to save the consumer time, money and effort thus saving the doctors administrative and marketing costs.

Insurance companies do not typically reimburse plastic surgery fees leaving the consumer to fend for the best deal with their hard earned cash. Prudent consumers can be thrifty and conservative when spending after tax dollars for a temporary face lift or other risky procedure that will undoubtedly need repeating in a few short years.

Another new wrinkle – no pun intended – was developed for the jet setting consumer who believes that they can enjoy a quiet surgical tweak in a foreign clinic where their dollar may go further because of low-cost, high-quality procedures. Sites like MedRetreat.com and PlanetHospital.com will book your appointment with a doctor then take care of the travel requirements such as passport and visas, airline tickets and hotel.

Life altering choices coupled with risk is a high price to pay for beauty especially when unrealistic claims and unqualified practitioners induce patients to make uneducated decisions. Even certain medical professionals are policing themselves and re-thinking their position on cutting into a healthy face for the sake of beauty.

Safety needs to be highly regarded for every surgical procedure and The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has published a checklist for those considering plastic surgery; it is the acronym entitled ‘S.U.R.E.’ We have seen similar admonitions from our US health officials and these are reminders of those warnings:

S: Surgeon’s credentials and qualifications.

U: Understand fully the procedure, risk, location, downtime and care requirements.

R: Recovery process, how long, implications, after care options

E: Expectations can be over the top so be informed about what actually can be achieved.

All in all, warnings such as these are not needed when you use natural means to correct the cause of aging.

Some aging in the face is from outside influences such as over exposure to the sun and elements, smoking, drinking, poor eating habits, lack of water in the diet, too many adult beverages night after night, and the list can go on and on.

Some aging presents itself like sagging and this is caused because the muscles underneath your skin are elongating due to atrophy/disuse. The facial muscles, although small compared to say muscles in the forearm or leg, can cause noticeable aging when they begin to lose those their shape and tone so by the time you reach 40, apparent aging has begun in your face.

Rather than opt for risky, temporary procedures such as injections and surgical treatments that tax your wallet, why not consider facial exercise to lift your face? You won’t have to book an expensive trip or run the risk of contracting Montezuma’s revenge or interview countless physicians hoping one of them can work with your budget and health constraints.

Exercises that use resistance and isometrics work for your body and the same principles can be applied to the face. It makes sense. Imagine seeing the face you had years ago returning day by day when you exercise your face.

The key to a younger, healthier looking face is prevention using a natural, safe method such as facial exercise to lift the sagging, droopy muscles without injections, harmful chemicals or cutting. Start now for a better looking face almost instantly!

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.



Thanks to Cynthia Rowland for contributing this article to our Plastic Surgery blog:

Plastic Surgery Tips

Can you answer lavendercat84’s question about Plastic Surgery?:

I’m doing an article about men and plastic surgery, I’d like to get a prespective from someone who has been through it. Thanks.

Reconstructive Plastic Surgery

A breast implant is a prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a woman’s breast; one of many types of breast plastic surgery. If you’re considering breast plastic surgery, it’s important to know all the pros and cons related to the type you want. Non-cosmetic clinical indications for the use of breast implants are for breast reconstruction, sex reassignment surgery, and for abnormalities, usually congenital, that affect the shape and size of the breast.

Since the saline implants are empty when they are surgically inserted, the scar is smaller than is necessary than for the silicone gel breast implants which are already filled with silicone before they are placed. In the mid 1980s, advances in manufacturing principles brought about elastomer-coated shells to decrease gel bleed, and are filled with thicker, more cohesive gel; these implants are sold under restricted conditions in the U.S. and Canada, and are widely used in other countries. Dr. Thomas Cronin and Dr. Frank Gerow, two Houston, Texas, plastic surgeons, developed the first silicone breast prosthesis with the Dow Corning Corporation in back in 1961.

In the 1970s plastic surgeons wanted softer and more lifelike implants so breast implants were redesigned with thinner gel and thinner shells; these implants had a greater tendency to rupture and leak, or “bleed” silicone through the implant shell into the body cavity and complications such as capsular contracture were common. There are two primary types of breast implants: saline-filled and silicone-gel-filled implants. Compared to silicone gel implants, saline implants are more likely to cause cosmetic problems likes rippling and wrinkling, and can be noticeable to the eye or to the touch.

Saline-filled implants are the most common implant used in the United States due to some restrictions on silicone implants, which may change, but are seldom used in other countries. For women with very little breast tissue, or for post-mastectomy reconstruction, plastic surgeons believe that silicone gel implants are the superior device; but in patients with more breast tissue, saline implants can look very similar to silicone gel implants.

Capsules of tightly-woven collagen fibers form as an immune response around a foreign body like breast implants, which tends to wall it off; capsular contracture happens when the capsule tightens and squeezes the implant. The risk and treatment of extracapsular silicone gel is still controversial; plastic surgeons agree that it’s difficult to remove, but there is disagreement about the lasting health effects. Countries outside of the United States have not endorsed routine MRI screening, and have taken the position that MRI’s should be reserved only for cases involving suspected clinical rupture or to confirm mammographic or ultrasound studies that suggest rupture.

The age and design of the implant are important factors in rupture, but estimating rupture rates of contemporary devices has been difficult for a variety of reasons, mainly because implant designs have changed somewhat over time. One study reported that only 30 percent of ruptures in asymptomatic patients are accurately detected by experienced plastic surgeons, compared to 86 percent detected by MRI. When breast implants are removed that have been implanted for a long period of time, a mastopexy is often performed to tighten up the loose skin: this is additional surgery usually done at the same time and at an additional expense.

Thousands of women claim they have become ill from their breast implants; complaints include neurological and rheumatological problems. Some studies have suggested that subjective and objective symptoms of women with breast implants may improve partially or entirely when their implants are removed.

When breast implants are removed that have been implanted for a long period of time, a mastopexy is often performed to tighten up the loose skin: this is additional surgery usually done at the same time at an additional expense. Since the early 1990s, a number of independent reviewers have examined studies concerning links between silicone gel breast implants and systemic diseases; the consensus of these reviews is that there is no clear evidence of a causal link between the implantation of silicone breast implants in breast plastic surgery and systemic disease; it’s always wondered who is funding these studies and that should clearly be stated.

Just a reminder; breast augmentation is an elective cosmetic breast plastic surgery. Although the international consensus is that silicone implants in breast plastic surgery has not been shown to cause systemic illness, one must keep in mind that many women have reported a connection to symptoms they are having and to their breast augmentation. After breast plastic surgery, depending on the level of activity required, patients are usually able to return to work or school in about a week, sometimes sooner.



Thanks to Helen Hecker for contributing this article to our Plastic Surgery blog:

Tummy Tuck Surgery