Posts Tagged ‘industry news’

Newer Entries »

Study Shows Women’s Curves Mesmerize a Man like Drugs and Alcohol

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

According to a new study from Georgia’s Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, men prefer a woman with curves and that an hourglass figure acts as an intoxicant for the male brain.

Many women worry about their weight but results from this study showing that men simply prefer a curvier figure should make them rest easier.

Researchers at the college scanned the brains of 14 young men looking at nude before and after pictures of women who underwent a plastic surgery procedure that gave them more shapely hips. Their weight didn’t change, just redistributed through implanted fat taken from the hips and buttock.

The post-op photos excited the young male’s “reward centers” – or areas of the brain typically stimulated by drugs and alcohol. Proved to be particularly stimulating were women with high waist to hip ratios. Steven Palek, lead researcher on the project and an evolutionary cognitive neuroscientist, credits this to the reality that shapely hips in women are an indication of good health and the ability to carry children.

Results from the study also conclude that changes in a woman’s body mass index (BMI) only affected the parts of the brain linked to visual evaluation like size and shape but nothing else.  This may be proof that societal norms influence perception of female beauty more so than actual brain wiring.

“The media portrays women as wholly too skinny,” Platek told FoxNews.com. “It’s not just about body fat, or body mass index.”

If a woman’s natural curves are not optimal for this scenario, findings from this study demonstrate the benefits of a breast enlargement procedure or buttock augmentation. More curves are not only more appealing, they are downright intoxicating!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Human Interest, Reconstructive Surgery | No Comments »

Americans More Open to Plastic Surgery than Ever

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Over the years, it’s been common to think plastic and cosmetic surgery as being an exclusive luxury of the rich and famous. But a new survey released by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery suggests this view may be changing.

We know you have probably heard the stigmas of plastic/cosmetic surgery and aesthetic procedures. But as these procedures become more and more affordable for the common American, the stigmas attached to them and the people who provide those services are fading away too.

According to the survey, 71% of respondents think society is less judgmental about plastic surgery than it was 5 years ago. Slightly over 60% of respondents say this development is making them more open to considering cosmetic surgery options available to them.

The most acceptable plastic surgery procedures include: breast augmentation (42.4%), facelifts (32.2%) and tummy tucks (32.1%). Non-invasive procedures like laser hair removal (62.9%) and Botox (62.1%) enjoy higher favorability ratings. Additionally, 52% of respondents say they would tell their family about an invasive procedure they’re considering.

Approximately 20% of survey respondents say they would consider cosmetic surgery options in the future while 22% said they were unsure. Respondents under 40 were twice as likely to consider either an invasive or non-invasive procedure.

“It’s been a long road but thanks to the hard work of so many, cosmetic surgery is rightfully gaining acceptance in our society,” said Dr. Patrick McMenamin, AACS President. “We’ve reached a point where people are no longer quiet about having a cosmetic procedure and that is important to all of us.”

To boil all of this down, you don’t have to be so worried about what society thinks about cosmetic surgery, a trend that is certain to continue.

So if you’re looking for options to give you a new lease on life or are in need of reconstructive plastic surgery, contact Florida plastic surgeons at Accent Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics today!

Tags:
Posted in Human Interest, Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery | No Comments »

Univ. of Florida Plastic Surgeons and Research Biologists Develop New Shark Bite Severity Scale

Friday, February 19th, 2010

On the heels of a recent fatal shark attack in Stuart, Florida, researchers at the University of Florida – our local university here in Gainesville – developed a new scale to communicate the severity of a shark attack.

Being attacked by a shark sends chills up the spine of most. We’ve all heard of the movie Jaws and how some extreme injuries and perhaps even death are possible. So to better communicate the severity of such attacks, researchers at U.F. developed a scale similar to the scale for burn victims, creating a standardized way for medical personnel to evaluate risks and researches to evaluate trends, not to mention a way for the media and officials to communicate the impact of an attack to the public.

Dubbed as the Shark-Induced Trauma Scale, or SIT, the new system assigns scores to clinical findings like blood pressure, location and depth of injury, damage to organs and death. Lead researcher Dr. Ashley Lentz, M.D., a plastic and reconstructive surgery resident at the U.F. College of Medicine says “If it’s just an extremity and it’s an abrasion, it’s just a Level 1 injury.”

“If a shark comes up and takes a big bite out of a thigh and takes out the femoral artery, then that’s a life-ending bite – pretty quickly – and you are talking about a Level V injury,” Lentz said.

In announcing the study’s findings, researches gave an example of a Level III attack. A 35-year old man swimming approximately 30 yards offshore was attacked by a shark, which bit into the muscles of his calf and foot. He was hospitalized for infection and underwent 3 reconstructive surgeries.

Findings from the study showed that 41.7% of all shark attacks were minor Level I attacks, 16.7% were Level II, 18.8% were Level III, 14.6% were Level IV and 8.3% were Level V.

Researchers hope this new scale can calm public fears about sharks. Most attacks occur because of mistaken identity. They hope this new scale will also serve to educate ordinary people about the true nature of sharks, in addition to serving as a standard way to identify and treat injuries.

Tags: ,
Posted in Human Interest, Reconstructive Surgery | No Comments »

Medical Facilities Turn to Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Procedures to Boost Bottom Line

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

It’s no doubt the recession that started at the end of 2007 has affected everyone in some form or another. The medical profession is no different as the current economic situation has affected just about anyone working in the private economy.

To boost their revenues, many practices across the country are turning to areas outside their specialty that can bring in more revenues – namely, plastic surgery and aesthetic treatments like Botox and laser hair removal because it’s an area where payment is pretty much guaranteed.

It’s been an all too often occurrence in recent times for physicians and their office staff to attend weekend seminars on injectable toxins, dermal fillers, chemical skin peels and LASER hair removal. But if the proper training and safeguards are not in place, doctors are opening themselves up to some disastrous consequences.

Not to mention and most important, it puts patients at enormous risk.

MAG Mutual, a medical malpractice insurance firm, is seeing an increase in claims against physicians engaging in cosmetic procedures that are outside their specialty. One example – a 46 year old female developed facial scars after undergoing a LASER hair removal at her family doctor’s office. The plaintiff alleges the doctor did not properly supervise the technician who administered the hair removal…the case was ultimately settled.

With the increase in lawsuits and settlements, all physicians are seeing increases in their malpractice liability insurance premiums.

In any event, be sure the physician you are dealing with is fully certified and well experienced in the plastic surgery or aesthetic treatment you are seeking. Be suspicious if your family doctor’s office offers these services all of a sudden.

Be sure your LASER hair removal or breast augmentation goes as smoothly as possible by seeing a board certified, reputable plastic surgeon in your area.

Tags: ,
Posted in Human Interest, Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery | 1 Comment »

Compounds in Pomegranates May Prevent Spread of Breast Cancer – Study

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Six compounds found in pomegranates may prevent the spread of breast cancer in women according to research published in the January 1st issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

Breast cancer relies on hormones to spread – so blocking those hormones can conceivably contain the disease before it causes worse problems.

The particular hormone that compounds in pomegranates block is aromatase, which changes androgen to estrogen. Doctors caution though that these are preliminary results as no human or animal testing has taken place.

Researchers screened 10 compounds in a group known as ellagitannins for the study. The compound urolithin B (UB) was found to have the greatest impact, appearing to restrict mechanisms that produce estrogen and promote the growth of breast cancer. UB was also found to prevent estrogen responsive breast cancer cells from multiplying.

Other phytochemicals found in pomegranates that were shown to block aromatase to a lesser extent include: urolithin A (UA), methylated UA, acetylated UA, methylated UB and UB sulfate.

Doctors emphasize that more study is needed. In vitro (test tube) results don’t always translate to animals and humans. Pomegranates have these cancer fighting compounds – but the body may not absorb those compounds from the fruit in a way that makes a difference.

Nevertheless, you can reduce your risk of several types of cancer by eating a healthy diet that’s low in red meat, processed meat, saturated fats and salts and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Human Interest | No Comments »

Plastic Surgeons Weigh In on Proposed ‘Botax’ in Health Care Overhaul Bill

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Anyone who watches the news these days certainly knows about the raging debate in Washington on overhauling the nation’s health care debate. To cover that debate here would be a tremendous undertaking.

This far reaching legislation will affect the plastic and cosmetic surgery field if a proposed ‘Botax’, a 5% tax on all elective plastic surgery procedures. To put that into perspective, an average breast augmentation at our Florida plastic surgery center costs around $3350 – take 5% of that and you get an additional cost of $167.50.

Many plastic surgeons, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Medical Association and the National Organization for Women oppose this tax proposal on the grounds that it’s discriminatory against women. Such a tax would put an unfair burden on women and we agree.

One of the most rewarding things about our profession is the fact that more women are able to afford plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures that help change their lives for the better. When our industry was in its early stages, only the wealthy could afford these procedures.

Supporters of the tax contend that if someone can afford a plastic surgery procedure like a Tummy Tuck, they should be able to afford a 5% tax to help poor people pay for healthcare.

We don’t agree and besides we have an idea of how this will work already. New Jersey instituted a 6% tax in 2004 just to see it only collect about ½ the projected revenues. The state’s legislator repealed the tax in 2007 but it was vetoed.

At any rate, the Senate is nearing its vote and is expected to pass its version of the healthcare overhaul legislation, whose version includes this tax. The House’s bill, passed on November 7th does not. Both chambers will have to reconcile their bills in a conference committee that will take place in January, vote again on the compromise legislation and send it to the President for his signature.

It’s up in the air as to whether this tax will make it into the final bill, whenever that comes but we will keep a careful eye on it and let you know how healthcare overhaul will affect the plastic surgery profession in America.

P.S. – We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

Tags:
Posted in Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery | No Comments »

Women Are More Prone to Facial Wrinkles than Men – Study

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Facial wrinkles in anyone are an unwelcome sight – the reality of aging begins to set in at this point in one’s life. While there are facial treatments available, it’s a hard reality to escape.

But a new study published in the November/December issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) suggests differences in the prevalence of facial wrinkles between the sexes. Research by plastic surgeons in the Netherlands shows women have more and deeper skin wrinkling in the perioral skin, or skin surrounding the mouth.

Replicas of the skin surface in the upper lip region of 10 male and 10 female cadavers (ages 75-93) were used to define the amount and depth of perioral wrinkling. Cadaver is another word for corpse, or a dead human body.

From these samples, researchers were able to determine the reasons why women are more prone to facial wrinkles.

  • Women have fewer sweat and sebaceous glands to influence the natural filling of the dermis, or skin.
  • Skin in the perioral region in women has fewer blood vessels, meaning it’s less vascularized than men which can accelerate the development of wrinkles.
  • Closer attachment of muscular fibers surrounding the orifice of the mouth may cause an inward traction, thereby creating deeper wrinkles.

Treatment of perioral wrinkles remains a challenge even with treatment options like laser skin treatments, Botox injections, wrinkle fillers, dermabrasion and chemical peels.

Lead researcher Emma C. Paes, M.D., comments “If we understood the reasons for differences in wrinkling between women and men, then we might be able to develop better strategies for the treatment of perioral wrinkles.”

Tags: ,
Posted in Human Interest, Skin Care | No Comments »

Senate Healthcare Proposal Includes 5% Cosmetic Surgery Tax – Plastic Surgeons Weigh In

Monday, November 30th, 2009

To help pay for the nearly $1 trillion healthcare reform package, the U.S. Senate is proposing a 5% tax on cosmetic surgeries and procedures. It’s a last minute, surprise addition to the over 2000 page bill. The new tax is expected to raise $5 billion over the next 10 years. Last year, over 12 million elective cosmetic surgery procedures were performed in the U.S.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) opposes this tax.

ASPS’ president Dr. Michael McGuire says that “Elective surgery taxes discriminate against women, given that 86 percent of cosmetic surgery patients are female, of which 91 percent are between the working ages of 19-64.” Dr. McGuire goes on to say that contrary to popular belief, cosmetic surgery isn’t exclusively for the rich anymore. Many middle, working class Americans are able to afford and take advantage of the many cosmetic surgery options out there.

New Jersey is the only state in the union to tax cosmetic procedures and surgeries. Since its enactment in 2004, the state’s Department of Taxation has reported a 59% shortfall in anticipated revenues. Eight other states have considered these types of taxes but have rejected them.

The bill clearly states the tax is only to be levied on elective procedures but Dr. Renato Saltz, president of the ASAPS contends that the distinction between elective and reconstructive surgery isn’t always clear.

Bookmark and check often with the Florida plastic surgery blog at AccentMD for any information concerning the current healthcare proposals working their way through Congress and its effects on cosmetic surgery.

Tags: ,
Posted in Cosmetic Treatment, Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery | No Comments »

Newer Entries »