RTE  Entertainment  26 June 2007-07-02

TV presenter Louis Theroux has undergone liposuction while making a documentary about plastic surgery.                                                         Theroux spent £2,500 of his own money on the procedure after a surgeon advised him to get rid of his “love handles”          The results will be seen in his BBC2 programme ‘Louis Theroux: Under The Knife,’ to be broadcast in the autumn.                                                           The 37-year-old presenter is best known for his quirky films about celebrities including Jimmy Savile, Paul Daniels and Neil and Christine Hamilton.
Theroux said: “I started this film with an open mind about experiencing the world of plastic surgery at first hand.
“To begin with, I’d thought I might get something minor like botox injections in my forehead but some of the surgeons I met suggested I needed a nose job, and others said I’d benefit from a brow lift. I wasn’t keen as I’ve got rather used to the way my face looks.
“A leading surgeon then told me I’d be a good candidate for lipo on my stomach and love handles.”
He said: “I decided that, with lipo, the worst that can happen, apart from the usual risks involved in surgery, is you get some lumps under your skin. I felt it a risk worth taking as I really wanted to understand how this kind of surgery can make you feel afterwards, if I’d feel like a new and improved man.”

In order to help patients better understand breast augmentation, a Beverly Hills plastic surgery center has developed a clearinghouse of information on the procedure.

The medical director and Los Angeles breast augmentation surgeon has created a Breast Augmentation Information Center. This information clearinghouse compiles a great deal of information all in one place. The information is detailed and comprehensive. Silicone gel implants recently received FDA approval for usage in both reconstructive and cosmetic breast surgery, so much of the information here is especially topical.

Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery, located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, does a large number of breast augmentation procedures, also known as breast implants and breast enlargement. Dr. Lloyd Krieger, the founder and medical director of Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery, notes that the procedure can be somewhat confusing to patients. “There are different types of implants, different incisions that can be used, and different anatomic locations where the implants can be placed,” notes Dr. Krieger.

At the Breast Augmentation Information Center, people can read about the types of breast implants available, the breast augmentation procedure itself, safety and warranty issues, silicone implant issues including their history and description, places where you can get more information, view before and after Beverly Hills breast augmentation breast augmentation photos, and more. Krieger notes his hope that this information proves useful as people consider breast augmentation in Beverly Hills.
Learn more about Breast Augmentation at:

Breast Augmentation Information Center

[04-07-2007] By Jan Richter – Radio CZ

Prague’s famous Charles Bridge celebrates its 650th anniversary on Sunday. One of the oldest and certainly one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe, this ancient artery across the Vltava river links Prague’s Lesser Town with the Old Town on the right bank and was vital to the development of the Czech capital.

The legendary Stone Bridge in Prague, as it was originally known, is 650 years old and the birthday party will be grand. Prague is doing everything to make sure everybody joins in the three days of revived history, music, crafts, jousts, historic markets and processions that will peak on Monday at 5:31 AM, when the corner stone of the bridge will be blessed by the Archbishop of Prague.
Work on the bridge began in the morning of July 9, 1357 with Emperor Charles IV himself attending the ceremony carefully prepared under his personal supervision. The bridge marked the first ten years of the reign of Charles IV’ in the Czech Lands which was a fruitful time for the Emperor and his people. Those years saw the foundation of Prague’s New Town, Saint Vitus Cathedral, Charles University as well as Karlstejn Castle. The construction of the bridge was supervised by Petr Parler, a German architect who worked for Charles IV. Helmut Elfenkämper, the German Ambassador to Prague who attended the opening of the Charles Bridge Museum at the foot of the bridge says Charles Bridge is a link in more than one sense:
“Charles Bridge is the most important monument connected with Emperor Charles IV who was of the house of Luxembourg and had a Bohemian mother, and is a historic link between the Czech lands and German-speaking countries, France, Western Europe.”
The date and time for the launch of the enterprise was chosen carefully. Legend has it that the stone was laid exactly at 5:31 in the morning. When the numbers of the year, day, month and time are lined next to each other, they form a palindromic number 1 3 5 7 9 7 5 3 1, which was carved into the Old Town bridge tower. It took about 50 years to complete the bridge and neither the Emperor nor the architect lived to see the day. When Parler died in 1397, people could already walk across the bridge, but it was not fully completed until 1407 when the taller of the two Lesser Town bridge towers was built.

Crossing the bridge today, few people realize that the splendid statues lining both sides of the bridge were added many years after the bridge was built. The oldest of them, made in 1683, depicts St John of Nepomuk, a 14th century priest who was thrown off the still unfinished bridge and drowned. On the south side of the bridge, you can see a small cross attached to the railing on the spot where he was thrown into the river. Altogether, there are 32 statues created from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

By Bruno Waterfield and Nic Fleming – Daily Telegraph 7/6/07
British hospitals are among the worst in Europe for superbugs, according to figures published yesterday.
In a league table of 29 countries only Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Romania have higher proportions of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections.
Only some forms of superbugs are resistant to antibiotics – including those known as MRSA. They are part of the staphylococcus aureus family of bacteria that can live on the skin or in the nose and can cause a range of illnesses and symptoms from boils and abscesses to life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and septicaemia.
The bacteria become dangerous to patients once they enter the bloodstream and those that are resistant to antibiotics pose the greatest threat.
The European Union’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report on communicable diseases ranked countries based on the proportion of S aureus infections found to be antibiotic-resistant.
With an MRSA rate of 44 per cent, Britain was found to be the fifth worst for superbug resistance, behind countries including Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The ECDC study compiled data showing the trend in superbug antibiotic resistance in recent years for each country.
The amount of MRSA as a proportion of all staphylococcus aureus infections in British hospitals was unchanged between 2002 and 2005.
In contrast it fell in other countries including Slovakia, Greece and in France.Doctors fear the spread of resistance to antibiotics could lead to problems in treating other illnesses such as pneumonia.
The ECDC says the spread of hospital-acquired infections is now the main disease threat in Europe, despite continuing concerns over tuberculosis and HIV.
The report states: “If the present rapid negative development is not halted, mankind will soon lose one of its most important weapons against infectious diseases.
“The most important threat in Europe is posed by micro-organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics.”
Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in February showed the number of death certificates in England and Wales that mentioned MRSA rose 39 per cent to 1,629 between 2004 and 2005.
This is widely seen as an underestimate because other causes are often listed when MRSA could have contributed to or been the primary cause deaths. Health officials privately concede they are unlikely to hit the Government target of halving the number of MRSA cases by April.
Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: “With 7,000 nursing posts and 9,000 beds lost in the last year, it is little wonder that we are amongst the worst countries in Europe for rates of MRSA infections.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/08/nmrsa108.xml

The first ever “boob-job” bra designed specifically for women who have gone under the knife to boost their assets has been launched in the UK.

The special bra is designed for breasts that are higher, rounder and stick out more than natural breasts as a result of surgery.

Le Mystère’s No9 range was designed by a plastic surgeon in America, Dr David Brothers, who was inspired after patients complained they could not find bras to fit their bustier shape after having a boob job.

Dr Brothers said that the recent trend for pointier boobs, with a narrow base and more projection, had made it hard for patients to find suitable bras.

He said: “In recent years, the trend in breast augmentation surgery has been to use higher profile breast implants with a narrower base and more projection, which means that traditional bras tend not to fit properly, as the conical shape of the cup doesn’t allow the breast to sit comfortably.

“Also, the usual oval-shaped underwire doesn’t hold the augmented breast in place or offer the right level of support – even normal straps and material aren’t ideal.”

Around 10,000 British women go under the knife each year in their quest for bigger boobs. Breast implants have been carried out since as far back as 1895, when paraffin was injected into the breasts – with disastrous results.

The boob-job bra features a mathematically designed cup with a spherical shape that matches the most widely used implants. The underwire is also a complete semi-circle, as ordinary wires are too wide to support the smaller base of an implant.

And the centre connector on the No9 range also leaves the ideal distance between the cups for women who have had a helping hand from the surgeon.

Patrick Mallucci is a consultant plastic surgeon and co-Founder of the UK’s only nationwide, specialist breast augmentation service.

He said: “Lingerie specifically catering for the unique shape of the augmented breast is great news for women
everywhere who have had, or are thinking of having breast augmentation – we will certainly be telling our patients about it.”

Michael Rabinowitz, chief executive at Le Mystère, added: “Women have gone through the surgery process have a newfound confidence in the way they look, but are often let down by the range of ordinary bras available to them. The No9 range is functional, but very fashionable and definitely ultra chic.”

The range is available at Harrods from £60, and includes a strapless bra, a t-shirt bra, a front closure t-shirt bra, a lace bra and a sheer triangle bra, all available from a C to an E cup

NEW YORK, June 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire

 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) announced today that withholding oral intake of food in patients after abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck”) may not be necessary, and that feeding patients earlier could allow for quicker discharge after surgery. Findings from a study investigating the impact of early feeding after abdominoplasty on the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting is published in the May/June 2007 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the Society’s official peer-reviewed journal.
These findings are important because abdominoplasty is a popular cosmetic surgical procedure. According to the Aesthetic Society’s statistics abdominoplasty was the fourth most popular surgical procedure in 2006, with 172,457 procedures performed, an increase of 407% from 1997.
More:  http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,130780.shtml

Study Performed in Southern California Finds Liposuction and Tummy Tuck Procedures Can Be Safely Combined
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 1, 2007 -

Dr. Grant Stevens and colleagues study over 400 Los Angeles patients after tummy tuck-liposuction surgeries and demonstrate that the popular procedures are safe in combination.
– Cosmetic surgery is becoming more mainstream with each passing year. More people are having it and more people are talking about it. The topic has become wildly popular with the media, with entire television programs focused on plastic surgery “makeovers.”
One frequent point of debate is the safety of combined plastic surgery procedures, such as tummy tucks with liposuction. In the Los Angeles area and around the country, there’s increased demand for multiple procedures in one trip to the operating room as patients seek to minimize costs and downtime related to surgery. But questions have arisen as to the safety of these combination procedures. In fact, one state issued a ban on tummy tuck/liposuction combinations in recent years, believing the simultaneous procedures to be inherently dangerous.
Dr. Grant Stevens, Medical Director of Marina Plastic Surgery Associates, felt that more data was needed to correctly assess the risks of simultaneous cosmetic surgery procedures. He and four colleagues conducted a clinical study of 406 abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) surgeries by Dr. Stevens over a 15-year period of time. Of that group, 57 patients did not have simultaneous liposuction. The remaining patients did have liposuction combined with their abdominoplasty. The results of the study were clear: there is no additional risk for patients combining liposuction with a tummy tuck procedure.   More…..
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/6/prweb530069.htm

By Ilya Marritz – Czech radio 23/1/07

Now some economists say it’s time for the Czech Republic to fully cash in on the price advantage, and specialize in medical tourism. Tomas Sedlacek, is chief economic strategist CSOB bank, and a former advisor to President Havel.
Lately he’s been talking up the idea of medical tourism, and says there’s a great deal of interest – from people in government, from doctors, and from other economists.
“You can make a very nice deal for foreigners. You know if you want a hip replacement you can either wait for 60 days in your home country or we can fly you to the Czech Republic first class. You can spend two weeks after the operation at a spa. We’ve done in our heads calculations and rough estimates, even if you do this it’s still half price of what it would cost in Western Europe. So for local insurance this would be good thing especially at first while prices are still low and people are not used to coming here for their medical care.”
You might call it reverse exploitation. It’s not simply westerners taking advantage of the low prices in the east, it’s the Czech healthcare system taking advantage of how much Western Europe’s health insurers, and private clients, are willing to pay.
“If we instead of shipping doctors to foreign countries, ship foreign patients here, we gain in many respects. Firstly, the good doctors stay here, secondly, the economy will profit, not only healthcare but the whole economy – the tourist industry because there will be other services joined to this core business.

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/87525

A frequent concern among patients of bariatric weight-loss surgery is what foods to eat or avoid after bariatric surgery. After all, when you surgically alter your stomach’s capacity, it’s only natural to consider the question of diet / foods after bariatric surgery.
Regarding food and diet after bariatric surgery, the main thing to remember is that you will not be able to consume nearly as much food as you did before the surgery. That’s the primary point of a weight-loss surgery procedure — to reduce the stomach’s capacity and by extension the patient’s weight.
For the full article and advice on diet post-surgery go here:
 http://www.bariatriclearningcenter.com/articles/foods-after-bariatric-surgery/

By David Hurst -  Daily Mail  19th June 2007

Many patients are being denied surgery, including joint replacements, because they are overweight. John May, 68, a retired Army corporal from Manchester, underwent stomach balloon surgery privately in order to lose weight for his NHS operation.
Here he talks to DAVID HURST about his experience and his surgeon explains the procedure:
THE PATIENT
My problems started when I left the Army in 1980. I’ve always been heavy – I’m 5ft 8in and back then weighed 15st – but at that point I was very fit. Then I took a job as a night attendant at Manchester City Council.
After driving to work, I’d sit down all night, and sleep during the day. I also ate a lot of takeaways and my weight increased by a stone a year. By the mid-1990s I was 28st.
Nine years ago I developed problems in my hips and knees, especially my right hip and left knee – it was painful standing up for any length of time. The doctors told me both joints needed replacing.
However, a year later, I was informed that the NHS would not perform these operations because my weight would place too much stress on my new joints, and before long they’d need replacing again. I was told I’d have to get down to 17st before they’d operate.
I tried various diets over the next five years. In 2000, after a few months on a liquid-only diet, I got down to the required weight. But as soon as I came off the diet my weight shot back up to 25st. Looking back, I can see I was eating to cheer myself up.
By 2005 I could only get about using crutches. I couldn’t work and felt desperately unhappy. Last June, a friend told me about an operation to help obese people by inserting a balloon into the stomach via the throat. This is then filled with liquid, making you feel fuller quicker. I’d only need to eat a quarter of what I did before to feel full.
Then, by the time the balloon was removed, six months later, I would be in the habit of eating healthily.
Having the balloon inserted meant I could lose 5st in six months. Then, under weekly supervision, I would continue my new diet. Within a year I could be in line for hip and knee replacements. The cost was just under £5,000 including consultations, supervision and counselling.
I wanted to try it as soon as possible. So, last summer, Phil Thomas, director of a specialist centre, agreed to insert my balloon – provided I was prepared to alter my diet and keep a journal of my eating and exercise. Two weeks later I was at Manchester’s Trafford General Hospital.
First, a spray numbed the back of my throat. Then a tiny camera on the end of a tube was used to see that everything was OK.
After removing that, I had another tube down my throat, with the deflated balloon – about the size of a party balloon – attached. I could feel it going down, but it only took a few minutes.
When they filled the balloon I didn’t feel a thing. That took just a few minutes – the entire procedure took less than an hour. I was warned I might feel sick for a few days, but didn’t.
I was able to eat within hours, but my diet was vastly different – fruit for breakfast, tuna and tomato on Ryvita at noon, and in the evening I’d have something like minced beef with vegetables. Even though it was much less than I wanted to, I still felt full, and my cravings disappeared. In six months I lost 5st.
The procedure to remove the balloon was just the reverse of how they inserted it and not painful. That was in January, and I’ve continued to eat healthily. In the months since the balloon was removed, my weight has continued to drop. I now weigh under 20st and still lose a couple of pounds a week.
Not only does everyone tell me I look better, I feel far better due to my improved diet, and my sleeping has improved. I can get about without crutches for the first time in years.
I’m now having my knee operation in July and the hip two months later. I couldn’t be happier.
Having the stomach balloon fitted has transformed my life. It was worth every penny.

Read the full Daily Mail article at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/myoperation.html?in_article_id=462993&in_page_id=1989&in_a_source=