The Scotsman 04/02/08

RECORD numbers of people across the UK are going under the knife, according to new figures which show a large increase in plastic-surgery procedures.

The figures, released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps), show the stigma of “having some work done” is falling away.

Some 32,453 people chose to have cosmetic surgery last year, an increase of 12 per cent on 2006, when 28,921 procedures were carried out.

Facelifts are becoming ever more popular according to data, with 4,238 women opting for the procedure last year, a rise of 37 per cent on 2006.

emediawire.com 26/09/2007
Prospective patients can actually view cosmetic surgeries in their entirety online. This website also includes voice-over narration and even post-operative photographs, according to Dr. Edward Domanskis, the innovative plastic surgeon who has introduced this free service.

Viewable surgeries at www.seesurgery.com include liposuction, breast enlargement, blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and abdominoplasty(tummy tuck), which are the five most common cosmetic procedures that patients have done.

“I have patients who really wanted to see how these surgeries were performed, and how they looked after them,” said Dr. Domanskis, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery(Plastic)WOC at the University of California(Irvine).

Following research by the University of Aberdeen which revealed that British women have cosmetic surgery to please their partners, healthcare provider, BMI Healthcare said that it wrongly reflects the British cosmetic surgery industry. BMI Healthcare has conducted approximately 1262 procedures since January this year for their national cosmetic surgery product and one of its surgeons,Akhtar Hussain, believes that the majority of patients are doing it for their own reasons.

Banbury Guardian 29 August 2007

A MOTHER who is sporting a whole new look after undergoing major plastic surgery will be baring all on national television.

Salena Newport, 40, of Adderbury is appearing on Channel 4 makeover programme 10 Years Younger on Thursday, August 30, where viewers will see the results of her extensive operations.

Mrs Newport – who used to weigh 231/2 stone and wore size 32 clothes – lost 121/2 stone in 2005 after paying £5,000 to have a gastric band fitted.

But the dramatic weight loss left her with baggy, excess skin.
As part of the popular TV show, which aims to make participants look ten years younger, Mrs Newport had loose skin cut from her arms and thighs, a complete lower body lift, breast uplift and implants, a nose job and new teeth.

By Jane Elliott
BBC News, health reporter
Lou Hunneybel hated her 38G breasts - they were too big and caused her daily agony.
Her shoulders and back ached from the excessive weight and she had an uncomfortable fungal rash underneath caused by excessive sweating.
Her GP told her she needed to lose at least a stone and a half (9.5kg) in weight before she would be considered for surgery.
She lost two stones (12.7 kg), but no weight went from her breasts leaving her a dress size 14 (European 40, US 12) on the bottom and size 22 (European 48, US 20) on the top.
Her GP then referred her for surgery, but without seeing her, the local primary care trust (PCT) immediately refused treatment.
“I was just so upset. My GP had referred me and said that I had problems, but they just sent me a letter saying that it was cosmetic surgery so I could not even have a consultation on the NHS.
“But it was not just cosmetic, I was in real discomfort. It was so uncomfortable.
“I had a huge thrush rash underneath them, which was very sore.
“My husband, Andrew, was so cross when they refused me that he took pictures of my breasts and the rash and posted them to the PCT.
“We knew I needed the operation and I needed them to see my problems.
“He blew the pictures up to A4 size and sent them in the post.”
Within weeks of sending the photos, 36-year-old Lou, from Essex, was given a consultation date and just months later she had her NHS surgery.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6688353.stm

(HealthNewsDigest.com) 
Cardinal Health, a global provider of products and services that improve the safety and productivity of health care, today announced Presource® Standard Cosmetic-Surgery Packs – prepackaged kits that provide the core surgical components needed for common cosmetic surgery procedures.

The new procedure packs are available for liposuction, abdominoplasty, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, facial rhytidectomy, breast augmentation, breast reduction and breast lift. Consumer demand for these procedures is growing at a rate of 12 percent annually, with Americans spending approximately $12.4 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2006.

By Lesley Thomas DAILY TELEGRAPH
9:14am BST 01/08/2007
 
Frank Sinatra advised in the song Wives and Lovers: “Don’t send him off, with your hair still in curlers. You may not see him again.”

However, it seems that British women couldn’t care less after a survey showed they are the least likely to put effort into their appearance for the sake of men.

They have the lowest levels of concern in the world for what husbands, boyfriends and other male observers might think, with only 51 per cent caring whether men liked their appearance, the study said.

Whether a person loses weight through diet and exercise or through bariatric surgery, there are a few problems that arise as a result of the weight loss. One that will be most noticeable is the loose skin that remains after the weight is gone. When someone is overweight, the skin stretches to accommodate the increased volume of weight. After weight loss, the skin often fails to tighten, and so it sags. In many cases, it hangs (especially in the arms, stomach, thighs, breasts, and buttocks). It acts as a constant reminder of the weight you once carried around. Exercise WILL NOT tighten skin (exercise never tightens skin - only muscles). The only way to tighten loose skin is through cosmetic plastic surgery.

Extract from: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 118(1):207-212, July 2006.
Stevens, W Grant M.D.; Cohen, Robert M.D.; Vath, Steven D. M.D.; Stoker, David A. M.D.; Hirsch, Elliot M. B.A.
Abstract:
Background: This study was designed to evaluate and compare the complication rates of patients having abdominoplasty without breast surgery with the rates of those having abdominoplasty with various types of elective breast surgery, including breast augmentation, breast reduction, mastopexy, and mastopexy combined with simultaneous augmentation.
…………
Conclusion: The results of this retrospective review indicate that combining elective breast surgery with abdominoplasty does not appear to significantly increase the number of major or minor complications.
Full abstract can be read at
http://www.plasreconsurg.com/pt/re/prs/abstract.00006534-200607000-00035.htm;jsessionid=GqDBSB9hyv5rqnddYNLVw2y78BT0H61GBrZ6yd5RTjcmp2zFpnJz!1683421839!181195628!8091!-1
 

23rd July 2007
 

NHS doctors are increasingly under pressure to perform cosmetic surgery for women unhappy with their looks.

New research reveals that surgeons are being cajoled into offering patients thousands of pounds worth of treatment they do not need. It exposes the lengths to which some women go to persuade surgeons to operate on them for nothing - using ploys such as unflattering make-up and clothing.

The study, to be published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery, finds that surgeons are turning a blind eye to health authority guidelines, justifying the use of treatments only in ” justified cases” because of pressure from patients.