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.

Breast implants remained the most popular procedure, with 6,497 woman undergoing the operation, while 5,148 women had eye surgery, and 3,990 women had liposuction, an increase of 15 per cent.

While 91 per cent of all cosmetic surgery was carried out on women, the figures show more men than ever are open to “self-improvement”.

Last year, 98 men had tummy tucks, a rise of 61 per cent, while the number of males who had liposuction rose by 18 per cent.

Leading plastic surgeons believe factors encouraging the trend include the higher profile of surgery – driven by a rise in TV shows featuring live cosmetic work – and the availability of “softer” options such as botox, which act as an introduction to the idea of face “rejuvenation”.

Douglas McGeorge, consultant plastic surgeon and president of Baaps, said: “This year’s audit clearly reflects the UK’s continued acceptance of aesthetic surgery, particularly in the area of anti-ageing.

“Wide media coverage has helped educate the public about the latest advances and choices available, but it is crucial that people do their research carefully when choosing a provider.”

Rajiv Grover, consultant plastic surgeon and Baaps secretary, said that the dramatic rise in surgery may be related to the increase in non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as face “fillers” and peels.

He added: “The effects of these less invasive treatments can sometimes be limited once jowling or loose skin has developed, so this could explain why more patients now feel ready for the surgical option.”

Concerns have recently been raised about the growth of the industry – predicted to be worth £1 billion by the end of 2008.

Last month, consumer body Which? revealed many clinics used hard-sell techniques to encourage people to opt for expensive or risky operations.

Undercover researchers found unqualified sales assistants made false claims that procedures would last for life, or offered two-for-one deals.

Psychologists also claimed the statistics highlighted a worrying social trend.

Dr Cynthia McVey, head of psychology at Caledonian University, said: “We judge people on youth and beauty, rather than character and behaviour.

“We are all going to get older, but a sense of attractiveness should be more than skin deep.”

She added that the increasing willingness of celebrities to admit to “having work done”, as well as the reduction in cost, had helped legitimise surgery.

Cary Cooper, professor of psychology at Lancaster University, said: “Some people have a psychological need to have their nose or their tummy or their breasts done to make themselves feel better. They are quite genuinely in psychological distress.

“But I think what we are seeing is a definite rise in the number of people that see surgery as a way of helping them get on – to get a better job or be more successful with the opposite sex.

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).

“This free service makes it now possible,” continued Dr. Domanskis, Orange County Physician of Excellence in Plastic Surgery for the past several years. Not only are the surgeries edited and professionally narrated, but also, the patients are shown immediately after and then, during their recovery, and up to two and one half years after their procedures.

Michelle Miller at first was skittish about watching the tummy tuck surgery that she was considering, but found it extremely enlightening. “It helped me prepare for my surgery and showed me how I would look after it.” “I was much reassured by what I saw and it proved invaluable to me!”

There are presently ten surgeries ranging from breast enlargement to facelift available for viewing on www.seesurgery.com. Another twenty have been taped and will be periodically added to the site.

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.

Akthar Hussein comments: “There can be a great deal of physical and emotional trauma associated with plastic surgery and it is important that patients do it for their own reasons. According to best practice guidelines issued by the General Medical Council, we can turn patients away if we feel that they are pressurised into having cosmetic surgery or where we believe that cosmetic surgery would not be of any benefit to them.”

According to BMI, one of most common trends is women undergoing breast augmentation surgery post-pregnancy, as they tend to lose weight and find that extensive breast-feeding can change the shape of their breasts.

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.

“As the demand for cosmetic surgery procedures continues to grow, health-care providers must be focused on improving the quality and safety of patient care, while also improving the efficiency with which that care is delivered,� said Steve Inacker, president and general manager of Cardinal Health’s Presource® Products and Services business

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.

Japanese women were second bottom with 53 per cent followed by Americans at 56 per cent.

advertisementIndian, Spanish and Korean women were far more worried about having a man’s seal of approval, but it was Russia which topped the poll of 10,000 women, with 77 per cent saying that they cared what their men thought.

Janet Saunders, of Clinique, the cosmetics company which commissioned the study, said: “British women like to feel confident and beautiful for their own pleasure and take pride in their outward appearance.” Susan Quilliam, a relationship psychologist said: “It’s a delicate balance. It’s a positive thing in an equal relationship to reference the other person’s tastes and preferences sometimes.”

The survey also showed that Britons are among the keenest on cosmetic surgery. Thirty five per cent of British women said they have gone, or are willing to go, under the knife for beauty.

Only Korean women were more likely to consider surgical enhancement, while just three per cent of Indian women condone it.

The survey also asked which of the 12 countries polled had the most beautiful women. Although most found their country’s own women the best looking, Britons rated Italian and Indian women more beautiful than themselves.
 

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.

Bariatric patients desiring such reshaping after surgery should use a specialist with experience dealing with this type of situation. A variety of surgical procedures are often necessary and performed at different times. Depending on which area bothers you the most, the surgery can be tailored to fit your needs, starting with the area of greatest concern. Often an abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) is done first, though a circumferential lower body lift may be needed instead. Breast lifting surgery, arm lifts, face lifts and neck lifts are all additional procedures that can be done at separate times. A body lift is the combination of tummy tuck and a lower body lift (inner thigh lift, and outer thigh/buttock lift).

NB. All COSMETIC BLISS Weight Loss Patients are Entitled to a 10% Discount on future Cosmetic Surgery Procedures.  These include: Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Breast Uplift, Breast Reduction, Arm Lift, Thigh Lift, Facelift Chin & Neck Surgery etc.

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.

The research team, led by Professor Peter Salmon of the University of Liverpool, found that some surgeons agreed to operate – despite knowing there were no medical grounds – because they could not face the time and misery involved in turning patients down.

The report describes a case in which a 37-year-old woman who demanded breast implants was referred to a psychologist and a psychiatrist, who both concluded she did not need them. Despite this, the surgeon went ahead. Another 27-year-old woman who demanded breast enhancement became so distressed when told a psychologist thought it was inappropriate that the surgeon caved in.

The Department of Health says it is up to health authorities to enforce their own guidelines to prevent overspends.

The top 10 most requested cosmetic surgical procedures on the NHS are
1: Tummy tucks
2: Mole removal
3: Breast enhancement
4: Scar removal
5: Nose job
6: Breast reduction
7: Acne scar removal
8: Correcting breast asymmetry
9: Ear pinned back
10: Removal of bags under eyes

The report states: “Surgeons described feeling pressurised by some patients’ emotional and insistent presentations, and believed some patients contrived their presentation in the attempt to elicit a surgical decision.”