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.

With thanks to Dr Milton Owens & Rancho Speciality hospital California

The procedure was originally conceived of in England and has been further developed and utilized in the U.S, Germany and Belgium. The technique is an improvement over earlier gastroplasty procedures which included placement of foreign bodies, and left the excess stomach intact. It was originally used for very high BMI patients (~ 500 lbs.) to try to reduce the overall risk of surgery. It was then followed by a second surgery when the patient had lost enough weight to safely go through a second procedure like the Gastric Bypass.
The new procedure was started in England about 5 years ago as a stand alone procedure for patients of BMI’s of 35-45. It proved to be quite safe and effective even at 5 years post op.

U.S. studies have been very impressive; in one study of almost 100 very high risk, very high BMI patients there were no deaths, and only 1 leak, and 1 pulmonary embolus.

Dr. Owens has used this procedure for high risk, high BMI patients with good results. It can be considered by patients who are:

Concerned about bowel obstructions and leaks that may occur with Gastric Bypass due to the re-arrangement of the anatomy required.
Concerned about the dietary changes and vitamin supplements required by Gastric Bypass
Concerned about the foreign body introduced with the Lap Band placement
Concerned about the need for follow up, fills required with the Lap Band
It should also be considered for patients weighing over 500 lbs, patients with existing anemia, Crohn’s disease, or other conditions that make them too high risk for Bypass procedures.

Dr Owens is the first surgeon in Southern California to offer Sleeve Gastrectomy. His expertise in Sleeve Gastrectomy offers our patients another option to help them receive the best weight loss procedure for their individual needs. Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure also called Sleeve Gastrectomy, vertical gastroplasty, Greater Curvature Gastrectomy, Parietal Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction and Sleeve Gastroplasty is performed by approximately 18 surgeons worldwide.

Choosing the Sleeve:

 • Those who are concerned about the potential long term side effects of an intestinal bypass such as bowel obstruction, ulcers, anemia, osteoporosis, protein deficiency and vitamin deficiency.
• Those who are considering a LapBand but are concerned about a foreign body or the need for fills and more frequent follow up.
• Those who have other medical problems that prevent them from having weight loss surgery such as anemia, Crohn’s disease, extensive prior surgery, and other complex medical conditions.
• Those taking anti-inflammatory medications that may need to be avoided after gastric bypass due to increased risk of ulcers. Advantages of the Sleeve:
• Stomach holds less but tends to function normally so most food items can be consumed in small amounts
• Thought to eliminate the portion of the stomach that produces the hormones that stimulates hunger (Ghrelin).
• No dumping syndrome
• Minimizes the chance of an ulcer occurring.
• Very effective as a first stage procedure for high BMI patients (BMI >55 kg/m2).
• Limited results appear promising as a single stage procedure for low BMI patients (BMI 35-45 kg/m2).

In a normal city you would expect a special bus line that goes from the international airport to the city center. Not everybody can afford a cab, and not everybody likes cabs as such.

In Brno, the airport is served by regular bus line number 76 that has about ten stops on the way to the center and thus is used also by people from the neighborhood the bus goes through. And it is also used by people who work in the industrial zone that neighbors the airport.

Result?

I took a test ride about three days ago. Six people boarded the bus at the airport, all of them had the now-favorite trolleys, huge suitcases on wheels. These suitcases jam-packed the aisle and seats. From the second bus stop on the way to the center it was practically impossible to board the bus as a normal passenger.

Brno Transport Authority should use special buses with less seats and more space for suitcases and luggage in general. It should not stop on the way between the two end-stations. I am quite sure airline travellers would appreciate it. And they would not need to ask the are-we-there-yet question, just like a certain U.K. couple did during my test ride.

Plus I can imagine a better route for the bus than the one it is taking now with the bus stops on the way. It goes through one street that is one of the worst in the city. Nothing to be proud of. Sometimes it feels as if a JFK shuttle on the way to Central Park West was going through the worst part of Harlem. No offense to New Yorkers….

Thanks to Petr Bokuvka 24/09 http://czechdaily.wordpress.com/page/5/

DON’T WORRY! COSMETIC BLISS PACKAGE CLIENTS HAVE TAXI TRANSPORT ARRANGED FOR THEM

Monday, September 3 2007, 00:51 BST
story courtesy of Digital Spy www.digitalspy.co.uk
By Dave West

Doctors have criticised the BBC for a programme which sees a 17-year-old former anorexic have breast implants.

In Under 18 And Under The Knife, airing on BBC Three on Sunday, student Lynsey Bowman is sent to America for the surgery.

She could not have it done in the UK because of rules on under-18s so programme makers paid for her family’s travelling expenses.

Paul Bagley, a senior British cosmetic surgeon, said Bowman would not have “matured physically enough” for the operation.

And a leading child psychologist, Ruth Coppard, added of the Endemol-produced show: “They have behaved in a very dodgy way. It’s awful.

“This girl is only 17. Emotionally she is still a child and there’s still a lot of physical changing to do too.”

However, Bowman tells how she feels the surgery, to take her from 30AA to 30C, will improve her life.

And her surgeon Peter Driscoll commented: “It can really affect their personality if they have a big hang-up about looking like other girls.”

A spokesman for the corporation added: “Expenses are a normal part of the cost of a documentary. We didn’t pay for Lynsey’s operation, this was paid for by her family and done with her family’s consent.”

23 August 2007

The average adult in the UK is drinking an extra day’s worth of calories every week through alcohol, according to a study by Standard Life.

The average adult is drinking enough lager, wine, cider and spirits to add almost 3,000 calories to their weekly calorific intake.

This is the equivalent to 500 calories above the average male recommended daily limit of 2,500 calories and 50% more than the advised maximum of 2,000 calories a day for a woman.

Annually UK adults are drinking around 155,000 calories through alcohol, adding to the country’s growing obesity problems. With 3,500 extra calories creating one pound of fat, adults are drinking enough alcohol each year to add 44lbs to their bodyweight, or just over three stone.

Men are downing the most calories through alcohol, just short of 200,000 calories annually. On a weekly basis men are consuming 3,836 calories through drink which equates to one and a half days of extra calories a week. Normal strength lager (3% proof) and Continental lager (around 5%) are men’s favourite alcoholic drinks, closely followed by wine and spirits.

But the study found that women are not far behind men in the alcohol adding calorie stakes. The average female is drinking more than 2,100 calories through drink each week which adds up to 110,000 each year. Small and large measures of red and white wine are the main source of alcohol calories for women followed by spirits, lager and alcopops.

Mick James, Protection Marketing Manager for Standard Life said: “These numbers paint a stark picture of how Britain is heading towards alcoholic induced obesity. With clear links to the incidence of diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and other cardiovascular conditions, obesity is of growing concern to public health. There is also a degree of evidence to suggest obesity has actually been reversing the improvements in mortality, made as a result of improvements to medicine. Society seems to be making choices to shorten its life expectancy.�

more  at http://www.easier.com/view/Lifestyle/Health_and_Fitness/Health/article-135300.html

There are two Metabolic Hormones Controlling Appetite, Leptin and Grehlin

Leptin:
Discovered in 1994, signals the brain that the body has had enough to eat.
The earliest-discovered of these hormones, and the first hormone ever shown to have a direct role in appetite and weight control. The hormone is secreted in fatty tissue and released into the bloodstream.  However, as the amount of fatty tissue in the body increases, the body begins to “resist� the leptin.  Obese people often have extremely high levels of leptin circulating in the blood.  However, the brain “ignores� the leptin because  it has become desensitized to it.  For this reason, injecting leptin into obese people to “curb� their appetite has been shown to be ineffective.  Also, if obese people reduce fatty tissue by losing weight, it is not clear whether the brain ever recovers its normal sensitivity to leptin.

Conclusion:
Once someone becomes obese and leptin-resistent,  automatic self-regulating appetite
control is no longer possible.

Grehlin:
Discovered in 1999, signals the brain to increase feelings of hunger.
Discussion:
Ghrelin is the only major metabolic hormone not secreted in fatty tissue– it is secreted in the lining of the stomach.  In obese people, Ghrelin levels tend to be high, increasing the apparent feeling of hunger.  Also, Ghrelin levels apparently fail to “cycle� up and down over a 24 hour period, as occurs with thinner people.

Gastric Bypass Surgery and Sleeve Gastrectomy: These types of surgery block part of the stomach, reducing the area of stomach lining being actually used.  Because there is less stomach lining, there is less ghrelin being secreted too, resulting in reduced hunger.

Anti-Obesity Vaccine– controlling ghrelin:  Scripps Research Institute reported in August 2006 that it had broken through with the first anti-obesity vaccine.  Still at a very early stage, Scripps scientists injected mature male rats with a vaccine which acted against ghrelin.  The vaccine stimulates the body to produce antibodies which attack or block the ghrelin being secreted.
This finding may be especially important to stop what is commonly known as “yo-yo dieting,� the cycle of repeated loss and regain of weight experienced by many dieters.

These findings may mark a turning point in the treatment of obesity by using the body’s own immune system to combat chronic obesity by the use of targeted antibodies.

No human trials have yet been reported.

By CTK / Published 20 August 2007
Prague, Aug 18 (CTK) – Czech plastic surgeon Bohdan Pomahac from Olomouc, north Moravia, has become head of a U.S. team that will become the third one in the world to transplant faces, Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes today.

Another such workplace is only in France. It transplanted the face of a woman whom a dog bit out a cheek, the lips and the nose.

“The third clinic is in China but the doctors have not released any detailed data on the operations, so it is difficult to say how successful they are,” Pohamac, 36, told the paper.

He will head the burns clinic of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. At the same time he heads a team that will perform face transplants there.

The hospital has long been one of the ten best facilities in the United States where patients from all over the world are treated. One storey with luxury equipment is reserved for rich patients.

Story from Prague Daily Monitor 20/08/07

(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

Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent, Sunday Telegraph 12/08/07
Almost 700,000 people are so fat that they need drastic surgery to tackle their weight problems, the Government’s health watchdog has found.

Despite the scale of the obesity crisis, primary care trusts (PCTs), fearful that the £3 billion cost of the operations would cripple the NHS, are restricting surgery to the most desperate cases. Last year, fewer than 5,000 such operations were performed.

Analysis of the guidance drawn up by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) reveals that 688,000 people in England, classified as “morbidly obese”, are entitled to be fitted with gastric bands or to have stomach stapling operations to reduce the amount of food they consume.

Nice says that anyone with a body mass index (BMI) above 40 should be offered surgery if other attempts to lose weight fail after six months, and those with a BMI above 50 should go under the knife immediately. A BMI of 40 equates to a man of 5ft 9in weighing 19 stone and a woman of 5ft 4in weighing almost 17 stone.

However, obesity experts claim that PCTs are ignoring the guidelines and, because they cannot afford to pay for thousands of operations – which cost about £6,000 each – are imposing stricter restrictions of their own.

Critics said the figures were an indictment of the Government’s failure to tackle Britain’s obesity epidemic, which has seen the number of obese people soar by 40 per cent in the past decade. One Briton in four is now classed as obese.

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: “This is an illustration of the Government’s failure to tackle the problem. It shouldn’t be about waiting until someone becomes a hopeless case.”

Obesity experts said that cash-strapped PCTs were desperate to avoid the costs of operating on the obese.

David Hewin, a surgeon at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, said: “The numbers involved are huge, so PCTs are coming up with much more stringent criteria and moving the goalposts. Some are only offering surgery to patients who have other medical problems, such as type two diabetes, and some only to patients with a BMI over 50.”

Janet Edmond, director of the British Obesity Surgery Patient Association, said budgetary concerns were being exacerbated by a shortage of the specialists required to perform the procedures. “At the moment this is being funded in small numbers,” she said. “I would love to see a lot more patients getting access to surgery but realistically it cannot be done overnight. The resources are just not there.”
 

By Gregory Lopes – Washington Times – August 13, 2007
Companies seeking to cut rising health care costs are starting to dock the pay of overweight and unhealthy workers.

Clarian Health, an Indiana hospital chain, will require workers who smoke to pay $5 out of each paycheck starting in 2009. For workers deemed obese, as much as $30 will be taken out each paycheck until they meet certain weight, cholesterol and blood pressure standards.

Clarian employees will also be required to take part in a health risk appraisal that will inform the company which employees smoke.

Such appraisals are becoming a popular tool for businesses to determine the health of their work force. The type of health benefit program Clarian is setting up could become a model for businesses in coming years, analysts say.