Plastic surgery in a luxurious setting

AS they say there are more plastic surgeons in Hollywood, California than in some states in the US. You go fishing where the fish are. Since people who care about how they look or the ones who make a living from how they look are all in that magic zip code 90210, you need to have a presence there if you want to be a plastic surgeon. And if you do not live there, you make a trip - as is the case for many people who make a pilgrimage to the Mecca of plastic surgery. Often it is worth it since the area now has some of the best and the brightest in plastic surgery.

So we have Dr. Robert Rey and Dr. Jason Diamond who are now celebrities themselves and that is where they are. Joining them is plastic surgeon Dr. Lloyd Krieger, who has been featured in the local and national media. Dr. Krieger is the founder and medical director of the posh 5,000 square foot facility at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. “Our medical center looks more like a boutique than a doctor’s office,” says Dr. Krieger. No one likes blood and knives, but we do like hanging out in boutiques and spas.

Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery Clinic is a high-end retail location - a boutique approach to beauty and well-being. The center offers top of the line medical expertise and, like its neighbors, also provides superb service in a setting of glamour and sophistication. Among its neighbors are the likes of Chanel, Armani, and Hugo Boss.

And Dr. Krieger is not only offering plastic surgery procedures like nips, tucks, and lifts, he is offering complete makeovers with the help of experts in the areas of health, beauty, and fashion. So once he is done with you in the operating room, you can get the the latest clothing and makeup from boutiques in the area to start a "new lifestyle to further enhance and maintain their youthfulness for years to come."

Plastic surgery is the first step in improving your image. “But why stop there,” Dr. Krieger says. “I support my patients in prolonging and improving what I started in the operating room.” Dr. Krieger has established a unique professional network to offer his patients a lifestyle redesign, which may include a new wardrobe at nearby Rodeo Drive shops, a new hairstyle, spa treatments, and a new fitness regime. “Because cosmetic surgery is elective, people are looking for a first-class experience, and that’s what we offer at our center,” Dr. Krieger concludes, “we designed our center to combine the convenience of storefront shopping with what I call the ‘Four Seasons treatment.”

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Are silicone implants safe for you?

Silicone gel-filled implants should not be allowed on the market because the manufacturers have not met the legal benchmark for proving safety, 20 consumer groups and individuals said in a petition. In April, an FDA advisory committee voted 5-4 against Inamed's implants, while urging approval for Mentor's implants (Memory Gel) by a 7-2 vote. The FDA is considering those recommendations and is expected to make a final decision soon. So if you have been considering silicone implants, you might want to wait for the confusion to clear up. (Related article: How to make plastic surgery decisions?)

The New York Times is also reporting that two ex-employees of Mentor, John C. Karjanis and Cynthia Fain, have made sworn depositions that Mentor employees manipulated data to hide risks of implants. They charge that workers worked in unsanitary conditions and defective products were hidden so that senior management would not know what was going on.

This is very common practice among American companies since they are often desperate to get FDA approval for their products. Similar charges are being made against other companies like Merck and Pfizer that apparently hid risks of their drugs like Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra resulting in as many as 50,000 deaths in the US alone. Another drugmaker Biogen hid risks of a MS drug Tysabri that eventually was recalled after deaths of patients.

The editor-in-chief of New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen, has charged that even leading companies like Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck are "making a mockery" of efforts to create more transparency in clinical trials.

According to American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS), nearly 335,000 women chose augmentation plastic surgery in 2004. More than 62,000 women had reconstruction plastic surgery in 2004, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Such procedures have been proven in numerous studies to have many psychological and physical benefits for women who have undergone a mastectomy.

Mentor claims that Memory Gel silicone gel-filled products provide an option for patients seeking a more realistic feel and appearance. Mentor's gelatin-like, cohesive implants are designed to mimic the soft tissues of the human body. While the personal needs of each patient vary, experienced physicians are able to use Memory Gel products to provide both augmentation and reconstruction surgery patients a realistic contour.

So what is my recommendation?

Talk to your plastic surgeon and discuss all the pros and cons of each type of implants. It is better to err on the side of safety. In any case, it is not yet known that FDA will approve Mentor's product though FDA typically tends to side with businesses rather than American people.

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Plastic surgery among teenagers

In the world of plastic surgery, a very controversial topic is at what age should one have plastic surgery, particularly a cosmetic procedure. With rich parents and a huge focus on how one looks, younger women (and some women) are looking at plastic surgery as an option to change what they do not like about their body. MTV has a program that includes mostly younger folks called "I Want A Famous Face." Discovery Health Channel recently did a story on plastic surgery for people 18 and under.

While the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has guidelines for certain procedures for people under 18, in most cases it is entirely up to the patient, her/his parents, and the plastic surgeon to decide if to have plastic surgery and when. In other countries, such guidelines do not exist or are not followed. So if you opt for plastic surgery overseas, as long as you have the desire and the finances, you can have anything you want. In fact reports from the United States and Japan say that the latest craze is for mothers and daughters to go under the knife together (generally it means the same day since they want the same surgeon to work on them).

What procedures may be appropriate for people 18 and Under?

In a recent episode on Discovery Health Channel, they highlighted four teens who go under the knife in pursuit of the perfect look. Jenna, who was always (as early as 13) very conscious of her flat body opted for an enlargement for her 18th birthday since the doctors wouldn't perform the surgery prior to that. Her parents are plastic surgery advisors and they supported her decision all along.

Ivanna had the opposite problem and she chose a reduction procedure. Now I support Ivanna's decision since in my opinion this is a "deformity" and needs to be fixed either for health reasons (back problems) or for personal reasons (self-esteem, harassment by others, etc.). I am not sure if Jenna did the right thing. She wanted to change her A to a full B or C.

Now two other cases that were highlighted and I think both were perfect cases for plastic surgery because they were about fixing a problem. A 10-year-old went under the knife for correcting her prominent ears. She was constantly teased by her classmates for her awkward looking face. It was also a nightmare for her to be in ballet class and face some teasing from fellow dancers. (Related article: Plastic surgery goes mainstream)

Finally, a 12-year-old fixed her webbed neck. If you might not know, a webbed neck is present at birth and is a genetic disorder. Not only can it make a person look awkward, it can also make your speech difficult to understand. Sammy's mother put it well, "My daughter simply wants to be like everyone else in the school."

So how to decide if the time is right for plastic surgery before 18?

If it is a deformity of some sort, then the decision is easy and can be taken in consultation with the surgeon. However, if you want to go under the knife for what I call "vanity," then you might want to wait till you are 18 to figure out what you want and how bad you want it. As teenagers, we are likely to be rash. We want the perfect bodies and are willing to do anything just to blend in. As we grow older, we develop a better appreciation for beauty and what to do to develop our self esteem.

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Brad Pitt speaks about divorce with Jennifer Aniston

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, who I thought divorced for wrong reasons, may have actually had rather more complex reasons for the sad end to their beautiful relationship. After months of media coverage, Brad Pitt is now shedding some light on what went wrong.

Like a gentleman, Brad Pitt shows does any of the stupid things very typical in Hollywood after a divorce. So do not expect a tell-all book about their marriage. He still talks fondly about her and had only good things to say about their relationship. When asked for the reasons for their divorce as part of his interview with GQ, Pitt describes the reasons for their breakup as "complex and multifaceted" and "not one thing." (Related article: Marriage and divorce)

That is quite understandable since a relationship is never that simple. But in his interview, Pitt also said things that Americans typically do not like to talk about but are a fact of life. In a country with a divore rate of 50%, only someone like Pitt has the guts to say that "The idea that marriage has to be for all time -- that I don't understand." He does not think that his marriage with Jennifer Aniston was a failure since he does not believe that it "is in our nature to be with someone for the rest of our lives," as quoted in a Vanity Fair article last year. (Related article: Saving marriage in America)

What about the other woman Angelina Jolie? Well only time will tell how much of the rumors are true but it is definite that he is a great admirer of hers and cites her charity work as astonishing. "She probably makes money so she can give more away. That seems to be more her concern than films," he said about Jolie.

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How to get rid of wattle or loose skin in the neck?

Many of you have asked about the loose skin or "wattle" in the neck region. Wattle not only makes you look somewhat older, it also makes some women so conscious that they are afraid of wearing certain outfits. While some people may find a wattle attractive, most do not. In reality, many people want to rid themselves of neck “wattle” to look younger or to wear certain clothes or accessories more comfortably, without having facelifts. They may feel they are too young or old for an invasive procedure, are not able to afford the prolonged recovery time, or only want targeted improvement of their neck region. (Related article: Facelift)

Patients now have less invasive options to rid the “wattle,” according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Through targeted neck rejuvenation techniques, it is possible to get rid of wattle. “Not every patient who seeks to correct facial aging wants or requires a facelift,” said James Zins, MD, author of the study. “Today’s patients are extremely active and may not want to undergo invasive surgery where they are unable to work or play for several weeks. With this alternative, many patients look younger without the financial cost and downtime associated with a standard facelift.”

As people age, they often lose definition in their chin and jaw line due to fatty deposits, weakening muscles and loose skin where the neck and chin once made a right angle. By improving the neck region, patients’ profiles look years younger and clothes and fashion accessories such as ties, turtlenecks, and necklaces are worn more comfortably.

Skin in the neck region differs from skin on other parts of the body because it maintains its elasticity and will contract after it is released from underlying muscle. Fat removal through an incision under the chin and behind the ears can be combined with muscle tightening and freeing the skin from the muscle, depending on the degree of aging and individual patient characteristics.

Younger patients, who generally have more skin elasticity and have a “wattle” because of an overload in fat deposits just under the skin, often benefit from liposuction alone. Middle-aged patients generally have fat deposits, as well as, loose neck muscles and skin, requiring the fat removal and muscle tightening technique. Patients older than 75 usually need more contouring in the neck region and require a facelift where excess skin is removed.

“Approximately one in 10 patients is a good candidate for neck rejuvenation – but patients must maintain realistic expectations,” said Dr. Zins. “These techniques are targeted specifically for the neck and chin areas only. The mid-face and upper-face are clearly not improved by these procedures.”

Good estimates for cost of a wattle plastic surgery treatment will depend on where you have the procedure, which plastic surgeon you pick, and your individual situation, but expect to spend at least a few thousand dollars.

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