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17 Million Cosmetic Procedures Performed Last Year
Over 17 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the U.S. last year, according to a procedural survey conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.
The survey, which was different from any previous study by the Academy, posted numbers higher than ever seen before. To gather data for the survey, they polled AACS members as well as random physicians across the United States.
The past two years have brought an 8% increase in cosmetic procedures for AACS members, despite the economic recession.
Procedures that increased markedly include eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty, rhinoplasty, chemical peels and dermal fillers.
Dr. Mark Berman, President of the Academy, offered his optimistic view of the situation: “As the economy recovers slowly but surely, we are seeing patients come back and feel better about doing some things for themselves that maybe they’d been putting off for a while.
Can Diet Help with Healing after Cosmetic Surgery?
According to a new study from Brazil, adding more fruits and veggies to your diet after cosmetic surgery may help the healing process. The researchers wanted to see if the additional intake of fruits and vegetables would result in a reduction of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation and infection.
Researchers asked 60 women (age 25-60) undergoing cosmetic abdominal surgery to eat six servings each of fruits and vegetables a day during the first month after surgery. According to the researchers, “fruits and vegetables are attractive tools for the combat of inflammation because of their rich endowment of anti-inflammatory vitamins.”
Participants started the diet three days post-surgery and continued it for four weeks afterward; participants were interviewed during the second and third week to rule out changes in dietary habits and to reinforce compliance with the diet.
The supplemented participants had more substantial fruit (5.2 vs. 3.9 servings, approximately) and vegetable (5.9 vs. 3.4 servings) consumption compared to the control group.
Results showed that C-reactive protein diminished in both groups, but a “more expressive decrease could be demonstrated for the high fruit and vegetable participants.”
The authors wrote that increasing servings of fruits and vegetables after surgery can be a feasible strategy to reduce C-reactive protein in adults. They recommended future studies that focus on additional inflammatory markers, different disease contexts and longer periods of supplementation and follow-up.
The study is available through Pubmed.
New You Goes Live With New Website
The website of New You magazine went live this week, and it provides some excellent 
resources on skin health, physical fitness, nutrition and cosmetic surgery. The articles this month are very well written, especially the piece by Dr. Mark Berman and the fitness article about posture by Maria Mercedes.
One section of the site titled Inspired features several patient profiles in which men and women of different ages discuss the impact a cosmetic surgery procedure made on their lives. Another section is about Achieving the Look with cosmetic procedures such as arm lift surgery, laser treatments, vein treatment, the tummy tuck, and the Brazilian butt lift.
In the future, the site should allow readers to upload a photo to the website and then use software to visualize results of a basic procedure, but that feature must still be under development.
Click here to see the New You website.
Lose the Bulges Before Spring with Liposuction
Are you tired of hiding those bulges and stubborn pockets of fat? With bathing suit season right around the corner, you may be feeling more self-conscious about your appearance and are busy working off those excess inches. Even if you are at a healthy weight and live an active lifestyle, you may have a few areas of fat that are not responding well to your efforts. Liposuction is a popular body contouring procedure that can get rid of the excess fat in those problem areas and help you achieve the figure you’ve always wanted. Let Dr. Will put together a custom treatment plan that will help you slim down just in time for spring!
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Cosmetic Surgery for African-Americans on the Rise
More African-American women are embracing cosmetic surgery, according to an ABC News 20/20 cosmetic surgery special.
The program spoke with black women who have undergone breast augmentation and nose surgery and featured a Botox party in Beverly Hills attended by African-American women.
One guest, Phyllis Jackson, said that culturally she feels there is pressure from the community that “African-American women don’t need to have beauty enhancements.”
Linda Caradine-Poinsett, 50, said that despite the cultural stigmas, she chose to get cosmetic procedures that gave her bigger breasts and a smaller waistline.
“I think African-American women are still in the closet about having plastic surgery…(but) I think we’re doing it a lot more,” Caradine-Poinsett said.
The butt lift, where fat is removed from areas like the stomach and then injected into the buttocks to enhance and reshape it, is also becoming more popular with African-American patients.
One black woman told 20/20, “I’ve wanted my backside larger all my life. One day I just woke up and everybody was talking about butt, butt, butt. They’d had this surgery and that surgery.”
In addition to cultural attitudes, there may also be some scientific reasons why fewer black women turn to cosmetic surgery. For instance, one surgeon explained that darker skin has natural protective factors against the sun, so blacks often don’t have the same amount of wrinkling as those with lighter skin.
While the majority of cosmetic surgery patients are white, more minorities are embracing cosmetic surgery. A 2010 patient diversity survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery confirms evidence of the trend.
The survey reached out to African-Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Asians and found that half of respondents felt the popularity of cosmetic surgery had grown among members of their ethnic group in the last five years. In addition, blacks and Hispanics were more likely to indicate growth in popularity in the last five years when compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical: The Right Procedure for You
With so many great options available, narrowing down the right cosmetic procedure for your needs and lifestyle can be a challenge. To make the process a little easier, we suggest first considering some of the pros and cons of surgical verses non-surgical cosmetic enhancement.
Recovery Time
Generally speaking, most surgical options require a longer period of recovery than non-surgical. If you simply aren’t in a place to take several days off from work, then you’ll probably fare better with a non-surgical procedure that offers minimal recovery time (e.g., Botox injections, dermal fillers or laser skin resurfacing).
Longevity of Results
One of the biggest benefits of cosmetic surgery procedures is that they offer long-term (even somewhat permanent) results. Most patients may never have to go under the knife again – or only several years later to address new age-related changes to their face or body. When it comes to non-surgical procedures, most require regular upkeep (whether it be every few months or every few years) to maintain results long-term.
Type of Results
Are you hoping for a big unveiling of your new look, or would you like improvements to be a little more subtle? Most surgical procedures produce noticeable results, which will most likely be visible to friends, family members and co-workers. If that sounds like too much attention, you might want to consider a non-surgical option that produces gradual results instead.
Total Cost
With its widespread popularity, cosmetic enhancement has become more affordable over the past several years – but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. In most cases, the more invasive a procedure is, the more expensive it will be. The total cost of cosmetic surgery will account for not only the surgeon fees, but also the anesthesia and surgical facility.
It’s important to keep in mind that most non-surgical procedures like Botox are less expensive upfront, but they may actually cost more in the long run as you continue with routine maintenance. It’s best to ask your cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist for advice if you aren’t sure which is best.
Body Contouring: When Weight Loss Is Not Enough
Losing a substantial amount of weight is a feat worth celebrating. However, having achieved their weight loss goals, many men and women are left with loose, excess skin that overshadows their weight loss achievement. In hopes of finally achieving the figure they have worked so hard to achieve, Dr. Will’s patients are increasingly opting for a surgical solution—body contouring.
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Does a Rise in Cosmetic Surgery Signal Economic Recovery?
New statistics revealed that cosmetic procedures, which includes non-surgical and surgical procedures, were up by 5 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. The data excited more than just the cosmetic surgery industry — some on Wall Street speculate that when cosmetic surgery is on the rise, it could signal the economy on a whole is on the rise as well.
MSN Money noted that the statistics, which were released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, are “yet one more indication that the economy is on the mend.”
Reuters reported that “while nose jobs and breast augmentations may never replace U.S. unemployment data or retail sales as economic indicators, investors pay attention.”
“Traders will look at all kinds of things. Handbag sales, how things are going at Tiffany’s, where people are going on vacation. This is another anecdote for them that helps confirm things are slowly picking up,” said Dennis Gartman, publisher of an investment commentary, referring to the cosmetic surgery statistics.
Even though unemployment is still high, the rise in cosmetic surgery is a sign to some that spending on “big ticket” items is on its way back in this country.
“I like the thinking,” said Carl Larry, publisher of a daily report covering market fundamentals, who said that traders use any piece of data they think can give them an edge. “It could very well be that we’re seeing more ‘off-road’ spending like this. Anything that is a big ticket item that has little to do with homes or retail is where the money seems to be going.”
“The pre-crisis trend of paying for a $6,000 to $7,000 breast augmentation operation on your credit card definitely changed in 2008 and 2009,” plastic surgeon Phil Haeck said. “Now many people have paid down their debts and have enough confidence in the economy to pay for operations again.”
Scientific Meeting Highlights Advances in Cosmetic Surgery
Highlighting advances in cosmetic surgery, the annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) in January had record attendance and named a new president.
Dr. Gerald Edds, MD, FACS, was officially inducted as the 2012 president at the meeting in Las Vegas.
“To be elected president of the leading organization for cosmetic surgeons worldwide is an incredible honor,” said Dr. Edds. “The AACS remains the trusted source for the highest quality training and continuing medical educations for doctors practicing cosmetic surgery. We will continue to set the standard in these areas and expand our presence internationally.”
The AACS’s 28th annual scientific meeting had its highest attendance in history, with more than 700 medical professionals.
Dr. Will served as a session director for “Advanced Topics in Face and Neck Surgery” at the meeting
Dr. Edds said that this year’s meeting focused on the education mission of the AACS to advance cosmetic surgery and quality patient care by featuring sessions customized for each specialty within the field, focused on best practices, practice gaps, patient safety and quality improvement.
Cosmetic surgeons could attend sessions on a wide range of cosmetic surgery topics, including: Advanced Topics in Body Contouring and Post-Bariatric Surgery; Rhinoplasty and Otoplasty; Blepharoplasty and Browlift; and Advanced Topics in Breast Surgery.
Keynote speakers came from around the world, including Dr. Jean Carruthers, of Vancouver, Canada, who is a pioneer of the cosmetic use of botulinum A exotoxin and Dr. Luitgard Wiest, of Munich, Germany, a renowned dermatologist.
To learn more about the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, visit www.cosmeticsurgery.org.
Cosmetic Surgery Meeting Generates Stem Cell Buzz
Stem cells and their future in cosmetic surgery was one of the hot topics at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery’s (AACS) 27th Annual Scientific Meeting that just wrapped up in Phoenix.
“We’ve learned that your own fat is a great source for stem cells,” said Dr. Mark Berman, outgoing president of the AACS. “With our current technology, we can harvest fat and actually separate the stem cells.”
Cosmetic surgeons, the AACS believes, will be one of the principal players in this new segment of medicine.
“Not only will this be the next major plateau in cosmetic surgery, this is likely to represent the next major breakthrough in medicine in general,” Dr. Berman said.
A patient’s fat can be fortified with stem cells and then used for rejuvenation procedures for many areas of the body, including the face, hands and breasts. Furthermore, liposuction, a procedure that many cosmetic surgeons perform, will most likely be the foundation for many future stem cell procedure.
Dr. Berman told American Health and Beauty that patients need to understand what procedure they are receiving and the reality vs. the marketing. He said that for the most part these procedures are simply fat transfer procedures.
“I’ve been hearing people say ‘We’re doing this stem cell facelift, we’re doing the stem cell breast augmentation,’ stuff like that. That may be good for marketing but only as long as the patient understands what they’re getting,” he said.
“Some physicians do separate and concentrate stem cells before injection, but these are not miracle procedures. More research is needed,” he added.
In other news from the meeting, Dr. Angelo Cuzalina of Tulsa Surgical Arts was named the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery’s new president.
