One major study done by Devendra Singh in 1993 and subsequent follow up studies by Ronald Henss and Sybil Streeter both support the notion that that the majority of men consistently prefer women with a waist to hip ratio of 0.7. Though cultural ideal weights in women have changed over the years the consistency of the 0.7 waist to hip ratio still remains.

Waist to Hip Ratio Selection Images

Women hoping to regain their attractiveness after child birth or who have excessive mid-waist body fat and skin can use a series of cosmetic and plastic surgical procedures like a tummy tucks abdominoplasty as well as liposuction. These procedures are not to be considered as an alternative for weight loss.

A few facts about breast augmentation.

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular elective cosmetic surgeries performed in the US today with over 350 thousand women going under the knife in 2008 to have this procedure performed. Breast augmentation, using implants, has been around for roughly over 40 years now. However, it didn’t really become popular until the 1980′s. Early use of silicone filled breast implants resulted in having them banned for use in the US in 1992. This was due to complaints of breast implant rupture, leaking and other issues. However, saline implants continued to be used through this time up until silicone implants were re-approved by the FDA in 2008. The leading manufacturers of breast implants, Allergan and Mentor both spent many years funding independent studies and redeveloping new silicone breast implant technologies. The new cohesive silicone gels will not bleed out of it’s casing even in the unlikeliness that the implant ruptures or tears.

Mentor Cohesive Silicone Gel Implant

Silicone breast implants have found a new popularity as many women are choosing to have revision surgery and replace their saline filled implants with silicone implants. Silicone breast implants offer many benefits over saline implants, which include the following:

• Mimic natural breast tissue better resulting in a more natural look.
• Weigh less than saline implants – reducing the chances of ptosis and breast droopiness.
• Silicone breast implants typically perform better than saline breast implants reducing breast wrinkling and distortion

Why Breast Augmentation?

One of the primary reasons for the popularity of this procedure is due to women’s dissatisfaction with their breast size and shape. Social stigmas of small breasted women also may play into the perception that bigger breasts can make women happier by making them more attractive which increases their self-esteem. Women who choose to have breast augmentation need to consider many things.

How big do I want to be?

• Implant size is determined by its volume, projection, and base diameter of the implant.
• Skin laxity can determine probability for maximum augmented breast size.

What type of implant do I want?

• Silicone
• Saline

Surgery Options

What type of incision do I want performed?

• Inframammary – under fold of breast
• Transaxillary – in armpit
• Periareolar – around breast nipple
• Transumbilical – through belly button, saline implant only – not commonly performed

Implant type will often determine incision choice.

Most surgeon’s have their incision preference and are willing to discuss your options in your consultation prior to having surgery. Saline implants require a smaller incision since they are not inflated with saline until they are placed surgically inside the breast cavity.

Where will the breast implant be placed?

• Above the muscle (sub glandular)
• Below the muscle (sub muscular)

The placement can determine how the newly augmented breast will look. Breast implants placed below the muscle gives a more fuller projection on top.

There are many things to consider before undergoing breast augmentation and choosing the right surgeon is the most important part. Carefully, consider the credentials of the surgeon and seek out multiple opinions before scheduling your surgery.

Learn more about how some people are obsessed with excessive plastic surgery in this video.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a chronic mental illness where someone is fixated on a presumed flaw in their physical appearance. It is also known as dysmorphophobia. To the person with BDD, their appearance seems so bad that they become extremely distressed over their imagined ugliness and don’t want to be seen by anyone.

When a person has body dysmorphic disorder they obsessively worry over their appearance and body image, sometimes staring at themselves in the mirror hours at a time. They also seek out using cosmetic surgery, sometimes excessively, to try to fix any perceived flaws but are rarely ever satisfied with their new appearance.

There are many symptoms to BDD which include the following:

• Fixated on your physical appearance
• A belief that you have an abnormality or defect in your physical appearance.
• You believe yourself to be ugly.
• Constant self-examining in the mirror or avoiding looking in the mirror altogether
• Feeling that others negatively take specific notice to your appearance
• Constant cosmetic procedures without any satisfaction
• Constant grooming
• Insecurity and self-conscious of themselves
• Not wanting their picture taken
• Continual picking of the skin
• Continual comparing of appearance with others
• Avoiding social engagements
• Wearing too much makeup or using clothes to cover up perceived flaws

Some of the body parts that BDD sufferers obsess about include:

• Skin
• Nose
• Hair
• Skin Blemishes
• Baldness
• Breasts
• Genitalia

When a person feels embarrassed or shame about their appearance it may be a good time to seek treatment for BDD. Mental health providers and health professionals are available to help with this condition. BDD rarely gets better by itself, and as people age their perceived ugliness only gets worse. If left untreated it could lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Most experts do not fully know what causes BDD, however, biochemical, genes and environment may play a part in this illness. Researchers have identified developing trigger points which include:

• Having a relative with BDD
• Excessive teasing as a child
• Sexual and Physical Abuse
• Very low self-esteem
• Social pressures on perceived beauty

It is roughly estimated that approximately one percent of the entire population to have some form of BDD. However, as many as ten percent of those seeking cosmetic treatments may have BDD as well. BDD usually begins in abdolescence and demographically affects both women and men equally.

The complications that can arise as a result of BDD include:

• Suicidal thoughts
• Mood swings and depression
• Continual Anxiety
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Anorexia/Bulimia/Binge Eating
• Phobias around people
• Drug/Alcohol abuse
• Very Low self-esteem
• Isolation
• Poor attendance at work and school
• Few close relationships
• Unnecessary medical and cosmetic surgery procedures
• Solitude Confinement

A person who seeks out a mental health provider for help with BDD will often be asked with the following questions:

• When did you first discover your symptoms?
• How is your daily life affected by this condition?
• How much time in a day to you spend thinking about your appearance?
• What other cosmetic treatments have you had in the past to treat your condition?
• What have you done on your own to make you feel better about your appearance?
• What types of things make you feel worse about your appearance?
• Have others that know you well commented on your behavior or moods?
• Have you had anyone else in your family that has had a similar illness?
• What do you hope to gain from treatment?
• Are their any medications or non-prescription supplements that are taken for your condition?

Treatments for BDD include psychotherapy and mediations. While cosmetic surgery may be a procedural fix for a perceived flaw it rarely fixes the distress of BDD. The results may not meet the expectation of the person. After which they may begin obsessing about another aspect of their appearance and seek out additional cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic surgery, at best, only temporarily fixes the way people view themselves and is not a permanent treatment for BDD.

Tanning salons to get taxed

After reeling from the backlash of angry constituents, congress has decided to ax portions of the health care bill that would tax elective cosmetic surgical procedures. Senate Democrats pulled the proposed 5% tax from the latest draft of the bill over the weekend.

Clearly this new form of taxation is discriminatory against women in general who use elective procedures to enhance their appearances and does nothing to reduce health care costs. Typically, elective cosmetic procedures are paid out of pocket and not insurance.

In place of the botax a new tanning tax was added that would go in affect in July of 2010. Anyone receiving services from tanning salons would be left with the bill. This new tax would affect over 20,000 tanning salons across the nation and which only represents less than 1% of 871 billion cost of the health care bill over a ten year period.

These types of bills raise serious concerns that other health care related services could be taxed in the future.

It is important that any cosmetic or plastic surgeon is certified in the field in which they are performing procedures. Equally important is that office based operatory facilities should have the highest level of certification from their state, and that the physician anesthesiologist are qualified to assure maximum patient safety during surgery. At Face and Body Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Edward Park is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and Dr. Robert Sorosky is certified with the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Combined they have over 40 years of aesthetic surgical experience. To request a free consultation and learn more about Dr. Park and Dr. Sorosky contact Face and Body Cosmetic Surgery today.

The revolutionary war’s call to arms, echoed over 200 years ago, was spun by England’s attempt to exploit the colonies through unnecessary taxation. Now days, congress’s attempt to find alternative sources of revenue to pay for it’s burgeoning health care reform bill is encroaching upon the exclusive rights of the people to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

For instance, take the new legislation to tax elective cosmetic procedures. To help offset the projected $849 billion cost of health care reform, congress has included a five percent tax on all elective cosmetic procedures with the bill.

Even though it may be a small part of the legislation, and what has been named as the “Botax” is gathering a lot of attention, particularly from plastic surgeons and their patients.

A spokesperson for Allergan Inc,. the maker of Botox, said in a statement this week, “Taxing cosmetic procedures is unnecessarily punitive on people who have merely decided to enhance their appearance.”

While legislators argue that the tax could raise an estimated five billion over ten years, plastic surgeons say it would only cut into the number of procedures being done, making the tax an unreliable and risky revenue source while further increasing unemployment.

Most people also assert that the language of this bill creates confusion over when a procedure is considered cosmetic or reconstructive.

As the bill is written, it is unclear, whether it would be considered cosmetic to remove the excessive skin from post-bariatric patients.

The bill’s current language applies to surgery “not necessary to make better a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring disease.” In other words, elective cosmetic surgery.

The bill’s sponsor believes that individuals who undergo elective procedures such as breast augmentation will only pay the tax without complaining because “it’s something they want.”

A similar tax in New Jersey did not work out as planned as patients simply went to neighboring states for their procedures. If a nationwide tax on cosmetic surgeries becomes law, more people will end up taking inexpensive plastic surgery vacations south of the border and elsewhere.

Medical tourism has already been growing by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, this legislation will just make it expand even further increasing the safety risks to patients and hurting the US economy in turn.

If a person is considering a facelift, understanding the basic principles of the procedure can help them understand how it is performed, and the types of results they can expect to receive.

There are currently several different facelift procedures, including:

Total Facelift – Superficial Musculoaponeurotic Technique (SMAS). This technique focuses on the connective tissue or the superficial musculoaponeurotic structre of the face. The connective tissue is tightened with the outer surface of the skin becoming smoother and more youthful looking. It also has the benefit of not making the face look like it has been surgically tightened. It is also effective at getting rid of the deep creases around the nose and mouth or nasal labial folds.

Subperiosteal Facelift - Is known as giving patients the most lasting results. This technique tightens the deepest facial tissue and is done with an endoscope. However, this technique is also known for causing more facial bruising, swelling and a longer recovery time.

Deep Plane Facelift – This technique is the least invasive. It primarily adjusts the entire face and neck by lifting the facial tissue, skin and the underlying fat. This technique is performed quite frequently with exceptional results. However, the recovery time for this procedure can be quite long as well.

Mid Facelift – This technique is also referred to as the cheek lift because the procedure is focused primarily on the cheek areas, right below the eyes. This type of facelift is best for problem areas around the nasal labial folds and fat deposits that droop in the cheek area.

Thread Lift – This is one of the newest techniques and is known by a lot of different names, however, it’s long term effectiveness as a qualified procedure has yet to be determined. This procedure requires the surgeon to use barbed threads which are passed through the dermal layers of the skin and then cinched up near the ear. The tension of the barbed surgical threads then keep the facial tissue in place. Typically the results provide a smooth facial appearance.

The study was the first to scientifically prove that women age just like their mothers. Until now, studies of aging of the face have mostly been subjective.

The study consisted of ten mother and daughter pairs that looked very similar and ranged in age from 15 to 90 years of age. Using 3D facial computer imaging the researchers were able to map out the most pronounced similarities of sagging eyelids and volume loss of facial fat that occurred around the tear ducts and the lower eyelids. These areas are most responsible for the loss of elasticity and slumping of muscles in the face as people age.

The loss of skin elasticity results in drooping folds in the upper eyelids and pronounced creases under the eyes. According to one researcher, women when they age, their faces are more noticeable because they change from an oval shape to a square as the skin sags. Men’s faces, on the other hand, tend to be consistently square throughout their lifetime.

Based upon this research, surgeon’s can use this information to aid in cosmetic surgery on the eyes. Eye surgery is one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures performed today. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPA) eyelid surgery was the fourth most common plastic surgery operation in 2008.

One of the authors of the study, Dr Subhas Gupta, said, “Knowing exactly how a woman’s lower eyelids will change with age can help surgeons plan a surgical “correction” that will prevent the changes seen in her mother.”

Studies have shown that in most cases women should still be able to breast feed, once their babies are born, after undergoing breast augmentation. However, there are exceptions. Those women who underwent breast augmentation using the periareolar technique, (where the incision is placed under the periareolar nipple), suffer a higher risk of not being able to breast feed their babies than those that have a transaxillary, inframammary or bellybutton incision procedure instead.

Furthermore, the placement of the breast implant, either silicone gel or saline filled, below the pectoralis muscle may also be recommended. However, even when the placement of the implant is subglandular, breast feeding is not necessarily compromised.

Other concerns women have is for infant safety. With over a decade of extensive studies on breast augmentation there has been no measurable risks to infants, from breast feeding, after the procedure.

The one downside to having breast augmentation, prior to having children, is the increased chance to develop ptosis (sagging breasts), since a woman’s breast size increases during and after a pregnancy.

If you have more concerns or questions prior to getting pregnant, it is better to understand all the risks that breast augmentation can cause following surgery.

If you live in the Inland Empire, contact Dr. Park and Dr. Sorosky today for your free breast augmentation consultation or call (909) 981-8985.