Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

You might have noticed that there seems to be a celebrity baby boom in progress, with a variety of shapes and sizes on view for us to ogle at. From the voluptuous British television presenter Holly Willoughby, to slender Hollywood A-lister Natalie Portman, it’s quite clear that being pregnant changes the body shape in dramatically different ways.

And as the baby boom continues to fill the pages of glossy magazines, figures suggest that more and more non-celebrity women are looking for ways in which they can put their bodies back to how they were before they became pregnant. The Harley Medical Group has reported that bookings for breast augmentation surgery at their UK clinics were up 31 per cent year-on-year, liposuction up 27 per cent and tummy tucks up 15 per cent over the same period – all popular choices with new mums.

For many women, it can be very difficult to come to terms with an often significantly altered body shape as the result of pregnancy, and this can prove too much of a dent in self-esteem for some to bear. Surgical options are allowing these women to look and feel like they did before their baby was born and regain their body confidence.

Leah, the 18-year-old star of American hit reality television show Teen Mom, has revealed that she won’t be happy with her body until she has had her stretch marks removed.

A source close to Leah told US online magazine Hollywood Life: “Leah won’t feel perfect until those tell-tale signs of pregnancy are gone for good.”

The television show, aired on MTV, follows the lives of teenage mothers in America and many are not only surprised by how much hard work goes into being a mother but also how pregnancy affects the body. Other stars of the show have already talked extensively about having breast implants, liposuction surgery, and other procedures in order to achieve their pre-pregnancy bodies.

Amber, 20, is one of the mums on the show to admit to wanting cosmetic surgery, telling viewers that she plans to get $50,000 (nearly £40,000) worth of procedures in order to look like Marilyn Monroe – paid for by MTV!

Experts speaking at a conference run by the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (ACCS) have revealed that the cosmetic surgery industry in Australia is now worth $1 billion annually.

The Cosmetex Conference opened in Hobart, Tasmania, yesterday and is expected to be attended by more than 700 doctors and surgeons from across Australia and the rest of the world over the next three days.

On the opening day, the ACCS president Russell Knudsen told delegates that the effects of the recession had not adversely affected the market.

“Demand for cosmetic medical procedures has continued to rise with college member practices reporting increases of 10-20 per cent over the last 12 months,” he said.

Dr Knudsen added: “When you consider the number of cosmetic procedures performed, and the number of take-home anti-ageing products consumed, it is reasonable to estimate that Australians now spend as much as $1 billion annually on appearance medicine.”

It was revealed that the $1 billion annual value of the market was made up of a variety of procedures, including approximately 16,000 breast augmentations and 15,000 liposuction surgeries performed last year.

American laser hair removal clinic, Ideal Image, has performed its signature hair removal treatment for the two millionth time and puts its popularity down to the simple fact that it can “change your life forever” – the company’s motto.

The Florida-based company says it is proud of the achievement and attributes its great reputation to using only medical experts, including registered nurses and nurse practitioners.

Co-founder and CEO, Rick Mikles, said: “We are incredibly excited about achieving the 2 million treatment milestone. Ideal Image is the only nationwide company dedicated exclusively to laser hair removal. This accomplishment, along with our ongoing laser hair removal research and marketing efforts to educate the public, solidifies our leadership position in the industry.”

Ideal Image opened in Tampa, Florida, in 2001 and now boasts clinics in 65 other locations across America.

Britney Spears is still being dogged by rumours that she has undergone a number of plastic surgery procedures over the last few years, despite suggesting in a recent interview that she hadn’t yet had surgery but wouldn’t rule it out in the future.

Last month, the pop star told Out magazine that she was excited about turning 30 this year and that “when it’s time to pull and tuck, I’m sure I will consider it”.

Experts have suggested that the singer has already had liposuction surgery, a tummy tuck, dermal lip fillers, breast implants and further surgery to replace the original implants with smaller ones.

She is also rumoured to have had a nose job early on in her career, but surgeons suggest that because she was already in the limelight and didn’t want the press to notice, she chose to go for a smaller version of her natural nose, rather than to change the shape of it completely.

Las Vegas plastic surgery clinic, Hankins and Sohn Plastic Surgery Associates, has become one of the first in the industry to embrace the use of social media to allow patients to connect with each other.

Board-certified plastic surgeons Dr W Tracy Hankins and Dr Samuel Sohn believe that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow communication between patients who are researching the procedures that they’re interested in.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Dr Sohn said: “We are pleased with the response we’ve had on Facebook and the internet via social media in providing new and innovative information for our clientele. This interaction adds an additional layer of open communication with our patients, which helps to educate and empower them to be proactive about their plastic surgery wants and needs.”

The clinic’s online presence gives patients a forum to feedback on their experiences and share the results of surgery with those researching these procedures.

Male chest reduction surgery procedures rose by 28 per cent in 2010 compared with 2009, according to the latest figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

These positive figures are made even more impressive by the fact that they were recorded during tough economic times, and this alone suggests that awareness of the procedure has grown considerably. Fat removal surgery, a form of liposuction, is used to treat gynaecomastia – the medical term for the condition of excessive breast tissue in men – and is a quick and apparently increasingly common procedure in the UK.

In an interview with the Metro, personal trainer Adam Stowell advocated a healthy diet and a good multivitamin to combat the development of man boobs in the first place.

“Take a good quality multivitamin, as this will decrease pressure on your liver, leaving it free to detox any bad oestrogens entering the body. Drinking green tea also metabolises bad oestrogens”, he said.

Experts have advised consumers who have tried a variety of wrinkle creams without success to consider having Botox injections.

In an interview with MSNBC.com, cosmetic dermatologist Dennis Gross, who practices in New York City, said: “If you begin using Botox or other freezers as soon as you notice subtle expression lines and continue as you age, you can absolutely prevent certain wrinkles from forming.”

Patricia Wexler, associate clinic professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine agrees: “Even in your 30s, you usually end up with 100 percent smoothing,” she said.

The experts agree that Botox can be used to prevent ageing lines and wrinkles and reduce their visibility on those who choose to undergo the treatment later in life, but consumers should consult the IHAS (Independent Healthcare Advisory Service) Treatments You Can Trust register, to find a reputable practitioner.

Black Eyed Peas female vocalist Fergie has sparked rumours that she has had cosmetic surgery treatments by appearing on American Idol last night looking rather nipped and filled.

The 35-year-old singer made a guest appearance on the US talent show wearing a 1950s-inspired dress a la Marilyn Monroe, and what appeared to be a plumped up smile. Fergie’s face looked swollen and unnaturally smooth and shiny, giving her a rather waxy look.

Host of the show, Ryan Seacrest, asked Fergie’s husband Josh Duhamel what had happened to his wife’s appearance.

“I thought she looked amazing,” Duhamel said.

“It’s amazing. You put a different colour on your lips and, uh, rumours fly. But she’s the same, she’s the same Fergie…I sleep right next to her every night. I like it.”

Sceptics believe that her new look could be down to Botox or collagen fillers rather than a new shade of lipstick.

Italian-born American actress Rose McGowan is feeding the Hollywood rumour mill, since appearing in Wednesday’s episode of Law and Order: SVU looking remarkably different to normal.

The 37-year-old admitted to having reconstructive plastic surgery after the skin underneath her eye was badly cut during a car accident in 2007, but some plastic surgeons suspect that the actress has had further work done since.

Manhattan plastic surgeon Dr Jennifer Walden told PopEater: “It’s a possibility that she had eyelid surgery and is blaming her lower lid drooping on having cut her eye”, she said.

“I think she’s had soft tissue fillers injected into her face, into her lips, her cheeks, and that has led to a more unnatural look”, she added.

Dr Walden went on to say that it looked as though McGowan had also had a nose job, and to warn people that having too many dermal fillers too young can actually cause premature ageing.