Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

Last night’s episode of Embarrassing Fat Bodies provided some comfort for women whose overly large breasts cause them discomfort and low self-esteem.

Episode two of the new series, which follows the same format as the original Embarrassing Bodies show, saw a range of weight-related problems, including a 21-year-old mother of one with J-cup breasts.

The young mum went to the doctors with a problem that had been getting her down for years – her huge breasts. Each one weighed the same as approximately four bags of sugar and caused her to suffer from severe back pain, made it very difficult to find clothes, and stopped her from being able to run around in the park with her son.

Breast reduction surgery was recommended as the only treatment and her delight in the resulting D-cup breasts was clear. She looked much more confident and happy, and told doctors that she cried with happiness following the surgery, which she said had changed her life completely.

Other patients who featured on the show underwent cosmetic surgery treatments such as tummy tuck surgery to remove excess skin after weight loss.

Surgeons recommend liposuction and arm lift surgery for women who are concerned about underarm fat.

Experts say that underarm fat is not just the result of fat deposits, but also skin laxity which occurs as part of the natural ageing process.

Cosmetic surgeon Dr Drew Ordon explains: “Laxity or loose skin happens everywhere on the body where you’re moving joints all the time. If there is an issue of excess skin, that can be removed and an incision can be made under the arm to hide the scar.”

This type of cosmetic surgery, combined with liposuction surgery, can rid women of stubborn pockets of fat and is recommended for use on people with just these, rather than an overall weight problem. Despite being a fat removal technique, liposuction is not designed to be a quick weight loss tool for the obese but is instead used to reshape specific areas of the body in a way that exercise and diet alone cannot.

The Irish Medical Times today reports that the government is preparing to make changes that would ensure all medical practitioners have clinical indemnity cover.

As part of the proposed amendments to the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, it will be compulsory for all establishments with a duty of care towards patients to be covered by the appropriate insurance policy.

Dr James Reilly, Minister for Health, warned that cosmetic surgery patients ‘should ascertain the level of follow-up medical support which will be available to them after the surgery has been completed’, before they agree to undergo any procedure.

Dr Reilly added that all those seeking invasive surgery should endeavour to find a reputable clinic that is registered with the Medical Council. The new rules will be considered by the Medical Council after June 20, when their offices will be closed to comments on the subject.

The NHS in Wales is reportedly spending more than £3 million each year on administering free cosmetic surgery treatments.

This astonishing figure will no doubt cause anger among patients waiting for essential surgery, particularly in the face of huge spending cuts to crucial NHS services. Surgeons working in Wales defended the figure, which they say reflects the intense pressure they are under from patients who are often willing to fake distress in order to receive cosmetic surgery for free, on the grounds of emotional suffering.

The figures, obtained by Walesonline.co.uk following a Freedom of Information request, reveal that since 2008, 617 patients had ear reshaping surgery, 777 women have had breast surgery, including breast implants and breast reduction, and a little fewer than 200 people had nose reshaping surgery.

Emma Boon, campaign director at the Taxpayer’s Alliance, said: “The NHS is there for the treatment of those people who are ill and need medical attention and help.

“That’s what taxpayers think of when they think of the NHS – they don’t imagine their money is being spent on cosmetic surgery that in some cases simply isn’t justifiable.”

But staff at one Welsh hospital defended the spending, saying that many of their patients suffer from physical abuse and bullying and that in these cases cosmetic surgery is justified.

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has said that he would never have cosmetic surgery to cover up his neck scars.

Tevez’s scars are the result of an accident he had at just 10 months old. The young Tevez pulled a kettle off a work surface and covered himself in boiling water, leaving him with horrendous burns which led to a two-month stint in intensive care. He survived the incident and went on to become a world-renowned footballer and a legend in his hometown of Fuerte Apache, said to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

The footballer, who is originally from Buenos Aries, is not against the principle of cosmetic surgery but has revealed that he feels that the scars are a part of him and represent a defining moment in his life.

“It was a defining experience,” he told the Daily Mail. “It marked me for life. I won’t have plastic surgery. You either take me as I am or you don’t. I don’t change the way I am.”

Ageing actress Betty White has finally admitted to having cosmetic surgery after years of claiming she had grown old gracefully.

The 80-year-old, who has won seven Emmy Awards over her long career, made the revelation in her book entitled ‘If You Ask Me’. Last year White was quoted as saying that she’s glad she hasn’t gone under the knife and that she wished her old friends would follow in her footsteps and grow old gracefully.

In her book, White writes: “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature! But in 1976 I had my eyelids done. I scolded myself forever, but now I’m glad I did it.”

Before and after pictures of White at that time show that the surgery rid her of eye bags and tightened the skin around both eyes.

White joins a long list of celebrities who have denied having cosmetic surgery for years, but who eventually admit that they have had a little help to delay the effects of ageing.

New research has found that age shouldn’t be the only factor when deciding whether or not a patient is suitable for face lift surgery.

HealthDay News reports the findings of analysis by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic today, which shows how well patients of different ages fared after face lift surgery.

The study questioned 216 women, with 148 of them younger than 65 and the rest older. It found that the rates of complication were not statistically different between the two age groups. Researchers say that the study, published in the online journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, proves that age alone cannot be used to predict risk prior to a cosmetic surgery procedure.

However, James Zins, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic, highlighted the need to properly assess elderly patients.

In a press release he said: “It should not be generalized from the study that elderly patients can undergo a facelift operation with the same low complication rate as seen in the younger age group. Careful screening of the elderly patients, and excluding those with significant co-morbidities, led to the low complication rate.”

Plastic surgeons in New Orleans have noted a rise in the number of enquiries for body-shaping procedures, such as liposuction, in the run up to the summer months.

Dr Michelle M Cooper, who runs a cosmetic surgery clinic in the city, issued a press release in which she said that many of her patients were unable to the bodies they want simply by healthy eating and regular exercise.

“Many of my patients have been exercising and following a healthy diet in order to prepare for the warmer summer months, but they still have certain problem areas that just don’t seem to improve – such as ‘love handles’ or ‘saddle bags’, said Dr Cooper.

“Plastic surgery procedures such as liposuction or a tummy tuck are often chosen to correct those minor imperfections and give them the body they have worked so hard to attain,” she added.

Cosmetic surgery clinics in the UK have also seen a rise in the number of enquiries in the spring months, with many patients opting for breast implants, laser hair removal and liposuction before the bikini season starts.

Music mogul Louis Walsh has admitted that he would follow in the footsteps of footballer Wayne Rooney and have a hair transplant, if it meant being able to stay on television.

The 58-year-old, who has managed boy bands such as Westlife and Boyzone, made the announcement just two days after Rooney showed off his newly implanted hair and sore looking scalp.

Walsh was responding to questions about cosmetic surgery on ITV’s Loose Women when he said: “If I had to I would go down that route. I think it’s called maintenance.

“Sharon Osbourne said to me ages ago `If you’re on TV you have to look good’. If I had to do it I would absolutely do it. If it keeps me on The X Factor I absolutely would.”

Walsh is the only judge to be returning to the latest series of the X Factor and will be joined by pop legend Gary Barlow of Take That fame, American singer Kelly Rowland and N-Dubz’ member Tulisa Contostavlos.

Nose jobs are on the rise among those from different ethnic backgrounds, according to the president-elect of The Rhinoplasty Society.

Dr Rod Rohrich has noticed a shift in the reasons behind those from non-Caucasian ancestry enquiring about rhinoplasty, or nose reshaping surgery.

“It’s becoming more accepted for people who have noses with pronounced ethnic characteristics to opt for surgical refinement that helps them blend into American society better, as well as correcting individual facial deviations that make them stand out uncomfortably,” said Dr Rohrich.

“Every patient is different, but more patients than ever want to preserve ethnic characteristics while correcting individual facial features. Patients with non-Caucasian ancestry used to ask for Caucasian-type noses, which usually resulted in an over-operated and unnatural look,” he added.

He made his observations at a symposium on the subject of ethnic rhinoplasty at the annual meeting of The Rhinoplasty Society, at which he encouraged fellow cosmetic surgeons to prepare for this increase. He advised careful study of Caucasian and ethnic nose shapes, bone structure and skin type in order to offer patients the most appropriate procedure.