Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Blog – Harley Medical Group

Many people are now acting upon their New Year’s resolutions but if you are still looking for some inspiration, here are our top suggestions:

1) Regain body confidence
Gaining confidence is a very popular New Year’s resolution and there are many ways in which you can do this. If you have any body hang-ups that you link with your lack of self-esteem, perhaps 2012 is the year that you look to do something to address the way you feel. For example, it could be as simple as changing your diet to tackle problem skin, or if you have successfully lost weight in the recent years but still have stubborn pockets of fat, you might want to start looking into liposuction surgery. Whatever it is that you decide to do we’re certain you’ll be able to get the confidence boost you need.

2) Eat healthily
Having a good diet is incredibly important for your health and you should make sure that you eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, drink plenty of water and eat from the correct food groups. This will help to lose weight / maintain a healthy weight, as well as improving the look of your skin. It can also help to stave off the signs of ageing so it is well worth doing. Along with eating healthily you might also want to start taking nutritional supplements – we have a range of AmeriSciences supplements that can be bought online and from our clinics.

3) Start a skincare regime
Whether you have problem skin or not, taking up and sticking to a skincare regime is a very good idea. Our anti-aging products can help your skin to produce more collagen and elastin that can give you a healthy and more youthful appearance. We also have a range of acne products that can remove redness and swelling from hard-to-treat skin.

4) Exercise more
Exercising can help you to increase your muscular strength and keep you healthy; the government recommends that everyone partakes in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week. Exercising can also help your skin though – when you get stressed you can find that you are blighted with problem skin, but as exercising helps to reduce stress it can actually act as a free and healthy solution!

It can be incredibly difficult being a celebrity nowadays – there’s so much pressure to look fresh and young. There are plenty of celebrities who are open about any help they’ve had in this department, and quite a few who like to keep us guessing. if you’re interesting in finding out who’s had a bit of cosmetic surgery done take a look at some of our top guesses:

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If you’re interesting in fighting the signs of ageing there are lots of things you can do. You will need to make some small lifestyle changes to see the results but we’re sure you’ll think it’s well worth the effort. Read our list to get top tips on how to stay looking beautiful as you get older:

1)    Quit smoking
Smoking will accelerate the rate at which your skin ages, meaning you will experience wrinkles and dull skin before your non-smoking friends. If you quit while you’re ahead you may be able to remove any lasting damage caused to your skin and overall health.

2)    Wear sun cream everyday
Everyone knows that prolonged exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, but it will also age your skin and give it a leathery look. You can apply one of our moisturisers with in-built sun protection factor (SPF) every day to help combat the effects of UV rays which are present even on cloudy days.

3)    Eat more fruit and veg
Getting your five a day is incredibly important as it will give your body all of the vitamins and nutrients that it needs to stay healthy and efficient – and you’ll notice an improvement in your skin almost immediately too!

4)    Get some exercise
You should get at least half an hour of exercise at least once a day, which will help to keep your skin cells oxygenated, as well as your body in shape.

5)    Drink more water
Water will help to hydrate your skin, which will reduce the signs of aging. Drink around six 200ml glasses of water a day if you can.

6)    Stay calm
Stress is one of the main causes for early signs of ageing, so try to figure out what it is that is creating your stress and eliminate it from your lifestyle.

7)    Enjoy a cup of green tea
Green tea is packed with antioxidants and can really help to improve the youthfulness of your skin and keep your digestive system healthy.

8)    Use good skin care
Make sure you use good quality skin products in your daily regime. We have a special line of anti-ageing skin care products that have been designed to boost the production of collagen, which is key to plumped up, youthful looking skin.

9)    Consider a surgical procedure
If you’re serious about talking anti-ageing there are a number of procedures you can have done, such as a face lift or eye bag removal. You can also have Botox, dermal fillers or a skin peel, all of which are non-invasive. Check out our website for more information.

10)     Invest in some good makeup
When it comes down to it, makeup can often be a woman’s best friend. You don’t have to wear a lot of it to give you a youthful appearance, just make sure you buy high quality, mineral-based products as they will work better and be kinder to skin.

Everybody loves a good myth, like the fact that pulling out a grey hair will make two grow in its place, and shaving your legs makes the hair grow back thicker. Here we talk about the myths associated with cosmetic surgery, and the facts according to The Harley Medical Group:

1.
MYTH
Like tattoos, cosmetic surgery is addictive and a lot of people go on to have multiple procedures.
FACT
95% of patients will only have one procedure, and they will only do that after several years of thought and research.

2.
MYTH
Women who have breast enlargement surgery want to have really large breasts, like glamour model Jordan.
FACT
Most women only go up by one or two cup sizes and the average size is a C cup. Women are now wanting a more natural look opting for a tear-drop shaped implant rather than the traditional round high contour.

3.
MYTH
Many people view cosmetic surgery as just another beauty treatment because it is so commonplace.
FACT
Research shows that the average patient thinks about their surgery for two to three years before going ahead.

4.
MYTH
More men are now having cosmetic surgery than women.
FACT
While many more men are having cosmetic surgery than in previous years, still only make up 17% of patients at The Harley Medical Group.

5.
MYTH
People have cosmetic surgery to stand out.
FACT
Most cosmetic surgery patients don’t have a procedure to stand out; they have treatment to help them fit in.

Got any others? Let us know at The Harley Medical Group Facebook page

It’s ‘Movember’ – a month long charity event which sees men growing moustaches to raise money for men’s health charities – and with this comes the fitting news that more men are realising just how powerful their face can be. This month the focus may be on raising money for great causes, but the bigger picture depicts men all over the world taking steps, usually taken by women, to make themselves look youthful and rejuvenated.

There has been a noticeable trend of men having Botox and other cosmetic treatments – women, it won’t be long before you notice your boyfriend / husband / son sneaking a squirt of your moisturiser or energising face scrub for men starts appearing in the trolley during your weekly shop.

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Halloween is a mere three days away but chances are you’ll be celebrating this weekend, so here are ten scary makeup ideas to get you inspired (and to scare your friends!)

One: Werewolf
You will need…To grow a beard if you’re a man and very well prepared! If a beard isn’t a possibility then get some faux fur from the haberdashery section of your local department store, or head to a fancy dress shop where they’ll have stick-on facial hair and skin-friendly glue. Then you’ll need a set of scary werewolf teeth and some black eyeliner to complete the look. Grrrr!

Two: Green Witch
You will need…Green face paint, red lipstick, black eyeliner and a black pointy witch’s hat. If you can’t get hold of a hat, fold a piece of black card into a cone and stick this onto a piece of circular black card with a hole in the middle big enough to fit on the top of your head!

Three: Red Devil
You will need…Red face paint, some devil horns, a red outfit and a black devil’s fork. Paint your face red, stick on the horns, practice a terrifying grimace and away you go!

Four: Green Cat
You will need…A keen eye for detail and probably a friend with a steady hand. Copy this picture using makeup and face paint to achieve an impressive look for Halloween.

Five: Skeleton
You will need…White face paint and black eyeliner. Wear all black or all white if you don’t have a skeleton outfit and simply copy this picture to scare the life out of those other partygoers.

Six: Frankenstein
You will need…Green face paint (why not suggest to your friend/partner that they go as a witch so you can share this?) and black eyeliner. Simply cover your face completely with the green paint, draw black around your eyes and a black scar with stitches on your cheek.

Seven: Angry Mime
You will need…White face paint, black face paint, a black outfit and white gloves. This is a bit different and original and while it doesn’t have to be scary, you could add a touch of fake blood to the side of the mouth to give it a Halloween edge.

Eight: Witch, skeleton and Dracula
You will need…All manner of things! This is one for the kids so just get in the face paints and coloured cards and let them go wild.

Nine: Pumpkin
You will need…Ideally a pumpkin outfit and some orange face paint!

Ten: Pumpkin Pug!
You will need…A cute little dog who doesn’t mind you dressing it up so it’s the centre of attention all night.

Don’t forget to treat yourself to some great cleansers and other skin care products to get all that makeup off!

Happy Halloween!

“We’re now a nation that feels justified asking the most outrageously personal questions” – so says Stylist magazine’s Amy Grier in her look at how the British stiff upper lip has softened.

But is this a bad thing? It might be embarrassing to field questions such as “how much did your house cost?” and “how much do you earn?” but if this shift in attitude means topics like cosmetic gynaecology step out of the shadows then surely it’s worth it.

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The Harley Medical Group asked its Facebook fans: “Slim, muscular, curvy…Who do you think has the sexiest figure out of these A list celebrities?” The results are in!

Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian came in top with 31 per cent of the votes each, Beyonce came a close third with 24 per cent, followed by Miranda Kerr and Christina Hendricks each with seven per cent. Madonna and Dawn French got no votes from Facebook fans.

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Our latest ‘Fan Question’ on The Harley Medical Group Facebook page gave us a great big boost about the idea that people out there have a really healthy view of themselves, how they look and how to achieve body confidence.

Talking about the hot topic of the moment – Jodie Marsh – we asked our Facebook fans:

‘On This Morning, Jodie Marsh said that since she has gained a bodybuilder physique she has attracted a lot more men…What do you think? Would you be willing to change your shape so you could attract more men?’

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It turns out that there may be some truth in the idea that your sleeping habits impact the way your face ages. Following a comment from a patient that she had to have more dermal fillers on one side of her face – the side that she tends to sleep on – one of our non-surgical training managers gave a run down on why:

Bernadette Harte, non-surgical training manager at The Harley Medical Group, said:

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