Healthy Lipo?
Yes, it makes you look better. But liposuction can make you healthier, too. A study presented by Manhattan plastic surgeon Adam Schaffner to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons looked at 300 patients undergoing liposuction. It found that patients with high triglyceride levels—associated with higher risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes—dropped those levels by an average of 43 percent after surgery. “That’s about twice the effect achieved with a drug commonly prescribed to reduce triglyceride levels,” says Dr. Schaffner. Another health benefit: Improvement in self-esteem!
Killer Bees
Britain’s latest cosmetic rage? Bee venom skin cream. Last year UK sales of Manuka Doctor venom cream went up 3,000% after it was reported that Kate Middleton, Camilla Parker Bowles and other Royals swore by the stuff. It’s made from New Zealand manuka honey and purified bee venom, and its poison reportedly works akin to Botox, temporarily relaxing facial muscles and cell membranes. Non-royals can pay $70 for the Bee Venom Face Mask at manukanatural.com.
Pro Athletes For Stem Cells
Score one for ESPN. The sports network continues to report about sports stars using stem cells to fix damaged cartilage and bone. In a ground-breaking October ESPN magazine article, they chronicled how several big-name players underwent successful cellular therapy, including NFL defensive end Jarvis Green and Yankees starter Bartolo Colon. Then in January they aired a story about pitcher Mark McCormick going to the Cayman Islands for treatment, forced overseas by FDA restrictions on stem cell use in the US.
of all cosmetic procedures last year were
performed on adults aged 31 to 45 (Gen X). Source:
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
Cosmetic Cities
So where are the hottest spots for cosmetic procedures in the US? That would be Los Angeles, Miami and New York, of course. In a poll taken by Mandala Research for the daily- deal website LivingSocial, 4,000 online bargain hunters were asked if they knew someone who’d had a recent procedure. LA came in first for breast implants (37%), Botox/Dysport (22%) and nose jobs (21%); Miami got high marks in laser hair removal (27%), liposuction (20%) and tummy tucks (20%); and New York was tops in hair transplants (14%), lip jobs (12%) and butt implants (11%).
Brain Drink
America has a genius for packaging. The latest is a line of ‘Neuro’ drinks that deliver nutrients for specific purposes—in a rainbow of colors. The ‘neurosleep’ drink, for instance, is packed with melatonin, the hormone your body produces to help you sleep. Other Neuro drinks claim to help with happiness (neurobliss, with an amino acid found in green tea), smartness (nuerosonic, with compounds to increase memory and attention), and sex drive (neuropassion, filled with lots of B vitamins). The good news is that they are also low in sugar, just 9 grams per bottle.
Skin Deep, Just
A lot of non-invasive cosmetic procedures depend on how good your doc is with the needle. Now comes a new device to take the guesswork out. Called DermaFrac, it’s a suction roller with rows of tiny, micro needles that deliver different serums precisely 250 microns deep. That’s just where you need it, in the upper dermis but above capillaries and nerve endings. The result: No bleeding or pain. “It’s a very quick way to give people a rejuvenated appearance,” says Dr. Robert Jackson, MD, of Indianapolis, Ind., who uses the device to deliver peptides for anti-aging.
Breast Jobs Still On Top
Recent figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reveal there were 13.8 million total cosmetic procedures in the U.S. last year, up 5% from the year before (the second straight year of 5% growth). The majority were 12.2 million ‘minimally’ invasive procedures, such as neural muscle relaxers, fillers, face peels and hair removal. Among the surgical procedures, breast augmentations were still tops, but tummy tucks were replaced by facelifts in the no. 5 spot: • Breast Augmentations (307,000, up 4%) • Nose Reshaping (244,000, down 3%) • Liposuction (205,000, up 1%) • Eyelid surgery (196,000, down 6%) • Facelifts (119,000, up 5 %)
Too Thin? Too bad.
Every student of anti-aging knows that trim people live longer. But can you be too thin? A new study shows that very thin people (those in the lowest fifth of 190,000 patients examined) have a 40% higher chance of dying in the month after surgery. Researchers caution that some of those skinny patients may have been sicker to begin with, but still warn that being too thin can compromise your immune system.
Sexual Healing
Talking about cosmetic surgery is taboo enough without discussing procedures for your privates. Thankfully, New Jersey cosmetic surgeon Dr. Marco Pelosi, III, has come up with a name acceptable even in dinner conversation: Sexesthetics. “It’s stuff you are not supposed to talk about, and pictures that you can’t show…. But we are seeing an increase in demand,” he says. Now the subject can be broached without using words that start with V or P. Trademark pending.
Diabetes Nation
With chef Paula Dean now a diabetic, the disease will certainly get more attention, as it should. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 10 U.S. adults now have diabetes. That figure could rise to one in three by the year 2050, says the CDC, thanks in large part to what we eat. Some doctors predict worse. “By the year 2050 half the adults in this country are going to become diabetic,” says Dr. Frederic J. Vagnini, a cardiologist who directs the Heart, Diabetes and Weight Loss Centers of New York. “People are not on good diets.” You mean sugar, white flour and lots of butter are bad for you?
of all cosmetic
procedures last year were performed on
adults aged 51 to 64 (Baby Boomers).
Source: American Society for Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery.
