Trends & Ideas

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.

43%

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?

28%

of all cosmetic
procedures last year were performed on
adults aged 51 to 64 (Baby Boomers).
Source: American Society for Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery.

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