Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

1. Microdermabrasion scrapes dead skin cells from the skin to reveal younger looking skin. This corrects sun damage, uneven skin tones, wrinkles, acne and brown spots.

2. Chemical peels go deeper into the skin to remove uneven pigment, improve the texture of the skin and reduce wrinkles. The skin will be red and peel later. Alphahydroxy and trichloroacetic acid are the most common chemicals used.

3. Laser treatments are a newer form of facial treatments, but they are very popular. They have numerous uses for them. There is laser resurfacing of the skin that goes deep into the skin and it is not painful. However, it does not work on dark skin tones. There is also laser scar removal which uses the laser to vaporize the scar and new skin grows in it places. It can look very natural and the scar is not as noticeable. Also, laser tattoo removal uses lasers to remove tattoos through multiple sessions. Lastly, there is laser hair removal that kills the hair at the root, for a more permanent hair removal affect.

4. Injectable fillers are available in numerous forms. They are used on the cheeks and lips usually. There is Botox that is effective, but can be deadly if done incorrectly. Or there is Collagen injections. The collagen has been collected from animals and turned into human collagen. It can be used on most areas of the body. Lastly, there is the option of using the patients own fat to fill in wrinkles, lines and scars. This is the safest method to use.

5. Surgery can be done on eye lids, ears and chins. These surgeries improve drooping eye lids, fat pockets around the eyes, reduce the size of ears and increase the size of the chin.

6. Nose jobs are done for both aesthetic and deformity reasons. Nose jobs can either increase or decrease the size of the nose.

7. Face lifts lift the facial tissue, due to sagging from age. The procedure is very invasive and there is a very long healing process associated with it, which is at least a month, if not longer. Face lifts remove years from a person’s face in one procedure.

8. Facial implants fill in sagging areas of the face.

9. Permanent makeup can be added to eyes and lips.

10. Liposuction can be done on the chin, neck and cheeks to remove pockets of fat that has built up over time.

Cosmetic procedures have long been known to have benefits beside looking good. Reconstructive surgery can correct deformities and other medical conditions. Latisse eyelash treatments are actually derived from a glaucoma medication. Trails have actually been successfully performed, to do total face lifts for accident victims. What may be surprising is that, Botox injections have also been found to have health benefits besides wrinkle relaxing.

Dr. Craig Morton and Dr. Tyson Green, of the Center for Orthopaedics in Lake Charles, Louisiana, are actually using Botox injections to help people to walk without pain. Dr. Morton told First Coast News, “If there’s damage to the brain or spinal cord, such as what you’d see in a spinal cord injury, head injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy – it can result in an abnormal posturing of the muscles of the hands and feet.” The muscle spasticities can cause the feet to stay contacted in certain positions. These positions can make it difficult or even impossible for the patient to walk comfortable. Dr. Green has shown that these instances are correctable with Botox injections. He said, “That’s when the botox will come into play to relax the contracture, so that we can either brace the foot or provide casting to provide stability and flexibility within the foot.”

Nursing Times reported that a trial was performed on 34 people with weak bladders to determine if Botox could treat them. Dr. Arun Sahai, from the Department of Urology at Guy’s Hospital and King’s College London School of Medicine, reported that Botox-A bladder injections did indeed help patients with weak bladders where other treatments had failed. Botox injections improved their overactive bladder symptoms
and improved the quality of their lives substantially.

More than 10,000 babies are born each year in the United States with cerebral palsy. Children with cerebral palsy often suffer from debilitating spastic muscle contractures. The Neurology journal has declared that Botulinum toxin -A (Botox) is an effective treatment of this. Botox injections can treat muscle tightness,
weakness, and abnormal reflexes in these children.

Botox is a popular non-surgical solution for both men and women to relax wrinkles. The injections help to loosen up the contracted muscle and thus smooth out the wrinkles. But this simple aesthetic compound has so much more potential. It is a vital tool in the treatment of many medical conditions and future research into Botox could prove it to have many more benefits.

2009 saw a substantial increase in a lot of cosmetic procedures. According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons there was a 6.7 percent increase of surgical procedures since 2008. There was an 80 percent increase in breast reductions for men and a 43 percent increase in brow lifts for both men and women. Many other procedures increased as well but a particular one has made the headlines.

The Harley Medical Group is UK’s biggest cosmetic surgery provider and has helped more than 450,000 patients to get the bodies that they have always dreamed of. In a press release, they reported a 17% increase in neck lift procedures during 2009 as compared to 2008. Excess skin hanging off of the neck, called ‘turkey neck’, is associated with getting old. The decrease of collagen in the skin causes it to lose it’s elasticity and makes it more susceptible to sag. 63 year-old Brenda Scott had a face and neck lift performed at The Harley Medical Group, and said “The loose flapping skin on my neck and under my chin bothered me for years so I would cover it by wearing scarves and high-neck jumpers. I always felt young for my age but where I could help disguise the lines on my face with good make-up, my neck was more
exposed.” During 2009 many women rushed to the surgeons office to get these turkey necks chopped off.

Lisa Littlehales, Regional Clinic Manager at The Harley Medical Group, said, “A neck lift procedure will give a long-lasting firm, and youthful looking appearance – liposuction is also often used in the same procedure to eliminate the fat pocket under the chin. The procedure does require an overnight stay in hospital and will require up to two weeks recovery time. Our patients are advised to keep the incision
out of direct sun light and wear sun block until colour and bruising has completely faded – so if you’re going to have this type of surgery winter is the perfect time of year to do it.” This does not bother most people because they would rather be in doors during the cold months. Why not spend that time recuperated from a beautifying procedure?

Neck lift procedures can make a person’s neck look years younger. The hanging skin under the neck usually indicates a person is old and getting rid of it really does magic to their appearance. The number of neck lift procedures increased substantially in 2009 and will probably continue to increase as people see the amazing results.

Contrary to popular belief, ageing is not always gradual. A nine year study by leading plastic surgeon, Rajiv Grover, has shown that aging can manifest in accelerated spurts. These spurts are centered upon different regions of the face and can be addressed before they become an issue.

The study began with 118 women between the ages of 40 and 45 and monitored them for nine years. Facial volume and ageing in the upper, mid, and lower face was measured and then correlated with data compiled about each woman’s lifestyle. Rajiv Grover hoped to prove that, as with children, growth in adults can come in spurts. His study did indeed prove this.

These growth spurts, that Grover found, were directly linked to stress in the women’s lives. Such stresses included rapid weight loss, divorce, illness, job loss, and bereavement. Stress is a defining emotion in the human experience and is virtually impossible to avoid. These ageing spurts can however be turned back with the technologically advanced procedures now available through plastic surgery.

The results of Grover’s study noted that ageing spurts were more rapid in the mid face and cheek area when compared to the upper and lower face. Loss of volume in the upper and mid cheeks draws attention away from the eyes and cheeks. These features are agreed upon as key areas of beauty. Women over forty who wish to maintain their youthful should keep a close eye on the volume of their mid face.

In 2009 face lifts were the fourth most popular cosmetic procedure in the UK. According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, over four thousand women underwent a face lift in 2009. Keeping that youthful face has become much more important to the women of today, because, in today’s society, women with younger looking faces are more marketable.

Whether a woman is a news broadcaster, a billboard model, or a company executive, she is held under a beauty radar and she must fit the bill or suffer the chances of being cast out. This has been proven in society time and time again. Plastic surgery can beat back that ghoul of old age and preserve the youthful beauty that creates success.

Seventy-three percent of the females surveyed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said that they believe that looking younger will help a woman to be more successful. Though many powerful women believe that their positions are safe, in many fields keeping a young appearance is nearly as important as that power.

Eileen Bradbury is a consultant psychologist and told the Guardian that nearly every person that has been referred to her, says that their greatest motivator in seeking plastic surgery is getting older. Cosmetic procedures can leave an older woman looking much younger and feeling more confident. Some of these women get a face lift or lip lifts. Others get brow lifts or eyelid surgery. Wrinkles can be removed,
loose skin tightened, and sagging features lifted.

The Guardian reported that Miriam O’Rielly and her three colleagues were removed form their rural affairs broadcast on the BBC. The show was moved to a peak-time slot and the producers decided to remove the older women from the show to replace them. These four women are indeed not the only ones who have been shoved out of their positions to be replaced by younger looking women. In order to compete in the
work place women must look younger.

Looking throughout the rest of society it is very clear that older looking women are nearly non-existent in the media. News broadcasters are expected to be young and attractive. Billboard models are almost never older women. Even women in important positions in large companies are expected to look good. Many women as young as 40 years old seek out cosmetic surgery to keep their youthful looks and stay competitive in the career field.

Older women who have turned to plastic surgery to adopt a younger look are impressed with the results. They find that they receive more attention at work and have an edge in the competition for positions. They have all the experience that age accumulates without all the wrinkles.

Most of us will have either considered, or will have undergone, some sort of plastic surgery. We will have had one nagging flaw or an insecurity which we felt needed sorting and we will have taken the necessary surgical steps towards correcting this imperfection. However, for some people, plastic surgery becomes more than a way of just correcting one or two minor faults; it becomes an entire way of life. This is certainly the case for Cindy Jackson, who holds the dubious record of having more cosmetic surgery than anybody else on the planet. But, far from being put off or quietened by her record-breaking number of times under the knife, she is now using her position to become a spokesperson and encourage more people to seek bodily perfection in the plastic surgery arena.

Jackson has offered advice to celebrities in the past, including surgery success stories like Sharon Osbourne and now she is turning her attention to regular citizens like you and me; her message is simple, that everyone and anyone should actively consider some form of surgical enhancement. She told Sky News:

“I’ve never met or been in touch with anyone who is totally happy the way they are”

She went on to tackle a big taboo in society that people, no matter what they say in public, are attracted to, and value highly, the concept of beauty.  She did say it was politically incorrect to make such a statement but her own good looks have given her “better chances” in life and she feels she has also gotten an “easier ride” because of her enhanced looks. Whilst this may be slightly true, it is certainly true that most people still value personality and contribution to society over mere looks. Where plastic surgery comes in is that it can help transform people’s confidence so that their personality shines through; if you feel beautiful, you will appear more beautiful and, for a lot of people, surgery is really the only way to correct not only physical flaws but mental doubts as well.

Jackson is well-known on the surgery circuit and is a veritable regular, having undergone nose-jobs, several facelifts, breast augmentation and liposuction procedures. Much of her body may now be unnatural, but her advice is down-to-earth and 100% real; if you’re unhappy with the way you look surgery offers you the chance to change yourself and change your life.

Plastic Surgery is a global obsession which cuts across all the age strata and yet, when you get down to the specifics of the different types of treatment, we all have stereotypical images in our heads of who we think has what sort of surgery. If you mention ‘facelift’ then one immediately thinks of an ageing Hollywood actress, perhaps in her 50’s or 60’s who is desperately trying to cling onto her career by fighting back against the ageing process. However, new advances and new techniques in the procedure mean that a younger and younger audience is now being attracted to the dramatic procedure.

New York-based plastic surgery practise Profiles and Contours have noted that a younger demographic are enquiring about updating their looks through one of the new variations on the face-lift.  Director of Profiles and Contours, Dr. Mark A Erlich has spoken out about the trend, saying that:
“What we’re seeing right now is a dramatic move away from the idea that a face lift is only effective for older or middle-aged patients. Younger women and men are finding out about newer, smaller-scale procedures, and they are taking advantage of these options to achieve results that look very natural and appropriate.”

Whereas it might have been the over 55’s who previously ventured into the world of facelifts, patients are now coming in who are in their 30’s or 40’s and who are searching for a more permanent way to turn back the clock.  One of the main reasons why such a younger audience is now being attracted to the facelift is that, with new procedures entering the market all the time, the recovery time needed is now nowhere near as grand as it once was. Younger people, who perhaps can’t spare the time which the retired older generation can, can now have facelifts and be back at work looking younger and more energised much quicker.

One of the new, speedier, procedures is called the ‘S-Lift’ and it uses small incisions to reduce the appearance of loose skin and muscle. Because it uses small incisions, recovery times are a lot shorter. As younger people flock towards facelifts perhaps some of the stigma and humour surrounding them will begin to evaporate and more and more people will see them as a more permanent alternative to Botox and collagen facial fillers; that will certainly put a smile on the cosmetic surgery industries face.

Twins generally like to assert their independence. After spending childhood being dressed the same by parents and having to share birthdays and having to live with always having to share attention, twins generally mark themselves out from each other as they get older. This is what makes this cosmetic surgery story all the more shocking; a pair of twin sisters have spoken out about how they have jointly spent over £60,000 on cosmetic surgery. Amazingly, they both wished to defy the ageing process (as so many of us do) but they also didn’t want the plastic surgery to harm their identity- they have undergone the same procedures at the same time since they were 21 in order that they continue to look identical!

It all started when the twins, Jo and Kerry, went under the knife when they were younger to have nose jobs.  They told the Daily Mail that, because they were so used to doing everything together since they were children that checking into the same clinic for the same surgery just seemed like a natural progression and, at least to them, didn’t seem as strange as some people might first believe it to be.  One of the siblings, Kerry, said:

“It might sound barmy to some to have cosmetic surgery just because your twin is having it, but we would hate to look different, so we had to have the cosmetic surgery together.”

Indeed everybody ages differently; even twins would not be guaranteed to keep their identical looks as they aged. This is because the ageing process can be drastically affected by lifestyle choices, such as smoking or heavy drinking, as well as genetics. By turning to cosmetic surgery as they age (both twins are now 34) the twins can ensure that they both keep their identity without losing their youthful looks.  The £60,000 the twins have so-far spent is only likely to increase as they continue to with their equal obsession in cosmetic surgery. So far they’ve had breast enlargements, Botox and eyelifts and keep their identical look flowing with matching hair extensions and clothes. It’s a look which is certainly going to get positive male attention from them and it highlights the huge advances in cosmetic surgery over the last few years. If two women can undergo the same procedure to look the same then it really shows the consistency doctors can now achieve.

A new non-invasive procedure has been launched in Canada which looks set to shake the foundations of the cosmetic and plastic surgery industry. 

It claims to offer long-lasting results with minimal maintenance; as well as smoothing wrinkles it is also designed to plump up fallen skin which has lost its volume due to illness or the natural detrimental effects of the ageing process.

Known as Sculptra, the new kid on the block is said to work progressively by naturally stimulating the body to produce its own collagen (rather than simply injecting the collagen in as many non-invasive surgical procedures do). Three treatments over a two or three month period should, according to the company’s own press release, result in a natural and youthful look which could well be much more subtle than some of the treatments which are already on the market.  The director of the Toronto Cosmetic Skin Surgery Centre, Dr. Sheldon Pollack, has spoken out about the innovation, saying that: “The arrival of Sculptra is great news because it represents a unique niche in facial rejuvenation that yields smoother, longer-lasting results. “Sculptra has been used in the cosmetic dermatology field since 1999 in more than 30 countries. It’s a safe, long-lasting, non-surgical option for Canadians aged 40+ wanting to significantly reverse the effects of aging by several years.”
There are warnings of possible side-effects from the treatment but these are no different to the ones which are warned about when undergoing most procedures. At the site of the injections, there could be bruising, swelling, redness or mild discomfort and, of course, bleeding as the skin itself is being pierced by the needle. However, these are relatively minor side-effects on the road to a much more confident and younger-looking face.  Small papules may also develop around the area of treatment, especially in an over concentrated area, but these are often only visible if pressure is applied to the skin.

The anti-ageing non invasive treatment area of the surgery world is one of the biggest and, with the growth of new and innovative techniques such as this one; it is likely to keep on growing. As results become more natural, and the stigma around having surgery subsides, many more people are likely to take the plunge into looking younger. Would-be patients in Canada will certainly be excited by this news and the industry may see a profit boost as a result.

New research which has recently been revealed to the world is forcing plastic and cosmetic surgeons to throw out their old assumptions on how the human face ages and thus what the best types of treatments to fight back can be. 

Apparently, our face are made up of different fat compartments and these different compartments individually change with age and so how we are affected by the ageing process and which parts of our bodies are affected depends on how each of these fat compartments changes over time. Wow, you really do learn something new every day!

The lead author of the study which has revealed this new information, Dr. Joel Pessa, has spoken out about the new findings, saying that: “Contrary to popular belief, the human face does not age uniformly. We thought facial fat was one confluent mass that eventually got weighed down by gravity, creating sagging skin. However, we were shocked to find not only is the face made up of individual fat compartments but these compartments gain and lose fat at different rates.” Thus, all our old assumptions about how to keep our faces looking young and gravity-defying have to be completely reconsidered.  What the study does mean, at a base level for people like you and me who might be considering facial surgery is that certain areas which cause us trouble can now be pinpointed and treated more directly.  Injectable fillers will be able to be used on specific compartments of fat on the face and thus a more natural and effective way of fighting back against the ageing process will be achieved. This will be greeted well on both sides of the Atlantic, as the non-invasive surgery business is one of the biggest sections of the cosmetic and plastic surgery industry.  “This discovery will undoubtedly play a role in how we view aging and how we approach facial reconstructive plastic surgery.” confirmed Dr. Pessa.

The study could have further reaching consequences as well, with reports saying that it could even have reconstructive benefits for cancer or trauma patients. Facial disfigurements such as cleft lips may also be able to be approached differently. It would seem this breakthrough is going to be used in many different areas of surgery and will ultimately benefit and enormous number of people. In the near future though, it will help to fight back against the ageing process.