Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

Many people look at themselves in the mirror and are disappointed with what they see. The person looking back at them from the mirror is over weight and has a terribly looking body, in their opinion. Each year they look at that same reflection and hope that the time has come for that body to change. 2010 may be the year that their hopes come true; they may turn to cosmetic weight loss procedures to take the weight off for good.

The Weight Loss Surgery Channel has a huge store of information concerning weight loss surgery including patient education, success stories, and breaking news. They reported that the Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery has assembled a list of the top ten trends in weight loss surgery that they expect to see in 2010. One of the trends that is foreseen is a rise in bariatric surgeries, with more teenage and diabetic people seeking out this weight loss surgery.

Obesity is a problem in the UK that has been slowly growing in recent years. A study led by Professor Klim Mcpherson, of the University of Oxford, predicted that by 2020 eight out of ten men and seven in ten women will be overweight, if the current trends continue. Increases in the number of people who are overweight have caused many specialist to come to the conclusion that weight loss surgery is going to
become more and more sought out.

Advances in types of weight loss surgery have made the procedures more desirable. Some procedures are in clinical trails that do not require incisions. The procedures that do require incisions have been improved so much that the incisions are small and there are less incisions necessary. Some procedures are performed by using a band to cinch off the top of the stomach, making a small pouch. This limits the amount of food that you can east and slows digestion. In gastric bypass surgery a small pouch is created in the stomach and the food in this pouch is rerouted to bypass part of the small intestine. This keeps the rerouted food from getting absorbed by the body.

These weight loss surgeries can cause a substantial amount of weight loss. People who are obese can finally shed all of that excess weight. Once the weight is gone many people will consider having a new procedure called corset trunkplasty. This procedure will help to return the elasticity of the skin and give people the contours that they always dreamed of having. Women can have the hourglass figure that will give them a confident and happy life. 2010 is sure to be a big year for weight loss surgeries.

Many women want to lose weight and weight loss tablets seem to be an easy way to accomplish this. Of all the possible choices for weight loss this is one of the worst. Weight loss pills are a temporary fix who’s effects will soon wear off. A better more permanent solution is a liposuction procedure.

Rich Leigh , a personal trainer and founder of fatfreefitness.co.uk, says that many women are trying to lose weight by using weight loss tablets because they don’t have time to exercise. Many women are too busy with a never ending list of things to do during their days and thus cannot fit exercise into their schedules. This does not mean that they must live with being overweight. They merely have to find a viable alternative to exercise.

Rich Leigh commissioned research to determine the number of women using fat loss pills. This study involved 1,392 women between the ages of 16 and 50. The findings were that an average of 23 percent of these women used weight loss pills. Of the women under 30, 18 percent used them and of those over 30, 28 percent used them. Sixty-seven percent of these fat loss pills were purchased online anonymously. Many of these women, nearly 67 percent, said that they took the pills because they did not have time to exercise. Thirty-one percent said that using weight loss pills was a last resort.

Most weight loss supplements contain ma huang which is a botanical source of ephedrine similar to amphetamine. Hundreds of adverse reactions have been reported from using this substance. These reactions include dizziness, nausea, and seizures or even heart attacks and strokes. These pills claim to increase metabolism. However once a person stops taking them the weight will come right back. The temporary weight loss of diet pills is surely not worth the risks associated with their use.

Women must not despair. There is a way to get rid of these fat cells in a safe and effective way. Liposuction is a viable substitute for diet pills. It is a procedure that removes pockets of fat from problem areas on the body. It is accomplished using a suction tube called a cannula which is inserted into a small incision. The cannula is pushed and pulled through the fat cells, breaking them up and then sucking them out of the body. The results are amazing and many women have learned this fact for themselves. Thousands of women availed themselves of some form of liposuction in 2009, including fat cell removal from both the face and body.

Due to many advancements in the cosmetic surgery field, liposuction is a safe and easy way for a woman to rid herself of those flabby features that she hates. Liposuction is indeed an excellent alternative to fat loss pills for shedding that excess weight.

All year people watch their figures, by eating healthy, and exercising. Then the Christmas season comes along and they do a little bingeing. It’s hard to resist grandma’s Christmas cookies or that special pumpkin pie that mom brings over. This seasonal overeating is enough to send people rushing to the surgeons office for a tummy tuck.

Mark Norfolk is the Clinical Services Director of the Transform Cosmetic Group, in Wakefield, United Kingdom. Due to this position he is uniquely able to give opinions about motives for plastic surgery as well as current trends. On average people gain about six pounds over the Christmas season, but experts say that this year the average weight gain has nearly doubled. Mark told the Sun, “We always see a rush for
weight loss surgery at Christmas, but this year’s been exceptional.” He reported that many women blame the recession for their weight gain. He said, “They’ve let go over Christmas, bingeing on food and booze and are feeling the consequences.”

The number of appointments for invasive weight loss plastic surgery procedures has risen 57 percent compared to last year. These procedures include abdominoplasty (tummy tucks) which involves a manual tightening of the abdominal muscles and removal of excess skin. This procedure slims and contours the abdomen for a very appealing look. Another procedure that is in high demand, to handle the Christmas binge flab, is liposuction. Liposuction is a process where fat cells are actually pulled out of problem areas.

Gastric bands, bariatric surgeries, are also popular as weight loss surgeries. These bands are clamped on the stomach to reduce the amount of food that a person is able to consume. These surgeries allow for a large amount of weight loss and thus are meant for people who are clinically obese. After losing substantial weight with this surgery, many people opt to have additional procedures to finish the sculpting of their body.

Plastic surgery has increased in popularity each year and 2010 will not be an exception. The extensive media coverage of cosmetic procedures has brought knowledge of their benefits to a wider range of people in society. As the procedures become more mainstream and more surgeons are available, the price of the procedures gradually becomes less. Even the recession has not been able to stop the growth of the plastic surgery market. In fact Patrick Mallucci, a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, told the Guardian, “What has been surprising for me is that it is very busy during a time of supposed recession.”

We’ve just got wind of some startling new research which, of course, we felt we simply had to share with you (O.K so my bosses told me to tell you about it but, still, you get to hear some rather fascinating news!) A team of scientists has published research which suggests that having weight loss surgery can reduce a woman’s risk of developing cancer in later life by around 40%. This is massive news which could have widespread implications, not just in the field of cosmetic and plastic surgery, but also in the wider medical world as well. Obviously, this is only one set of results and many more tests and investigations will have to be carried out to see if these claims are actually feasible and trustworthy.

It has long been known that there is a link between having a higher than average BMI and an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer but this is the first time, after this research by scientists at the University of Gothenburg, that the trend has been looked at going the other way.  This is essentially the first proof that weight loss surgery could, in fact, be even more beneficial than losing weight naturally. It was this information which brought the scientists to conclude that well-timed weight loss surgery could well be highly beneficial to the long-term health of female patients; however no such conclusion has yet been reached as to whether this is also the case for obese males. One of the lead authors on the study has spoken out, saying that:

“The current exploratory report on cancer further underlines the favourable effects of bariatric surgery, particularly in women.”

Cancer is one of the biggest killers in the U.K, and yet our country is also facing an obesity crisis. It would seem like news which was too good to be true if a way were found to synthesise treatments for both conditions.  Whilst this news is cause for excitement, we must also remain cautious. Many more investigations need to be carried out, as well as attempts to determine whether this treatment can also be beneficial for men as well as for women. We here on this blog will certainly be keeping an eye out for any developments and will let you know as soon as something new is revealed. In the meantime, we hope you all stay healthy.

Many more people are now undergoing dramatic weight-loss programs, perhaps inspired by celebrities such as designer Karl Lagerfeld, in order to achieve their dream bodies.

Many people find that, even after they have exercises and starved their way into those size 0 jeans, they aren’t left with a body which they would proudly display in a bikini. This is because, as we lose weight, the skin loses its elasticity, having stretched around all the excess weight for years, and often hangs down in unsightly pouches once the weight has gone. This leads many dieters to turn to tummy-tucks to finish of the job which weight-loss started.

Many natural dieters, as well as those fitted with gastric bands, are turning to abdominoplasty to take that final step towards physical perfection.  “Weight fluctuations affect the distribution of fat and the elasticity of the skin, especially in areas like the hips, flanks, and buttocks.” commented Dr. Grant Stevens, a Los Angeles-based cosmetic surgeon.  This means that tummy tucks are now being added to a healthy diet and regular exercise as the integral parts of achieving a celebrity-beating body.  It’s not just tummy tucks which are available either; liposuction and body-lift procedures can also help eradicate the disfiguring scars of an overweight or obese past.  We lose weight to make a fresh start, to begin afresh and take on life; we don’t want to be shackled down with constant, unsightly reminders of the past!

This is clearly a feeling which is prevalent amongst many cosmetic surgery patients, and in particular amongst men, with the latter investing in tummy tucks 30% more than women did in 2008. This is an astonishing figure and one which proves that the country has well and truly been overrun by the notion of metrosexuality. It is no longer just women who are pressured to look a certain way, now men are going under the knife in an attempt to live up to the billboards and models which surround us every day. Some companies even offer pec and six-pac implants for the lazier man to get fit in a hurry. Joking aside, tummy tucks do offer a major boost in confidence, not just for dieters, but also for those who have gone through the joyous process of pregnancy but who have come out the other side with depleted confidence. Such negativity can now be cut away!

In times gone by flamboyant, gushing gowns could hide any excess weight that might be stubbornly clinging to the bride-to-be wearer but changes in fashion mean that there are now not so many ruffles and plumages to hide behind.

This could be one of the reasons behind the rise in brides going under the knife before they walk down the aisle.  One company said it had already received a staggering 400 enquiries about plastic surgery for weddings since the beginning of the year! Interestingly, it’s not just lipo that these fabulous brides are wanting; they want breast enlargements as well so they can fill the tighter, less forgiving gowns which are now on the market.

The owner of the Mirror, Mirror bridal boutiques in London, Maria Yainnikaris, has commented how she has noticed a trend in women saying: “I need to wait for my fitting”. These same women then return with “very high and firm breasts”.  The catwalk has been seen as partly to blame, wedding couture is now big business and the current trend for slimmer, ‘body-con’ dresses is what the public is spending its money on.  Traditional wedding dresses were designed to be an un-sexual as possible, sexuality and the idea of the virginal bride were seen as clashing ideas.  Now however, the mounds of fabric and frills have gone the way of the virginal bride and now it’s all about the sexy, slim bride.  The manager of The Wedding Dress Shop, in Wimbledon, commented on the trend saying that: “…the trend is now influenced by delicate, fluid styles with lots of lace, thin spaghetti straps and no structure at all. There is one dress in particular that is impossible to wear without a perfect pair of breasts or a breast augmentation or lift. The dress has back cross-over straps so a bra is completely out of the question.”

However, surgeons cannot work miracles. Indeed, one leading practitioner has commented on this issue. He said that he had seen a rush of women who begin to panic as their big day approaches and thus come to demand unrealistic and unhealthy turnaround times. These women are being turned away and told that their expectations are simply too unrealistic. Looking fabulous on your big day is important, but so is feeling fabulous and you don’t want to have to run straight from the hospital bed to walk down the aisle!

A wedding is the social event of the year for any family. 6 months is spent of trying to find an outfit, then a further two weeks spent dithering over whether a fascinator would be too garish or not and then, finally, the big day arrives.  Then when you get the photos back you notice that your bridesmaids might not look as glamorous as you may have first hoped. Never fear, there is a name for it within the cosmetic surgery profession, it’s called the ‘Bridesmaid’s Bulge’.

The rather vulgar term refers to excess body fat or ‘flab folds’ which can become visible when women are forced into strapless dresses for weddings (hence the name given to the problem).  Dr. Paul Cronin has spoken out, explaining that: “Technically, it’s the anterior ancillary fat pad… We have all seen those wedding photos when the older bridesmaids are forced to wear unflattering strapless dresses. That’s when you notice these folds of flab sticking out at the sides, below their armpits. These women are generally not overweight.” Of course, by the time you’ve got the wedding pictures back it’s somewhat too late to do something about the problem but it is hoped that, by drawing attention to the problem, more women will be able to take action before they fall victim to the dreaded bulge of the bridesmaid.

The problem is that these areas generally don’t respond to exercise. They are stubborn areas of fat that will likely stay even with the most rigorous exercise program, never mind with the tiny amount of workout most people find time to squeeze into their hectic schedules. Other areas notoriously hard to tone include the ‘muffin-top’ area; the part which infamously spills over every time we try pull off the Victoria Beckham look and squeeze into a pair of skinny jeans.  There is help at hand though and, because of recent advances in technology, the solution doesn’t have to lie in invasive and expensive surgery.  Non-invasive alternatives, such as Laser Liposuction, can help break down the stubborn areas of fat and simply dissolves it away into the body. Of course, proper liposuction, or a tummy-tuck would be a much more permanent solution to the problem. Don’t wait until some wedding photo’s make you cringe, get your bridesmaid bulge sorted now and you might be the next one walking down the aisle!

We all have our own reasons for going under the knife; maybe we want to lose some unsightly weight, correct a deformity we’ve had since birth or perhaps we simply want to get back some of the confidence we had when we were younger.

Well, now there’s another, ever more popular, reason why people are going under the knife: divorce.  It seems many people who go through a separation from a partner are now turning towards cosmetic surgery to start the new chapter in their life!

The Lansing State Journal is the publication which has carried the story, saying that both men and women are finding that Cosmetic Surgery offers them the complete break from their old life which many of them needed.  “Plastic surgery can improve how a person looks and feels about themselves. I have seen patients at all times of their lives – not just (after) divorce – who become more confident and feel better”, commented leading plastic surgeon Dr. Jean Loftus. After a messy divorce, what better way to restore confidence than to make yourself look uber-fabulous and leave your ex cursing the day he ever let you go? It’s the surgical equivalent to putting your best dress on and having a night out on the town! 

However, impulse plastic surgery is not the wisest move one can make and industry experts are warning that, despite this trend, surgery is something which should be thought about for a long time, in consultation with both GP’s and trained cosmetic surgeons.  Despite this rise in post-divorce surgeries, they are nowhere near topping the league of the main reasons people decide to go under the knife. Long term insecurities or the negative effects of child-birth are still the main factors in people opting for certain procedures and these are probably the most admirable and wisest catalysts to opting for Cosmetic Surgery.

Divorce, and other trauma within our lives, can often leave us feeling that we need a fresh start that we need to turn a page and open a new and more exciting chapter in our lives. This is certainly healthy, but impulse decisions about surgery are not. Even if you feel it’s the only way to move on, take some time to think, to reflect and to decide if it’s truly what you want to do. If you decide it is, then a world of possibilities and change awaits you!

A slimming pill that can help people lose weight quickly is about to become available to the public in a few months.

The product is called Alli and works by preventing the body from taking in fat from food. According to the trials, the consumers lost around 10lb in six months.

The medical regulating bodies in Europe have approved the product and it is expected to be launched in pharmacies by the beginning of summer.

According to the manufacturer of the product GlaxoSmithKline, the approval of the drug to be sold without prescription is ‘a significant milestone’, since it is the first product in this field which will be accessible to the public without medical advice.

The participants of the product trials who took the pill daily every time they consumed food, lost about 50 per cent more than those who decided to shift weight naturally. However, there were cases when the dieters shed more than five stone of excess weight.
 
An average decrease in weight of 10lb roughly equals dropping one dress size.
 
However, the new product does have side effects. Due to the body not being able to get rid of undigested fat, consumers of the drug are more likely to experience wind and diarrhoea. Moreover, Alli is thought to prevent the absorption of some vitamins and therefore it is necessary for consumers to take vitamins daily.

The product, which is a much weaker version of prescription slimming pill Xenical, will be accessible to anyone whose body mass index is higher than 28. An individual with a BMI between  25 and 29 is considered overweight and someone with a BMI higher than 30 is categorised as obese.

The drug, which will be available in all major pharmacies, has already accumulated £400 million in US sales during the first year of production.

Its price is yet to be fixed, but in the U.S., where it has been on sale for over a year, it costs around £1 a day. Glaxo has stressed that the pill, taken three times a day, is designed to enhance rather than replace the benefits of diet and exercise.

‘Consumers are spending millions of pounds each year on fad diets, unproven “miracle pills” and potentially unsafe weight loss supplements,’ commented chairman of the National Obesity Forum Dr David Haslam.

‘Medically proven licensed products give consumers the option of something which can genuinely support meaningful weight loss,’ he explained.

However, doubts have been raised over the effectiveness of the drug without trial conditions.

Gareth Williams, who is the editor of a book called Obesity: Science to Practice, claims that changing lifestyle habits can bring the same results as slimming pills.

‘Don’t eat between meals, leave out food that’s obviously full of fat or sugar and get half an hour’s walking exercise a day. That’s all you need to do,’ he advised.

A research of patients who have undergone plastic surgery to shift excess weight conducted in Sweden has shown that occurrences of death after the operation are rare.

Researchers investigated nearly 15,000 cases of weight reduction surgery performed in Sweden between 1980 and 2005.

They estimated that only 0.2 per cent of patients faced fatal complications within 30 days after the surgery; 0.3 per cent within 90 days of surgery; and 0.5 per cent of patients died within one year after the operation.

The author of the study Dr Richard Marsk who works for Stockholm’s Danderyd Hospital, reported to Reuters Health: “Most published series are from high-volume expert centres. We have shown that bariatric surgery can be performed with low mortality on a national level.”

The research, which can be found in the Annals of Surgery publication, shows that patients who are older than 50 face higher chance of dying after an obesity operation than younger patients.
 
Moreover, the death rates in male patients are thought to be slightly higher than in female patients. Dr Marsk links this tendency to the fact that men are more likely to suffer from advanced heart disease than women by the time they undergo the operation.

In addition, another research which was published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology has revealed that weight loss surgery can be a way to fight liver diseases connected to obesity.