Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

Plastic Surgery has rose in popularity exponentially over past decade; it’s now easier and cheaper than ever to go under the knife. However, this rise in popularity has led to many dangerous practises as well; so-called Botox parties and other new fads such as “lunchtime lifts” are leading people into getting surgery which may well not be safe. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has spoken out about the troubling trend as they fear that people will not only get poorer results than they had hoped for but will also risk damaging their health as well. The rise in ‘in-office’ and at-home procedures is partly fuelled by people’s desire for cheaper treatments but, the old adage is certainly true, you do get what you pay for.

Dr. J Peter Rubin has spoken out, saying that: “In the wrong clinical setting, the results may not come close to the promises made in the advertising. What is really indispensible for the best results, however, is not a specific procedure but the judgment of a board certified plastic surgeon who can match the right patient with the best procedure for them.”

Indeed it is certainly true that a procedure is only as good as the person who performs it and, whilst the best surgeons may cost a little extra money, you can’t really put a price on your health or on the perfect appearance which you are striving towards. So far, these branded treatments, such as Lifestyle Lift and Smart Lipo are a phenomenon which has stayed on the other side of the Atlantic but, as the cosmetic industry continues to rapidly expand here in the U.K, how long is it before we too will see this dangerous trend spreading through our offices and other places of work?

It is easy to see why treatments such as these are popular, we all have less time than we used to and are scared to take time out from our jobs in case there isn’t a position open for us when we come back. So, we find surgeries that fit around our schedules and seem like they will take the least amount of time to perform and recover from. This could end up being a literal false economy however if we have to pay a more qualified surgeon to correct mistakes or if we find we have wasted our hard-earned money.

If we had endless supplies of money there are probably lots of surgeries we would all like to have. But this being the real world, and the recession to boot, we simply stick with the procedures we want the most or the ones which we think will be most beneficial to us in the long run. We may even begin to look abroad for cheaper surgeries or opt for companies who have special offers on. One idea which would probably, and thankfully, never occur to us is to simply perform the procedure ourselves! However, as outlandish as this sounds, it’s what one woman from California has done.

Ironically, the woman is now having to undergo proper reconstructive surgery after she attempted to do plastic surgery herself, on her own face! The 54 year old, who has three children, attempted to make herself look younger by injecting herself with liquid silicone in her cheeks and lips.  So far so crazy, but this is when it starts to get serious. The woman thought that everything would be fine but soon the swelling started. She commented: “I can’t believe I did what I did…I thought I was going to be happy with the results, then the next day, my face became very inflamed, very red [and] swollen.”

Amazingly, this isn’t an isolated case. The doctor who had to perform the corrective surgery on this woman has also spoken out, saying that: “We’ve noticed an uptick in people trying to do things like this at home…and having problems, and (then) having to come in and see us.”

The rise in popularity of plastic surgery, coupled with the economic downturn is apparently turning more and more people towards the idea of performing their own surgeries at home. This is not a good idea (but you knew that already right?)

This is a worrying trend which seems to be tacked onto the back of the rise of unlicensed cosmetic surgery.  Trends such as Botox parties are becoming more and more popular and yet many of them are not safe. This story, whilst shocking and, quite frankly, amusing, has a very serious point behind it. If you are going to take the plunge into cosmetic surgery, make sure that you are doing so with a licensed, qualified and competent doctor who will do a beautiful and professional job. Don’t do it yourself, leave it to the experts.

Botox is probably one of the most well-known cosmetic procedures around. It’s had widespread publicity because of the amount of celebrities who swear by it for tackling ageing skin or tightening up loose parts of their face.

More recently, Botox has also been shown to help problems such as excessive sweating and even hair loss and now news has reached us that yet another discovery has been made as to the benefits of Botox!

A survivor of the horrific Paddington Rail Crash of 1999 has spoken out about how Botox has changed her life. After the accident, Antonia Blake was left with chronic back pain which would often leave her confined to her bed for up to 12 hours a day.  However, thanks to new treatment she has now been able to put a decade of trauma and discomfort behind her and begin walking into a brand-new chapter of her life.  Treatments in London had failed to work but, when she moved to Devon, a new doctor was able to suggest the possible benefits of the non-invasive treatment to Antonia.

“Antonia had muscular skeletal pain with myofascial pain. This is pain arising within the muscles with an unknown cause,” commented Dr. Kathryn Davis. She went on further to comment on the pioneering treatment which was given to her patient: “Her treatment included the use of steroid injections to damp down the pain and Botox injections which gave the effect of localised paralysis.”  The treatment, and recovery, could not have come at a better time as now Ms. Blake will be able to walk down the aisle unaided at her upcoming wedding. This happy ending to the story, run by the Daily Mail, is sure to melt the faces of even the most Botox-addicted peopled around.

Sadly, the popularity of Botox has led industry-professionals to warn against shady operators which one may find on the internet.  Many unlicensed and unsafe practises now advertise over the web and the message seems to be that, if something looks too good to be true, then it probably is.  The bigger clinics up and down the U.K are still the safest place to get the treatments and you should also try and steer away from so-called “Botox Parties” as well. But, for every cautionary tale there is a heart-warming story like Antonia’s; one which proves the wonderful capacity cosmetic surgery has for changing lives.