Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

Even during the recession cosmetic procedures are growing in popularity.  The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that there were 36,482 surgical cosmetic procedures performed in 2009. This is nearly a seven percent increase over 2008, despite the recession. Non-surgical cosmetic treatments have seen a substantial increase in 2009 as well. Many people are happy to be able to make their body more beautiful without having to undergo surgery. One particular treatment that has become very popular is Latisse.

Latisse is a bimatoprost ophthalmic solution sold by the pharmaceutical company, Allergen. Bimatoprost is used to treat glaucoma and patients using it, noticed that their eyelashes got thicker and more full. Allergen perfected the new drug for use as a cosmetic treatment. Latisse has proved to be very effective at lengthening and increasing the prominence of eyelashes. It is a cream that is applied to the base of the upper eyelash, which works by prolonging the growth phase of the eyelash hair follicles. Within a few weeks the results will be noticed and within four months the lashes will reach full maturity.

Dr. Alexis Parker, founder of Lasair Aesthetic Health, said in a press release, “Even though there is an economic crunch, women are still willing to spend for longer, fuller eye lashes. Especially when the product works as well as Latisse®. In my practice I have seen dramatic results in almost all of my patients, including myself and my staff. I am seeing more and more women with lashes touching their eyebrows. And, as women, we know that eyes are definitely seductive.”

The medical condition hypotrichosis can also be treated with Latisse. Hypotrichosis of the eyelashes is a condition in which the eyelashes are either inadequate or their are not enough hairs present. Latisse helps these people to grow more eyelash hairs and these new hairs are stronger and longer. Some patients have even reported that their eyebrows grow better, with the use of Latisse. Though Allergen reported
that discontinuing the use of Latisse will cause eyelashes to slowly return to their previous state.

“Our patient satisfaction rate is well above 99%. Nearly everyone who has tried Latisse® is astounded by the way their lashes grow,” Dr. Parker said. “My patients…are concerned about maintaining and improving their appearance on every level. They always want to look like themselves only better.” Having long thick lashes used to mean sticking artificial eyelashes to the eyelids. Now women can grow beautiful lashes that are natural. Accenting the beauty of the face is simple with Latisse.

There are many different types of cosmetic procedures and they are divided into two categories: surgical and non surgical. Surgical procedures include breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks. Non-surgical procedures include accent laser treatment, Botox, and collagen injections. A non-surgical procedure that is becoming more and more popular is chemical peels.

The Press Association reports that chemical peels have actually become more popular than face lifts. The number of chemical peels performed in 2009 was three times the procedures performed the previous year. The Harley Medical Group’s Obagi Blue Peel is a treatment which gets rid of blemishes, acne scars, uneven pigmentation, sun damage, and wrinkles. It has been called by some the ‘recessions facelift’ due to
the increased popularity of the treatments. Liz Dale, director of the Harley Medical Group, said, “Non-surgical procedures, which saw big growth last year, have continued to be a strong area for us and now account for 32 percent of all our business.”

Chemical peels are a skin resurfacing procedure, in which the top layer of skin is removed so that the body can replace it with new skin. The new skin will grow back without whatever problem had been on the old skin. There are three different classifications for chemical peels. There are light peels which are basically
exfoliants. Intermediate peels are good for fine lines and superficial hyper pigmentation from sun damage. Deep peels can remove deep lines, medium sized wrinkles, and darker pigmentation. Many people find that they do not need to get a face-lift and are happy to settle for a chemical peel which makes their facial skin
look fresh and young.

In the plastic surgery field chemical peels are indeed increasing in popularity but the most popular cosmetic procedure is still, by far, breast augmentation. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that in 2009 there were a total of 8,565 breast augmentation procedures, in the UK. Studies done in January of 2010 also show that breast augmentation should prove to be the most popular
procedure in 2010. The Press Association reported that 75 percent of breast up lift patients in 2009 were mothers.

Undergoing a plastic surgery procedure can help to make a person look and feel young. Chemical peel are a way for some people to achieve this without a surgical procedure. The popularity of these effective yet non-invasive treatments has been increasing quickly and shows no sign of slowing.

The plastic surgery field has grown very quickly in the UK. In fact, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) reported over 36,000 procedures in 2009. This is nearly a seven percent increase over 2008. But not all surgeons in the UK are a part of the BAAPS. A broadcast of the One Show uncovered some of these ‘none member surgeons’ performing bad practices.

The One Show episode focused on cosmetic surgery and found that there is no regulating body to keep bad practices from occurring. In the hospitals the General Medical Council and the Care Quality Commission regulate the doctors. The Independent Healthcare Advisory Service (IHAS) is talking with the government about starting a joint regulation but many people do not believe this is enough. The problem with the IHSA is that their code of practice is not mandatory and thus is not enforceable throughout the entire field of plastic surgery.

Members of BAAPS have a strict set of regulations that must be followed. The organization is pushing to have all surgeons that perform cosmetic procedures to be held to the same standards. Nigel Mercer, president of BAAPS, in a paper titled ‘Clinical Risk in Aesthetic Surgery’ said , “There has been a massive increase in ‘marketing’, including discount vouchers, 2-for-one offers and holidays with surgery. In no other area of medicine is there such an un-regulated mess. What is worse is that the national governments would not allow it to happen in other areas of medicine. Imagine a ’2-for-1′ advert for general surgery? That way lies madness.”

France has instituted strict laws which limit who is able to do procedures. These laws state that a general medical degree is not sufficient to perform surgeries and advertisement of plastic surgery is also tightly regulated.  These are regulations that many would like to see instituted in the UK. Dr. Harvey Marcovitch, editor of a UK-based journal called Clinical Risk, said, “We need proper regulation of the industry and we need both surgeons and GPs to manage patient expectation.”

Goodsurgeonguide.co.uk is a website designed to help people learn more about plastic surgery. The site encourages people to carefully consider their choice of surgeon and make sure that they are respected and trusted. In response to the episode of the One Show, the managing director of this website, Christina Clogg, said, “We are not surprised that the One Show unearthed such bad practice at leading surgery groups in last night’s expose, it is one of the reasons why we developed the site and has lead us now, more than ever, to believe that the whole industry needs regulating.” Choosing a plastic surgeon needs to be based on more than just saving money. Finding a good and respected surgeon is necessary, because, as Ms. Clogg says, “[you] cannot put a price on good health and a safe procedure.”

Many airlines offer perks for passengers through frequent flier points. Passengers can get free hotel rooms, free plane tickets, and even free food. Now an airline is actually allowing passengers to use their frequent flier points to pay for boob jobs.

Finnair has started offering the option to exchange frequent flier points for cosmetic procedures, as part of the Finnair Plus Loyalty Service. The Finnish airline is capitalizing on the ever increasing popularity of cosmetic procedures. A free breast augmentation can be earned with 3.18 million points, roughly 120 round trip business class flights between Helsinki and New York. Finnair is working in conjunction with the Nordstroem Hospital in Helsinki. Cosmeticsurgeon reported that, the director for loyalty programs for the airline, Mikko Tuomainen, said, “The idea was to incorporate partners and services from all walks of life.” The airline would also like to extend the program to other health care areas as well.

Of course the airline offers other procedures through this program. These include face lifts and hair replacement. Men and women alike can benefit from this program. It is another way to help people to pay for the bodies that they want. Plastic surgery is a very popular thing and many businesses are seeing that, by embracing cosmetic surgery they may be able to benefit from its popularity.

Some women have found that they can also earn their boob jobs through raising the funds on-line. Louis Aldridge form Swindon was able to do just that. She had been unable to get a loan for breast augmentation, so she turned to a website that would allow her to get donations from people all around the world. She was able to raise ,4,000 and underwent a procedure to get her breasts augmented from a 32B to a 32E.

Breast augmentation was the most popular procedure during 2009 for women. In fact the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that 8,537 breast augmentations were performed on women in the UK, during that year. This is nearly 26 percent of all procedures received by women. Women wanting a boob job in 2010 will have many options available to them to raise the money for it. There are now loans, frequent flier plans from an airline, and even fundraisers for plastic surgeries.

A study performed by GoodSurgeonGuide showed that 51 percent of the women surveyed wanted a surgical procedure in 2010. Many women would have a procedure done if only they had the money to do it. Now there are institutions willing to give loans to women who want plastic surgery.

The most popular procedure in the UK is breast augmentation, and according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, there were 8,537 procedures performed in 2009. This is a little less than twice the number of the second most popular procedure. The media is constantly promoting bigger breasts and this can make women feel self conscious about their breast size. If they had the money to have a breast augmentation many would do it.

An article from Big News gives women hope for getting their dream breasts. It reported that there are groups of loan borrowers, of the sponsors of plastic surgeries. These institutions will offer money for cosmetic surgery. With the increased emphasis on looking good, many institutions can see the benefits of
offering loans to help people pay for their cosmetic procedures. Loan products have also been set up to help women who believe that they have a bad credit history and can’t get a loan. Women who want breast augmentation can find a lot of borrowers willing to help them.

Make Yourself Amazing is one of these groups that will help women to finance their breast augmentations. Their interest free loans are typically 12 month payment plans. These plans allow women to pay whatever they can, up front, and then pay the rest over a 12 month period, without any interest. They also offer flexible plans with regards to length of the loan, so that payments can be spread over a longer period of time. The plans are affordable. For example, repaying a treatment of ,2,995 can cost as little as ,20 a week, if it is spread over four years.

Having great breasts is something that most women want and would consider having plastic surgery to get. Some don’t do it because they don’t have all of the money set aside for it. Now that is no longer an issue. Loans are being offered to help women get the breast augmentations that they want. Women can have those awesome breasts in an affordable payment schedule that will fit their budget.

Some women have a celebrity that they worship, and would do most anything to look like her. For many women it is Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox, or Scarlet Johansson. According to the Jarkarta Post there has been a huge increase in the number of women wanting surgery to give them a figure like Beyonce and Jenifer Lopez. But for one women, it is a cartoon character whom she idolizes. The character is Jessica Rabbit, from the cartoon film ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’

57 year old Annette Edwards, of Worchester, is a rabbit breeder. She loves rabbits and even bred a rabbit that holds the record, as the largest rabbit in the world. She has, however, taken her love of rabbits to a whole new level. In the film ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, the main character Roger is a rabbit who’s wife is named Jessica Rabbit. Annette decided to get ,10,000 worth of cosmetic surgeries done, to look just like Jessica. In an interview with This Morning she said, “I just think she’s a very sexy cartoon.”

She went on a strict three month diet, eating ‘like a rabbit’, to lose enough weight. Then over a period of a week she underwent a wide range of procedures. She had a breast lift to approximate the characters bossom better. Then came a brow lift which tightened up her face a little. She also had Botox injections in her upper cheeks and a plastic implant in her chin. She is very satisfied with the result and loves to dress up as Jessica. She told This Morning that she does not dress like Jessica all the time, only for shoots. She said, “I am not Jessica at home, I’m just a normal person.”

Many people choose plastic surgery to give them the body that they have always dreamed of. Annette’s dream face was a cartoon character and she was able to get it, through cosmetic procedures. She said that her children think she is a little mad, but they are supportive. She told the Daily Mail, “Since I had it done I have had loads of compliments and I love the way I look now.”

Being able to achieve the body of her dreams has been a wonderful experience for Annette. When asked, on This Morning, about the money that she spent she said, “Yeah, well, you only live once. Do what makes you feel good.”

The pressure of looking good and having a nice body has grown overwhelming in today’s society. Men and women alike feel that they must look good to be successful. In many ways, this is true. In order to remain marketable in the job market or to get those promotions, looking good is essential. This ideal has leaked into the psych of teens, who are undergoing a rising number of cosmetic procedures.

The pressure of looking good is felt very keenly by teens. They are picked on at school because of a wide range of physical differences. It doesn’t take much of a difference for a bully to pick at. Many teens are awed by a celebrity idol and they dream of looking as beautiful, as that celebrity. The teen years have always been hard, but now there is a way to lighten some of that burden. Plastic surgery can help to give teens the confidence that they lack and allow them to be more accepted among their peers.

Natural News reported that the figures for 2008, from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, showed that surgeries performed on people under the age of 19 was very high. In fact 160,283 U.S. residents of that age underwent some form of cosmetic surgery. The surgeries ranged from breast augmentation and liposuction to hair removal and birthmark removal.

369 people of that age group actually had a controversial procedure called blepharoplasty. Blepharoplasty, also know as ‘Asian eye surgery,’ is a surgery where the eyes of people of Asian descent are widened. Gerald Pitman, a plastic surgeon in New York City, told USA Today, “The kids I see, their desire is almost uniformly to be normal, non-deviant. Kids don’t want to stand out in a negative way.”

The fact that cosmetic surgery has become very mainstream has made society much less judgmental about it. If a person is willing to undergo a procedure to make themselves look and feel better wouldn’t they do the same for their child? Donn Chatham, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, told Natural News, “…parents may themselves even be undergoing cosmetic surgery and may feel for our children that it’s not such a stretch.”

Many parents and surgeons believe that since the technology exists and can benefit their children, then there is nothing wrong with using it. Most people have cosmetic surgery to give them confidence and allow them to live a happier, more full life. In this regard, people under the age of 19 are no different.

Women have turned to cosmetic surgery in ever increasing numbers. Today’s society pushes them to have a perfect body and a young face. Exercise and diet are important, but most of the time they are not enough. Cosmetic surgery is, many times, necessary for a woman to maintain the look that is expected of her. Now, Senator Harry Reid’s healthcare bill has a proposed tax on elective cosmetic procedures, which has quickly been termed the ‘botax.’

The American government does not really understand who they are taxing with this tax. A promise was made to tax the rich and make them pay their share of taxes. This tax will actually harm middle-aged, mid-income women. In a blog on the NYTimes.com a physician said, “I can tell you that most of my cosmetic patients are not rich, but are working people, including teachers, and accountants.” Should these people have to pay the government to look good?

This botax has been dubbed a sexist tax. Nearly 90 percent of all cosmetic procedures are performed on women, so the tax is going to be paid mostly by women. Terry O’Neil, president of the National Organization for Women, told the Times that many middle aged women would suffer form this tax. With a lot of women loosing jobs due to the recession, many are looking to cosmetic surgery to help them to impress potential employers. She went on to say, “[the government] is going to put a tax on middle-aged women in a society that devalues them for being middle-aged.”

Women who get cosmetic surgery are not vain shallow people, contrary to what some may believe. Dr. Carlos Wolf, a Miami plastic surgeon, told the Stylelist, “Generally, I find that cosmetic surgery patients want to look their best, so they eat healthy and stay in shape.” One of the most popular procedures, boob jobs, is commonly performed on women who have recently had a child. Pregnancy tends to cause a woman’s breasts to sag, after they are no longer lactating. Society promotes the idea that a woman should have perky firm breasts, so taxing a middle aged mother when she wants to have her breasts fixed is ridiculous and sexist.

Most cosmetic procedures are performed on middle aged women who want to turn back the age that is sapping away their beauty. This may sound vain but the truth is that society does not value a middle aged woman that actually looks middle aged. Society values beauty and it is sexist to tax these women, making it harder for them to stay beautiful in a chauvinistic society.

When people are constantly in the media, whether it be on TV or in pictures, they want to look their best. Government officials in the western world have availed themselves of cosmetic procedures to maintain those good looks on camera. Now China’s politicians have also decided to embrace the benefits of using plastic surgery.

The Telegraph reported that more then 500 officials of the Chinese government undergo plastic surgery procedures each year. Many of these procedures are performed at the Plastic Surgery Hospital at Beijing’s Union Medical College. A senior surgeon, named Chen Huanran, told Telegraph that China’s politicians want to stand out more, like their Western counterparts. He said, “They want to make sure they have the strong features that government officials are supposed to have.” According to Dr. Chen at least 200 procedures each year are performed on senior members of the government. He denied any claims that members of the current Politburo have had surgical procedures.

These officials may be willing to have procedures done , but they do not want it to be known. Dr. Chen said, “The officials are usually between 40 and 60 years old. They simply want to look younger, but they don’t want others to notice any changes.” They are very secretive about their procedures. Many of the surgeries are performed after hours when the hospital is not open. Some are even held in secret locations
and contact information is merely a telephone number, to create more security. They will use holidays or downtime throughout the day for the procedures.

Plastic surgery has become a huge industry in China and is growing at a rate of 20 percent each year. Dr. Chen told the Telegraph that lots of marketing companies actually give plastic surgery packages as gifts to government officials. It is believed that there are probably over a million cosmetic procedures performed in
China each year. The most popular procedure for officials is eyelid lifts followed closely by other facial reconstruction and rejuvenating enhancements. Botox and fillers for wrinkles have been thoroughly utilized by China’s elite.

The popularity of plastic surgery has indeed spread all over the world and people believe that to stay ahead they must employ this service. Many men and women have undergone procedures to maintain a youthful look and be more marketable in their careers. They believe that looking young is a good way to keep other’s confident of their abilities. China’s officials have obviously come to the same conclusion. They use cosmetic procedures to keep the image that they believe an important person
should have.

Plastic surgery has progressively grown more popular throughout the years. As more and more women undergo cosmetic procedures the public gain a better understanding of its benefits. Having simple procedures done can change a woman’s life drastically, giving her the confidence and beauty that she has always dreamed of having. In fact more than half of all women surveyed said that they had hopes of having cosmetic surgery soon.

The GoodSurgeonGuide performed a study which revealed that British women are placing a lot of emphasis on looking good in 2010. They are much less concerned about getting a promotion or even finding love. Christina Clogg, co-founder of the guide said, “We were very surprised that it [looking good] was more important to some than a more successful career or finding someone special.” Looking good has become a
driving factor in our society and women are finding that they must strive to meet the ever climbing expectations of beauty. Women have made new year’s resolutions to reshape their body in 2010 with the most popular resolutions being cosmetic surgical procedures, more stringent diets, and new exercise regimens.

Fifty-one percent of the women in the UK have expressed the desire to have plastic surgery done. The most popular procedure for women is breast augmentation followed by eyelid surgery. Women can have liposuction or face lifts. With the growth of plastic surgery, the procedures to choose from are limitless. A woman can completely change the contours of her body to attain that slim sexy body that they envy. Or
they can alter features on their face to maintain their youthful looks.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reported that in 2009 there were 32,859 plastic surgeries performed on women in the UK. This is compared to 31,183 in 2008, a 5.4 percent increase. The highest rise in procedures was actually breast reductions which rose 17 percent over the last year. Even though breast augmentation is still the most popular procedure, this rise in breast reduction procedures shows that there is indeed a wide range of different things women expect from plastic surgery.

The President of BAAPS, Douglas McGeorge, said’ “When performed under the right circumstances, cosmetic surgery can have a positive psychological impact and improve quality of life.” The abundance of positive testimonials concerning plastic surgery is a strong motivator for women. They have heard about its benefits through the media and from people who are close to them. Women find themselves considering
having a procedure done because of the happiness they see emanating from others who have had plastic surgery. Being beautiful and happy is a state of being that all women pursue and cosmetic surgery can help them to get there.