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.
A research has reported that botox injections can really make a positive impact on your skin.
The study was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. It investigated the skin condition of two patients who had their wrinkles and fine lines treated with Botox injections, a non-surgical cosmetic procedure.
The research was of very small scale, but it was noticed that botox had caused positive effects on the quality of both the patients‘ skin conditions. The patients were monitored for a total of 7 years.
The participants did not notice any new wrinkles forming and enjoyed smooth, youthful and naturally looking skin. “I have found that with short-term use, expression lines still remain, but over the long term creases actually disappear, meaning the smoothing effect does not wear off when the botox does.”
Another way Botox injections are used in cosmetic surgery is stopping underarm sweating.
Experts have reported that men who choose to have plastic surgery to improve their looks will often have to take longer to recover from the operation than women.
Douglas McGeorge, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), claimed that women have the opportunity to use make-up to make scars and bruises less noticeable, whereas men usually do not have this option.
He said: “There are some operations where men end up paying a ‘higher price’, and by that I mean that the recovery period is more prolonged for men. Their scars are more visible for longer because we don’t, as men, use make-up to disguise the scars.”
Mr McGeorge, who works a consultant plastic surgeon, claimed that men should be advised before getting cosmetic surgery so that they are aware of the fact that pink scars will occur after the operation and they will need to take time to recover.
“If it does bother them, then they’re not candidates for surgery,” he concluded. “However, most people at the end of the day – if properly counselled – will accept the limitations that being a man presents and will carry on and have their operation.”
A study has revealed that men treated with Botox injections generally need a bigger amount of the material than women undergoing the same procedure to achieve similar improvement in their skin condition.
The review was published in the journal Dermatologic Therapy. According to the researchers, the reason why men need higher doses of Botox may be the fact that men have more muscle mass than women.
The study has found out that taller, bigger and more athletic men are likely to need more units of Botox per procedure as opposed to thinner and less bulky men. This explains why some results in male patients vary.
Dr Timothy Corcoran Flynn, one of the researchers, wrote: “Men have a growing interest in cosmetic dermatologic treatments. “Botulinum toxin type A treatment offers a minimally invasive approach to improving facial lines and is often the first cosmetic procedure chosen by male patients. “In general, men can be treated with the same techniques as women, but often require more units.”
The General Medical Council (GMC) has published a new document concerning the use of botox which is aimed at recuding medical complications that occur as a result of a popular trend called ‘botox parties’.
The GMC’s ‘Good Practice in Prescribing Medicines’ guidance has been amended to target improperly performed botox procedures that do not meet supply and administration requirements, especially if a medical doctor is not present during the procedure.
Before the release of the amended document, doctors have been able to prescribe botox to groups of people, which enabled a nurse to perform the procedure on a group of people without them needing to see a doctor. However, from now on prescriptions of botox and other non-surgical cosmetic treatments will have to be “patient specific”, according to a GMC spokesman who was interviewed by the Daily Telegraph.
“The doctor must know the patient’s medical history or have for example seen a photo of the patient,” he added. “This is because the treatment is delivered by injection and the doctor needs to be able to assess where (for example on the face) the injection is needed and where it should not be administered.”
Patients are recommended to only address reputable plastic surgery clinics at all times to receive botox injections and should strictly avoid alcohol consumption in botox parties.
