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Leading Surgeon Says we Should be Keeping Fit Rather than Going Under the Knife.

The New York Times has reported that a top US surgeon, Dr Gerald Pitman has given a lecture in Manhattan recently recommending patients to get plenty of exercise instead of resorting to cosmetic surgery.

Dr Pitman is an Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon based in New York who surprised his Manhattan audience by seemingly discouraging them from undergoing cosmetic surgery. Instead he asked them what kind of lifestyle changes they could make to avoid it. According to the New York Times, it is a question he often asks his patients before they choose the surgical procedures.

According to Pitman, liposuction and tummy tucks are not alternatives to dieting and exercising, which is a misconception a lot of people hold.

As well as liposuction and tummy tucks, he also referred to other cosmetic procedures that could be replaced by opting for lifestyle changes instead, such as avoiding the sun to keep skin healthy and getting plenty of sleep to stop getting baggy eyes. He also pointed out that the exercise attributed to weight loss will also provide a healthier heart and treat osteoporosis.

Liposuction is often used to remove fat that cannot be removed be exercise though the popular belief is that people can use it to get rid of all of their fat, which is not necessarily true. Pitman even points out that overweight people should not undergo surgery as there are more risks of complications under such conditions. Liposuction gets rid of the fatty deposits in areas like the chin, the chest, the stomach, the back or your sides and thighs, usually when dieting and exercise has already been tried out. It is used as a procedure for ‘spot fat reduction’ according to its section on this site.

Tummy Tucks (abdominoplasty) involve removing excess cat and skin from the waist to try to achieve a flatter stomach. It is recommended for those already in good physical health to provide an improved body contour by tightening the abdominal muscles. The effects are dependent on following a balanced diet and exercising regularly even afterwards.

With both procedures, prospective patients are told to be realistic in their expectations.

Source: New York Times.

Rising obesity levels in the United Kingdom convincing people to seek cosmetic surgery

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that there is a correlation between rising obesity levels and the number of men and women undergoing cosmetic surgery.

They refer to a recent study that shows that an increasing number of men are turning to breast reduction surgery to remove the excess skin left over from obesity and speedy weight loss.

Comparing the study to their own report that three-quarters of Britons are overweight, the Telegraph reports that men are finding it more reasonable to undergo treatment.

Male breast reduction surgery involves the use of liposuction to remove excess fatty tissue that forms in the breast through a condition known as Gynaecomastia, which affects almost half of men in different forms. However, the surgery is also becoming increasingly common for men who have recently lost weight.

The Telegraph’s report of obesity warned of the health problems related with the condition, including diabetes and heart disease. Figures from BAAPS (the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) show that the rise in men undergoing surgery to flatten their stomachs is as high as 61% last year.

In the past doctors had been reluctant to refer men to cosmetic surgeons, but this trend is changing as the taboos surrounding the treatments are becoming less apparent. This comes in light of recent reports that more and more procedures are becoming increasingly popular, including liposuction, tummy tucks and rhinoplasty in men and labial reduction surgery in women. Studies have also recently shown that an increasing number of women are deciding to pursue breast uplift surgery, a process that involves reshaping the breast to reverse the effects of aging.

Amongst the treatments becoming popular, tummy tucks involve the removal of excess skin whilst the abdominal muscle are tightened (hence its name abdominoplasty). To do this, surgeons make an incision below the belly button from hip to hip.

Liposuction is usually only recommended after a patient has attempted to lose weight via exercising and dieting. Certain areas of the body can be left unaffected by such actions, with fatty deposits remaining on parts such as the chin, stomach, chest, back, sides and thighs.

Source: The Telegraph 13th Oct