Tips on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Photo Viewing

Plastic surgery photo viewing of before-and-after shots will not only tell you about your surgeon's skills, it will also reveal much about the procedure itself. In most instances, people are either encouraged or discouraged with the procedure once they have seen these photos.

Always Ask for Photos

It's always advisable to know much about the procedure before you undergo one. A plastic surgery photo viewing session is one of the best ways for you to get a glimpse of a surgeon's sense of professionalism and skills and how you might just look like after surgery.

Have a look at several plastic surgery photos. Ask your surgeon to present a gallery and explain to you which it is most likely reflective of your condition and goals. You might also want to log on to websites and scour the net for numerous other photos. This will help you compare your surgeon's work with that of others.

Assess Photo Quality

Good plastic surgeons will always have more than one set of photos to show. Badly done photographs may be a sign that you may not have a very dedicated and meticulous surgeon. Make sure that you are viewing a high resolution photo gallery. Pictures however that appear too perfect are something to be wary of. Cosmetic plastic surgery cannot produce perfect results and you should be on your guard if all the pictures present fabulous looking models.

Look for Signs of Editing and Manipulation

Good surgeons will always keep their patients' identities confidential. None of the surgical details are masked. It is still a good idea however to have a discriminating eye. You might end up in the hands of the rare surgeon con artist who might resort to plastic surgery photo editing.

Check for inconsistencies in photo lighting and angles. Before photo editing software was invented, clever photographers used lighting and angles to change the look of the same object. Some surgeons may not have intentionally employed such a practice. Real lighting difficulties may truly have resulted in a picture that looks better than the actual result. Simply ask your doctor about what you see if you notice differences in lighting or angle in before and after pictures.

Do Not Rely On Pictures

This can help you decide but it must not be your sole basis for deciding. You might be able to make a more informed decision if you requested for a computer assisted display of what you would look like after the procedure. You should also consider looking for real people you know such as friends and family and assess for yourself how much they have improved in their appearance.

Your doctor's skill, accreditation and certification should also be a factor in deciding. Researching about a doctor's qualifications is the best way to ensure safety.

Is clinic plastic surgery suitable for you? Learn how a plastic surgery photo can help you decide.

By Trina Rowde

Essential Steps To Choosing A Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon

Having undergone numerous cosmetic/plastic surgery operations in the past, I have found it absolutely paramount that both men and women find a surgeon who is competent, experienced and skilled at the knife. Here I have provided some basic explanations for the initials one finds on the doctor's door, desk etc, that indicate his training as a surgeon.

UK based surgeons: "FRCS", also known as the "Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons", is an indication that the doctor has undergone the relevant and basic training needed to become a surgeon. This should be the minimum qualification requirement for anyone practicing cosmetic surgery in Britain.

There are two main professional organisations in Britain to which a cosmetic surgeon may belong. They are the 'British Association of Cosmetic Surgeons' (BACS), and the 'British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). However, membership to any of these bodies does not guarantee a surgeon's ability.

Your GP may obtain the BACS list of surgeons if it is what you desire. The address to whom he/she must write to is: BACS, 17 Harley Street, London WIN IDA.

The BAAPS list is available from BAAPS, 35-43, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PN.

Further information is available at www.bapras.org.uk and www.which.co.uk. (under the health and wellbeing section).

In regards to the States, having the initial ABPS (American Board of Plastic Surgery), is the minimum requirement for those seeking cosmetic/plastic surgery. This qualification ensures that the doctor has a medical degree from an accredited school, undergone at least 3 years of training in general surgery and a minimum of two years' residency in plastic surgery.

The ABPS can be contacted at: ABPS, Seven Penn Center, Suite 400, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103-2204. (1-215-587-9322).

I It is possible to call the American Board off Medical Specialities to check any doctor's credentials on 1-800-776-2378, or on line at www.abms.org.

As well as qualifications, a surgeon's 'surgical experience' is also important to consider. Experienced and skilled surgeon's always have a long waiting list and it is always best to wait rather than being impatient and visiting a less experienced, less qualified surgeon who may not deal too well with unforeseen complications for example.

Here are the guidelines recommended by The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, whom are the largest organisation representing physicians performing cosmetic/plastic surgery in the USA:

The surgeon should
- Have been primarily practising cosmetic surgery for the last 5 years
- Have performed no less than 1,000 cosmetic operations
- Be currently performing no less than 200 documented cosmetic procedures per year

Once satisfied with the surgeon's credentials you must then decided whether this surgeon is right for you.

Gareth Williams is a well informed individual who specialises in Male Cosmetic/plastic surgery. Having undergone a few procedures himself, and having interviewed countless cosmetic/plastic surgeons, his knowledge is second to none. Whether you are male of female you will find his blog very informative and a Godsend to anyone who is intrigued by the cosmetic/plastic surgery World. For further information please visit http://malecosmeticsurgery.blogspot.com

By Gareth Ap Rhisiart Williams

Cosmetic Surgery Facelifts - Balancing the Benefits with the Risks

Professional organizations remind patients that cosmetic surgery is surgery, and carries the same risks as any other medical intervention. Complications may include hematoma, temporary or longer-lasting injury to the nerves that control facial muscles, infection, or adverse reaction to anesthesia.

Eyelid surgery can correct for drooping upper eyelids and puffy bags below the eyes. The surgeon removes the excess fat and muscle from below the skin, as well as removing any excess skin. The surgery usually takes one to three hours, and is usually carried out on an outpatient basis. Generally, patients can be back to work in a week to ten days.

Laser facial resurfacing is a way by which the surgeon can use a carbon dioxide laser device to smooth away fine wrinkles on the face. The surgeon can use the same laser to soften lines around the eyes and mouth, and minimize facial scars and unevenly pigmented areas. Usually, the procedure takes only a few minutes to an hour, and is carried out on an outpatient basis. Most patients are back to work in two weeks.

Face lifts are perhaps the most individualized of cosmetic surgery procedures. The surgeon evaluates the patients face, including skin and underlying bones. It’s particularly important that the doctor have a clear understanding of the patient’s goals for the surgery. In general, face lifts are performed on an out patient basis. The surgery itself will take several hours. Most patients are back to work ten to fourteen days after the surgery.

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By Sarah Freeland

Gastric Bypass Surgery - What Can It Do For You?

Some people have gastric bypass surgery and shed 100 pounds or more. What can this surgery do for you?

To answer this question, you will first need to know what gastric bypass surgery is and how it helps you lose weight.

A gastric bypass surgery also known as Roux en-Y surgery is a medical procedure that reduces the size of your stomach causing you to feel full when you have eaten only a small portion. What your surgeon will essentially do is divide your stomach into two sections – a small upper one and a much larger remnant one using surgical staples (which is why this procedure is also known as stomach stapling). The small top pouch is the one that will hold your food. Your surgeon will also re-arrange your small intestine such that both the stomach pouches remain connected to the intestines.

The reduction in the functional volume of your stomach reduces your food intake. Not only that, the re-arrangement of the small intestine causes food to by-pass the first part of the small intestine resulting in reduced calorie absorption. Both these factors help you lose weight.

But is gastric bypass surgery for everyone who needs to lose weight?

That's a personal choice or your doctor may prescribe it for you. Generally, it is considered in only those individuals who have tried hard but failed to achieve weight loss through exercise and diet.

Obesity, which is a complex disease, leads to other diseases. Morbid obesity or the accumulation of too much body fat increases a person’s risk for developing other health problems or co-morbidities such as heart diseases, diabetes, etc.

But how much fat is too much fat?

That's calculated by your body mass index or BMI which is a measure of your weight in relation to your height. In simple words, it tells you how much you should normally weigh for your height and if you exceed that normal weight then you are medically considered overweight. Reducing your weight and therefore, your BMI, helps you control the risk of developing obesity related health problems. (BMI calculator at https://www.healthbase.com/hb/pages/bariatric.jsp#BMICalculator)

Like any other surgery there are risks associated with gastric bypass surgery as well. Some of the risks include gastritis (which is an inflammation of the stomach lining), development of gallstones (caused by significant weight loss in a short time), nausea, vomiting, bleeding, infections, and nutritional deficiency (which can be avoided through nutritional supplements). So, when deciding to have the surgery you should carefully weigh the risks associated with it and the problems that it can solve for you.

Variations of gastric bypass surgery are gastric bypass, Roux en-Y proximal; gastric bypass, Roux en-Y distal; and loop gastric bypass or mini-gastric bypass. Gastric bypass surgery is not the only bariatric surgery available for treating morbid obesity. Some people also consider gastric lap-band as an option.

The cost can be a major deciding factor when considering the surgery. Depending upon your specific medical conditions and insurance terms, your health insurance carrier may or may not cover the costs.

The high cost of healthcare has led some Americans to seek treatment in countries like India, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico and Turkey. This practice of going abroad, which is termed as medical tourism or medical travel or health tourism, is a way of getting low cost high quality medical care. But before you decide to outsource your health care it’s extremely important that you do your homework properly – research the facilities, the surgeons, compare the cost and quality offered by different hospitals, talk to people who have had their surgery overseas, etc.

You can learn more about the growing trend of medical tourism, gastric bypass surgery and other medical and dental procedures by logging on to http://www.healthbase.com or calling 1-888-MY1-HLTH / 1-888-691-4584 /1-617-418-3436.

About the Author: The author works for Healthbase which is a medical tourism facilitator connecting patients to leading hospitals around the world for low cost high quality surgical care in various categories including bariatric, orthopedic, cardiac, spinal, dental, cosmetic, laparoscopic, etc. To learn more, call 1-888-691-4584, email info.hb @ healthbase.com, or visit http://www.healthbase.com

By Mumtaz Pachisa

Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery Tips

Knowing and doing it in the proper way do help people in losing weight. But the ones who are morbidly obese cannot benefit from these techniques. Almost 20% of the total obese population suffers from such morbid obesity. A viable option for these people is a weight loss surgery. Mini gastric bypass surgery is a very popular weight loss surgery of the recent times. It is only for the people who fail to loose weight even after trying the age old conventional methods. Whoever has undergone surgery, would swear by it for losing weight. In 30 minutes, all your extra flab will be gone and you will get a new lease of life.

US is plagued by problems of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol level, heart attack, stroke, cancer and many more. The major cause behind all these problems is obesity. If proper and timely action is not taken then the problem of obesity can lead to the development of various other life threatening diseases and health disorders. If this goes on increasing at this rate it can also claim the life of thousands of Americans. As such the people who are morbidly obese are taking to weight loss surgeries as a treatment for severe obesity.

The mini gastric bypass surgery is much simpler, short and successful than most of the weight loss surgeries. It would generally take a maximum of half an hour to carry out the operation. This is done by laparoscopy. The cost of having it is also much less compared to other surgeries. It would not also require the patient to stay in hospital for more than 24 hours. This entails less risk and has excellent long term weight loss. This would mean minimal pain and if required it can also be reversed.

If you are considering mini gastric bypass surgery, then you will generally need to be diagnosed with health difficulties that are caused and aggravated by being obese. Diabetes and blood pressure levels tend to shoot up particularly when you have the problem of obesity. By under going surgery, you can surely reverse or slow down the growth of such health difficulties. Such surgeries like this is more about preserving your well being than improving your looks.

Joe Knuden talks about his weight loss discussing Mini Gastric Bypass Surgery.

Read more about weight loss surgery at http://gastric-bypass-network.com

By Joseph Knuden

Safe Plastic Surgery

Any intervention into the human organism, especially surgery, carries risk. When it is elective cosmetic surgery, and not an emergency, risk factors should be avoided as much as possible.

Plastic surgery is performed only when the patient is healthy. In case of local anesthesia, blood pressure must be normal. If the blood pressure is high during ear or eyelid surgery (or while operating on other parts of the face), bruising may start appearing after the procedure. Women should not undertake more complicated surgery, such as face surgery or tummy tuck, during their period.

In case of general anesthesia, the patient is not allowed to undergo surgery during chronic or acute illnesses (for instance, infectious diseases or when the patient has caught a cold). Before the operation, blood tests, reflecting general condition of the organism, are usually carried out. In some cases, additional tests are required.

Often, if the patient is very overweight, plastic surgery is postponed since there is a greater risk of complications for obese people. They should consult with a dietitian and drop some weight before undergoing a surgery. Usually, patients come to plastic surgery specialists expecting to lose weight after liposuction. However, it is not so: after a liposuction procedure, fat is reduced only in the operated areas, so not much fat is actually lost.

The risk of complications is also greater if the patient is a smoker. The blood flow to the skin and deeper layers is restricted; therefore, healing of the tissues affected during the surgery may be impaired. The risk of complications related with general anesthesia is also increased. Patients are recommended to stop or reduce smoking. If a patient smokes more than 10 cigarettes a day, it is already dangerous.

Ever more patients go for plastic reconstructive or cosmetic surgery abroad. They should remember that flights are also a certain risk. By the way, it concerns women more than men. Deep vein thrombosis, also called “economy-class syndrome” is associated with lengthy and uncomfortable sitting in the plane; also, dehydration – excessive water loss in the body due to dry air. Blood clots may form in the veins and pass into the brains or lungs. The exact reasons for this problem are not known, but the risk factors are abundant. One of them is a recent surgery. Others: long hours keeping the lower limbs unmoved, obesity, drinkable contraceptive devices or varicose veins. In spite of this, travelling by plane will be safe, if patients keep to the following recommendations:

if possible, postpone a long haul flight for several days after the surgery;
avoid carrying heavy luggage several weeks after the surgery;
drink as much water as possible during the flight (at least 1 l / h)
avoid products that can speed up dehydration (caffeine and alcohol);
exercise and do some walking (if possible) during the flight;
inform your physician or surgeon about the planned flight.

In some cases, additional means to reduce the risks carried by long flights are recommended.

For more information on cosmetic surgery visit: cosmetic surgery abroad

By Donatas Svetaka

What is Bariatric Surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure that reduced the size of the stomach. As a result the patient feels full on very little food, allowing them to lose a lot of weight usually very quickly. There are different types of bariatric surgery and they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

There are two main types of gastric bypass surgery and they are the lap band and the roux-en-y. Here is an overview of both of these surgeries:

Roux-en-y-this type of surgery is a reconstruction of the stomach area. The stomach is stapled and the small intestine is reattached bypassing part of the intestine, causing less food to be absorbed in the digestion process. This surgery requires a 4 day hospital stay and a 4-6 week recovery period. The roux-en-y is a more permanent procedure and allows for greater weight loss than the lap band, but the risks are also higher with the roux-en-y than the lap band procedure. This type of surgery may have several side effect; such as, dumping syndrome and sensitivity to sugar and fats.

Lap band-this is a procedure that is performed by placing a band around the upper part of the stomach forming a small pouch. This pouch considerably limits the amount of food that is able to be consumed. This procedure will require regular adjustments to the band to reduce or enlarge the size of the pouch depending on what is necessary to get the appropriate weight. This surgery requires an overnight hospital stay and many patients return to work in less than a week. Gastric banding is a much less invasive surgery then the roux-en-y, which is why there are fewer risks. You may not lose as much weight with the lap band as the roux-en-y.

In a large majority of the cases both of these weight loss surgeries are performed laprascopically through several one inch long incisions. Trends seem to be going more towards the lap band surgery due to the decreased number of risks and the cost being considerably lower than other forms of weight loss surgery.

Any type of gastric bypass surgery requires lifestyle changes to be successful and to maintain the weight loss. Regular exercise and sensible food decisions will be necessary to sustain a healthy weight. Bariatric surgery can help alleviate many of the medical conditions associated with obesity, but it is only a tool and you get out of it what you put into it. This surgery will get you to a healthy weight, but staying there will be up to you.

Arlene Schneider is an author that enjoys writing about health, finance and addiction recovery. She invites you to read some of her other articles.

To find out more about bariatric surgery go to http://lapbandsurgery1.com


By Arlene Schneider

Computer-Aided Plastic Surgery

Want to preview the likely results of your Nasal Surgery? Modern rhinoplasty clinics uses advanced computer-aided technology, the Mirror 2000 system, to provide a photographic preview of the proposed Rhinoplasty outcome.

This exciting, positive and co-operative process involves full-face digital photographs, taken from different angles, on a computer screen. Patients are invited to view and approve the proposed changes, even taking the photographs home before committing themselves to surgery. After all, our patients live with the results of our work.

Nasal Surgery is usually conducted in hospital under general anaesthesia. But this inherently risky gas-induced procedure can have debilitating side effects. Newer, up-to-date clinics, by contrast, offers a safe, swift and pain free alternative, conscious sedation for Rhinoplasty. This form of surgical sedation for Rhinoplasty was pioneered and perfected by expert specialist surgeons and is internationally accepted by medical experts. With conscious sedation, Rhinoplasty patients are discharged just a few hours after surgery is completed, allowing them to recover in comfort at home or in an excellent guesthouse close to the clinic. And the benefits of conscious sedation for Rhinoplasty don't end there! Thanks to the fact that this procedure is less invasive than general anaesthetic, there's less bruising and swelling around the operative areas, meaning a swifter and happier recovery.

Contrary to what many of us believe, the discomfort from most injections is not caused by the needle penetrating the skin, but by the flow of anaesthetic into the tissue and that is precisely where our pioneering work in Rhinoplasty anaesthetic begins. The key to conscious sedation for Rhinoplasty is the computer-aided WAND system. A microprocessor calibrates and delivers local anaesthetic in conjunction with a tiny, bevelled needle that works at a constant pressure regardless of variations in tissue density. This creates a smooth pathway for the flow of anaesthesia, and, importantly for our patients, is both pain free and safe. Conducted in conjunction with a sedative, conscious sedation is so patient-friendly that most patients doze comfortably for the duration of the procedure.

Select a clinic that proudly to complies, in every respect with the international medical and ethical standards historically associated with medical practice. In addition, make sure your specialist surgeon regularly attends conferences organised by the prestigious American Academy of Facial, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) or other internationally recognised bodies.

A three-dimensional combination of medical science and aesthetic skill, Nasal Surgery is regarded by experts as the most exacting form of cosmetic surgery, the pinnacle. Unlike most other forms of surgery, however, the results of Nasal Surgery are permanent. Excellent Rhinoplasty can make all the difference to the entire face, creating balanced proportions and vastly increased attractiveness. Equally, a defective or disappointing post-operative result can't be hidden by a beard, hairstyle or clothing and this can be emotionally and psychologically devastating. Chose wisely before making a decision that will affect your life, forever. I suggest you research the topic carefully, ask friends who have had a similar procedure and your general practitioner for advise. The internet is a great body of knowledge, but always question the integrity of your source!

The Nose Clinic - International Rhinoplasty Specialists - http://www.nose.co.za


By Pieter Swanepoel