Branded Surgery Is Not Always the “Quick Fix” it is Advertised To Be

Have you seen the commercial for in-office procedures that will make your face wrinkle-free or sculpt your stomach, with no downtime and no scars? Lifestyle Lift, Lunchtime Lift, Thread-Tox, and Smart-Lipo, are just a few of the brand-name surgical procedures being marketed to the public as a cosmetic quick fix with a clever name.

Brand name surgical procedures generally fit under two categories; first, those that are legitimately assigned the name of the person that has popularized the technique, for example Saldanha's lipoabdominoplasty or Furnas’conchal setback technique, (either through the efforts of that same person or others assigning his or her name to it) and second, those that are simply created by someone to market a the procedure to the public. The first situation is usually a very legitimate situation and is often in the scientific literature, but not in the public domain. However, the second situation has become very popular for cosmetic surgery procedures. But are highly marketed procedures really the right choice when deciding on aesthetic surgery?

If you decide a procedure is right for you, make sure you have done your homework, that the procedure has been fully explained, you know exactly who will be performing your procedure and that they are qualified to perform the exact procedure you are undergoing, and that you have thoroughly read and signed informed consent documents.

Facial surgery and body sculpting procedures are often marketed to the public with brand names. For optimal patient safety it is essential that the consumer be better educated about what constitutes appropriate training to perform operations such as facelifts, rhinoplasty, liposuction, abdominoplasty, breast surgery and cosmetic eyelid surgery when considering undergoing any of these procedures. The demanding residency program that all plastic surgeons must complete before they can be considered for certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) ensures that they not only acquire general surgical knowledge and experience but, additionally, that they master the principles, ethics and practice of plastic surgery.

Source: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

IS YOUR HAIR HEALTHY?

A Suggested Home Hair Test For You!

Did you know that you can identify how healthy your hair is by doing an at-home hair test?

TRY THIS!

• Pull a strand of your hair out and put it through a sewing needle.
• If the hair slides through it's fine or probably straight.
• If you have problems threading the needle or if it gets caught along the way, your hair is probably thick, wavy or curly.

• Another test is to fill a glass with water.
• Take a strand of your hair and place it in the glass of water.
• If your hair floats, it's healthy or may be a bit oily. As you know, oil floats when added to water.

If your hair sinks, the hair is absorbing a great deal of water. This means that your hair lacks moisture so it must be dry.

Losing hair? Blame Sox21 gene!

TOKYO: Experiments on mice have revealed a gene that is linked to early hair loss, a Japanese researcher said yesterday, sparking hopes for a treatment to prevent thinning and baldness in humans.

The research team found that the absence of a gene known as Sox21 - which it said is shared by humans and mice - can lead to early hair loss.

The scientists biologically engineered mice by blocking the gene and found that the rodents started losing hair on their heads about 15 days after birth and became completely naked a week later.

"Normally, new hair appears right after old hair falls out," said Yumiko Saga, a mammalian development professor at the National Institute of Genetics.

"But the hair of these mice fell out very early, making their bald periods longer," she said, adding that although the mice started to grow new fur, the replacement hair also kept falling out quickly.

(A combo picture, released from the National Institute of Genetics at Mishima city in Shizuoka prefecture, shows mice, lacking of a gene known as Sox21 or hair loss, 13 days after birth (top), 16 days after birth (centre) and 25 days after birth.)

The Sox21 gene has in the past been shown to be linked to the formation of nerve cells, but the Japanese study was the first to indicate its function in ensuring hair retention, she said by telephone.

"It is entirely possible that the gene is also a cause of thinning hair" among humans, Saga said.

The study, jointly conducted with Hideyuki Okano, professor at the School of Medicine at Tokyo's Keio University, found that the lack of the gene leads to the improper formation of cuticles, the outer layer of hair.

"Cuticles usually have a scaled structure, locking hair in the scalp," said Saga. Blocking the gene in the mice meant that their cuticles lacked this structure, making the hair fall out more quickly, Saga said.

The study could lead to the development of a medical treatment against thinning hair, Saga said, but she added that she had no immediate plans for further research to develop a human application.

Resource: (China Daily)

Updated: 2009-05-27 08:51

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