Category Archives: Cosmetic Leg Surgery

Custody hearing will determine if Lindsay Jackson acted inappropriately

Lindsay Jackson may lose custody of her six year old daughter, Maddy Verst for dressing the tot up as a Dolly Parton look-a-like on TLC’s “Toddler’s and Tiaras”. the child’s estranged father has filed for sole custody after learning of Maddy’s participation on the program. on the surface it all looks so harmless and silly, with pigtailed Maddy grasping at fuzzy inserts that will give her flat chest a little bit more of Dolly’s ample oomph.

So what’s wrong with little girls pretending they’re all grown up? Plenty! for one thing, Maddy Verst isn’t choosing this ‘make believe’ for herself. At her age she’s too naïve to know ‘how’ or even ‘what’ she wants, except the aim to please her stage door mama. Lindsay Jackson’s actions were not merely in poor taste. They teeter on the verge of child exploitation. Whatever happened to children just being children?

For decades the cultural debate has raged over the impact adolescent beauty pageants can have on little girls’ already vulnerable self-esteem. Contestants who ought to be riding tricycles or playing with Barbies instead endure, not only hours in the beautician’s chair, having their faces painted and hair teased, but also contending with their mostly obsessive, occasionally neurotic caregivers who have made the pageant circuit a way of life and behave as though the fate of an empire rests on Suzie Chiclet walking away with that most coveted and sparkly little piece of plastic jabbed between her sprayed locks and glitter beads. how sad.

Of course the real fraud in adolescent beauty pageants is the claim made about inspiring confidence and poise from their prepubescent competitors. But scratch the surface of any stage mom and you’re likely to find a discontented woman who fervently believes she sold out her own youth and chances for fame and immortality when she became a wife and mother. So, whether she likes it or not, little Suzie Chiclet gets sewn into her black sequin and feather leotard, plastered from horn to hoof in tan foundation, and painted over in rouge, eye shadow and lip gloss until her head resembles the frozen puss of a porcelain figurine, before being thrust into the spotlight to do her kid-let version of Katie Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” for the judges.

In fairness to Lindsay Jackson, the iconography she chose for little Maddy was not that pop tart princess, but Dolly Parton; not a bad role model on the surface. No French kissing, groping, exposed nipple rings, etc. But Parton’s top-heavy fantasy hourglass proportions – especially when she was in her prime – really set the bar impossibly high for most women. and we are not referring to adult women herein, rather girls much too young to be coached in the virtues of shaking moneymakers they have yet to possess. Arguably, this is the best case scenario. But what happens if the child’s own eventual pubescent endowment falls short of Dolly’s iconography, or worse, her mother’s expectations?

Well, then we have just another disillusioned teen well on her way to a lifetime of crippling personal dissatisfaction and a rescue intervention on Dr. Phil. the oft exorcized plagues of bulimia, anorexia and compulsive indulgences with plastic surgery need no help to take hold of an impressionable mind. While none of these disorders can be directly attributed to beauty pageants in general or even the women who sacrifice their children to them, there is little to deny that the message a child gleans from these competitions is filtered through a very warped sense of self. All that the child sees and knows comes from a world dominated by the superficial where the true meaning of self is based on a few 8X10 glossies and the prospect of filling up her trophy case with some shiny memorabilia.

Will Bill Verst win his custody battle? the jury is still out – literally – but the fact remains that unless he can uncover other ways to prove his ex is a destructive influence on their daughter he will likely have to settle for joint custody and tolerate Lindsay Jackson’s misguided addiction to remake their angelic toddler into a thoroughly mixed-up twenty-cent tart. yet, even in the likelihood that Lindsay Jackson will win her case she ought to seriously consider what she’s already lost in this very shallow victory: that in her love of a plastic crown the truest integrity and chance for happiness in Maddy’s young life has surely been misplaced.

Custody hearing will determine if Lindsay Jackson acted inappropriately

Is Cosmetic Surgery for Your Feet the Solution for Shoe Lovers?

Charmaine Gumbs is a self-proclaimed high heel shoe fanatic with everything in her shoe collection from Jimmy Choos to the same ’40s-style pair of heels once worn by Madonna.

“a beautiful pair of shoes can suck me in,” Gumbs, from Brooklyn, N.Y., told “Good Morning America.”

But for Gumbs, her love of high heels came with a price: living with pain in the ball of her foot when she wore her favored shoes.

“it burns and it’s like fire,” she said.  “I have my new Year’s Eve Jimmy Choos that I have not put on my foot yet because I am afraid of them…that heel.”

Gumbs chose to take action to fix her pain, becoming one of a number of women across the country choosing to fix their toes instead of giving up their favorite pumps, or even their sandals.

When Jennifer Pyron, a 27-year-old from new York City had to stop wearing her favorite summer shoes because they were being ruined by sweat from her toes, she decided to have a cosmetic procedure.

“a lot of people have the problem, especially women that want to wear great shoes,” said Dr. Suzanne Levine, a podiatrist at the Institute Beaute in new York City who treated both Pyron and Gumbs.  “they [women] don’t want their shoes ruined.  it really is quite a problem.”

Dr. Levine injected Pyron’s feet with Botox to lessen the sweating.  She treated high heel shoe-lover Gumbs’s pain by injecting a biodegradable cushioning into her foot, a filler similar to what people have injected into their smile lines.

The cushioning, which replaces the natural cushioning in the foot, will last about nine months, according to Dr. Levine.

The patient, Gumbs, said she realizes that the procedure may seem crazy to others, but it is worth it to her.

“Not when you love shoes,” she said of the other option, to not wear high heels.

One week after the treatment, Gumbs found herself pain-free.

“I feel not so frightened by my shoes anymore because I love them,” she said.  “I look forward to wearing them in comfort, not in agony.”

Pyron also found relief in her feet after her Botox injection.

“Once it kicked in I totally noticed a difference,” she said.

Not all doctors agree, however, that operating on one’s  feet to be able to wear a certain type or pair of shoes is a good idea.

“I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with plastic surgery,” said Dr. David Levine, Assistant Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in new York City (and no relation to Dr. Suzanne Levine).  “I have no problem if someone wants to change their nose, or change their boobs.  but you don’t walk on your boobs.”

Is Cosmetic Surgery for Your Feet the Solution for Shoe Lovers?

I Want to Become a Video Vixen How Can I?

Video Vixens are now treated like celebrities in our society and are more identifiable to the media then some of our politicians. they receive instant gratification to an elite club that once never existed. Women are turned on by the appeal and attention that it instantly brings. Immediately these girls are catapulted into the limelight and get invitations to the hottest parties, modeling contracts, book deals to write about their escapades, dates with wealthy celebrities, and extreme media coverage.

It seems like these days more aspiring models are literally using their bodies to break into the modeling industry. while I don’t think this concept is new, I do think with the Internet and influx of reality shows that more women are becoming bolder than ever to get attention. they have taken Girls Gone Wild to a different level.

Your Assets
If you are not born with enhanced features no problem. all one has to do now is go and get some extreme plastic surgery and enlarge their assets. The bigger your assets the more fame is sure to come your way. Plastic surgeons once had a conscience but now it is all about the money. if you have access to cash, you can get just about any surgery your heart imagines. if you can’t find a surgeon to do it in the United States, well there’s always another country where you can probably get the procedure at a discount.

Mission Accomplished
Once you have your enhancements instantly you’ll be considered as feature models in the music videos. once you start doing music videos and getting more exposure doors just seem to fly open. some women then go on to acting, calendars, hosting parties, reality shows, etc. Women do get their five minutes of fame and some video vixens are successfully able to sustain it.

LisaRaye, Melyssa Ford, Karrine Steffans, Coco, and Amber Rose are all former Video Vixens who are quite successful today. they were more than just a beautiful face and body. they seized the moment and used this as a stepping stone to get to the next level.

LisaRaye had a short stint at acting and was the First Lady of Turks and Caicos until her recent public divorce. Melyssa Ford is doing quite well for herself. she is doing lots of acting now and is working on producing a couple of films. in a recent interview she said that it is still hard to remove the stigma of video vixen even after many years of not doing music videos. she takes it with a grain of salt and keeps moving forward. Karrine Steffans is a three-time new York Times best-selling author. she continues to write about all of her escapades and is creating her own brand. Her most recent book entitled The Vixen Manual: how to find, Seduce and Keep the Man you want is flying off of shelves. Coco married former rapper Ice-T and Amber Rose is the on/off again boyfriend of rapper Kanye West who just signed with Ford Models need I say more.

Tips
Make sure you live in an area such as Miami, new York or California where the videos are being shot at. Video Vixens definitely can’t be shy and should be outgoing and their bodies must be in excellent shape.

I Want to Become a Video Vixen How Can I?

Things to Know Before Undergoing Plastic Surgery – Mexico Surgeon

The video shows a leading cosmetic surgeon from Mexico talk about the things to consider before undergoing a cosmetic surgery. He emphasizes the need to share with the surgeon your medication history, and avoid tobacco and alcohol for good results after the surgery.

Following is the video narration:

“for a cosmetic surgery the ideal process to happen before having the surgery is of course being stable in any condition they can have. Avoid the blood thinners, aspirin atleast two weeks before coming to surgery, and always tell the doctor what medicines you are taking by prescription or no, to make the best plan for you.  And if you have to stop taking some medications, you have to. And if the doctor thinks that you can take whatever you are taking, that is good. So my advice is: always tell in advance to the surgeon what medicines you are taking.

“Of course, if you are heavy smoker, you are not good candidate.  And if you smoke certain amount of tobacco, it is good to lower the amount of tobacco that you use. Of course alcohol and any other drugs, you have to be atleast two– three weeks without those things in your body to have a really good surgery and then a good result.”

You can also ask from a free quote on your desired cosmetic surgery procedure from MexicoHealth.

Submit the free request quote form on the right for more information on things to know before undergoing cosmetic surgery.

Things to Know Before Undergoing Plastic Surgery – Mexico Surgeon

Young people should make the plastic surgery if they want « Blog for Virtual Language Environment

Today we talk about young people ,who makes the plastic surgery if they want. And we will discuss the problems connected with it.

   Young people,for what do you do plastic surgery? as I know,there are a lot of young people who makes the plastic surgery abroad. It’s popular there. And it can allow to do everybody who want,because the sum is modest.

   On my opinion, people in young age are very manipulated.They take after the film stars, an actors or an actresses,an  artists and so on. The youth want to be like famous people,I mean they want to be in centre of the attention. That’s why the youth goes on this step.But they don’t  imagine what a consequence would be after the surgery,I mean a drastic worsening of health,an undesirable result,because 50 % of the youth ,who perfomed  the surgery,are displeased of the results. And after the  unlucky plastic surgery the youth will become more ugly then they were before.

   The youth are energetic and impulsive. Today they want one, but tomorrow could change their opinion.Today they do something ,but tomorrow would grudged about it.The same situation about the plastic surgery: today they do the surgery,but through some time the youth would drudged about the surgery. I want to  say that in such age the young people are not sure what they want and they can do a lot of mistakes.I do not understand why the youth spoil their body.please,think well before you done it!

   Let’s watch at it on other hand. of course,there are many exceptions in our life. For example,a man got a trauma in consequence of a prang . A man needs in the plastic surgery,because he got a burn of a face skin.It’s a fortuity and I can understand it.

    at last, I would to say,young people,be naturally.because a long life behind you and everybody are beautiful in his own way.Don’t copy famous peolple.You are individual person and it do not matter what size your breast or ass,excuse me for such expression,the main thing is an inside beauty and naturalness. The appearance is only mask…

Young people should make the plastic surgery if they want « Blog for Virtual Language Environment

ASPS Joins Sientra for BRA Day USA

On October 17, 2012, Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day – USA will commence in order to help women all over the country realize that there is more to life after a mastectomy procedure. Given that the main goal of both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Plastic Surgery Foundation is to make sure that all women have the ample opportunity to make sure that they receive the breast reconstruction treatment that matches their needs perfectly, both these organizations have decided to partner-up with Sientra, Inc., the company that took the head-start in launching BRA Day USA. Education of post-mastectomy patients about their breast reconstructive options is the target of Sientra, Inc., who is also the exclusive sponsors of the breast implants to be used in the breast reconstruction procedures during BRA Day.

Dr. Malcolm Roth, president of the ASPS, said that they are happy to be partnering with Sientra, especially having them as sponsors. He said that being a reliable supplier of breast tissue implants and other medical equipment, Sientra realizes the big role that they play in the holistic recovery of breast cancer patients all across the country. along with the ASPS and the PSF, musical award-winner Jewel has also decided to devote a lot of her time to the cause of the BRA Day by indulging the crowd with a free concert.

The founder and CEO of Sientra, Inc., Hani Zeini, said that the company is very blessed to play a major role in the formation of BRA Day USA, considering the fact that more than 70% of women after mastectomy aren’t aware of the options and courses they are able to undergo to make their lives after the surgery much more bearable. Sientra also believes that BRA Day firmly supports the company’s core commitments on care, passion, and most importantly well-being.

Women who have undergone radical mastectomy need not be ashamed anymore of what they have gone through, since all the options available to them after mastectomy will be presented to them on October 17, 2012, at the launching of Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day, USA. Medicine is not always just about the diagnosis and success of the treatment—it is also about how information is properly disseminated and how the recipient of this information handles it. That’s where the ASPS and PSF comes in, since they will be the ones who will handle the passing of the information from the experts to the patients. The great thing about this project is that knowing what your options are is already the first step in the long-term treatment of breast cancer. just the mere fact that the patient knows that she has options with regards to the fate of her breasts is already comforting enough, and may eventually help in the willingness of the patient to undergo further treatment in order to fully eradicate the cancer. Indeed, breast cancer is one of the few sicknesses where awareness is already the first line of the treatment process.

  1. New Technologies for Breast Reconstruction Underused
  2. Plastic Surgery is a Breast Cancer Treatment Option

ASPS Joins Sientra for BRA Day USA

KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffRebel video claims to show captured Syrian pilot

By BRIAN MURPHYAssociated Press

BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian rebels circulated dramatic video Monday of what they claimed was the downing of a warplane and armed men later holding the captured pilot who ejected as the MiG fighter was engulfed by flames. Syria acknowledged a pilot bailed out of a disabled plane but blamed the crash on a technical malfunction.

The authenticity of the images or the claims could not be independently verified. if the rebels did bring down their first aircraft, that could signal a significant jump in their firepower and give opposition forces their most high-profile military captive.

But wider questions remain even if the rebel reports are confirmed, including whether this could be just a one-time blow against expanding air offensives by the forces of Bashar Assad's regime. Just days ago, protesters across Syria pleaded for the rebels' main backers – including Turkey and Gulf states – to send anti-aircraft weapons for outgunned fighters.

Assad's military has significantly stepped up aerial attacks in recent weeks. Strafing from warplanes and close-range missile strikes from helicopter gunships have pushed back rebels in key fronts such as Aleppo, the country's largest city and the scene of fierce attacks to dislodge rebel positions.

As the sun was setting on Monday, an Associated Press reporter saw two fighter jets over the village of Marea, 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Aleppo.

Terrified residents collected on street corners and near the doors to their houses to watch and point as the jets dived low, dropping bombs that sent up clouds of smoke and firing machine guns that crackled over the village.

On one crowded market street, a handful of rebels with rifles ran toward the site of the bombings.

“What are you going to do, bring down a jet with a rifle?” a man screamed.

After the jets left, young men on motorcycles rushed to the bombing site on the edge of the village to find two craters the size of cars in a dirt field next to a swimming pool.

A man working at the privately owned pool said only three people were there at the time and that none was injured. He didn't give his name and tried to chase away journalists and residents seeking to film the pool.

It is unclear why the area was targeted. Residents said there was no rebel base nearby.

“In the summer, it's hot so the guys gather here to swim,” said Abdullah Najjar, 21, adding that some of them could have been rebels.

“This is the only place we have in town to come for entertainment.”

Nationwide, the relentless bloodshed – including alleged massacres by pro-regime mobs and retaliation killings by rebels – has already claimed more than 20,000 lives, activists say, and will be further examined in a report expected Wednesday by the U.N. Human Rights Council's independent commission probing abuses in Syria.

In another crack in Assad's diplomatic corps, a Syrian diplomat who worked with the U.N. rights council in Geneva said he left his post to join the opposition. a spokesman for the council, Rolando Gomez, identified the Syrian as Danny al-Baaj and described him as a junior member of his country's U.N. mission. Syria is not a member of the 47-nation council, but al-Baaj worked with it as part of his duties.

The claims of bringing down the warplane and capturing the pilot, meanwhile, are likely to become a key propaganda tool to rally rebel fighters.

Activists released a video which they say showed a government Soviet-made MiG warplane catching fire after it was hit by ground fire over Deir el-Zour province, an area near the Iraqi border where the opposition has strongholds. Hours later, another video shown on the pan-Arab network Al-Arabiya purported to show the captured pilot surrounded by armed rebels. “Introduce yourself,” says another speaker with his back to the camera.

The alleged captive identified himself as Col. Rafik Mohammed Suleiman and says he was on a mission to attack a rebel-held area.

“What do you tell the officers of the Assad army?” the speaker asks the man, whose beard and hair are flecked with gray. The man who identified himself as the pilot urges them to defect.

The speaker – whose face remained hidden – said the hostage will be treated according to tenets of Islam and the Geneva Convention. The later reference could be an indirect reply to recent international outrage over videos posted on the Internet claiming to show summary executions and torture by rebels, including bloodied prisoners being gunned down against a wall as people cried: “Free Syrian Army forever!”

Syria's state-run SANA news agency said the pilot ejected from a warplane after a technical failure during a “training mission.” it added that a search was under way to find the pilot.

The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the plane was hit as it was conducting air raids on the town of Muhassan, which is close to a military airfield. The group quoted activists in the area as saying the plane was hit with fire from a heavy machine gun used by rebels in the area.

Syria has such anti-aircraft weapons in its arsenal and it's possible that some could have fallen into rebel hands. In June, Syria said it used anti-aircraft machine gun fire to bring down a Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter jet it claimed crossed into Syrian aircraft. Turkey said the plane was in international flight zones.

Theodore Karasik, a regional security expert at the Dubai-based Institute for near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said the rebel claim – if true – would suggest a stepped-up flow of outside military assistance. Older anti-aircraft weapons, possibly looted from Syrian arsenals such as variations on the Soviet-era SA-7, are considered overmatched by later model MiGs in the Syrian air force.

“If this is true, the conjecture would be that covert aid to the rebels is expanding with higher-grade anti-aircraft capabilities,” Karasik said.

Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have pledged to help supply the Syrian rebels, but the extent of the aid is unclear. Rebel commanders have consistently complained about lack of ammunition, including during recent battles in Aleppo. last week, anti-regime protesters across Syria staged rallies calling for greater anti-aircraft firepower.

The possibility of a high-ranking military captive also could raise pressure on Assad's regime after a series of abductions, including 48 Iranians taken earlier this month and 11 Lebanese Shiites seized in may.

Rebels claim the Iranians include members of Tehran's Revolutionary Guard and were on a “reconnaissance mission” in Damascus. Iran insists the men were on a religious pilgrimage. The Lebanese are apparently held to try to pressure the government in Beirut to show greater support for the rebels – which is unlikely because of the strong influence of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which backs Assad.

On Sunday, the head of Syria's main opposition group in exile renewed a plea for international powers to impose a no-fly zone in border areas to protect civilians who are coming under increasingly intense attacks by regime warplanes and helicopters.

The site of the plane incident – the eastern, oil-rich region of Deir el-Zour – has been the site of heavy clashes between government troops and rebels over the past week. Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab, who defected to Jordan earlier this month, comes from the area.

Besides the rising death tolls in clashes – more than 50 on Monday according to the activist Observatory group – at least three Syria-based journalists have been killed in recent days. Al-Ikhbariya TV also said two other journalists and their driver are being held by rebels near the capital Damascus.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffRebel video claims to show captured Syrian pilot

New York Plastic Surgery: Earlobe Reconstruction » Shafer Plastic Surgery Blog

Earlobe reconstruction is a surgical procedure that many women and even sometimes men get when they don’t like the appearance of the earlobes. They may be stretched out, torn or deformed, but no matter the problem, a New York plastic surgery center will be able to correct the issue.

Earlobe reconstruction is a New York plastic surgery that is a typical choice for those who have had their ears stretched or torn. one of the most common reasons for this is because of jewelry. If you wear earrings that weigh a lot or use gages in your ears to stretch big holes into them, the shape of your earlobe may elongate and never return to its natural state. when an earlobe is torn, it too may never be the same. This is why a new York surgeon will perform earlobe reconstruction to help you get your ears back to normal.

This New York plastic surgery has several techniques that can be applied to fix or enhance the earlobe, depending what the circumstances are. the anesthetic used will be local and your recovery won’t be too bad compared to other more serious surgical procedures. Regular cleaning and the absence of jewelry in the ears are typically the only aftercare instructions.

New York Plastic Surgery: Earlobe Reconstruction » Shafer Plastic Surgery Blog

The Scar From the Direct Necklift

A droopy or saggy neck is usually the single most bothersome facial change for men as they get older. known as a neck wattle, this loose skin and fat causes a loss of a once sharper neck angle. this new roll of displaced neck skin can get in the way of shirt collars and is bothersome as it tends to flop around as one moves. such neck wattles are usually not present before age 55 or older unless one has lost a lot of weight at a younger age.

While a conventional facelift is the ideal approach for an aging neck, men are much more sensitive about this procedure. Concerns about its recovery, visible scars around the ears, lack of a good hairline and hair density, where the scars would be, and the fear of being recognized of having had a facelift make many men shy away from its serious consideration.

An alternative to a facelift in the older male is the direct neck lift. rather than working the extra neck skin up and back to the ears (and the subsequent scars), the direct necklift removes the skin in the midline of the neck where it lies. this is a far simpler operation, with very little recovery, no pain other than a little neck tightness, and no change in the hairline or scars around the ears.

The obvious downside to a direct neck lift is that of the scar. rather than it being around the ears as in a typical facelift, a midline scar running down the middle of the neck is created. While the direct necklift is far simpler and even more effective at creating a sharp neck angle, the pertinent question is what does the scar look like and how noticeable is it?

The best answer to that question is to look at actual neck scars from the procedure. In my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, my experience shows that the scars are quite acceptable. I have yet to have a male patient tell me that they regret doing the procedure and consider the neck scar worse than their original neck wattle.

Why do the neck scars usually turn out quite well? Besides good operative technique, the main reason is the unique healing quality of bearded skin. Men’s skin is thicker, has more blood vessels, and heals better due to the cellular contributions from the hair follicles. In addition, most men do a daily scar treatment after surgery, they shave. this is the equivalent of doing daily microdermabrasion scar treatments for years.

Not all neck scars will be perfect. a few will develop some thickening of the neck scar just above the adam’s apple (thyroid cartilage) where the tension of the skin closure was greatest from the excision. For many men they do not feel that this is a problem. For others I treat it with some steroid injections or perform a small z-plasty in the office to relieve it in the first year after surgery.

The Scar From the Direct Necklift

Comment: Regulating cosmetic surgery will stop the butchers

By Ann Clwyd MP

“I think the operating table was a dental chair," someone wrote to me recently, describing their experience of liposculpture in a London clinic.

"They asked me to turn over onto my stomach, but the chair was the wrong shape and it was very difficult. at some stage during the operation I woke up. I was in tremendous pain and began screaming. They were still taking fat from my legs. the doctor told me afterwards that he had to continue with me awake or my legs would have been uneven.”

It turned out subsequently that the ‘cosmetic surgeon’ was a general practitioner. He had performed a surgical operation without any surgical training and had administered a general anaesthetic without an anaesthetist.

I also read recently about a children’s writer.  She has been left with blurred vision from botched laser eye surgery at a private clinic.  After a five year battle she has finally received £250,000 compensation but has permanent scarring.

such incidents are too common.

I first introduced a ten-minute bill on the regulation of cosmetic surgery in 1994. That bill generated huge publicity and hundreds of letters. the issue of breast implants has received even more attention of late following the PIP implant scandal in 2010/2011.

unfortunately, despite calls from a wide range of organisations, not much has changed since the mid-1990s.  as a result, thousands of women have continued to face the horrific consequences of unregulated cosmetic surgery.

at some time in our lives, most of us have wanted to change something about ourselves.  Huge pressure is put on women in particular, but increasingly on men, too, to change their looks.

Private sector clinics offer a multitude of cosmetic procedures to achieve the perfect shape and wrinkle-free face. “too thin, too fat, never just right”, that’s the message.  Cosmetic surgery, including breast implants, continues to be a growing industry.

in 2011, members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) conducted almost 45,000 surgical procedures, over 10,000 of which were breast enlargements for women. between 2002 and 2011, the number of boob jobs rose by 324% and is continuing to increase. as are facelifts, tummy tucks, and nose jobs.

They also operated on over 4,000 men, with nose jobs and man-boob jobs the two most popular procedures.  This is an increase of 219% in cosmetic surgery for men since 2002.  This does not include procedures carried out by people who are not members of the association; those undertaken abroad; or those not yet classified as a cosmetic procedure.

Many people face exploitation by private sector clinics and even cowboy surgeons, if they are unable to receive treatment through the NHS.  most of the botched surgery or mistakes are then rectified by the NHS, as we have seen with the removal of PIP implants.

“in no other area of medicine is there such an unregulated mess.  Imagine a ‘2-for-1’ advert for general surgery? That way lies madness," said the previous president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Nigel Mercer, in 2009.

There are a number of areas of regulation needed to reduce the risk to patients:

An Implant Register - in 1998, the then government accepted the recommendation of an independent review body on silicon breast implants to establish a national breast implant registry. I was part of that process and took part in several meetings at the Department of Health.  but the register was abandoned in 2006.

I propose that we now need a register for all types of implants, used in all areas of the body, including breasts, cheeks, pecs and buttocks.  This would allow better monitoring of outcomes and problems as they occur, which would have been very useful in the recent PIP cases.

Advertising - Many clinics gain much of their business from advertising in national newspapers and women's magazines.  They ask: “is cosmetic surgery only for the rich and famous?”  And answer: “not any more, it is a lifestyle choice!”

some offer significant discounts and there are even special deals on websites.

in the Daily Mail recently there was a piece headed, “Plastic surgeons offer ‘buy one get one free’ deals on breast enlargements and nose jobs.”

Private clinics are now also advertising via Twitter – one even suggested women add a ‘boobjob’ to their Christmas present list.

Misleading images and claims are used, despite tighter guidelines, by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Therefore, a ban on cosmetic surgery advertising should be introduced, as happened in France in 2005 and as called for by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. 

if cosmetic surgery is considered to be a form of medical procedure, which it undoubtedly is, then it should not be advertised, as is the case with prescription medicines.

Non-surgical procedures – A further issue of concern is non-surgical cosmetic procedures.  Injected fillers like botox currently only need a CE mark, such as for fridges and they are therefore heavily marketed in the UK.  while in the USA, the FDA categorises them as medical device implants requiring approval.

the medical profession has always been controlled and regulated by strict ethics.  but the voluntary codes of practice have been breached by some operators to make quick, easy money. 

Register of practitioners – We also need compulsory registration of all those who practice aesthetic medicine and use lasers. 

Similarly, only doctors or nurses who are qualified to do so should be able to advise patients about cosmetic surgery.  at the moment, initial consultations can be undertaken by a hard-sell receptionist, and doctors in private practice who do not have specific experience are able to offer treatment for which they are not qualified.

Facilities should also be licensed and regulated by an independent body, such as the Care Quality Commission.

an independent review found that 70% of clinics in the private cosmetic sector are effectively unregulated and less than half (44%) of operating theatres were properly equipped in 2010.

OffCos – Given all of the issues and lack of regulation in the area of cosmetic surgery, it would seem imperative to establish an official regulator of cosmetic surgery, OffCos, as proposed by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons to ensure registration and regulation of all cosmetic surgeons and practitioners in the UK.

or perhaps we should consider a cosmetic surgery licensing body with a different type of structure and operating as a financial guarantee scheme, such as ATOL, which provides financial protection for flights and air holiday packages.

the problem has been swept under the carpet for far too long, and it has now been almost 20 years since I first called for greater regulation of private cosmetic surgery.  the current system of self-regulation, largely by the private surgeons and clinics themselves, is clearly not working.

It is a complex subject, but too many people are suffering and being disfigured at the hands of cowboys, who have been given a free rein to abuse the British public's trust in the voluntary system of medical ethics.

"the public has been misled and cheated for too long by practitioners falsely claiming to be surgeons, without having the training and qualifications required," said the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, mr Fazel Fatah. "the issue is at the very centre of patient protection and the public deserve the peace of mind that doctors who carry out surgery are qualified and trained for that purpose."

the responsibility clearly lies with the government to take action as soon as possible to stop any more innocent people being subjected to this butchery at the hands of some greedy, unscrupulous, and incompetent people and to introduce the kind of regulation for cosmetic surgery that is long overdue.

Anne Clwyd is the Labour MP for Cynon Valley

the opinions in politics.co.uk's Comment and Analysis section are those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the website or its owners.

 

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Comment: Regulating cosmetic surgery will stop the butchers