Facial Fillers Need Stronger Warnings
Product labels for facial fillers that seem to provide a magical reversal of aging and its wrinkles need to be revised to warn of the possibility of the chemicals leaving behind blotches, scars and under-skin bumps, an independent panel told the Food and Drug Administration.
"This is almost a no-brainer," said panel member Dr. Michael Bigby, a Harvard Medical School dermatologist. "The current label is not adequate."
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Self-Esteem Jumps After Chest-Abnormality Surgery
Children with a congenital chest deformity called pectus excavatum, or funnel chest, are routinely self-conscious and ill at ease in the extreme. But after they undergo surgery to correct the defect, their self-concept and social lives improve dramatically.
"These results should prompt physicians to consider the physiologic and psychological implications of pectus excavatum just as they would any other physical deformity known to have such consequences," said Robert E. Kelly, of Eastern Virginia Medical School, in Norfolk, Va., and his colleagues in the journal Pediatrics.
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Doctor Debuts "Stem-Cell Facelift"
A new technique using adult stem cells from the body's own fat tissue has been found to restore the plumpness, smoothness and skin tightness of a more youthful face.
Dr. Vincent Giampapa, who has worked on perfecting the technique during the last four years, introduced the procedure, which rules out the need for surgery or the injection of temporary under-the-skin fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm and hyaluronic acid. The so-called Stem-Cell Facelift also evens out age- or sun-induced facial color differences.
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Plastic Surgery, the Who and What of It
Ever wonder who's getting plastic surgery? For the most part, it's women. Statistics compiled by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that of the 11.5 million cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures done in 2005, over 90% were preformed on women. In fact, surgical procedures for women showed a modest annual increase of 2%, while they were down 8% for men.
People ages 35-50 years are the most likely to have a cosmetic procedure done, accounting for nearly half of procedures, compared with just 4% of people 65 and older.
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