State Rep. Phyllis Kahn is trying to extend that state’s 6.5 % sales tax to cosmetic surgery. This includes chemical skin peels, cosmetic injections, laser hair removal and spider-vein treatments as Khan considers that anybody who can afford a plastic surgery can also afford to pay the tax.
New Jersey is the only state that taxes plastic surgery, collecting an estimated $ 11 million in 2007. Khan considers that his proposal would raise about $ 7 million a year.

President-elect of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Richard D’Amico says that most of the money would come from hard working women as 90% of patients are female with an annual income about $60,000. Dr. D’Amico also pointed out that taxing cosmetic surgery procedures hurts women who save up their money and work hard and try to do something for themselves once in a while.

Source: The Associated Press, http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-grief2207feb22,0,2702125.story

Scientists have discovered that certain brain areas responsible for facial movements may reorganize after Botox injection combined with facial exercises.

Bell´s palsy is a disorder that causes facial muscles to weaken or become paralyzed due to trauma to the cranial nerve and sometimes associated with pregnancy or a virus infection. Until recently, its cause was unknown in most cases, but it has now been related to Lyme disease and Herpes simplex. This condition is not permanent but can strike anyone at anytime. Older people are more likely to suffer from Bell´s palsy although children can have this conditions as well but they tend to recover well from it. It was described by a Scottish surgeon Charles Bell, 200 years ago.

Researchers found that the injection of Botox significantly reduced facial drooping and improved control functions. These changes were associated with changes in brain activity in the affected motor cortex and in brain organization to adapt the portion of the brain controlling facial movements.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/72508.php

Medical tourism over the past decade has been caused by the rise in health -care costs and uninsured or underinsured Americans (almost 15 percent of the population are currently uninsured, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics from 2005). Among top destinations are Southeast Asia, Mexico, Costa Rica and
Thailand.

Medical tourism facilities, together with special health travel agents and some insurance plans are participating as well. A program of Health Net of California gives access to health care for their insured Latin participants for services in
Mexico. BlueCross/Blue Shield also offers medical treatment at
Bumrungrad International Hospital,
Bangkok, Thailand which gives medical attention to more than 400,000 patients every year.

The price savings on medical care can be outstanding. It is mentioned that a heart bypass in U.S.A. costs $ 130,000, but just $ 10,000 in India and $ 11.000 in Thailand or
Singapore. Hysterectomy costs about $20,000 in U.S.A. but $ 3,000 in
India.

The medical tourism companies help travelers find the hospital that provides the surgery they need.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070600682.html

Human face does not age uniformly as these compartments gain and loose fat at different rates. A youthful face is characterized by a smooth transition between these compartments, but as we get older there occurs an abrupt contour change between these regions. It is caused by volume loss, volume gain and repositioning of compartments. These changes result in signs of facial aging such as sagging and wrinkles.
Plastic surgeons will now be able to pinpoint trouble areas and use injectable fillers to add volume to individual areas of the face.
According to a study, this discovery may benefit cancer and trauma patients who need reconstructive plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons can use this new way of thinking to understand facial deformities, such as cleft lips and vessel tumors.
Dr.Joel Pessa, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and study lead author said: “Much of facial anatomy remains a mystery. This discovery will undoubtedly pay a roll in how we view aging and how we approach facial reconstructive plastic surgery”.
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=74248

The most popular procedures were Botox injections and liposuction. ASAPS also mentioned that cosmetic procedures increased 446 percent since collection of statistics began.

Women had 92 percent of cosmetic procedures while men had 8 percent.

James Stuzin, MD, Aesthetic Society President said: ” The FDA approval of silicone implants in late 2006 seems to have made an impact, as silicone implants are up 18 percent from 2005. For the first time breast augmentation is the top surgical procedure for women, although lipoplasty continues to be the top overall surgical procedure as it has been since the Aesthetic Society Started collecting nationwide procedural statistics in 1997.

Top Cosmetic Procedures for Women

- Breast augmentation

- Lipoplasty

- Eyelid surgery

- Abdominoplasty

- Breast reduction

Top Cosmetic Procedures for Men

- Liposuction

- Rhinoplasty

- Eyelid surgery

- Male breast reduction

- Facelift

Top Surgical and Non-Surgical procedures among men and women in 2006

- Liposuction

- Breast augmentation

- Eyelid surgery

- Abdominoplasty

- Breast reduction

www.surgery.org

People have realized the importance of self-improvement regarding competition. It can be regarding social or professional motives. Self-improvement means a general improvement in the personality and cosmetic surgery is popular path for personal enhancement.

Cosmetic surgery helps improve appearance when talking about a real structure change. There are many techniques used for cosmetic surgical procedures and each of them depends upon the area of the body that needs enhancement.

Cosmetic surgery is the magic wand that gives you the possibility of looking the way you want. The most popular surgery techniques are breast lift, abdominoplasty or tummy tuck, breast reduction and breast augmentation as reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Cosmetic surgery is a solution to improve your physical appearance , that is why more and more people are choosing the idea of having cosmetic surgery done.
Cosmetic surgery is a gift of science. It helps improving the physical appearance and thus helps enhancing self-image.

Source: ezinearticles.com/?General-Cosmetic-Surgery&id=309412

The author of the study Michael B. Chancellor, M.D. and professor of urology and gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh School Medicine remarked that enlarged prostate is a challenging disease to live with because it causes difficult and frequent urination. Common treatments have some risks of serious collateral effects, such as impotence.

Up to one year post-injection, 73% of the study participants got a 30 percent improvement in urinary tract symptoms and qualify of life.

Botox reduces the size of the prostate gland through a cellular process called apoptosis, in which the prostate cells die in a programmed manner. This reduction of the prostate improves urine flow and decrease of urine left in the bladder.

Enlarged prostate is one of the most common diseases in men over the age of 60. Forty to fifty percent will develop symptoms as more frequent urination, urinary tract infections, the inability to completely empty the bladder and eventual damage to the bladder and kidneys.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=71968&nfid=crss

The fat deposits dissolve after the administration of tiny shots but many doctors have warned that some of the concoctions used are not approved by the American’s Food and Drug Administration. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery warned that lipodisssolve shots were scientifically unproven.

As the popularity of the injections has grown, so have the complaints. A survey made in 2006 showed that 12% of patients showed disappointment with the result of the injections. This treatment has side effects and complications such as temporarily hyperpigmentation, intense pain and allergic reactions.

The custom mixing of ingredients that are approved for different uses is part of the concern over lipodissolve injections.

The FDA has not approved any “fat busting” drugs.

The cost of this treatment goes from US$900 upwards which is a lot of money for a drug that has not been proven to work.

Source: www.cosmeticsurgerybible.com/2007/news/lipodissolve-warnings/

Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center reported that they found a technique that helps reduce migraine attacks from up to three episodes a week down to one every couple of months.

Botox is used to pinpoint particular muscles in the forehead, back of head or temples which often triggers for migraines when they irritate, trap nerves or compress. Botox freezes the muscle so they no longer compress or irritate the nerve preventing the migraine or lessening its intense.

The procedure is hit and miss. The surgeon will inject Botox into one muscle at a time and leave the patient for a couple of days to see if it had any effect. If the Botox had an effect the surgeon knows that he had targeted the right muscle. But if the patient keeps having migraines the surgeon knows that he had targeted the wrong muscle and will inject Botox into another different muscle.

Source: www.cosmeticsurgerybible.com/2007/news/botox-helps-in-the-fight-against-migraines/

The best solution for patients aged 45 and older to get a facelift is by means of a surgery as it is the natural procedure to be followed so as to achieve the desired results when the patient has a remarkable degree of facial agying.

According to ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) statistics, facelift is the second most popular surgical procedure for people over 45 years old.

Statistics show that almost 102,000 individuals aged 40 and older had a face lift in 2006.

As Brahaman Guyuron, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and study co-author remarks, “Whether injectable fillers, surgery or a combination of both, the procedure selected should fit and meet the needs of the patient. With the youngest boomer turning 42 and the oldest turning 60 this year, the demand for surgical procedures that produce results without the tell-tale signs of having had a facelift are going to continue to increase.

The oficial medical journal of the ASPS shows a new facelift technique that gives patients a different option, as follows:

The authors placed the facelift incision, in a specific angle, within the side burn and temple areas (place above the ear in tradicional techniques). The scar, hidden within the hair, allows hair to grow back through it; therefore, women can pull their hair back without exposing a scar and men to grow sideburns without the discomfort of showing missing hair. This procedure allows a better repositioning of tissue, reducing the risk of the “wind blown”, overdone look.

ASPS is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. It has more than 6,000 members and is a leading authority on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.

http://www.plasticsurgery.org