Web TV Channel Dedicated to Cosmetic Surgery Launched in UK

Here is some really interesting news I came across. Britain is going to get a dedicated web TV channel exclusively for cosmetic surgery. The news got me all excited and I feel it is about time there were channels dedicated to the subject especially regarding safe cosmetic surgery. The web TV channel known as Avia TV is headed by leading plastic surgeons and consultant surgeons who have already been featured in shows such as Extreme Makeover, Embarrassing Bodies and The Ugly Face of Beauty. The aim of Avia TV seems to be “providing accurate and balanced information about plastic surgery procedures”.

Co-founder of Avia TV, Peter Arnstein, who himself is a consultant plastic surgeon at the renowned McIndoe Surgical Centre was quoted as saying “Cosmetic surgery is sometimes a misunderstood and often controversial industry so we wanted to devise a web channel dedicated to giving the facts to enable patients to make the right decisions for them. We never forget that the safety and welfare of patients is paramount. It Changed My Life will take care of people and, we hope, will show viewers how responsible surgery should be done.”

It Changes My Life is actually the flagship show of the web TV channel and the promoters are leaving no stone unturned to have a big launch. They have actually announced that the channel has launched a search for both men and women who could win cosmetic plastic surgeries worth thirty thousand pounds. That’s quite an incredible prize if you ask me. However, more than the contest or launch of a dedicated TV channel for cosmetic surgery, what excites me the most is the vision of the TV channel. It is extremely important that people get the right information and do their due diligence before deciding to undergo any kind of cosmetic surgery procedure. The TV channel can act as one of the resources where individuals evaluating cosmetic surgery can get the information they need and proceed accordingly. Also without doubt we need more resources which promote safe cosmetic surgery as the industry overall has grown tremendously in the past decade and a few surgeons or individuals not adhering to the code of conduct gives the entire industry a bad name.

The more people are aware of the various cosmetic surgery procedures, their risks, how to minimize post surgery side effects, how to plan for a cosmetic surgery etc, the better it is for the industry and safety of everyone.

Makeup and Cosmetic Surgery

There is hardly any woman who does not like to apply makeup on their face. As a matter of fact we absolutely love makeup and could not imagine a life without it. However, of late we have been getting quite uncomfortable with critics of cosmetic plastic surgery industry asking people to use makeup instead of undergoing cosmetic procedures. We find that funny as well as absurd in many levels as usually makeup is considered as something that is complimentary to cosmetic surgery and not something to replace surgical or non surgical cosmetic procedures.

There are many reasons why we feel the argument relating to using makeup instead of cosmetic surgery is absurd. First of all makeup or any kind of cosmetics is a temporary solution. It wears off in less than 24 hours. Cosmetic surgery is more of a permanent solution. Obviously even the effects of any cosmetic surgery would not last forever, but still it is meant to give long lasting results which can be anything from a few weeks to a few years depending upon the type of cosmetic surgery you have undergone.

Also cosmetic surgery is meant for reconstructive as well as aesthetic reasons. It is one of the best ways to reverse the signs of ageing. Makeup on the other hand is only for aesthetic reasons and for immediate gratification. No amounts of makeup can make you look younger or provide a youthful appearance to your face. Makeup will only hide blemishes on your skin temporarily. At the same time, prolonged use of makeup can in fact result in skin problems which may require cosmetic surgery to rectify.

Of course when critics advice people to use makeup instead of cosmetic surgery, we assume they are talking about the face only. Cosmetic surgery is a vast industry and has an incredible amount of uses. It not only gives hope to people with birth defects or those with body defects due to accidents and other unfortunate circumstances, it also helps you in various other ways such as losing weight, feeling confident about yourself and sculpting your body the way you have always desired. Even when it comes to the face alone, cosmetic surgery can help you mould your facial features to exactly what you want and help make your face appear more symmetrical. You cannot touch every aspect of your face using makeup and need cosmetic surgery if you really want to change anything about a particular facial feature.

When Kids Need Plastic Surgery

I am sure a lot of people reading the title of this blog post would end up asking – What??? Why would kids need any kind of cosmetic surgery? Are they old enough to make such an important decision? Well if you are asking yourself similar kind of questions, you are obviously one of those who associate cosmetic plastic surgery with aesthetic reasons only. Of course you are not alone, most people from the United States, Canada or even around the world think of celebrities, breast augmentation, reversing the signs of ageing and weight loss amongst others when they come across the words plastic surgery.

However, cosmetic plastic surgery in its inception stage was never meant for purely aesthetic reasons. It was meant as a reconstructive tool for people who had deformities due to birth defects, accidents or diseases. Unfortunately over the past few decades, the original purpose of cosmetic surgery was less in the news. All we heard about is which celebrity had undergone what kind of cosmetic surgery procedure. There is speculation all the time regarding cosmetic surgery and most people view it purely as an aesthetic tool to enhance your appearance or a tool to get what you want in life.

Cosmetic surgery for reconstructive purposes however, remains one of the best ways to deal with any kind of deformity and has helped literally millions of kids worldwide for many decades now to lead a normal life. The sad part is that many kids cannot enjoy their childhood as other ‘normal’ kids because they were born with some kind of body defect. The most common birth defect is a cleft lip which ends up causing several other health problems in children having such conditions. Cosmetic surgery is even now the only real solution to the problems of birth defects such as cleft lips.

Of course there are many children who are born with everything as it should be but due to an unfortunate event, they have ended up with a body defect or deformity. This includes meeting with an accident, getting burned at certain places on your body or because they ended up with a disease which causes body deformities. It is very tough for children to go through their normal lives when they have to face such kind of conditions and again, cosmetic plastic surgery remains their only hope. The sad truth is kids requiring cosmetic surgery for reconstructive purposes are more common than we think and many of them would need to go through multiple surgeries over their lifetime to finally correct any body deformity.

Making the Positive Effects of Cosmetic Surgery Last Longer

Cosmetic plastic surgery is obviously one of the best ways to reverse the signs of ageing. It is the fastest way to appear more youthful and add a zing to your appearance. However, effects of any cosmetic plastic surgery do not last forever. Any positive effect of a surgical as well as non surgical cosmetic procedure will fade away over time. This is because while you have reversed the signs of ageing from outside, as far as your body is concerned, it will continue to age and there is nothing you can do to stop an ageing body. Hence to continue appearing youthful you will probably have to go through cosmetic surgery multiple times within regular intervals.

Of course instead of frequently going through similar cosmetic procedures, it is possible for you to make the effects of cosmetic plastic surgery last much longer. As a matter of fact, most plastic surgeons would tell you that the care you take after going through a cosmetic procedure is probably as important as the main procedure itself. To ensure your cosmetic surgeries give you the best results for the longest possible period of time, you have to take care of certain things immediately after going through a surgery and also regular care needs to be taken thereafter.

For immediate post surgery care, the first thing you must ensure is that you give your body the appropriate amount of healing time required. Ask your plastic surgeon the average time it takes for the body to heal completely after the specific surgery you are planning to undergo. Apart from giving proper healing time, you need to react quickly if there are any side-effects to the surgery. This includes sudden bleeding, inflammation of the skin, lot of pain, discomfort etc. While all these side-effects are usually nothing to worry about and quite common, you still need to get an expert opinion from your plastic surgeon so that you can rule out anything serious. Also post surgery care would include not putting undue pressure on your body or the specific body part where the cosmetic surgery was administered.

Unfortunately many people who go through cosmetic surgery do take care of the immediate post surgery requirements but after that they let go of themselves. Remember the need for cosmetic surgery comes mainly from signs of ageing or weight related issues. If you end up indulging in activities which speed up the ageing process, you will most certainly require further cosmetic surgery that too frequently. Activities that accelerate the signs of ageing include things like smoking, eating a lot of junk food, not taking medications on time, pushing your body to its physical limit etc. Also you need to keep in mind that any health condition that affects your immune system is the worst thing that can happen if you go through cosmetic surgeries. Hence you must ensure your daily activities or food consumption patterns do not end up creating medical conditions that directly affect the immune system. Take care of these and you can be assured that any positive effect of cosmetic surgery will last for a really long time.

Surgical vs. Non Surgical Cosmetic Surgery

With the recent developments in non surgical cosmetic surgery, a lot of people are wondering whether such form of cosmetic enhancements have actually become a better option than surgical cosmetic surgery. Many individuals feel this is true because the number of non surgical procedures being performed each year far outnumber the surgical procedures performed worldwide. The other argument in favor of non surgical cosmetic surgery is that now it provides an alternate procedure to almost all forms of surgical procedures such as non surgical facelift, non surgical nose jobs etc.

However, as far as we are concerned, the battle between surgical and non surgical cosmetic surgery is a tie. Sure there are much more non surgical procedures being performed each year but that is simply due to the fact that non surgical procedures are easy to perform and don’t take much time to complete as well. Also a majority of the numbers for non surgical procedures are made up of Botox alone. Perhaps laser treatments come second but again that is due to the ease of the procedures and nothing else.

So why do we think it is a tie between the two? Well simply because while both the forms of cosmetic surgery have their own advantages and disadvantages, there are still many areas where their paths do not cross. This means there are things which surgical procedures can do that non surgical procedures can’t and vice versa. Let us first take non surgical procedures. The best thing about this form of surgery is that it has minimal risks, is much cheaper compared to surgical procedures, you can go in an out of the surgeons office in a matter of minutes to an hour and there are no incisions, knives, blood loss involved amongst others. But at the same time, non surgical procedures can be effective only up to a certain limit. You cannot reduce the size of any your body parts without making incisions. You cannot alter the size or shape of any body feature dramatically and at the same time, many non surgical procedures do not give long lasting effects.

This is where surgical cosmetic surgery score heavily over non surgical cosmetic surgery. These procedures can completely alter the way you appear, reduce or increase the size of any body part and create a much more long lasting effect on your face or body. Surgical procedures allow the plastic surgeons to act as artists and carve out the size and shape that you genuinely desire. At the end of the day, both forms of cosmetic surgery have their own unique selling points and right now neither of them has a significant edge over the other.

Is the Plastic Surgery Industry Immune to the Global Economic Downturn?

The global economic downturn or recession which gripped almost the entire world since 2008 has caused several casualties in the business world. While most of us hear about the giant banks and financial houses going under, there were hundreds of thousands of small businesses who had to shut shop as well. Not to mention the millions of people who lost their jobs. With businesses shutting down and people losing their jobs, it created one of the worst possible scenarios where people could not even spend on daily necessities, let alone luxuries. Given such a situation, it is not surprising that most industries saw negative growth in the past two years and the overall demand for all products and services fell by the large percentage.

Of course one would think that the plastic surgery industry, which is usually looked upon as a luxury and not necessity would be one of the worst effected by the global recession. However, I came across the statistics released by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for cosmetic procedures in 2009 and surprisingly as per their report; there was a fall of only 2% in demand for cosmetic surgeries in 2009 as compared to the year 2008. In fact the report also provided data on the number of cosmetic surgeries performed last year and about 10 million surgical as well as non surgical procedures were performed in the United States alone. That is an incredible statistic considering 2009 was one of the worst years for any industry.

The report released by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) which is the leading organization of plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is not just interesting but something that throws a lot of light into the cosmetic plastic surgery industry. It is a clear indication of how plastic surgery is seen as something normal and common. It is the best example of the industry breaking away from the usual conception that it is meant only for the elite and a select few. With 10 million cosmetic procedures performed in US alone and several millions more worldwide, cosmetic plastic surgery has grown beyond anyone’s imagination. It also gives us an idea of what is important to society nowadays. Clearly the way you present yourself, your appearance and your personality matters to one and all. Cosmetic surgery has now been adopted by the society as one of the ways to achieve what you want. It has become important enough for people to defy global recession and economic downturn.

Top 3 Reasons Why Combining Multiple Cosmetic Surgeries Makes Sense

Most people use cosmetic plastic surgery to reverse the signs of ageing and sculpt a body that they always desired. However, going through plastic surgery procedures one at a time can be quite a lengthy and costly affair. Nowadays many plastic surgeons have started to recommend combining multiple cosmetic surgeries into a single session due to its various advantages. The top 3 reasons why we recommend as well trying to combine more than one cosmetic surgery at a time are as follows:

1) Costs: The cost of a single cosmetic surgery still remains a concern for many individuals. The ones who already know they would go through multiple cosmetic procedures are especially concerned about the overall expenses they will have to incur. By combining many of the cosmetic surgeries together, plastic surgeons often provide a single discounted rate which could work out well for most people. Hence costs remain one of the top reasons why it makes sense to combine multiple plastic surgeries together.

2) Aesthetic Reasons: There are many cosmetic surgeries that do not provide the best possible results if it is not followed up by another cosmetic procedure. For example, you could lose a lot of weight by Liposuction but then you would have to deal with the extra loose skin that appears after a sudden weight loss. By combining Liposuction along with a Tummy Tuck, you can get a flat and attractive abdomen without having to go back to the surgeon again. The same example can be applied to all parts of the body. For example many people prefer combining a face lift with other procedures that target the face such as eyelift, ear cosmetic surgery, nose jobs etc. If you had to go through each cosmetic surgery related to the face one by one, it is possible that the good work of one procedure could be undone by the time you opt for the second procedure. Also combining facial cosmetic surgeries will result in symmetrical features and an overall youthful appearance.

3) Health Reasons: Every time your body goes through a cosmetic surgery, it takes a lot of time to heal completely. In fact any type of surgery is quite taxing on the body and going through surgeries again and again could end up creating a hole in your body’s immune system. Depending upon your overall health condition, your body will be able to take surgeries one after the other up to a certain limit. By combining various cosmetic surgeries together, you can ensure all parts of your body heal at once and there is no need to go through the healing process again and again. Of course care must be taken that you do not go overboard in the number of surgeries you combine as too many surgeries at once could create a health problem as well.

Using Cosmetic Surgery after Natural Weight Loss

While using surgical procedures such as Liposuction is fast and easy way to lose a lot of weight, many people still believe in the virtues of losing weight naturally. As a matter of fact, most of us here feel it is always better to try and lose weight naturally as well. When you try to lose weight naturally, it would mean you are much more active with regular exercise and a good diet. However, what a lot of people forget is no matter how you lose your weight, a huge loss of fat from your body would mean sagging skin. Many individuals have complained that even though they are happy losing a lot of weight with regular exercise, the condition of their skin after weight loss often makes them feel quite uneasy.

That is why cosmetic surgery is recommended even after natural weight loss to ensure you do not have sagging skin all over your body. The best example of this was set by last years record breaking contestant Danny Cahill on NBC’s hit show The Biggest Loser. Danny lost 239 lb on the show which was over 55% of his total starting body weight. Danny achieved this with proper exercise and an appropriate diet for his specific condition. However, even though he lost a record breaking amount of weight on the show, completely naturally, he had to turn to plastic surgery just to take care of the excess and loose skin once all that weight was gone from his body.

What people don’t realize is that once they have gained a lot of weight, it is possible for them to lose it as well, but it is not possible for their stretched skin to get back to its previous self. In fact when people gain and lose weight, it is their skin that goes through the worst. Stretched skin, excess skin or loose skin becomes common amongst those who lose a lot of weight fairly quickly and cosmetic surgery is probably one of the only ways by which you can get rid of all such skin that makes you appear quite unpleasant. Surgical procedures such as a Tummy Tuck can easily get rid of excess skin from the abdomen area and there are several other cosmetic surgery procedures available to target different parts of your body.

Hence it does not matter how you lose your excess weight, cosmetic surgery still comes in handy due to all the excess skin after sudden weight loss.

Unusual Plastic Surgery News

Cosmetic plastic surgery is no stranger to some of the most bizarre news you will ever come across. Last week I happen to read several articles related to cosmetic surgery which you can say was out of the ordinary. Of course some times unusual news about plastic surgery procedures can make you smile, laugh out load or sometimes it can even make you go all eerie inside. Some of my favorite stories which I found unusual in the past week are as follows:

1) A sea lion named Sgt. Nevis will become the first ever sea lion to undergo cosmetic plastic surgery. Now this news actually makes me smile as reconstructive surgery is one of the most important uses of cosmetic surgery. In fact plastic surgery has been saving human lives for many decades now and it is about time it is used on animals as well who otherwise may not survive without reconstructive surgery.

Sgt. Nevis is undergoing facial reconstructive surgery. Unfortunately the sea lion was found shot in the muzzle in December 2009 and was kept in the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito since then. The facial reconstructive surgery will be performed by Marine Mammal veterinarians as well as a plastic surgeon who performs surgeries on human patients. We hope Sgt. Nevis makes a full and speedy recovery and is back to his old self as soon as possible.

2) Now the second news made me a bit uncomfortable. It was reported that Kim Jong-un, who is the heir to the North Korean regime has undergone plastic surgery to look more like his illustrious grandfather Kim Il-Sung. Of course this is still a rumor started in South Korea after a photographe emerged of Kim Jong-un looking chubby with similar facial features as Kim Il-Sung. However, many say that before this, Kim Jong-un appeared much different than his grandfather and was much slender before. They say the sudden resemblance to Kim Il-Sung could be thanks to cosmetic plastic surgery.

3) The third unusual news of the week could actually be a significant breakthrough in the plastic surgery industry. According to Dr. Mitchell Brown who is based in Toronto, Canada, injecting fat to areas such as cheeks etc can not just add volume but since fat contains stem cells, it rejuvenates the cells where the fat was inserted thus providing you with a much more younger appearance. This is quite interesting news especially the fact that fat contains stem cells as it could have significant uses in plastic surgery to reverse the signs of ageing.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery and Happiness

A lot of people especially the critics of the cosmetic plastic surgery industry ask the question – Do cosmetic surgeries genuinely bring happiness to your life? As a matter of fact, I just read another article earlier today on the exact same topic which argued on being at peace with your natural self versus trying to alter your appearance with plastic surgeries.

As far as I am concerned, it is quite simple. Ultimately what dictates whether someone will be happy or not after cosmetic surgery is the reason why they went through plastic surgery in the first place? Honestly speaking, if someone opted for cosmetic enhancements because they are completely obsessed with their appearance or because they felt massive pressure from any aspect of society regarding their looks, they will never be happy. This is because when you are obsessed with appearances and nothing else matters, you will never be truly satisfied with what you have achieved. At the same time, if you opt for cosmetic surgery purely because you feel a lot of pressure from people around you, then any amount of cosmetic surgery will not lift the burden from your shoulders.

For me, cosmetic plastic surgery is a great thing. Individuals should go through cosmetic surgery only if they truly want it. Moment you do it for the wrong reasons, then it is not just plastic surgery but no other thing would make you happy. However, if you are sure of what you are doing, want to go through certain cosmetic surgery procedures to give a boost to your appearance and confidence; in that case it will most certainly make you happy. So many people say they are thrilled with the results of their cosmetic procedures. Those who wanted a little help for their jobs or careers and used plastic surgery as one of the tools to get what they want, are all extremely satisfied with cosmetic surgery. Some individuals’ say even the tiniest of cosmetic procedures gave them enough confidence to start approaching people and transform their personal as well as professional lives. Many others who went through plastic surgery with their own free will and desire to please themselves first, are also quite happy with their decision.

At the end of the day, it all comes to down to the reason why we do things. Cosmetic plastic surgery is no different. Do it for the wrong reasons and you will continue to battle your demons – however, do it for the right reasons and it is sure to bring a genuine smile on your face.