Archive for December, 2011

Patients Under 50 Get Best Long-term Results From Facelift Surgery

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

 

‘Maintenance Facelifts’ in Younger Patients Provide Longest-Lasting Improvements, Authors Suggest

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Dec 21, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — Younger patients with “early or minimal signs of facial aging” achieve better results and higher satisfaction rates at least a decade after facelift surgery, according to a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(R), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Because of their superior long-term results, patients younger than 50 years old undergoing “maintenance facelifts” should be considered preferable candidates for facial rejuvenation surgery, suggests the new report by Drs. Tom S. Liu and ASPS Member Surgeon John Q. Owsley of California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco.

Patients Under 50 Have Best Long-term Results

In a previous study, researchers found that patients who underwent facelift surgery at older ages had lower satisfaction scores and more variable results, compared to younger patients. For the new study, Drs. Liu and Owsley compared the short-term and long-term patient satisfaction ratings with expert analysis of follow-up photographs. They analyzed differences in long-term outcomes for patients in three age groups: patients younger than 50, 50 to 60 years, and over 60 years old at the time of facelift surgery.

Consistent with the previous study, younger patients had higher and more consistent satisfaction scores at both short- and long-term follow-up. Those subjective ratings were supported by expert analysis of follow-up photos, which showed that patients who underwent facelift surgery before age 50 had “remarkable maintenance of their youthful appearance.”

In contrast, at the time of surgery, patients in the over-60 group already had “significant facial aging changes.” At long-term follow-up, they still looked more youthful than other people of the same age–however, they had signs of “regression” in the five facial areas graded by plastic surgeons. Patients in the 50-to-60 age group had intermediate results.

The patient satisfaction ratings were generally consistent with the expert ratings of before-and-after photographs. On long-term follow-up using a 5-point scale (5 being most satisfied), patients in the under-50 age group continued to rate all facial areas with 4′s and 5′s, compared to 2′s to 5′s for the 50-to-60 group and 2′s and 3′s for the over-60 group.

Younger Patients May Be ‘Preferred’ for Facelift Surgery

Although the study was small, it seems to support the impression of experienced plastic surgeons that “younger patients who have facelifts (<50 years old) have longest lasting results with less noticeable postoperative changes,” according to Drs. Liu and Owsley. Although the visible signs of aging seem mild in patients under 50, they represent the “tip of the iceberg” of the effects of aging underneath the skin. “Although equal in the number of years elapsed, the facial aging of a patient from age 40 to 50 is much less dramatic than the same patient from age 50 to 60,” the researchers add.

Younger patients interested in facial rejuvenation may be steered away from a facelift, or undergo limited or nonsurgical procedures to “buy time.” “However, these…are also the same patients who would benefit most from surgical facial rejuvenation or so-called ‘maintenance facelift,’ the researchers write. Not only will the results last longer, but the initial change is generally less dramatic and noticeable than in older patients.

As a result, Drs. Liu and Owsley believe that patients under 50 should not only be considered for a facelift, but perhaps considered the group most likely to achieve excellent, long-lasting results. As such, they conclude, “a ‘maintenance’ facelift should be offered to and even preferred in younger patients as a surgical option for facial rejuvenation.”

SOURCE: American Society of Plastic Surgeons
 
For more information about facelifts in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens, please call Dr. Daniel Kapp at (561) 833-4022 to schedule a consultation.

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Myth or fact: Breast feeding causes sagging

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

A new study suggests apprehension about how breast-feeding will affect the appearance of their breasts may be the reason why some women with breast implants fail at nursing their babies.

Myth or fact: Breast feeding causes sagging

Myth or fact: Breast feeding causes sagging

According to HealthDay, researchers followed 160 mothers with breast implants to gauge their success with the feeding method. They found that 86 percent of those who failed at breast-feeding thought that it would make their breasts look worse. On the other hand, among those who successfully nursed their babies, only 13 percent believed that it would affect the appearance of their breasts.

“It makes sense that breast augmentation patients would be concerned about the effect breast-feeding could have on the appearance of their breasts,” said the study’s lead author. “After all, these women have invested both time and money into them. However, available evidence tells us that although breasts sag more with each pregnancy, breast-feeding doesn’t seem to worsen these effects in women with or without breast implants.”

Doctors involved with this study say that the results prove that more education is necessary for women with breast implants who plan on having children and breast-feeding. They insist that breast-feeding alone will not negatively affect the appearance of breast implants.

Breast augmentation surgery is one of the most common plastic surgeries. In fact, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), it has been the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure for the past three years, with more than 318,000 surgeries performed in 2010 alone.

Breast lift surgery is a procedure commonly used to repair the appearance of sagging breasts caused by pregnancy, weight loss and aging. While this procedure lifts and firms the breasts, it will not alter their overall size.

This article was posted to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery on November 15, 2011.

For more information on breast augmentation or breast lift procedures in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens or Jupiter, please call Dr. Daniel Kapp at (561) 833-4022.

 

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What’s more interesting, plastic surgery or politics?

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Budget deficit worries can fade away when we’re absorbed in figuring out whether or not a political figure has had a facelift. Nancy Pelosi appeared on CNBC, October 28th, 2011 to talk about a 1.25 trillion budget cut. But the response she got was a whole lot of conjecture about what she had done to her face. The Washington Times interviewed a plastic surgeon who said, “A woman her age shouldn’t look that good. It appears that she has had a good amount of surgery.”

Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi

 

Nancy Pelosi looks very good for her age and the media is not letting her get away with it. After the CNBC interview Pelosi is accused of undergoing plastic surgery and/or Botox or filler injections (as if they were illegal). Fringe websites sport cartoon pictures of her, her skin blowing off her face as if in a wind tunnel, her unblinking eyes rotating rapidly. Mainstream media takes a scholarly approach, “Looking at recent pictures of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, I believe she had Botox and fillers like Juvederm injected in her marionette lines. Further, she definitely underwent a facelift a few years ago. The reason she looks different now is because she used to look pulled and tight.”

The Washington Times article has an altogether different slant, stating that in the rush to look young, politicians forget that they need to express emotion convincingly. Paul Ekman, psychology professor at the University of California Medical School, says that Botox may get rid of some wrinkles and my make you look a little younger, but you will not get votes if your face doesn’t move.

Political figures are between a rock and a hard place. Drew Weston, a university professor who studies emotion in politics says, “We want our politicians to be fresh-faced but expect them to come by their good looks naturally.” Further, a politician who undergoes plastic surgery is considered vain and frivolous. No wonder political figures get cosmetic surgery but don’t own up to it. 

Michele Bachman

Michele Bachman

This article was posted to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery on November 15, 2011.
For more information on injectible fillers, facelifts and other facial procedures, please call Dr. Daniel Kapp at (561) 833-4022.  Most non-invasive plastic surgery procedures are performed right in Dr. Kapp’s West Palm Beach office.

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Is Cosmetic Surgery Permissible According to Jewish Law?

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

 

By Baruch S. Davidson

 

The issue of cosmetic surgery is discussed by several contemporary posekim (halachic authorities), who address several concerns such surgery poses.

 

Though I will be giving you a brief overview of the pertinent issues discussed, the information provided is for academic purposes only. Before making an actual decision in this regard, you must personally speak to your rabbi, who will render a decision based on your individual circumstances.

 

Our bodies are not our personal property which we may treat as we please. Our bodies are on loan to us from G‑d for the duration of our lives, to enable us to fulfill our mission in this world—a mission which requires having a physical body. (A soul alone cannot don tefillin or light Shabbat candles.) As our bodies are merely on loan, we are not entitled to mutilate them in any way. Thus, “wounding oneself” by undergoing surgery is problematic.

 

Now, we are commanded by the Torah to heal ourselves, maintain our health and value our lives. Therefore, surgery which is deemed necessary in the course of the treatment of an illness or injury is allowed—and actually required. But the question remains: is the prohibition of tampering with our bodies waived for a purely cosmetic concern?

 

An additional consideration raised by the posekim in regard to purely cosmetic surgery is the fact that every surgery, especially one which requires general anesthesia, presents a certain element of risk and a chance of complications. As mentioned above, we are enjoined to guard our health and to avoid unnecessary risks to our wellbeing.

 

In 1964, a question was posed to several leading posekim regarding a woman who felt that benefiting from plastic surgery would enhance her prospects of finding a suitable husband.

 

Rabbi Jacob Breisch (author of responsa Chelkat Yaakov) maintained that the prohibition of wounding oneself does not apply in a situation where the pain is intended to alleviate another, more excruciating pain. He brought proofs from various places in the Talmud that the psychological pain associated with having abnormal features overrides the pain associated with the surgery. He therefore permitted this surgery when done to alleviate psychological distress. A similar explanation was offered by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the most recognized posek of the past generation (1895–1986), who explained that the Torah only prohibits self-affliction when done with malice, or in a degrading manner.

 

Rabbi Breisch also addressed the risks associated with surgery, and ruled that with the advancement of experience and expertise in this area of medicine, the risks involved have been greatly minimized, and therefore undergoing such a surgery cannot be reasonably considered a risk to life.

 

However, Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg (1916–2006, author of responsa Tzitz Eliezer) disagreed with these opinions, and ruled unequivocally that cosmetic surgery is forbidden. In his opinion, the Torah’s statement, “He shall provide for his cure,”¹ from which we learn that one may and must seek medical help, does not apply to ailments that are purely cosmetic.

 

He also adds a philosophical reasoning. One must believe that G‑d, the greatest artisan of all, formed him or her in the most fitting way, and one must not change this form. Changing one’s figure for beauty concerns alone is tantamount to insulting G‑d’s handiwork!

 

Many authorities have reached some sort of compromise—ruling that cosmetic surgery is permitted in order to remove an abnormality, if there is a grave psychological need, or to facilitate a happy marriage or decent livelihood; but prohibited if it is being done for beauty or convenience alone.

 

Another issue raised is the Torah prohibition precluding a man from indulging in feminine activity.²  Some view cosmetic enhancement as such, and therefore consider this another reason to prohibit a man from undergoing such surgery. This, however, would also only apply to surgery done solely for aesthetic purposes.³

 

As this is a very subjective issue, in which people can easily delude themselves about the degree of pain and abnormality associated with their looks, it is of utmost importance to personally discuss this with your rabbi for an objective assessment as to the degree of need and convenience, which varies with each case.

 

Best wishes,

Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson

IF YOU ARE JEWISH AND CONSIDERING COSMETIC SURGERY, PLEASE CALL DR. DANIEL KAPP AT (561) 833-4022 FOR A CONSULTATION IN HIS WEST PALM BEACH OFFICE.

FOOTNOTES
1.  Exodus 21:19.
2.  See Deuteronomy 22:5.
3.  This according to Rabbi S. Z. Auerbach (1910–1995).

For the full article, click HERE.

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