Herbal supplements are everywhere. And cosmetic surgery patients love them – in a recent survey, 55% of cosmetic surgery patients surveyed took 2 or more supplements, compared to only 24% in the general population. The most commonly used supplements in the survey were: chondroitin, ephedra, echinacea and glucosamine. Some supplements have some serious side effects […]
Last week, we lost a very special person here in the Orlando area, when Mark L. Parker passed away. As a rookie Correctional Officer full of promise at age 19, Mark was seriously wounded in the line of duty, at a shootout at the Orlando courthouse some 25 years ago. Two other officers were killed. […]
Patients love to see “before and after” photos. I agree – it’s one good way to see the quality and artistic vision of a plastic surgeon. Unfortunately, photographs can be manipulated to look better or worse. And I’m not talking Photoshop here. Simple tricks of timing, positioning, and lighting can be used by the unscrupulous. […]
Some doctors are calling themselves “double-board certified” or “triple board certified” surgeons. This terminology seems to be especially common on the Internet, and, in my opinion, is a bit of a pretentious marketing ploy. Since the whole board certification thing can be a bit confusing for consumers, let’s talk about it. As you probably already […]
From time to time, people ask me about Vitamin E…and whether rubbing some of it on their incision will make it heal and look better. It’s an interesting “urban legend”. The belief that Vitamin E helps scars seems pretty widespread. First of all, what is Vitamin E? It’s a fat-soluble vitamin that was discovered in […]
It sounds hard to believe…but a new study published in the January issue of International Journal of Cancer found a 27% reduction in the number of breast cancers in women who have breast implants. The researchers compared the incidence rates of breast cancers in 6,200 Scandinavian women with breast implants, compared to the number of breast cancers that would […]
When the FDA re-approved the general use of silicone breast implants in 2006, there were some “strings” attached. One of these was the recommendation for follow-up testing of the breast, using an MRI scan, at years 3, 5, 7 (and so on) to look for clinically “silent” implant leakage. This was a new recommendation – […]
“Reloxin”, a form of botulinum toxin, and potential competition for Botox, could go on sale in the U.S. soon. The FDA is currently evaluating the product, which has been sold in Europe for approximately 15 years under the name Dysport. It’s a wrinkle-fighter, similar to Botox, and it also has a good track record of […]
Recently, a number of patients have asked me during their breast augmentation consultations whether the strength of the pectoral muscle is reduced after a sub-pectoral breast augmentation (“unders”). I can certainly answer from my patients’ experience – very active patients (weight lifters, personal trainers, police women, wakeboarders and others) have not reported any problems to […]
Breast-feeding is known to be nutritionally superior to commercial infant formulas. Breast milk also has immune-boosting properties, and seems to reduce the chance of the baby developing common childhood conditions, such as eczema, otitis media, and iron-deficiency anemia. In other words, it’s good for the baby. Women who are considering breast augmentation with silicone gel implants […]
