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Millions of body-conscious Americans try to slim down every year, and many succeed with diet and exercise.  However, most people still exhibit a few problem areas of stubborn fat.  These days, getting the body you want often requires more than just sweating to the oldies at the YMCA; it requires some smart technology and a good surgeon.

The problem is, a shift occurs at a certain age that affects weight fluctuations and it doesn’t seem to matter what we do – those stubborn saddlebags won’t go away.  Fortunately, liposuction can slim down fat deposits in many areas such as the back, thighs, buttocks, tummy, and elsewhere.

There are many new liposuction devices on the market that may or may not be as effective as advertised, from laser assisted lipolysis, to ultrasonic, soundwave assisted liposuction.  Whatever the case, tumescent liposuction is still considered the gold standard for many surgeons.

If you want to learn more about slimming down with liposuction, contact Doctors Dreyfuss and Gelman.  Also, see our liposuction before and after photos to get an idea of the results that can be achieved.

Is there some part of your lifestyle, such as an activity, that you think contributes most to your appearance?  Do you go to great lengths in order to look good? Why?   Is there a feature your body that you are more conscious of than any other?

These are the sort of questions asked by researchers during the Beauty for Life survey, a collaborative effort facilitated by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.  ASAPS President Renato Saltz says the survey was intended to help physicians “understand what patients are most concerned about at different stages of their lives.”

Survey respondents were divided into age groups to determine each generation’s perceptual differences regarding physical appearance of the self and physical appearance of ones partner.

Respondents in their 20s, 30s, and 40s said that a “fit, well proportioned body” was what they found most appealing in another person.  But when it came to their own physical characteristics, the same group was most concerned about their own faces.  The abdomen and hips were said to be areas of significant concern (especially in the 30s), but across the board, patients said they were most conscious of their facial appearance.

When asked about their motivation to maintain a healthy appearance, the following reasons topped the list:

• Increase self confidence
• Make friends
• Attract partners
• Increase job prospects

In all age groups, cosmetic procedures ranked fairly high, alongside diet, exercise, and skin care.  Through the link below you can view fancy colored graphs (in a pdf file) of the Beauty for Life survey results.

http://www.surgery.org/private/download/BFLUserSurvey.pdf

Professionals with The American Society of Plastic surgeons have been getting recognition this week for authoring a study about migraine headaches.  The headache-curing surgical procedure they’ve documented is apparently very similar to the forehead lift we perform right here in Illinois.

In a clinical trial, surgeons operated on 49 patients to ‘deactivate’ their migraines at their respective ‘migraine trigger sites.’  26 patients in a “sham surgery group” received what was basically a placebo.

One year later, 57 percent of the patients in the actual surgery group reported complete elimination of migraine headaches, compared with only 4 percent in the sham surgery group. Furthermore, 83 percent of the actual surgery group observed at least a 50 percent reduction in migraines.

Author of the study, Bahman Guyuron MD calls the procedure a “meaningful addition to the field of reconstructive plastic surgery” and we definitely agree.  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is the official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. You can read the official press release here at plasticsurgery.org.