"In order to create the most beautiful results, you have to be able to see it from an artistic perspective. Surgical skills are essential but they are not enough. There is an aesthetic that cannot be taught. It has to be innate."
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Frankfort, IL 60423
Can plastic surgery procedures be considered a marital asset? That’s what a North Dakota attorney argued in a recent divorce case. According to an AP article in the Star Tribune, the judge called the idea “nonsense.” Read: N.D. High Court considers Lasik, Breast implants values in divorce case
In the UK, employees of a cosmetic surgery clinic are showing off their surgery results in a special 2010 calendar. They say the “calendar is tongue-in-cheek, but tasteful” and “it features girls of all ages and they all look amazing.” Read and see slideshow: The Sun News: Cosmetic Surgery Calendar Girls.
The word has definitely spread about the proposed elective cosmetic tax, and plastic surgeons and other professionals are definitely opinionated about it. Some of the recent criticisms of the tax are downright scathing. Read Bloomberg News: Breast Enlargement Tax That Failed in Jersey Taints U.S. Plan.
The ASPS and ASAPS have responded to the proposed cosmetic surgery tax, calling it discriminatory, arbitrary, and ineffective. Details of the bill are below:
”SEC. 5000B. IMPOSITION OF TAX ON ELECTIVE COSMETIC MEDICAL PROCEDURES.
”(a) IN GENERAL.-There is hereby imposed on any cosmetic surgery and medical procedure a tax equal to 5 percent of the amount paid for such procedure (determined without regard to this section), whether paid by insurance or otherwise.
”(b) COSMETIC SURGERY AND MEDICAL PROCEDURE.-For purposes of this section, the term ‘cosmetic surgery and medical procedure’ means any cosmetic surgery (as defined in section 213(d)(9)(B)) or other similar procedure which-
”(1) is performed by a licensed medical professional, and
”(2) is not necessary to ameliorate a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring disease.
Because 86 percent of cosmetic surgeries are purchased by women, many of which are middle class working people, the society has argued that it would be discriminatory.
The bill also imposes the burden of making clear distinctions between procedures that are “medically necessary” and simply elective. Who should be making these distinctions? Should it be a tax auditor? Dr. Jennifer Walden appeared on Fox news last night to discuss such problems.
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.
Political blogs and news providers around the country are buzzing about the idea of a cosmetic surgery tax being introduced to finance health care reform.
Writers of the Speaker’s Lobby say the idea came from a treasury department official, and that the tax proposal is “off the table” for now. Apparently, most finance committee members are not even aware of the tax proposal. LA Times blog Top of the Ticket reports the tax would be a 10% charge tacked onto elective procedures like a liposuction, breast augmentation, a facelift and other popular cosmetic enhancements.
Two strong objections can be leveled against this proposal:
First and foremost, such a tax would be paid almost entirely by women. Despite the growing popularity of cosmetic procedures for men, women still make up over 90 percent of the patient demographic in the United States. Obviously, imposing a tax such as the one in question would unfairly discriminate against women. Think about it this way: would a tax be imposed on men who purchase expensive tattoos, fashionable clothing, or bodybuilding equipment? It doesn’t seem likely.
Second, a common misconception that’s probably at work here (which may have been true in the past) is that only the rich and famous pursue cosmetic surgery. Maybe you can remember the New York Times story by Natasha Singer titled “Who Is the Real Face of Plastic Surgery?” in which Ms. Singer discussed the fact that a large number of patients choose to finance cosmetic surgery, just as they would a new car. Also, let’s not forget the 2004 survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons; it revealed that nearly “a third of people considering plastic surgery reported average household incomes below $30,000.”
Smile Train is a charity on a mission to treat cleft lip and palate for children in developing countries. Cleft lip is a birth defect recognizable by an opening in the upper lip, and millions of children are suffering from the condition. Over the course of ten years, Smile Train has helped thousands of children by empowering local doctors and organizing volunteers.
With the help of Smile Train regional director Francisco Flores and surgeon Rafa Ruiz, our own Dr. Gelman and his daughter Katie are on their way to southern Mexico to help in the mission. In fact, they should already be close to their destination, Comitan, today.
We’re all excited to hear back from them and bring you updates about the trip!
According to the New York Times, surgical practices in Prague are offering free enhancements to nurses as an employment incentive. One nurse chose to undergo breast augmentation and liposuction, free of charge.
The piece raises some interesting ethical questions: While the procedures could certainly be beneficial to individual nurses in the short term, would such a practice harm the nursing profession as a whole?
According to reporter Dan Bilefsky, nurses in the region “insist they are under enormous pressure to look good in a society where attractiveness is often as highly prized as clinical skills.” Critics argue that the incentives could promote an idealized body image for nurses, in a profession already suffering from misconceptions about technical competence. A spokeswoman from the Czech nurses association argues that nurses are still perceived as “low level workers” with little to offer besides manual labor. Nurses after all, aren’t intended to be models, but caregivers that provide an enormous benefit to the medical profession and the public they serve. A misplaced emphasis on their physical appearance could undermine public perceptions of their competence and value.
Still, others may not see any problem with offering incentives through procedures like breast augmentation or rhinoplasty; perhaps they’re analogous to employee discounts at a retailer, vacation packages, or other career perks.
The supposed ethical problems brought by these surgical incentive programs probably aren’t a product of the programs alone, but rather an objection to the sexism and discrimination that underlie them.
Celebrities like Mandy Moore, Brooke Shields and Marisa Tomei attended a Hollywood charity event last March to help launch the Latisse Wishes campaign, a campaign to support the Make-A-Wish foundation and generate interest in the new eyelash enhancement drug. The Make-A-Wish foundation is known for granting the wishes of suffering children.
Latisse, Allergan’s new eyelash enhancer and latest offering, is the first drug to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypotrichosis, a condition characterized by inadequate eyelashes. The Latisse Wishes campaign was launched by Allergan with a $500,000 initial contribution to Make-A-Wish.
Hollywood beauty expert and participant, Anastasia Soare, enthusiastically expressed her support, saying “I constantly work to help make women’s beauty wishes come true, and now we can help children’s wishes come true through the LATISSE™ Wishes campaign.”
It’s not a mere coincidence that Make-A-Wish was chosen as a beneficiary for Allergan’s campaign; the superstitious tradition of blowing on an eyelash to make a wish come true, provides a clever marketing strategy, backed by philanthropy.
The campaign is encouraging consumers to help double the donation amount by visiting www.Latisse.com and registering their support. From now until the end of the year, Allergan will donate 5 dollars for each new registration, up to one million dollars.
Latisse is now available in Chicago and Munster, Indiana; contact us for more information.
Mentor, the largest breast implant manufacturer in the world, will be acquired by Johnson and Johnson.
According to Marketwatch, the medical giant J&J announced the deal on December 1st at a reported 1.12 billion dollar total value.
Dr. David Dreyfuss of Plastic Surgery Experts was recently interviewed about the possible consequences of this deal.
What shortcomings at Mentor do you believe J&J can or should address?
Dr. Dreyfuss: Certainly the marketing strategies of the Mentor/Inform group will get the most needed updating. This is an area that started to take off significantly about 2-3 years ago and promptly fell into disarray. J&J should provide the necessary technology upgrades to the system and solidify their workforce to allow the product to regain
How do you think the acquisition will affect breast augmentation patient product choices?
Dr. Dreyfuss: The J&J acquisition of Mentor should speed up the process for cohesive gel products being available to the US market. Not unlike the Allergan acquisition of Inamed, it changed the FDA focus away from a breast implant company to a pharmaceutical company. This provides an “inside track” for approval of new products. This should allow Mentor to compete on a level playing field with Allergan/Natrelle.
What companies will feel new competitive pressure from this acquisition, and how?
Dr. Dreyfuss: Clearly the most impact will be upon Allergan from this acquisition. It will put significant pressure on Allergan’s sales staff from a new influx of cash and marketing strength from J&J. The other facial implant and liposuction equipment manufacturers will feel excessive pressure. This has been an area somewhat neglected by Mentor, which will change in the future.
A Japanese surgeon recently appeared on CNN to discuss his use of stem cell-assisted lipotransfer for breast augmentation. Yoshimura uses a patient’s own stem cells to transplant fat into the breast. The regenerative capabilities present in stem cells are supposed to make fat grafting more effective.
One American surgeon from UCLA appears during the segment to criticize the procedure for being somewhat unpredictable.
Last summer at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, bio-ethicist Arthur Caplan gave a lecture about why the desire to live longer and look better is not immoral. The lecture included some interesting perspectives on the future of cosmetic surgery and anti-aging.
Early on in the speech, Caplan recalls a story about a woman who had received harsh criticism for getting a facelift. A younger female counterpart said of her, “that’s terrible, you should simply accept the changes [of aging] as they come.” For Caplan, this attitude reflects a certain “puritanical” attitude toward medical technology and the possibilities it holds for humanity.
In his broad philosophical argument, Caplan presents many reasons why we should use medical technology and pursue new discoveries in the science of stem cells. If we push for adequate funding and achieve public approval, it may be possible for us to achieve methods of whole-body anti aging, through the regenerative capabilities of stem cells.
Dakota attorney argued in a recent divorce case. According to an AP article in the Star Tribune, the judge called the idea “nonsense.” Read: N.D. High Court considers Lasik, Breast implants values in divorce case
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?
Political blogs and news providers around the country are buzzing about the idea of a cosmetic surgery tax being introduced to finance health care reform.
According to the 
