London Bridge Plastic Surgery Blog

President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), Nigel Mercer, spoke out today about the lack of regulation in the UKs cosmetic surgery industry. He demanded the creation of a watchdog and said, “There is a British Potato Council so why not an OffCos? Surgeons can do more harm than potatoes!”

He was concerned about the level of marketing the British public are subjected to and warned them to be vigilant. “The public must also beware the marketing that goes on in the cosmetic industry and the outrageous claims that can be made by the PR machines of some businesses and some surgeons,” he said.

“A ban on advertising would be practically impossible, but regulation is eminently feasible. ‘Two for One’, time limited offers and non-refundable deposits put pressure on patients to embark in haste on a course that they may regret.”

Check your cosmetic surgeon’s qualifications on the Internet (www.baaps.org.uk/ and www.gmc-uk.org/).

Prices for cosmetic surgeries in the UK have decreased slightly throughout 2009 despite an increase in popularity and the number of services and products introduced into the market in recent years.

The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons  have found the UK experienced a 5% increase in demand from 2007 to 2008, and a 9% increase from 2008 to 2009.

Thanks to an 8.7% increase over the previous year, the UK plastic surgery industry reached a total market value of GBP536 million by the end of 2008. The reason for this is believed to be the addition of a number of new products and services that offer effective results with shorter recovery periods. A portion of the growth is also attributed to advancements in technology, which have improved a number of the current procedures being offered.

Dame Helen Mirren understands why so many women turn to cosmetic surgery to slow down the ageing process.

“You go, ‘I don’t want to look at that face anymore,’ and I understand that, absolutely,” the actress told British morning show GMTV.

The 64-year-old star added, “I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to make themselves feel happy.”

The Daily Mail published pictures today of the Girls Aloud and claims it looks like she has had collagen injections because her lips looked “suspiciously plump”.

Collagen is a natural protein which can be injected into the lips as a way of making them fuller. Implants are becoming increasingly common with patients as it is a relatively cheap and simple procedure.

The singer spoke about being in favour of cosmetic surgery. She said that she would always be honest over whether she had indulged and that if it makes people happy and more confident, then there’s no reason people shouldn’t. She said: “I’ve got nothing against cosmetic surgery. I mean, if someone hasn’t got any boobs and having them done is going to make them a happier, more confident person, then go for it. I wouldn’t deny it if I had cosmetic surgery. I wouldn’t just come out with big boobs and say, ‘No, I haven’t had an operation!’”

Men – and especially gay men – are the largest growing segment of patients signing up for elective reconstructive surgery. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), a growing percentage of gay men have had some type of surgical procedure performed on their body or face. An even larger percentage of men said that they would like to have some work done.

Men are now much more knowledgeable about plastic surgery. They’re into aesthetics and they want to look good. Gay men are not afraid to tell their friends about their surgery and help spread the word.

Dakota Calloway, a spokeswoman with the ASPS, said: “Often, a man is judged by his outward appearance – just as much, if not more than a woman. If he is obese, he may be perceived as lazy or incompetent at his job, because he is unable to take care of himself properly. An overly aged man may not seem appropriate for some jobs and he may have difficulty meeting single people. The point is that men seek plastic surgery for the same reasons that women do – to boost their self-esteem and allow them to appear on the outside as whom they are on the inside.”

Over time, the age of desirability for gay men seems to get younger and younger. The age discrimination and lack of attention older or mature gay men receive is synonymous to the pressure some women feel to get married or have children by a certain age.

More people from the West Midlands have gone under the knife to shed their fat than anywhere else in the UK.

New figures, reported in the Daily Telegraph, show that 2,046 pints of excess fat have been removed there in the last five years. London came second in the poll with people having 1,725 pints taken out of their bodies followed by the south west losing 1,404 pints.

Regions where the most people have had liposuction (Pints of fat removed in total over five years)

1.West Midlands (2,046)

2.London (1,725)

3.South West (1,404)

4.North West (788)

5.Wales (638)

6.South East (528)

7.East Midlands (471)

8.North East/Yorkshire and the Humber (387)

9.Scotland (383)

10.Northern Ireland (131)

Scientists reckon women with larger lips are seen as more youthful than those with thin lips. But if you’re not naturally plump in the lips there’s help at hand. Here are three options which can turn thin lips into a red carpet smile!

INJECTABLE FILLER

WHAT IS IT? Chemical fillers, such as Restylane and Juvederm, are injected into the lips to make them appear fuller and plumper.

DOES IT WORK? Yes. Product is injected into lips, avoiding the edges where it can form a ridge. Hyaluronic acid acts like a scaffolding to support and lift the lip from the inside.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST? As lips are so mobile, fillers last only between six months and a year. Collagen-based fillers last a couple of months.

LIP IMPLANT

WHAT IS IT? A longer lasting solution, Permalip, is injected like fillers while silicone is used as an implant.

DOES IT WORK? Yes, but they are difficult to remove if the patient dislikes the effect or if something goes wrong.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST? Though described as permanent, they last only up to five years.

FAT TRANSFER

WHAT IS IT? Fat is removed via a syringe from the thighs or stomach and injected into the lips. So the patient’s own tissue is used rather than foreign materials.

DOES IT WORK? Yes, but not for long.

HOW LONG OES IT LAST? It tends to break down over a few months. This means the process may have to be repeated up to four times.

She may think she’s “ageing well”, but So You Think You Can Dance presenter, Cat Deeley, won’t rule out plastic surgery.

When asked if she would have plastic surgery by OK! Magazine, she said: “I don’t know. So far I’ve been lucky. I’ve got quite nice skin and I’m ageing well − touch wood! Ask me in 30 years, and I may say something totally different.

“What if in 30 years everyone’s doing it and I look like some old bag? And what if my nice smile has fallen, and I’m slightly balding with varicose veins?!”

And Cat admits she has body hang-ups like every woman, but refuses to dwell on what worries her most in case she draws attention to a flaw that no one else noticed.

She added: “I’ve got as many as the next person, but I never tell anyone what they are. Most of it is in your head, so if you don’t tell people, they don’t notice.

“I like that I smile a lot and that I’ve got nice teeth − they’re all my own, too!”

Michigan-based plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn has the most widely-read blog by a plastic surgeon in the United States. The CBS news channel recently interviewed him and here is what he had to say.

What’s the most popular procedure you do?
Breast augmentation, by far. It’s also the No. 1 plastic surgery in the U.S. Last year, more than 300,000 women underwent breast augmentation.

Breast enhancement — Saline or Silicone?
Today, we have saline and silicone implants. Both are great implants, but the problem with saline implants is that they don’t feel as natural. The problem with silicone is the worry that they might leak, whether that worry is realistic or not. Both implants are great implants.

Is there anything new in this arena?
The newest breast implant is the “Gummy Bear Implant.” We call it this because it actually feels like a gummy bear. It’s a silicone implant whose silicone is so firm, there is virtually no risk that it might leak. It’s not FDA-approved yet, but we hope that it might make it big sometime this year.

How long do the implants last?
Breast implants are not permanent devices, but should last at least 10-20 years. They actually have 10 year warranties on them!

Which age group is getting the most procedures done?
A huge percentage of our patients are women in their 30s who’ve just finished having children and want to get their former body back.

A new poll has revealed that though people older than 50 years old do undergo plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons, higher numbers of younger people want to delay looking old. Harris Interactive conducted the poll which surveyed more than 2,200 men and women.

When face lifts were a preference, it was mostly among older women. Thirty-three percent of women ages 55 and older said they would have a face lift operation if they could afford it. In the same age range, only 13 percent of men said they would do the same thing. And the poll showed overall that the older adults were least interested in having any plastic surgery. More than half the people ages 55 and said they would not have any cosmetic surgery, even if they could afford it.