A new smart phone application released by the Scottish government shows how alcohol abuse can change your appearance.

While the “Drinking Mirror” may not address the more severe long-term health concerns of alcohol abuse, it does reveal a consequence that heavy drinkers might overlook.

The app is very simple to use. You download it on your Android or iPhone device, upload a photo (or choose one from your gallery) and then position the face and eyes in a template. Choose the number of drinks you consume per week and then sit back and watch the transformation.

The results are startling. On a recent episode of TODAY, women at a Houston area tavern tested the Drinking Mirror app on camera. While they weren’t happy with their “after” photos, the group was skeptical of the app’s methodology, arguing that too many other variables, like genetics, fitness, and diet, were left out.

Nonetheless, the app could be valuable for spreading awareness about some of the subtle yet undesirable effects of drinking. “Binge drinking leads to problems with your body and your brain and self harming behaviors that can lead to addictive behavior,” said intervention specialist Brad Lamm on TODAY.

Although the Drinking Mirror app comes from Scotland, the problem is not unique to that locale. 1 in 8 American women are binge drinkers who consuming at least 6 drinks at a time, according to the CDC.

Original photo by Jennifer Lord Photography on Flickr.

According a report by the AMEinfo.com, facial surgeries in Dubai were popular during 2012 and are expected to increase further in 2013.

The trend is said to represent changing cultural beliefs regarding cosmetic surgery in this part of the world.

Though long discouraged in many Middle Eastern countries, changing world views and the spread of various international cultural beliefs have had a significant impact on Dubai. Both women and men are turning to cosmetic surgeries like facelifts more and more each year.

Cultural Changes Lead to More Cosmetic Surgery

According to Dr. Afschin Ghofrani, some of the most popular procedures for the women of Dubai include face lifts, neck lifts, brow lifts and eyelid surgery. Lip enhancement is another popular treatment, with both surgical and non-surgical options.

Dr. Ghofrani, a Dubai facial cosmetic surgeon, was board-certified in Germany, a country whose international standards are used around the world. There he and his partner were in charge of departments at major German hospitals.

Surgeons in Dubai and around the world expect a surge of patients in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, particularly. There’s a strong demand for facial procedures that have relatively fast recovery times. Non-surgical procedures like Botox or wrinkle fillers have little to no recovery period, and are often used for last-minute cosmetic enhancements.

Dr. Ghofrani urges his patients to follow the medical advice they are given during a “consultation by a well-versed specialist, to get detailed, honest expert advice on whether surgery is the best form of treatment, or less invasive treatments such as fillers, Botox or cosmetology are sufficient.”

Photo of Dubai by the travel guru on Flickr

Dr. Anthony Youn recently appeared on Rachel Ray demonstrating the “ouchless needle” for Botox injection. The ouch less needle is a product made by BellaNovus, which delivers a stream of cooling vapor to the treatment area prior to injection.

After a quick spray of the coolant, Dr. Youn covers the patient’s eyes and then performs quick injections for crow’s feet. “It was ouchless; I did not feel a thing” she says.

Numbing Cream, Lidocaine, Ice and Other Alternatives

The ouchless needle is another alternative for doctors to provide comfortable Botox injections. More common methods include topical numbing cream, ice, and lidocaine, which is mixed with many of today’s popular dermal fillers. If you’ve never had a cosmetic injection, feel free to ask about the ways we improve your comfort during treatment.

Even if you’re not ready for a face lift, you can still look younger. There are numerous anti-aging treatments, as well as lifestyle changes, that can help set the clock back a few years. If you’re a 20-something, these steps can help you maintain that youthful look.

1. 1. Reduce your sun exposure. Apply sunscreen twice a day. If you’re active outside on a regular basis, cover up with a hat or long sleeve shirt.

1. 1. Don’t drink heavily, smoke, or use illicit drugs. All these habits can lead to premature signs of aging.

1. 1. Start using a quality skin care regimen every day. Visit us to find out if you’re a candidate for Retin-A.

1. 1. Get microdermabrasion or a facial every month to exfoliate.

1. 1. Maintain a healthy body weight. Avoid dieting! Instead, commit to eating fresh fruits and vegetables and getting regular exercise.

1. 1. Botox® Cosmetic and injectable fillers at a relatively young age can stop wrinkles when they first begin to appear.

1. 1. Minimally-invasive surgeries like eyelid surgery or an endoscopic brow lift can correct the signs of aging that fillers can’t.

1. 1. Laser treatments, like ICON Laser Skin Resurfacing and Excel V+ Laser Treatments, can reduce unwanted pigment and stimulate collagen, with no downtime or minimal downtime.

Non-surgical treatments are alluring due to their convenience, low risk, and low initial cost. However, beware of the infinite number of gimmicks that have been introduced. They claim to provide results comparable to a face lift, but most of them don’t even come close.

Before and After Face Lift in Rancho Cucamonga

The truth is that face lift results only come from face lift surgery. It’s important to care for your skin and maintain a healthy lifestyle, but if you’re a candidate for face lift surgery, and you want tighter and more youthful-looking skin in your lower face and neck, the best long-term plan is to simply get the face lift.

Read more about face lift alternatives in Rancho Cucamonga

One of the most common questions that I hear as a plastic surgeon is “how long will my facelift last?” I often reply that it depends – on the patient’s individual aging process, the nature of the technique, and future lifestyle factors. The appearance of aging is often very difficult to measure. That’s why I was interested to read a long-term follow-up study that found that – even five years after their facelifts – 76 percent of facelift patients still look younger than they did before.

There have been many studies that examine the long-term benefits of facelift surgery, including the development of aging factors. However, this new study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is the first to perform rigorous, standardized assessments in a long-term follow-up. It examined standardized photographs of 50 patients who had undergone facelift surgery roughly 5 years previously.

To gauge these photographs, there were three separate sets of assessments used. The first was a series of objective measurements that examined common factors, such as the angle of the chin to the neck, or jowl height. There were also two separate types of subjective assessments – localized assessments examining key areas like the nasolabial folds, and an overall assessment of the patient’s appearance.

Based on these assessments, the researchers had a complete picture of how the face it changed over five years. All three sets of assessments showed significant improvement over that time. Although there was some loss of improvement, especially around the neck, the overall picture was still better than the patient had appeared before their facelift surgeries.

The researchers concluded that more than three-quarters of patients (76 percent) still looked younger five years after their facelift. As a result, they write, there seems to be no “significant objective or subjective sign of continued aging or ‘relapse’ in any area except for the neck.”

While liposuction is often portrayed in the media as a glorified weight-loss solution, the reality is far from the myth – maintaining the results of liposuction after surgery is an important commitment that can’t be taken lightly. One woman’s liposuction journey, including some valuable advice about the importance of ongoing exercise, was recently profiled on ABC’s The Doctors.

Jill is a 45-year-old single mother who has long felt self-conscious about her legs, which she describes as “mushy.”

“When I get invited to a pool party, initially I have a panic attack. I’ll help in the kitchen, I’ll hang around, I’ll walk around. It’s not even an issue that I’m going to get into a bathing suit.” She wears long skirts and long dresses to conceal her legs, and confesses to feeling jealous of women with slim legs. “My son is having a bar mitzvah in December – I want to look good. It’s a very scary thing for me to think that I could wear something above my knee.”

Fortunately, Jill was a great candidate for liposuction, as she was not overweight and generally healthy. For her liposuction, surgeons Dr. Andrew Ordon and Dr. Ritu Chopra performed Vaser tumescent liposuction. This technique uses an ultrasonic wand to melt away the fat, so that it can be removed more easily. (A word to the squeamish: the video here shows some surgical footage, and is not for the faint of heart.)

A couple of months after the surgery, she steps onto the stage to show off her new look. Dr. Ordon advises her that it will take 6 to 9 months for all of the swelling and numbness to go away. He also offers advice about how to maintain the look.

“Exercising – so important – that’s how you’re going to maintain this result. We went in there, surgically removed that fat and those figure faults that weren’t budging with exercise, so… focus on exercising your lower body.” He suggests a combination of cardio and weight training as the best approach to maintaining liposuction results. “As long as you maintain a stable weight, those fat cells are gone.”

Currently, Latisse is the only FDA-approved cosmetic treatment for inadequate eyelashes. On the popular cosmetic website RealSelf, it has an 85% approval rating, and a lot of dedicated fans. Recently, one of the site’s bloggers highlighted some of the different ways that people have been conserving their Latisse doses.

1. 1. Using a single Latisse drop each day… by putting the drop into the cap. According to Eva, one of the site’s users, “I put one drop in the cap, and dip the brush in the cap. This way, I can do both eyelids with one drop and one brush.” She says that her eyelashes looked amazing after three weeks using this method.

1. 1. Using the same Latisse brush for two consecutive days. Latisse comes packaged with 60 applicator brushes, and no more. One plastic surgeon from New Jersey often suggests to his patients that they use one brush for two days straight. By rinsing the brush with water after the first use, and leaving it to air dry, patients have been stretching out their Latisse prescriptions.

1. 1. Using a skinny eyeliner brush instead of the brushes provided. According to beauty bloggers Beauty in the Bag, eyeliner brushes are better-designed than the brushes in the Latisse package, and can reduce irritation.

1. 1. Cutting the Latisse brush in half. Some doctors argue that this allows you to use less product and apply the Latisse more efficiently.

1. 1. Apply as much as you need. This is very subjective, but many RealSelf users argue that a full drop, per eye, per day is probably more than enough for most people.

Before trying any of these techniques, make sure that you discuss them with your surgeon. Otherwise, you run the danger of ultimately wasting your Latisse, or even damaging your eyes.

Weight loss is a long and difficult journey, but with the Internet, it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. The cosmetic surgery website RealSelf.com has a solid community of users who support each other through their struggles, including bariatric surgery and subsequent cosmetic procedures. A recent post on the website highlighted 10 tips from community members who have undergone gastric bypasses.

1. Follow your doctor’s advice

As a plastic surgeon, I might be a bit biased, but it’s true. For the best possible outcome, do everything your doctor advises, including quitting smoking and following a set exercise routine.

2. Do an honest self-evaluation

Sometimes you need to take another look at your body, habits, and routines to find what you really need.

3. Have the right attitude

Your attitude can be the difference between success and failure. Be practical but optimistic – “keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground.”

4. Drink a lot of water

Put away the sugary drinks and pick up some cold, refreshing water. This is especially important to maintaining a good exercise routine.

5. Don’t rush back into eating

It can be hard to stick to the liquid and puréed post-op diet, but it’s important to ease the transition back into regular eating habits.

6. Change your eating habits for good

RealSelf user Cindy probably says it best: “Say to yourself, this food does not taste as good as skinny feels.”

7. Learn coping mechanisms

“You have to see someone and really spend serious time talking about what to expect when you have slimmed down,” says Cynthia J. “You will still have your issues with self worth but you will learn to have your coping mechanisms.”

8. Join a support group

Mutual support will be important along the road to weight loss. Many doctors offer support groups where patients can talk about their journeys.

9. Realize that surgery is only a tool

…and not a miracle cure. Proper diet and exercise are still necessary to living a healthy life.

10. Determine if it’s “worth it”

There are many challenges on the other side of bariatric surgery. After massive weight loss, patients often find that they are left with excess skin, and require body contouring procedures such as the breast lift and tummy tuck. While every journey begins with a single step, you should think carefully about where your journey will take you.

Make-A-Wish of Greater Los Angeles is celebrating 30 years of granting wishes. The organization has officially unveiled their 2012 Season of Wishes Holiday series, and it’s full of heartwarming stories of local wish children.

To support the mission of Make-A-Wish, Dr. Jacob Haiavy and his wife Maryam Haiavy have pledged to grant the wish of a child who has a life-threatening medical condition.

Jordan, a local 12-year old boy, has been diagnosed with a metastatic brain tumor. He deals with difficult challenges on a daily basis. Make-A-Wish and Dr. Haiavy have partnered to make Jordan’s wish to travel to Hawaii with his family come true.

On November 27, people of the community joined us for the 8th annual Season of Wishes , so they could experience the wish and see for themselves the joy that this event brings to families and everyone else who is involved.
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California’s medical board is stepping up its investigations into fake medical practitioners, according to a recent report on ABC News 10. Operation Safe Medicine, the investigative unit that examines these cases, has seen a surprising rise in these cases, which involve people posing as doctors in order to reap profits from performing risky surgeries. Compared to last fiscal year, the number of cases has risen from 31 to 61.

This increase in fake medical practitioners has nearly claimed the lives of many Californians. In one case, an Encinitas woman is accused of having posed as a doctor of naturopathy, who “diagnosed” people with Lyme disease. She prescribed injections of bovine stem cells and dimethyl sulfoxide, which wound up hospitalizing one of her patients for six weeks.

Some of the cases border on the macabre, like the case of the San Francisco man who is accused of performing liposuction while smoking a cigar. According to prosecutors, the man operated with no assistant, and actually had the surgery patient hold her own intravenous bag during the procedure. Other cases have centered on laser fungus removal, childbirth, facelifts, and hemorrhoid surgery. It seems that these sorts of deceptions can apply to almost any branch of medicine.

Operation Safe Medicine is a six-person team based in Southern California that has been combating these sorts of cases. However, the report released by the medical board calls for more staff to launch a new unit in Northern California, where it is believed that investigations are needed.

How can you stay safe? The liposuction case involved someone assuming the identity of a physician assistant with a similar name. Before seeking treatment with any medical professional, always be sure to check up on their qualifications. Be on your guard if you were not introduced to them through your family doctor. More than anything, however, remember the old adage – if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.