Cosmetic Surgery To Beat the Mid-Life Blues

In an age when it's common place to see a 50-year-old Madonna cavorting in a leotard and celebrity mum's like Jade Jagger and The Duchess of York hitting the town with their daughters, Times journalist Carole Midgley observes that cosmetic surgery is a part of this new female attitude.

The article titled "Tattoos, tummy tucks and miniskirts" details that like the traditional male stereotype of a mid-life crisis complete with sports car, leather pants and ponytail, middle-aged women are now having their own very public version of this rite of passage.

Migley's main point was that women shouldn't strive to emulate a male stereotype that has always been much maligned. However, Migley does concede that it is encouraging to find women able to express themselves in a way that may not have been possible 20 or so years ago.

For many women this increased confidence may be in part due to cosmetic surgery. Procedures such as the arm lift to reduce 'bingo wings', and the breast uplift which returns the breast to higher, firmer position, are just two such operations which can help to restore a more youthful appearance.

To read The Times article in full click here

Twins Spend £60K On Cosmetic Surgery To Look The Same

Cosmetic surgery fans and identical twins, Jo and Kerry Burton, 34, have made sure everyone continues to see double by having exactly the same cosmetic procedures done simultaneously.

The story in The Daily Mail revealed that the twins have invested a staggering £60,000 to enhance their looks, which started when they were 21 years old. When Jo decided to have a rhinoplasty, Kerry joined her so they could stay looking the same. From there they have progressed to breast enlargement, eye lift surgery, Botox injections and permanent make-up tattoos.

Before being operated on they even had to have their names written on their stomachs so the surgeon could tell them apart. The twins say they do everything together and would hate to look different, so they will continue to have the same surgery done.

For the full story in The Daily Mail click here

Fear of Rejection Linked To Cosmetic Surgery

Researchers at the University of Buffalo have discovered that those of us who are more sensitive to rejection based on our looks have a greater likelihood of seeking out cosmetic surgery.

The study begins with an overview of some pretty astounding figures from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In it states that since 1997 there has been an increase of 457% in the amount of cosmetic procedures taking place, with a massive 11.7 million undertaken in 2007 alone. Of those 10.6 million were on women. Keen to find out why people do these, several studies have been undertaken over the years of which this is the latest.

In the study the researchers asked 133 American college students to write an essay on a past comment they had received about their appearance, be it negative or positive. Those who had high "appearance-based rejection sensitivity" expressed a greater desire for cosmetic surgery when recalling a negative comment then those who had low sensitivity. This was even compared against other key psychological variables such as overall self-esteem and self-perceived attractiveness.

Interestingly when recalling positive comments from others, the subjects generally referred to their appearance as a whole. However negative comments concentrated predominantly on body weight, shape and size.

Jessie Wallace Loses lbs On LifeChanging Diet

Jessie Wallace has dropped 2 stone in weight in just 6 weeks on what she describes as a "life-changing" diet.

In an interview with Reveal magazine, the ex-Eastenders star and Strictly Come Dancing contestant says she owes her new size 10 figure to an eating and exercise regime set out by personal trainers Paul Ellis and Tom Stockwell.

The 5ft 2 ins actress lost the weight by cutting out all dairy, wheat and alcohol and replacing it with plenty of fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds, as well as regular trips to the gym and bouts of running.

Jessie, 37, was initially spurred into action after seeing herself on the Strictly series, describing the experience like looking at a "big bear" and a "butch Barbara Cartland".

For those who have tried every diet going, including this one, and are still struggling to lose the weight, alternative options like the gastric balloon or gastric band may be more suited. TV presenter Fern Britton has credited her dramatic weight loss and svelte new figure to the gastric band.

Click here to arrange an appointment with a cosmetic surgeon to discuss different means of weight loss.

Free Liposuction On The NHS

Over two thousand UK patients have received free cosmetic surgery on the NHS over the past year it's been revealed. Figures from the NHS Information Centre show that £5.7million was spent giving liposuction (alson known as liposculpture) to 471 people and surgeries such as breast reductions, tummy tucks and rhinoplasty to over 1,600 patients.

Free cosmetic surgery on the NHS though is tightly restricted and only offered to those who need it for medical or reconstructive purposes or because it is severaly impacting their mental health. It is not offered purely for cosmetic reasons.

For instance the rise in liposuction procedures is in part due to a condition known as lipodystrophy syndrome in which areas of fat are lost in one area and reappear in other areas such as the neck, a side effect of some HIV medicines.

Botox to Relieve Foot Pain in Diabetics

Doctors in Taiwan may have discovered another use for botox besides the wide list of cosmetic and medical complaints it is already used for. In the past diabetics who have suffered chronic foot pain due to nerve damage as a result of their illness, have been offered very little relief. Now a team at Taipei Medical University may have found a way to alleviate at least some of the discomfort.

The study comprised of 18 Type 2 diabetics who were each asked at the start to rate their level of pain between 0-10 ,with the average result coming out at 6.36. The group were then split in two and half given botulinum toxin type A injections and half given saline. A few weeks into the study 12 were crossed over so that they were receiving the opposite treatment. The intradermal botox injections were placed in 12 sites across the top of the foot.

At the end of the 12 weeks, all those patients who had received botox had an average reduction in score of 2.53 points compared to 0.53 for those who solely had the saline injections. Within 12 weeks of the injections, 44 percent of the botox patients had reduced this further to 3 points less. An additional positive side effect was that they reported being able to sleep better (possibly because they were no longer in such pain).

This treatment is still in evaluation to discover optimum dosage and other related factors.

If you would be interested in botox injections to treat wrinkles click here.