Botox for Men Becoming More Popular

Bro-tox, Botox for male patients, is more popular than ever, reports ABC News.

Actor Johnny Markoudakis told ABC that he got Botox injections in his forehead and around his eyes, and a week later people told him he looked more refreshed.

But Bro-tox patients include more than just actors, models and metrosexuals, according to ABC.

For instance, Marc from Detroit is 38 and works at a chemical company. “I do a lot of industrial type work, getting dirty. … And I restore old cars,” Marc told ABC.

When he started noticing that he had some wrinkles and that he was looking older, his wife decided to get him Botox for Christmas.

“The card was very nice,” Marc said. “But then there was a little note that said … ‘Botox’ on it, and I was a little shocked. … It’s just not anything I thought I would do for myself.”

Marc used the gift and now has less noticeable crow’s feet thanks to Botox.

Cosmetic Procedures Becoming More Popular for Men

ABC News reports that over 300,000 men got Botox last year, a 10% increase from the previous year. Men are getting more cosmetic procedures in general — one in eight cosmetic surgery procedures is now performed on men.

According to the report, from 2010 to 2011, eyelid surgeries increased by 15% for men, facelifts by 14% and liposuction by 7%.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) says the five most popular procedures among men are Botox, hair transplantation/restoration, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion and liposuction.

A consumer survey by the AACS found that 12% of men plan to have cosmetic surgery at some point in the future and that 83% of men believe that personal appearance plays a role in their professional success and advancement.

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Dr. Pancholi on the Benefits of Multiple Cosmetic Surgeries in One Session

In the latest issue of Cosmetic Surgery Times, Dr. Pancholi highlights the trend toward performing multiple cosmetic surgeries in one session on certain areas of the body, such as the breast or the buttocks.

Dr. Pancholi says that he often performs breast augmentation and breast lift surgery in the same session and liposuction with fat grafting techniques when performing the Brazilian butt lift.

Breast Surgeries

Patients who have lost the shape and fullness of their breasts, including massive weight loss patients and postpartum women, are often good candidates for a combination of a breast lift and breast implants.

The breast lift, also known as mastopexy, results in a more ideal positioning of the nipple and breast, but it does not adequately address the lack of fullness of the breast in those patients, Dr. Pancholi says.

“In order to achieve a more voluptuous-looking breast…I often combine a mastopexy with breast implant surgery. The breasts are not only higher up but also have a fullness to them because of the implant,” he says.

Buttock Enhancements

By combining liposuction with fat grafting techniques when performing a Brazilian butt lift, the rounded shape of the buttocks can become more enhanced.

Dr. Pancholi says he typically performs liposuction to remove fat at the waist and upper and lower back, which causes a slight hollowing of the area and results in an accentuated curve of the buttocks. Then for a more enhanced curving effect, he takes the fat harvested during liposuction and injects it into the buttocks.

Benefits of Combination Procedures

In the past, Dr. Pancholi says that patients would often have one breast surgery and then follow-up six months later with the other. Dr. Pancholi says that there are several benefits for patients who combine procedures.

“Combining the two makes much more sense in terms of having one surgery, one recovery, reduced cost and achieving the final result without a second surgery,” he says.

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Allergan Assures Consumers Its Breast Implants Are Safe

Allergan sought to reassure patients of the safety of its silicone breast implants following the breast implant scandal involving the French company Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP).

In a release, Allergan stressed it was not part of the investigation, which led to the French health minister suggesting that French women should have PIP silicone implants removed.

PIP used cheaper industrial silicone instead of medical silicone for the implants, and they appear to have an unusually high rupture rate, according to investigators. The PIP implants were removed from the market last year and have never been used in the United States.

Estimates say that around 30,000 women in France have the PIP implants. Tens of thousands more women in Britain, Italy, Spain and other countries in Europe and South America also have had PIP implants.

Allergan’s breast implant devices, including Natrelle, were not part of the investigation. Just last year, the FDA reaffirmed the safety of silicone breast implants in the U.S.

“All Allergan implants are manufactured at our state-of-the-art facility using silicone and saline that is approved for use in medical devices and are designed to meet all relevant national and international Quality Control Standards and Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP),” stated Allergan’s press release.

Allergan also offered specifics on the manufacturing of its implants: from start to finish, it can take up to 12 days to manufacture an Allergan breast implant, which undergoes almost 100 quality control tests.

Allergan’s breast implants have been used for almost 50 years. Their gel-filled breast implants have been available in Europe since 1997 and received U.S. FDA approval in 2006.

According to Allergan, silicone gel-filled breast implants are among the most studied medical devices, with more than 3,000 studies supporting their safe use.

In addition to Allergan, Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor also makes a silicone breast implant approved by the FDA.

Patients should recognize that while breast implants are safe, they are not lifetime devices. It’s possible that at some point a patient may need to have an implant removed or replaced.

Learn more about breast augmentation in Las Vegas.

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Patients Want Body Contouring After Weight Loss Surgery

Many bariatric surgery patients desire body contouring surgery after their weight loss, and their expectations of the cosmetic procedures are high, according to a new study.

Body contouring procedures after weight loss are often a last and necessary step in a patient’s weight loss surgery journey.

Medically-assisted weight loss often results in loose and hanging skin on the upper arms, breasts, abdomen and thighs. Because of this, one or more body contouring procedures — such as a tummy tuck, breast lift, body lift, arm lift or liposuction — may be desired.

The Austrian study, published in Obesity Surgery journal, examined patients’ expectations of body contouring after massive weight loss. A questionnaire on body image, quality of life and expectations of body contouring surgery was answered by 252 patients who had gastric bypass surgery between 2003 and 2009.

While 90% of women and 88% of men surveyed said their appearance after weight loss was “satisfactory, good, or very good,” 96% reported having surplus skin that caused itching. Some also said they had problems playing sports and finding clothing that fit well.

A majority of men and women surveyed expressed a desire for body contouring, and the top three expectations of the surgery were:

• Improved appearance
• Improved self–confidence
• Improved quality of life

Both men and women ranked the abdominal area as most in need of contouring, followed by the breasts, thighs, upper arms and buttocks.

The researchers concluded that the success of using weight loss surgery to treat obese patients can’t be judged on weight loss alone. “Patients’ expectations for body contouring surgery are very precise and high,” so it is important that patients are given realistic expectations from their cosmetic surgeon before surgery, according to the authors.

For more information, view the full text of the study.

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