Saturday, February 20, 2010

Olympic Track Star Removes $13K Breast Implants

Photo: paperchaserdotcom.ning.com

Can you imagine paying $13K for a breast augmentation, only to pay for ANOTHER surgery to have the implants taken out 14 months later?

That's exactly what Australian track star Jana Rawlinson did, according to the Paper Chaser website.

Even though the sports star "loved" her new girls, she felt encumbered by them - and feared they were getting in the way of making the best race times.

If you're an athlete - or even just super active - you absolutely need to consider size when going for a breast augmentation!

Anything larger than a full B cup can get in the way of speed times and balance - and may even be a risk if your sport involves lots of body contact.

I figure skated competitively for many years, and am a bit of a fitness freak. I "wore" my size around for three months before my breast augmentation with a padded push-up bra to make sure that I was never uncomfortable while working out or being active.

I highly recommend you do the same - a size that you think looks gorgeous in the mirror may actually turn out to be in your way while doing the things you most love to do.

And you don't want to have to pony up $13K + for that lesson..

Monday, February 8, 2010

How To Protect Yourself From Dangerous Plastic Surgeons



Just a couple days ago, a jury found Plastic Surgeon Dr. Marco Loiacono guilty of professional misconduct in his treatment of a 33 year old breast augmentation patient, Catherine McCormack of Dublin, reports The Irish Times.

The lowdown?

Catherine's left breast became infected a few days after her breast augmentation at the Advanced Cosmetic Surgery (ACS) clinic in Dublin back in October 2006. When the mom of three went to see the doctor about the situation, she was red, inflamed and - get ready for this - oozing. These are all symptoms of a severe infection, which at that advanced stage can call for immediate hospital admittance, intravenous antibiotics and possibly removal of the implant.

Instead, Dr. Lociacono stitched the wound together, put her on your typical ho-hum antibiotics, and sent Catherine on her way - a response that the surgeon amazingly continued to stand by in court.

Also discussed in court was the fact that Dr. Lociacono didn't see Catherine for a whole 20 days after her initial surgery; his defense is that nurses saw her in the days following her surgery.

Catherine ultimately had to have her left breast removed, leaving her disfigured and ill with a significant recovery from the nasty infection.

Dr. Lociacono moved and continued to perform cosmetic surgeries in Brazil and Italy. Nice, huh?

Now this all brings up a very important point that I discuss in depth in my eBook, The Boob Job Bible: 10 Steps To A Sexy, Safe Breast Augmentation. YOU need to "interview" any plastic surgeon you consult with to make sure he's going to be your number one advocate, and that you'll be safe and completely cared for under his guidance.

While there are reckless and poor plastic surgeons out there, the one good piece of news is that they're pretty easy to pick out if you know what to look for.

Just a couple out of several points my eBook addresses that could have prevented this situation:

1. At your consultation, ALWAYS ask who will be seeing you for your follow up appointments right after surgery. Anyone other than the surgeon performing the breast augmentation on you is unacceptable, and you should never hire someone who gives you less than that.

2. While infections are rare, the signs to look for: Redness, skin that feels "hot" and any kind of oozing. If you so much as SUSPECT an infection, get in to see your plastic surgeon immediately. Not his nurse, not a phone call - him personally. If he finds that you DO have an infection, you'll want to ask if it's necessary to make a hospital trip for intravenous antibiotics and whether there is a risk that you may need to remove the implant. Infections are nothing to mess with. And you most certainly don't hang out with one for over 20 days, with no further treatment.

And this is the kind of story that scares women straight out of ever getting a boob job.

But if you do your homework, ask the right questions, and hire a great board-certified plastic surgeon - you can protect yourself from these kinds of craptastic doctors who give the whole industry a bad name.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Thigh Fat = Perky New Breasts?

Photo: Linda Barlett for National Cancer Institute

A pretty sensational press release crossed my desk today, claiming that the first "stem cell breast augmentation" had been performed in Florida, with an injection of regenerative cells that should increase the patient's bust by one cup size.

Fat was taken from the woman's thighs and hips via lipo, and then processed to extract natural regenerative cells - which were then injected into her breasts.

Now THAT'S my idea of recycling!

But remember that anytime you re-inject your own fat into your body, some absorption can happen. The release claims that this procedure retains 80% of the injected fat.

This all seemed a little too good to be true, so I consulted board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Parham Ganchi of Wayne, NJ to ask what he thought.

"This is basically fat injection to the breast which has been around since at least the early 90's. When fat is harvested, there are stem cells there. What these stem cells do or don't do is not known. What we do know is that by taking the fat and stem cells and whatever else is mixed in there and putting it in the breast, you can achieve a very modest breast augmentation. The problem is that there have been some concerns about the injected cells increasing the chance of breast cancer and interfering with our ability to detect breast cancer on a mammogram," says Dr. Ganchi.

If longer term studies show that the procedure is safe, Dr. Ganchi does think this could become a more popular option.

But because we're dealing with a possible connection to breast cancer, studies will take years - maybe even a lifetime.

So for now, silicone and saline are still your best friends.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Victoria Silvstedt: Victim Of Breast Implant Rippling



Not surprisingly, this less-than-flattering photo of Swedish model, actress and Playboy Playmate Victoria Silvstedt has been making the internet rounds.

The blonde bombshell was vacationing in St. Barths when this shot was snapped, clearly showing rippling in the inner side of her left breast.

Rippling is a breast augmentation complication that can happen to anyone and is very difficult for plastic surgeons to predict, though decisions like choosing large implants and going over the muscle increase your chances of ending up with the issue.

It's not painful, nor does it cause any further problems - it can just look unsightly.

And just like Victoria's pose in this photo, patients who get rippling tend to see it when they bend over and gravity pulls at the implant at a strange angle.

The best way to prevent rippling? Stick with a moderate size and go under the muscle.

Some plastic surgeons say that rippling is a bit more common with saline than it is with silicone too.




Writer Fired For Showing Off Breast Augmentation


Photo: okvi.com

There has been some hot gossip making the rounds of the New York media world lately, and it involves a pair of breast implants.

Apparently, a writer at Brides magazine - which is owned by media giant Conde Nast - called a couple of long-time friends into her office, closed the door, lifted her shirt and revealed her sparkling new breast augmentation - which was neatly wrapped up in a post-surgery sports bra.

Mouths flapped, and word of the incident traveled like wild fire through the office.

And then HR came knocking on the door.

They said they would investigate the matter, and investigate they did: two days later, the editor found a pink slip on her desk.

The axed editor is livid, and has since sued Conde Nast for wrongful termination.

"It was within the confines of my office, behind closed doors. There was no nudity involved. They were personal friends who I had known for years," she told the New York Post.

Lesson: Resist the urge to talk about or show the girls off at work. You might just end up walking the plank.

A Definite Way To Tell If Boobs Are Fake


Photo: wm.edu

Someone has finally figured out a way to definitely tell if boobs are fake.

That someone is Shauvon from The Real World; the one who burst her implant doing a stunt for the show.

This little science experiment involves a flash light and a dark room.

Apparently, if you put a flashlight right up under a breast in a dark room, a fake implant will glow Halloween orange.

So of course I HAD to immediately try this to see if it's true.

A dark room, a flash light and 15 seconds later - my boob was lit up like a Jack-o-Lantern.

Unbelievable.

Heidi Montag Before And After Pictures

Photo: HuffingtonPost.com

Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you've most likely heard the brouhaha over Heidi Montag's before and after photos in People magazine this week.

The controversy? The 23 year-old Hills star got a jaw-dropping TEN cosmetic surgery procedures done in one day.
Here's the grand total list:

-Mini Brow Lift (who lifts a 23 year old's brows?)

-Botox in Forehead and Frown Area

-Nose Job Revision

-Fat Injections In Cheeks, Nasolabial Folds and Lips
-Chin Reduction
-Neck Liposuction (Now I've heard everything)

-Ears Pinned Back

-Breast Augmentation Revision

-Liposuction on Waist, Hips and Inner and Outer Thighs
-Buttock Augmentation

Wow. Can you imagine what that recovery must have felt like?

Most good, board-certified plastic surgeons would refuse to stack that many surgeries into one day; the additional time spent under anaesthesia increases your risk of a serious complication like blood clotting, and it's difficult to heal properly from so many fresh surgeries at one time.

And another reality check: the "after" photo is an achievement of Photoshop flawlessness; in real life, anytime you cut into the skin - you'll leave some type of scar. Heidi no doubt has scarring going on here that we're not seeing.

All that said, I think I'm the only person on the planet who thinks she looks amazing in the "after" shot - except for the cartoonish breast augmentation. I'm willing to bet that Heidi is going to see some complications down the road for choosing such an exaggerated size for her naturally petite frame. She's asking her skin and tissue to do some pretty impossible things there.

But the funny thing is - I find myself looking at the before and after of her hair style the most out of anything. That sleek blowout looks gorgeous. And you know it only took 20 minutes, a big round brush and a hair dryer to achieve..something anyone can do for free in the privacy of their own bathroom.