Future facelifts, arm nips and tummy mini-tucks were some of the procedures presented today at the annual conference of the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons.
Most intriguing was a new procedure that removes eye bags while lifting and filling sagging cheeks that’s been pioneered by surgeons Mr Mohammad Riaz and Mr Adil Khan at Castle Hill Hospital, Hull. TWH caught up with them this morning at the BAAPS conference to find out more
The cosmetic surgery industry is still reeling in the wake of the PIP implant scandal so it’s no surprise that the British Association of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) today called for a ban on plastic surgery advertising, especially those that could be seen by under-18s.
Addressing the press at the BAAPS annual conference, Fazel Fatah, outgoing president said: ‘Cosmetic surgery has been turned into a commodity with the main aim to entice patients into having surgery. Advertising for gall bladder removal or hip replacement is illegal so too should advertising for breast implants.’
Those particularly vulnerable to the ‘hard sell’ from cosmetic surgery providers were young people, said Fatah
In 2007, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned this ad which ran on the Tube from the Harley Medical Centre after the ASA received 33 complaints about it. They ruled that those reading the ad could infer from its claim that the procedure was easy and without risk and that no medical advice was needed. The BAAPS is calling for a general halt on cosmetic surgery advertising.
Earlier this year an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) report on Body Image published on body image found a staggering 50 per cent of Brits had a negative body image and girls as young as five were now worrying about their size and appearance.
Mr Fatah also said there was an increase in the number of young people coming forward for surgery, often accompanied by their parents. ‘They’re influenced by images from reality TV and from advertisements that bear little resemblance to reality, are posed by models and airbrushed. These images are hard-selling a false ideal.’
Mr Grover said a study looking at images used in cosmetic surgery found 95 per cent were airbrushed.
The APPG report found that 77 per cent of adults believed airbrushed images should come with a health warning.
It’s not only plastic surgery ads that the group are calling to be banned. Groupon deals offering two-for-one boob jobs, loyalty cards, targeting specific groups such as just-divorced women, brides or new mums and any ‘book by Friday’ time-limited offers should also be prohibited, they said.
‘Banking regulators have recently banned product incentives because they can lead to mis-selling by staff hungry for commissions,’ said plastic surgeon and former BAAPS president Nigel Mercer. ‘Yet the practice of promoting sales of serious medical procedures by providing hard-to-resist financial inducements has been allowed to grow unrestrained.’
TWH says
The cosmetic surgery industry in Britain is notoriously under-regulated. There is no central watchdog ensuring that only highly qualified, experienced surgeons are those performing procedures in this country. This leaves a cosmetic surgery wild west in which cheap operations peddled on the high street are often not only hard sold but done with dangerously under-qualified hands. In fact, anyone can perform surgery in the UK all they need is a general physician’s qualification. They don’t even have to have qualified or even trained as a surgeon.
A few years back when I was health editor on Red magazine, we did a story on the diary of a woman who had a facelift. I sat with her in the consultation and before she had her surgery then visited with her during her recovery. She went into consultation wanting fillers for lines from her nose to cheek. The surgeon – working from a well known Harley Street clinic that advertise a lot – took a mirror, held it in front of her face and pulled the skin of her cheek taut with his thumb. He said ‘Doesn’t this look better? What about a facelift?’ Two weeks later she was going under general anaesthetic, having parted with over £5000. She was 32. She was sold a facelift she didn’t need (nobody needs a facelift at 32). I turned up as she was being wheeled into theatre and commented to the surgeon just as he was about to operate on her, ‘Wow, you look tired.’ He replied, ‘You would be too if you’d done eight ops today.’ Turned out, he had never finished his medical training and had only a general physician’s qualification. He wasn’t even a surgeon and he had coaxed this women into a procedure she didn’t need.
The magazine was swamped with reader letters after that feature, most of them saying the same thing: she looked pretty much the same in both the ‘before’ and the ‘after’ pics.
Before you agree to have anything done ask to see evidence of surgical training with any of the Royal Colleges in Britain and look for the letters FRCS after their name. Contact the General Medical Council and check they are on the specialist register. Also check they are a member of one of the specialist groups the British Associations of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) or the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (BAPRAS). You can ask to see before and after pictures done by the surgeon but make sure they’re real and not cut and pasted from brochures – most decent surgeons will be happy for you to call up a former patient who had the same op and ask about the doctor and procedure.
Charlotte Watts, nutritional therapist and lecturer - she who got me off the diet treadmill, restored my energy and helped me lose the weight – answers:
‘Look at ways your body can balance its fluid levels naturally. Often an imbalance of the minerals sodium and potassium are part of the cause; both are essential but the modern diet can be higher in sodium from processed foods and added salt. That is not to say a little rock or sea salt for flavouring are bad but this needs to be balanced out with plenty of potassium rich vegetables, especially dark greens and celery – almonds are also very high so great for snacking between meals.
‘Bloating can be a direct result of stress as the stress hormone aldosterone signals the kidneys to retain water in the body’
‘Bloating can also be a direct result of stress as the stress hormone aldosterone signals the kidneys to retain water in the body as a survival mechanism to keep hydration available as the body perceives danger and possible lack of resources on its way (the body can’t distguish between a natural stressor like a dangerous animal and this afternoon’s deadline). This means you need to hydrate cells through the natural, watery foods that you eat. Scientific thinking is now questioning the ‘two litres of water a day’ message is not in line with how we naturally hydrate, so plenty of water rich leaves, cucumber and daily fruit alongside easily digested soups and stews are the best delivery systems for water actually getting into cells. When cells know they have enough water, they don’t feel the need to retain. Coconut water is a also nature’s isotonic, naturally hydrating with a mineral balance similar to our own.
‘Also be mindful of thorough and calm chewing and consider taking a few digestive enzymes (from health food shops) with each meal if bloating feels like an abdominal traffic jam. Eating under stress and bolting food always mean compromised digestion which can cause gas and other bloating digestive and liver issues.
‘Simple things you can do also include drinking fresh juice made with celery, cucumber, apple and mint and drinking nettle or fennel teas – all great natural diuretics.’
Charlotte Watts is the co-author of The De-Stress Diet (Hay House £12.99) with Anna Magee
…and other mad things yogis say
Saw this today and thought, Geez, I actually DID compare my life to a headstand recently…and the other person (God love them) kept a straight face
Eating a Greek-style Mediterranean diet may be the latest weapon in the fight against skin cancer, researchers suggest.
According to researcher Dr Niva Shapira, who is presenting at the International Congress of Dietetics in Sydney this week (September 5-8th), eating a Mediterranean diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fats, may be useful along with current sun smart advice.
In Britain, around 11,100 cases of skin cancer are linked to our over exposure to the sun (regular sun bed use and repeatedly binge burning on holidays are among the worst habits for increasing risk) each year. Although melanoma survival rates have in fact been improving for the last 25 years in the UK thanks to new treatments and early detection (84 per cent of men and 92 per cent of women survive at least five years after diagnosis) around 2,750 Brits still died from skin cancer in 2010 in the UK, that’s around seven every day.
Despite their typically outdoor lifestyles, people living in sunny Greece have among the lowest rates of melanoma, compared with the rest of Europe and other sunny countries like Australia. Greece has around 2-3 cases of skin cancer per 100,000 people, the European average is around 6-8 cases per 100,000 and Australian rates are around 30-40 cases per 100,000 people.
‘It’s more than their olive skin. We think the difference in skin cancer rates between Greeks in Greece and others may be partially due to the different eating habits in these countries,’ said Dr Shapira.
‘A traditional Greek-style Mediterranean diet contains sun-protective components, such as antioxidants, in foods like fruit, vegetables, legumes, herbs, tea and omega-3 fats from fish and omega-9 from olives and olive oil,’ said Dr Shapira.
She studied two groups of women who were exposed to the sun for 4-6 hours a day over two weeks. One group was given a fruit drink enriched with antioxidants, while the other drank water or soft drinks.
In the control group (those drinking water or soft drinks), blood levels of malondialdehyde, a marker for oxidative stress in the body which is linked to cancer risk, increased by around 55 per cent. But in the women who had the fruit drink fortified with antioxidants, malondialdehyde levels dropped by 16 per cent.
In further studies, Dr Shapira has indicated that tomato paste, a staple Greek ingredient containing antioxidants such as lycopene, reduces and delays UV-induced skin redness.
‘These antioxidants accumulate in the skin where they serve as a first line of protection against UV radiation and cell damage – and essentially protect the whole body against photo-oxidative stress from the sun,’ said Dr Shapira.
According to Dr Shapira, dietary supplements don’t have the same effect as foods, which provide a synergistic mixture of protective nutrients.
Spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, Dr Catherine Itsiopoulos, said the research is promising.
‘A traditional Mediterranean-style diet has already been shown to improve heart health and increase longevity. So this research provides another reason to consider going Greek with what you put on your plate,’ said Dr Itsiopoulos, an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
She said this could be critical for children, when the potential for inducing melanoma is highest, as the burns children get accumulate to increase risk in adulthood.
Yesterday’s findings about type-A personalities and stroke risk hit a nerve. But I am always baffled when my GP goes through the dramatic process of fitting my arm with that inflating black vinyl thingie, pumping, counting, looking at the clock, waiting, pumping, counting, looking at the clock. I gaze at her with the anticipation of a fully paid up hypochondriac and she simply mutters ‘hmm’ or ‘normal’ or merely grunts and finger-taps some numbers into her keyboard. Or is it just my GP?
When it comes to stroke risk and blood pressure, Jamie Whear of The Stroke Association yesterday sent TWH the following clarification:
‘The optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg. If, on multiple readings, the first figure (your systolic blood pressure) is between 120 and 139, or the second figure (your diastolic blood pressure) is between 80 and 89, high blood pressure is likely to develop at some point. This is sometimes called pre-hypertension.
‘You are considered to have high blood pressure if you have a measurement that is consistently above 140/90 mmHg. This is when the risk increases considerably. It causes about 50 per cent of ischaemic strokes (a blockage in the brain) and also increases the risk of haemorrhagic strokes (a bleed in the brain)’.
For ways to get the numbers down, refer to yesterday’s post
Type A tendencies such as workaholism and impatience increase stroke risk research today suggests. Image courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net
Stroke is still regarded – by both patients and medics - as a disease of old people, but a quarter of all stroke happens to people under 65 and more women than men will be affected. In fact, 110 women under 65 will have a stroke each week, according to the Stroke Association.
Chronic stress, prompted by major life events and having a Type-A personality (guilty) can increase stroke risk, reports a study published today in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. See the research abstract
The team looked at 150 adults with a mean age of 54 admitted to one stroke unit and compared them to 300 randomly selected healthy people of the same age who lived in the same neighbourhood. The risk was four-fold higher in those who had experienced a stressful life event – think house move, divorce or bereavement – in the last year.
In people with Type-A tendencies such as hostility, aggression and a quick temper that risk almost doubled. Other Type-A behaviour includes drive, impatience (hence the word economy in the headline above), perfectionism, workaholism and negativity (ah, that old familiarity bell rings again).
Dr Clare Walton, of The Stroke Association says: ‘It’s a well-known fact that stress is bad for our health and can increase our risk of heart disease. This study shows that too much stress could also increase our risk of stroke.
‘In today’s world many people lead fast-paced, hectic lifestyles. However, it’s important that everyone takes steps to minimise their stress levels by maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, exercising regularly and getting the right amount of sleep. If you are at all concerned about your risk of stroke, you should seek advice from your GP.’
Getting to grips with your Type-A monster
Though the jury is still out, some studies such as this one from Thailand indicate a regular yoga practice can help reduce the high blood pressure that is a leading contributing factor to stroke risk.
Having a blood pressure that is only a little higher than normal levels (normal is 120/80) is linked to a four fifths higher risk of stroke in people aged under 65, according to research published in September last year in the journal Neurology.
‘We don’t know of any specific studies that have looked at whether yoga lowers blood pressure,’ says Dr Walton. ‘However, as it is a gentle form of exercise and is good for relaxation it has the potential to lower peoples’ stress levels and in turn may lower blood pressure’.
Much as I would love to believe it, managing your inner Type-A gremlin and all the inescapable stress isn’t as simple as doing a yoga class. The best stress reduction programme has to look at the body as a whole and work on nutrition, exercise and relaxation – the essential lifestyle trio – to get stress levels down and keep them there.
In The De-Stress Diet, you will find a lifestyle that makes you feel better is also one that makes you look better, slimmer and fitter. I wrote the book with Charlotte Watts, nutritionist, yoga teacher and founder of de-stressyourlife.com between 2010 and 2011. I took up its principles as a knackered, burnt out sofa-holic two years ago have seen a 100 per cent improvement in what I am convinced was the brink of breakdown.
My energy and clarity have come back and because I am no longer dog-tired I’m back at the gym and exercising every other day. I no longer get the super-cravings I used to get because I don’t live off sugar to get through deadlines or days in general. I can even step back, breathe and recognize that quick temper, negativity and perfectionism thing coming (often) to the surface and take some time out before things get ugly.
As I reluctantly creep into my 40s, my two biggest health fears are stroke and memory loss / dementia. Now, as evidence shows stress is implicated as a risk factor in both as tempting as every ‘Lose ten pounds in ten minutes’ new diet is as it graces my desk every other day, I am not going there.
Other major risk factors for stroke include:
Smoking
Being overweight
Having high cholesterol
Heavy drinking
Diabetes
Having Irregular heartbeat (also known as Atrial Fibrillation, or AF)
Some less frequent risk factors:
Pregnancy (a condition called Preeclampsia sometimes occurs, and this increases blood pressure)
Sickle Cell disease
Use of the contraceptive Pill
Anyone risk factor is enough to warrant a chat with your doctor
Spot a stroke and act FAST
Symptoms Speech slurring or difficulty finding words or understanding speech, confusion or unsteadiness, severe headache with our without facial weakness. ‘Some strokes predominantly effect people’s ability to communicate so if they turn up to A&E they often get labelled confused, drunk, delirious or demented, because they are unable to express what they want to say,’ explains Professor Tony Rudd, Director for Stroke at Imperial College London. Three simple checks can help you recognise whether you or someone else may be experiencing a stroke and you can remember them through the mnemonic: FAST. This stands for Facial Weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or an eye dropped? Arm Weakness: Can the person raise both arms? Speech Problems: Can the person speak properly and understand what you say? Time to call 999.
What to do According to Dr Rudd, just one symptom from the list above is enough is warrant going to A&E. ‘A quick diagnosis is essential when it comes to stroke,’ says Dr Rudd. ‘Even if someone has one symptom, just dial 999. The average A&E service will not get upset if it is a false alarm. I would much rather be there and not have to treat someone than not be there to treat someone who could have been saved from permanent disability.’ Only one per cent of stroke patients get adequate care, but that is changing, says Dr Rudd, and most primary care trusts are putting into place facilities that can treat people who have stroke. ‘Once a specialist can confirm through a CT scan that it is in fact a stroke, then if we can get people into a place that offers thrombolitis, the clot-busting treatment within three hours, we have a chance of saving brain function. Time is everything when it comes to stroke.’
Help yourself Get your blood pressure checked. ‘Blood pressure is the single most important risk factor in stroke. If yours tests high, take measures to get it under control. This will mean reducing salt intake, losing weight and exercising regularly. But it might also mean taking tablets to bring your blood pressure down that your doctor can prescribe,’ he advises. ‘If everybody’s blood pressure was down to ideal levels we would probably prevent 60-70 per cent of all strokes in this country.’
stroke.org.uk and 0303 3033 100
