Secrets of a Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgeon

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Recently, the Health & Wellness section of the Los Angeles Times had two excellent articles that dealt with the problem of sleep apnea and snoring.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “2% of women, or at least 4% of men, suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.” If you are not familiar with sleep apnea, it is a condition “in which the airway collapses and blocks breathing for 30 seconds, or even up to a minute or two. The brain senses that it isn’t receiving enough oxygen and sends a signal to the patient to wake.” (more…)

Advice to a Friend in Another City

Often, I receive requests from friends and family who live at a distance regarding “the best person to see for cosmetic surgery where I live.”

While I know many of the most sophisticated and specialized cosmetic surgeons in the U.S., I certainly don’t know all of them.  After all, there are plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, cosmetic facial surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, and dermatologic surgeons in every state.  I can’t know them all.However, there are some basic principles that I can impart to these friends and family members, which hopefully will help them and expedite the process.  (more…)

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Recently, there has been some proposed federal legislation that would require health professionals to avoid patient confusion by means of a mandatory name badge indicating the doctor’s particular credential.

For example, today, the word “doctor” is to be applied to: a physician, MD; a dentist, DDS; chiropractor, DC; osteopath, DO; doctor of philosophy, PhD; doctor of pharmacy, PharmD; podiatrist or doctor of podiatric medicine, DPM.   There are even “naturopathic physicians” that refer to themselves as “doctor,” carrying the degree ND for naturopathic doctor. (more…)

Photo: iStockphoto

A new procedure, known as the “Vampire Facelift” is getting a lot of buzz.

First, you need to know that a Vampire Facelift is not a bona fide face lift because it is not a surgical procedure; it cannot sculpt the lower face, neck and jaw-line, as does the standard and venerable face and neck lift.

The catchy title is play on words. You need to mentally extrapolate from the famous Bela Lugosi –as- Dracula horror movies to a vision of extraction of blood from your body — not by a vampire, but by a surgeon or anesthesiologist, mind you. (more…)

Last week the entire nation was keyed into a trial in New Jersey in which a lady sued a cosmetic surgeon because of unhappiness with her eyelids following an upper eyelid cosmetic surgery.

The patient did suffer complications as a result of the surgery. Apparently her eyelid closure is incomplete. This has caused long-term dryness and the need to use drops and jellies, etc., to keep the delicate eye tissues from being damaged. (more…)

Recently, I read that there is an exhibit in New York City about the famed magician, Harry Houdini.  It got me to thinking about challenges that we have in trying to achieve that which is not feasible or achievable.  As doctors, we have to be reasonable and honest with ourselves, as well as with our patients.  There are some things we cannot do, at least today. (more…)

That was the headline of an advertisement by a major Midwestern bank in a recent Los Angeles newspaper.

That ad struck home and carried a very important concept to the reader:  in the end, talent, experience, and knowledge — and that’s what we call expertise — matters more than anything. Good ideas are a million. Talk is cheap. Expertise, the ability to understand and then make things happen correctly, is not that common. (more…)

Recently, a piece appeared in a magazine concerning simple things that could be done to get younger looking skin. I liked many of the ideas. There were morning activities and evening activities.

I do think that your morning face washing is very important. In a sidebar to the article Dr. Brandt, a distinguished dermatologist, pointed out that people with oily skin should use a cleanser with salicylic acid, which is a mild exfoliant to help clean out the pores. Contrarily, if one’s skin has dryness, you need a creamy moisturizer to put moisture back, particularly after a warm shower or bath. (more…)

Recently, a press release from one of the plastic surgery trade organizations reported that there was an increase in activity in the plastic surgery community. That was said to be the harbinger of better economic times to come.

Frankly, I am not so sure of that. The growth in cosmetic procedures is not in the surgical arena. It is in the non-surgical office treatment arena. So, as I see it, the increase in the “plastic surgery business” is not in plastic surgery but in the syringe and needle department. (more…)

Recently, an article appeared in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel after a death from “complications of liposuction and a buttocks enhancement procedure.”

The patient was a 35-year-old woman. There has been scant additional information available concerning that tragedy.  Florida, of course, has been a hotbed of difficulties in terms of high-profile complications and deaths following cosmetic surgery.  The article related that “State regulators have restricted the number of procedures surgeons can perform at one time, increasing training requirements, and required inspections of surgery offices.” (more…)