The Ugly Truth About Cosmetic Surgery Addiction

We’ve all seen people who look like they’ve had a bit too cosmetic surgery done, and it doesn’t take an expert to spot it. Whether it’s on TV or in the real world, some people walk around with faces that look like caricatures or bodies that look obviously unnatural. Cosmetic surgery addicts exist—taking a look at celebrities, I can name a few names off the bat. Example: Heidi Montag, who seems to be best known for having 10 procedures in one day which included breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, and a brow lift all in the same day.

Lots of people may laugh or gawk at cosmetic surgery addicts, but the thing is, it’s a serious addiction that could be detrimental.

What is cosmetic surgery addiction?

Cosmetic surgery addiction is classified as a behavioural addiction. When someone has a behavioural addiction (it could be to video games, shopping or gambling), it means they are compelled to repeat a specific behaviour regardless of physical, mental, social or financial consequences. Behavioural addictions start out with a person associating the behaviour with pleasure, but then once it becomes more frequent, the behaviour becomes a major part of the person’s life. While indulging in the behaviour provides the person with relief, it’s also used as a way to deal with stress or other underlying issues.

A cosmetic surgery addict can be willing to shell out thousands of dollars and alienate themselves from loved ones to get the procedures they want.

Source: Zimbio.com. Heidi Montag underwent 10 cosmetic procedures in one day. Some procedures include breast augmentation, brow lift and liposuction

Body image and psychological issues can also influence someone’s choices for multiple cosmetic procedures. David B. Sarwer and Alisson L. Infield discussed in their book Breast Augmentation that several studies from around the world show between 7-15% of cosmetic surgery and dermatology patients have some form of body dysmorphic disorder. Those with BDD are preoccupied with small or imagined defects in their appearance. This preoccupation can wreak havoc in their work and social lives.

Cosmetic surgery addicts will seek multiple procedures at whatever cost

There is nothing to stop a person from seeking consecutive cosmetic procedures. Even if someone has had liposuction two times before, there are no real regulations or laws in Canada to prevent them from having a third or fourth procedure. That’s where the role of plastic surgeon is important—they may be the ones doing all the magic work, but they should be spending a lot of time talking to and evaluating their patients during consultation. This is the point where they understand if the patient is seeking surgery with realistic expectations and the right mindset.

Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, says he turns down over half of the people who approach him for surgery. He says he spends a lot of time during interviews to find out the person’s motivations for surgery and their expectations. “Cosmetic surgery should be used to enhance your life, not compensate for a failed relationship or other set-backs,” says Dr. Mulholland.

It all goes back to the ethics of a plastic surgeon. They can refuse to perform surgery on patients who they find unsuitable. If the patient wants breast augmentation because she thinks it will help her win back an ex-lover, that reason won’t fly with an ethical doctor who has the patient's well-being in mind during consultation. But the sad thing is, there are surgeons who will do what the patient wants—regardless of their mental state and motivations.

What Dermatologists Do To Give You Gorgeous Skin

Having healthy and clear skin is a priority for many people. Who wouldn't want to have smooth and blemish-free skin? It also doesn’t hurt that you don’t have to feel any anxiety or embarrassment when communicating face-to-face with others, either. While some very lucky people are born with flawless skin, the rest of us have to purchase endless products or seek treatment to get it. Sometimes over-the-counter products will do the job, but when they don't, a good step to take is seeing a dermatologist. 

Dermatology is a field that focuses on healing and treating skin conditions related to the skin, hair and nails. It’s not just anyone who can treat and figure out how to address these specific concerns. That’s what a dermatologist is for. So if your concern involves wrinkles, brown spots or acne, they’re the best people to see and talk to. Of course, these aren’t the only concerns they deal with—dermatologists can diagnose and treat over 3,000 diseases.

Below is just a couple of the most common skin concerns dermatologists address on a daily basis.

Source: SpaMedica. This patient received acne and acne scar reduction treatments

Acne

Acne is just one of those things that always bother each and every one of us. Nobody likes it and nobody wants it. Unfortunately, many of us deal with it during puberty or even adulthood. An article by Best Health Magazine says that more than 70% of adults between ages 20-50 experience acne breakouts.

Sometimes acne can be controlled or treated with products you can buy over the counter. But when this doesn’t clear breakouts, you should consider laser acne treatments to help clear your skin. SpaMedica combines medical treatment, laser and topical solutions to treat acute acne.

Acne treatments start with a SonoPeel, an ultrasonic microdermabrasion treatment. The ultrasound waves liquefy and break up sebaceous plugs that block the exit of sebum from the hair follicle glands in your skin.

Your treatment provider then applies a mild topical chemical called keratolytic. It helps to remove your skin’s outer layer. This allows medical acne skin care products to penetrate your skin better, which in turn reduces inflammation and increase your blood flow to fight against acne bacteria. This is just the beginning of acne treatments—there are more steps involved to clear your skin. Four to six appointments gives you anywhere between 75-95% reduction of acne breakouts.

Source: SpaMedica. This patient received laser treatments to remove brown spots on her hand.

Brown Spots

Brown spots (also known as age spots) show up on exposed skin areas such as your face, neck, back and hands. Main causes are usually due to age, genetics or too much sun exposure. Brown spots are brown (that was a no-brainer), tan or black in colour and flat. Brown spots are typically seen in people over 50, but that doesn’t mean younger people aren’t getting them. Anyone who spends a lot of time out in the sun without any sunscreen will increase their chances of developing brown spots.

Luckily, brown spots can be treated fairly easily. By combining different laser systems, intense pulsed light and radiofrequency devices, your brown spots fade after one or two laser treatments. The results gradually improve with pulsed light. The treatment itself only takes a few minutes and you can go back to work or regular activities right after.  

Get Clear and Healthy Looking Skin Now

This is just the tip of the many concerns dermatologists see and treat. Sometimes removing small things like moles, scars and spider veins can make all the difference in your confidence and appearance. If you’ve got any dermatology-related concern, don’t hesitate to ask us questions or book your appointment online.

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Does Your Nose Grab All The Attention In Selfies?

When one of your friends grabs their cell and wants to take a selfie of the group, do you hide in the back? Have you developed a signature pose that you believe hides your cosmetic imperfections? If so, you may have Selfie Shyness Syndrome.

If the thought of cosmetic surgery flashes through your head in time with the flash on the cellphone, then get serious. That overly long nose, jug ears or chubby little chipmunk cheeks won't magically correct themselves, you know. Hate to break it to you, but there's no such thing as a Selfie Elfie who sprinkles magic beauty dust.

As the graphic from beverly hills based plastic surgery center below illustrates, there are only two ways to handle this sad little syndrome. You enroll in some body image counseling or find a qualified cosmetic surgeon. Both might be better.

There are all kinds of reasons people don't make that final step toward a permanent fix for their little imperfections.

First, you might cringe at all that pain. Cosmetic surgeons are doing a lot of work today developing new surgical techniques that lessen the pain from procedures. Whether you opt for injections, liposuction or a full face lift, you'll find that the pain is usually far more tolerable than you imagine.

Next, you might fear being "over-worked." We've all seen celebrities who find themselves looking like fright movie creatures and not the real, if aging, beauties they should be. This is where your judgment enters the picture. Interview the surgeon first and ask a lot of tough questions.

Too many patients think doctors should interview them, as if they are applying for the job as patient. Stop. Reverse. Dig deeper. Ask about their qualifications and education. Ask to see photos of their work. Ask if you can talk to their patients who said they would agree to questions from prospective patients. Do your homework!

Last, most of us fear the rejection of family and friends. If you feel that they'll think less of you for having a cosmetic procedure performed, then ask them! Chances are they just want you to be happy with yourself and are probably tired of your signature pose anyway.

Botox: 3 Problems You Didn’t Realize It Can Treat

Source: SpaMedica. This patient received Botox injections to her crow's feet.

With selfies practically engrained in our culture now, plastic surgeons have seen an increase in patients coming in for non-surgical and surgical procedures over the past year. A study by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery revealed that 1 in 3 plastic surgeons saw an increase in requests for procedures due to patients being more self-aware of their looks on social media. Keeping these observations in mind, the surgeons also noted an increase in rhinoplasty, hair transplants and eyelid surgery.

People want to look good—for selfies or to just maintain their youth—and they will do what it takes to achieve it. The latest statistics on plastic surgery trends shows that three quarters of all procedures performed in 2013 were minimally invasive. Unsurprisingly, Botox was the most popular non-surgical procedure performed. While most of these injections were most likely for cosmetic reasons, Botox can treat 3 other common problems millions of people deal with.

Botox Treats Migraines

If you’ve ever had a migraine, you know that they’re not fun or pleasant at all. Migraines differ from regular headaches in that the pain is much more intense and can involve nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to sound and light. Migraine episodes can last for a few hours.

The FDA approved Botox as a treatment option for chronic migraines in 2010. According to Healthline, injections can be made to specific points along the nose bridge, temples, neck, forehead and the back of the head. It can take from 10-14 days after the treatments to feel relief. Usually, Botox treatments for migraines are performed once every 3 months.  

Botox Controls Overactive Bladders

Some people have urinary incontinence, which is the loss of bladder control. This problem could be minor or severe. You could cough or let out a sneeze and that triggers urine to come out. Or, you could have a really strong urge to urinate without getting to the washroom in time. Things like childbirth, pregnancy and menopause can cause urinary incontinence. All this means that women are more likely to experience this problem more than men.

Urinary incontinence could be so problematic and embarrassing for some people that treatment is required. Botox injections to the bladder muscle temporarily treat these overactive bladder symptoms. Results last for about 9 months.

Source: YouTube. Dr. Mulholland talks about Botox and performs it on a patient in this clip.

Botox Reduces Your Excessive Sweating

Most of us sweat more than we would want to when it’s summertime. For some people, though, sweating excessively is a problem regardless of the season or weather. This condition is called hyperhidrosis—about 3% of the world’s population lives with this common condition.

Those who sweat excessively can see sweat in multiple areas of their body such as the armpits, hands, feet or forehead. To temporarily treat the sweating, an injection of Botox is inserted to the problem area. By doing this, chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate sweat glands are blocked. This 10-minute treatment can leave you sweat-free in that area for up to 6 months.

Get Free Botox

Botox isn’t just for pretty faces after all. Sure, it can temporarily erase some wrinkles here and there but there are tons of other things Botox can do for you. If you’ve been thinking about getting treatments, now is the perfect time to do it. 

We’re offering free Botox at SpaMedica. Buy any package (they're all 30% off) and receive 30 units of free Botox. This promotion runs until February 15, 2015 so book your appointment now.

Liposuction: 3 Things You Have To Know About It

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a liposuction patient.

Some people would say liposuction is the “easy” way to lose some weight. On the surface, sure, it looks like the procedure is a great way to trim up and shed off pounds. I mean, what’s the point of going on a hardcore diet and exercising everyday when you can avoid all that stuff by getting liposuction?

This is a super common misconception. First off, liposuction  is not a “quick” way to lose weight. It’s actually not a weight loss method. Also, it’s not a procedure where you go in, get some fat taken out and your results will automatically appear within the next day.

There’s maintenance and things you’ll have to consider when it comes to diet and lifestyle to keep your liposuction results. Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, shares his expertise on what you should expect to do after liposuction so things don’t come as a surprise.

A balanced, healthy diet will help your body heal quickly after liposuction

This idea is the same for any other surgery. Having a healthy diet (don’t be too hard on yourself by restricting calories though) helps your body heal fast and without complications. Gradual weight loss of less than 20 pounds will also benefit your liposuction results. The areas and contours you’ve gained will shrink and enhance your overall looks. Weight gain, of course, can sabotage your liposuction results. Not only will the fat return to the areas you’ve had treated, fat can also travel and accumulate in areas where you normally didn’t have.

What your diet should be like depends on your own individual health. Your liposuction surgeon is in the best position to recommend what your diet should be after the procedure.

Dr. Mulholland appeared on Cityline to discuss and perform BodyTite Liposuction.

You can return back to regular activities soon after liposuction.

“Patients can return to relatively low-impact activities the day after the procedure,” says Dr. Mulholland. With energy-assisted liposuction procedures like BodyTite or SmartLipo, the risks of pain, bruising and swelling are reduced. This provides patients with a faster opportunity to get back to regular activities. Some patients have had liposuction on multiple areas of their body and can go back to very light activities the next day. It’s not a bad idea to have 2-3 days dedicated to resting and recovery after liposuction, though.

If you’re into active physical activities like running and weight training, you’ll have to wait 4-6 weeks after your procedure to jump back into these activities.

Weight fluctuation is common after liposuction

As mentioned earlier, liposuction is not a way to lose weight. It’s a way to help you shape up contours and remove unwanted fat from pockets of your body that you don’t want. Dr. Mulholland says to focus on your contours and the inches you’ve lost, not your weight.

With that noted, you will lose some weight after liposuction. It’s also possible to see your weight fluctuate. Some reasons that cause weight gain are related to the stress of surgery and stress hormones—this shows up in the form of water weight. However, it’s a good idea to have a close follow-up with your liposuction surgeon to make sure everything’s fine if you have any worries about your weight.

These are just some of the things to consider before you decide to take the plunge and have liposuction. Do your research, pick a board-certified plastic surgeon with years of experience and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Leave a comment or book a consultation online if you have any questions about liposuction.