Month: September 2015

As part of our ongoing efforts to bring professional skin care solutions to Memphis and the Mid-South region, the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis now offers the ZO Skin Health line of products.

What is ZO Skin Care?

Created by world-renowned dermatologist Zein Obagi, the ZO Skin Health line treats skin conditions ranging from acne to aging.

Thirty years ago Dr. Obagi revolutionized skin care by combining Retin-A (tretinoin) and hydroquinone along with pH balancing to treat fine wrinkles, discoloration, and signs of skin aging. He eventually sold his initial company, Obagi Nu-Derm, which is now owned by a pharmaceutical company that no longer innovates the product line.

Zein Obagi subsequently started ZO Skin Health, which produces a range of skin care products based on Dr. Obagi’s latest research and development. The line includes hydroquinone and non-hydroquinone based regimens as well as acne treatment products, an eyelash growth product, and sunscreens. ZO products are available in our office or through the PSG section of the ZO Skin Health online store after a patient has been seen for a consultation.

ZO Skin Care Products Available Here

Does this sound like the skin care solution you’ve been looking for? Now is the time to reveal your younger, healthier, smoother skin. Schedule a complimentary skin care consultation with our aestheticians, Carla Mask, Lynn Day or Tracy Wallace, and they can get you started with ZO skin care products and any of our other skin care treatments you might be interested in trying. 

The Union-Times newspaper of San Diego reported that on April 8, 2015 the Mexican government closed 10 cosmetic and plastic surgery clinics in Tijuana for violations of health laws. The investigations followed the death of a 28-year-old Australian woman who had undergone liposuction in a Mexicali clinic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert in March 2015 after two dozen cases of non-tuberculosis mycobacterium infections were noted among patients who had travelled to the Dominican Republic for plastic surgery.

Is Medical Tourism Worth the Risks?

The news items noted above are warning signs of the risks some people take when they chose to travel abroad for discounted plastic surgery. There are certainly outstanding plastic surgeons practicing outside the United States (although they are not likely to be the ones offering discounts). The primary risk facing the medical tourist is that they generally do not know the qualifications of their surgeons abroad. Regulation of medical clinics and hospitals can be lax in developing countries.

If people are looking to travel abroad for aesthetic surgery they should consult an American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) International Member or a plastic surgeon who is a member of an international plastic surgery society that is a Global Partner of the ASPS. The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals, which certifies US hospitals and surgery centers, has an international program that has accredited 368 hospitals in 46 countries. A list of these facilities can be found on the Joint Commission website.

Plastic Surgery Tourism Complications

The medical tourism complications we have treated here at the Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis in the past few years have included a severe infection requiring three weeks of hospitalization following a tummy tuck in Mexico, upside down breast implants inserted in Vietnam, and an infection after a Dominican Republic tummy tuck.

Less severe plastic surgery tourism problems we have seen range from breast implants lounging in the arm pits to a misplaced belly button after tummy tuck, and ear lobes attached to the cheeks after a face lift. Once again the Latin warning rings true: caveat emptor (buyer beware). If you are experiencing complications due to plastic surgery tourism, please contact us and we will take care of your needs. 

If you read only People, Allure, or Buzzfeed, you would get a skewed view of plastic surgery in the United States. According to these types of sources, the cosmetic surgical procedures that increased in popularity the most during the past year were pectoral implants (up 208%) and buttocks implants (increase of 98%). There is an old saying, “There are lies,
damned lies, and statistics.”

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) 1,054 (male) pectoral implant procedures were done in 2014 and 1,863 buttocks implants surgeries. Since these augmentation
procedures are very uncommon, even a slight increase in number from one year to the next results in a large percentage increase.

What is Truly Popular in Plastic Surgery?

Now what are the top cosmetic surgical procedures? Out of 1.6 million cosmetic surgeries reported to the ASPS in 2014, (female) breast augmentation was number one with 286,254
performed. Women chose silicone implants 77% of the time compared to saline implants at 23%.

Coming in second was nose reshaping (rhinoplasty) at 217,124 with liposuction a close third at 210,552. The figures for the top three procedures are essentially unchanged since 2013, but a comparison with the year 2000 results yields an interesting finding. Breast implant surgery is up 35% over 14 years while rhinoplasty and liposuction are down 44% and 41% respectively. The increasing popularity of breast enlargement may reflect an acceptance of the safety of the new generation of silicone implants as it coincided with a decrease of 42% in the cases of breast implant removal.

Minimally Invasive Procedures are Most Popular

Dwarfing the numbers for surgical procedures are the figures for minimally invasive procedures. Number one was Botox and its competitor, Dysport, which were injected
into 6.7 million anatomic units (facial locations). Soft tissue fillers (Restylane, Juvederm, and others) were also very popular with 2.3 million treatments.

For people who like to study numbers and popular culture, it would be interesting if the American Society of Plastic Surgeons broke down their figures by zip code. Alas, they don’t, so Kardashians – your secret is safe.