That's Fit

While skimming through some magazines at Barne's & Noble the other day, I stumbled upon a somewhat unnerving article in Men's Journal. Actually, I'm not sure unnerving is the right word. It makes my reaction sound too universal, as if everyone would agree with such a sentiment. Maybe interesting is a safer word choice to go with. Sure, interesting it is.

At any rate, the interesting article focused on the growing number of men who are undergoing cosmetic surgery to enhance their bodies. In particular, it highlighted a new procedure that removes the subcutaneous fat that exists just under the skin. In the past, this "critical inch" was considered dangerously impossible to remove, which is why most liposuction procedures involve the removal of more deeply-rooted adipose tissue. But now, according to the article, it was possible to not only remove the fat that covered muscle, but the appearance of more muscle could also be created by placing and shaping fat in certain places (think of building a six-pack like a sandcastle).

Whoever decided that big breasts, impossibly tiny waists, and curvy hips was a good look for a woman must not have had these features themselves. Well-endowed women often deal with aching backs, shoulder pain, and other issues due to their breast size. In fact, breast reduction surgery is one of the top five cosmetic procedures.

According to doctors at a London hospital, many surgeries could be avoided if women wore a properly fitted bra. The London Free Hospital started a bra fitting clinic and, so far, 100% of the women have been wearing the wrong bra size. For women with large breasts, an improper fit can lead to the shoulders bearing the brunt of the weight instead of the chest. This can create severe back, neck, and/or shoulder pain.

Bubbly, well-liked, and college-bound -- 18-year-old Stephanie Kuleba had the world at her fingertips. But she elected to have cosmetic surgery to correct what she viewed as a flaw: asymmetrical breasts and an inverted areola. 24 hours after surgery, Kuleba died. She suffered a rare reaction -- called malignant hyperthermia -- to the anesthesia. The rare condition causes body temperature to skyrocket and is very difficult to detect pre-surgery. If the condition isn't recognized and treated immediately it is fatal, as it was in Kuleba's case.

Though Kuleba would likely have had this reaction regardless of the type of surgery performed, her death is bringing to light the numbers of young girls getting cosmetic surgery. In 2005, more than 3,500 young girls elected to have breast augmentation surgery.

A number of facelift patients have recently contracted MRSA (aka the "superbug"). The number is very small (about 1/2 of 1% of facelift patients), but it's still concerning to health officials. Traditionally, the rate of infection with facelifts has been very low, so some physicians may not be quite so vigilant about pre-screening patients for infections and identifying other risk factors (such as previous exposure to hospital environments or a previous MRSA infection). It's not clear if the patients in the study were infected with MRSA as a result of their surgeries or if previous exposure to the bug caused the infection. Regardless, physicians are urged to screen patients as diligently for facelifts as they would any other surgery.

Americans had more niping and tucking done in 2007 than in any year prior. According to a WebMD article, around 11.7 million people had nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed last year, representing a 2 percent climb from 2006. Two percent may not seem like much of a jump, but to put things into perspective, the number of procedures has climbed by 457 percent since 1997.

According to statistics promulgated by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 91 percent of cosmetic procedures were performed on women. And a growing number of men, who made up only a small percentage of the total number of people who had work done, are turning to cosmetic surgery (up by 17 percent since 2006).

Here are the total numbers of the top five cosmetic surgeries for 2007:

1. Liposuction: 456,828
2. Breast augmentation: 399,440
3. Eyelid surgery: 240,763
4. Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty): 185,335
5. Breast reduction: 153,087

Here are the total numbers of the top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures for 2007:

1. Botox injection: 2,775,176
2. Hyaluronic acid: 1,448,716
3. Laser hair removal: 1,412,657
4. Microdermabrasion: 829,658
5. IPL laser treatment: 647,707

With our advances in medical technology many surgeries are no longer the dangerous and potentially life-threatening things they used to be, cosmetic procedures especially. And with the pressure to be thin and beautiful only increasing, people are going under the knife in record numbers for elective cosmetic procedures, with numbers up by 48% between the years 2000 and 2006.

So Forbes set out to find out which cities in America were "embracing" the trend the most, and they compiled their results into a top 10 list. Who do you think came out on top? My first thought was LA, but I was way off:

These days, it seems like everyone's getting plastic surgery -- after all, it seems like a quick fix for the things you don't like about your body. But there are a few things that the beauty industry doesn't tell you about plastic surgery -- like the fact that it's never really risk-free, or the fact that you'll be left with a large scar. Still, some of these facts won't deter someone who is desperate for a better body.

If you're thinking of getting plastic surgery, read this account of the experience from a woman in Britain. Her experience was a mixed blessing -- her recovery was painful but she does feel much better about her body post-op. And if you would like to share your own experiences, please do so in the comments.

Plastic surgery ... hmmm...what's your take on it? We've all heard the horror stories about people who have gone under the knife, only to later find themselves worse off than when they started. Then again, there are also plenty of success stories, with people finding great emotional comfort with their new physical self.

Nevertheless, where there is money to be made, there will always be an entrepreneur looking to improve upon existing standards and, of course, make a few bucks in the process. Such is the case with a new procedure called Lipoabdominoplasty; a surgery that combines the tummy tuck and liposuction, while supposedly offering less pain, swelling, bruising and downtime.

Evidently, the blood vessels in the nerves remain intact with this new procedure, whereas with the traditional tummy tuck, this was not the case.

I'm not really sure where I stand on the whole plastic surgery issue, so I'll leave the opining to you guys.

Got wrinkles? You might be quick to blame sagging skin, but Duke University Medical Center researchers recently discovered that face wrinkles may have more to do with underlying bone structure than aging skin.

When they looked at head scans of 100 people -- half of whom were under 30, while the other half were over 55 -- they found that as a person ages, their forehead becomes more prominent, while the cheekbones become less pronounced. Facial bones also tilt forward, and these three things combined means less support for skin.

This research may lead to plastic surgeons developing new techniques for face lifts that target the underlying bony structures rather than only the soft tissue of the face. While that may sound like a more difficult surgery, plastic surgeons say that it may actually be less invasive and safer than today's methods.

At 56, Dancing with the Stars contestant Jane Seymour looks fabulous -- she must be the envy of all the other mothers at parent's day. But is her youthful look natural? If you had asked her a couple of years ago, she would have insisted that yes, her look are natural and she would never consider plastic surgery, but she seems to have changed her tune.

According to this article from the Daily Mail, while in 2005, Seymour credited her looks on good genes and a sensible diet, she now admits to undergoing a few plastic surgery treatments, including breast implants and and eye lift.

I'm not a fan of plastic surgery, and she probably should have been upfront to begin with, but she does look good -- at least she looks natural. What do you think?

As a rule, I'm against plastic surgery for a number of reasons. This includes botox. However, when reading this post called the Anti-Aging Skin Care Checklist, I was surprised to see that getting botox injections made the list. Why? Because apparently there's some evidence that Restylane and Juvederm, two popular injectable fillers, can help people produce more collagen naturally, which can reduce wrinkles. Hmmm. That might be true but I still don't think injecting your face with this stuff is safe.

I'm still a believer that the best treatment for wrinkles is prevention through steps like wearing sunscreen, eating a healthy diet and drinking lots of water. What do you think?

Plastic surgery is out of reach for many of us due to cost reasons, but a recent survey concluded that a majority of women and a near-majority of men would consider plastic surgery techniques of money were no object.

In the study from UCLA, 70 percent of women and 40 percent of men would opt for some type of cosmetic procedure (noting that even "possible interest" was counted in those figures).

This tells many medical and plastic surgeons that the level of interest in these kinds pf procedures is much higher than was previously anticipated. Would you opt for surgery -- plastic, that is -- if money was not a consideration?

Whether you're into cosmetic surgery or not, sometimes the only way to get a particular result is to have yourself altered surgically. But thankfully that's not always the case -- in many situations a little hard work can get you similar, if not the same, results. Want specifics? Well here's a great set of moves in slide show format from iVillage, including moves to help give yourself a bust lift, a tummy tuck, and even a tighter backside.

Think of all the money you could save by skipping the surgery and going for natural results instead -- that's one heck of a fun vacation or a lot of shopping for new clothes!

Anti-fat shots, better known as lipo-dissolve in most cases, are growing in popularity around the country -- but people may be making unsafe assumptions about both the risks and the results. In a strange circumstance of loopholes people are being prescribed and given these injections despite the fact that the FDA has not approved any injections for the purpose of dissolving fat. Experts have serious questions about things like where does the fat go? Is it really being flushed completely out of the body or just moved elsewhere (i.e. increasing cardiovascular risks)?

Of course there are also those out there who love this procedure and swear by it. Where do you fall? I'm not a big fan of cosmetic procedures anyway so it's no surprise I think people should wait until we know more.

Demi Moore is one of those impossibly amazing-looking celebrities who, despite being 44, looks more like 24. But according to the gossip rags in Britain, her looks didn't come naturally -- or cheap. She reportedly spent over $500,000 on plastic surgery, only to continue to be plagued by deep wrinkles, depicted in this photo. The photo, however, appears to be very grainy, which would make anyone look more wrinkly than they are, so I don't think it's an accurate depiction of Demi.

I, for one, don't think Demi needs plastic surgery -- yes, she has a few wrinkles, but she's still gorgeous. I'm not a fan of plastic surgery but at the same time, I've never lived in a society where ones career was based o their looks. Do you think Demi should opt for even more surgery, or do you think she looks great as is?