Archive for March, 2009

Breast Surgery Botches

I just read an article that made me say “ew” because it was one of those plastic surgery botch articles that gives you a horror story about someone receiving an awful job, most scarily on their face or somewhere else that is very visible, or of course anywhere else on the body is painful and embarrassing as well.

This one was about a Dr. who gave a patient unwanted liposuction AND a facelift, when all she went in for was a tummy tuck, and another doctor who sent a patient home with a breast implant that was visible through an open wound in the breast, when he was supposed ot remove both breast implants.

Hearing stories like this just reinforces my conviction that you can never be too careful when searching for a plastic surgeon that’s qualified and that also has a good reputation for doing good surgeries.

You first of all have to make sure that they are board certified before you ever go under the knife with them, and you can search the web for their name and see if there are any formal complaints against the doctor, or even forum postings that are unfavorable, to see if there are any unsatisfied or downright angry and wronged former clients that may be able to help you make a decision as to whether this plastic surgeon is right for you, safe, and does a generally good and satisfactory job on all previous patients.

It’s really important the you know the doctor who will be basically altering your body for a lifetime, so you don’t have to go back for revisions, which are both costly, painful and risky, heck it’s risky any time you go under knife to get any type of surgery because of the anesthesia.  All the more reason to seek out viable forms of breast implant alternatives.

Acrylamide Not Linked to Breast Cancer?

There has been a study recently concluded on whether acrylamide, a chemical that is produced in many potato products where the potato is significantly altered from it’s natural state, like in french fries and baked potatoes, and even potatoe chips, contributes to causes of breast cancer in today’s woman’s average diet.  This chemical, which has long been attacked by the health (natural health) community, has been linked to a number of illnesses and human conditions, but mostly it is suspected as being a cause of several different types of cancers in both men and women because of it’s effects on the body.

However, this recent study seems to show that there is in fact no link to cancer, at least breast cancer, and the chemical acrylamide.  This doesn’t mean you should be eating these types of foods every day though, I’d still definitely limit them, simply because deyhydrated and fried potato products aren’t exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to controlling and regulating the blood sugar, and can definitely contribute to weight gain and obesity if they are abused and eaten in large quantities.

Acrylamide is not just found in potato products though, it has also been found in high quantities in other processed foods like prune juice, crackers and even black olives, one of my favorites since I eat them to get some omega 3 fatty acids in my diet, and I also happen to love the taste. Oh yeah, and peanut butter is another offender.  It was discovered that these foods could be carcinogenic when eaten in high quantities a few years back, and ever since then these types of products have been put under a microscope.

The study however, was really done questionnaire style, which quite frankly I’m a little leery of since it doesn’t really guarantee that everyone is 100% truthful in their diet habits or even accurate, whether on purpose or not.  They found that statistically women with diets high in foods that contained a lot of this acrylamide were not any more likely to get breast cancer than their counterparts that did not consume a lot of this chemical in their diet. This sounds good, but in general, I’d still stay away from these foods.

Try to stick to natural, whole foods instead of buying processed.  The biggest offenders with the most acrylamides tended to be starchy foods that were heated at very high temperatures, which means processed foods.  The less processed food you eat, the better it is for your health, your waistline, and your continued status as a cancer-free individual.

Mushrooms, Green Tea Linked to Lower Cancer Risk

When it comes to making sure we do everything that is possible in our power to help prevent breast cancer, there are definitely some dietary items that we should consider consuming more heavily in our diet.  Of course, most of them are naturally occurring foods – well make that, all of them are, and they are almost always brightly colored foods or foods that are darkly colored green or purple or blue .  A good example is grapes, blueberries, acai berry and broccoli and kale, just as a few examples of what I’m talking about when I say brightly and darkly pigmented.

Well, there is some new evidence that two foods that are widely consumed by Chinese women, green tea and mushrooms, both fresh and dried, but more so fresh of course, are linked to significantly lower rates of breast cancer.  They found that extracts taken from mushrooms actually may have anti tumor properties and help to fight cancer in the female body.

They have also found that compounds found in green tea in abundance called polyphenols (you may have heard of them, they’re quite the buzz as a natural health compound these days that is found in many foods that are healthy in so many other ways also), helps to fight several different kinds of cancer by improving the defenses the body puts up when faced with various forms of cancer.  This means that green tea really is healthy, and you should start considering drinking it instead of coffee if you don’t already.

I have to admit though, the mushrooms kind of surprise me. I mean, they’re essentially a fungus, they are pale in color, and they aren’t really bitter, which is a characteristic of some of the foods that are dense in antioxidants.  However, I absolutely love mushrooms, so this is a delightful information for me to hear, as I’m sure other mushroom lovers are happy to hear also!

There is probably more to come on this study, but it sounds really promising, and it gives comfort to know that we at least can control some of the factors that contribute to breast cancer, even though we can’t control our genetics.

Ivanka Trump’s Breast Implants Have Gotten Bigger

Well, it appears that Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, whom he repeatedly calls one of the most beautiful women in the world – ehem, yes she’s pretty but it’s another example of Mr. Trump’s well known puffery of everything Trump I suppose that rubs the wrong way on that one.

Plus, she appears to be surgically altered significantly in at least two different ways.  I’ve seen Ms. Trump on the show The Apprentice, where she at least plays a tough businesswomen, along side her brother as well (are they really in business, because it seems like they’re acting and were thrown a bone by their uber rich father).

She is indeed beautiful, but she has gotten some work done.  She’s definitely had breast implants, which I think she recently traded in for a larger model because those puppies are just popping right out all over the place now, and she appears to always have her lips injected as well.  She has the tell tale signs of having some sort of injectable filler in her smile, because you can see lines where her natural lip ends and the filler begins.

There are a few recent photos of Ivanka Trump that definitely show she’s gotten her breast implants much larger, and while they don’t look awful, they looked a lot better when they were more tasteful.  I mean, she’s supposed to be a business woman, then why do I feel like she could pose in Hustler?  Seriously, some of these young women really need to get a grip and not go so big.

I mean, is breast size a contest, whoever has the biggest boobs wins?  No, it’s about being confident in who you are, not in how much you can pop out of your clothes compared to other women.  Sorry, I went off on a tangent, but huge breast implants really bug me!

Gummy Bear aka Cohesive Gel Implants : Advantages, Disadvantages

This is from an article that I recently had published that compares gummy bear, or cohesive gel breast implants, with silicone and also with saline implants.  Enjoy!

Breast Implant operations continue to be among the top five most popular and requested plastic surgeries performed here in the United States.  Not only has breast augmentation made leaps and bounds in the technological and technique aspect, but the cost has also come considerably down from when they first started to become popular and well known.

This procedure dates back to the 1950’s believe it or not, when the first pioneers went under the knife and got the only type of implant available back then, which was the silicone variety.  If you recall, much later in the nineties, the safety of silicone breast implants came under fire with numerous women saying they felt their health had been compromised after leakage into their body produced strange symptoms that resembled auto immune or nervous system related side effects.

Because of the crusade of many consumer rights groups, silicone breast implants were banned from use in the United States for several years, only recently making a comeback due to a re-approval process and companies that manufacture the silicone type of device improving their leakage likelihood by reinforcing the shell encasing the silicone in a better way.

Up until they were approved again in the United States, women would have to travel over to Europe or other far off places where they were still legal.  Even now, silicone is not used by every surgeon, but it is increasingly easier to find one that will use this type of device.  While we may never know how truly safe this type of device is, it remains a popular choice for women who want a more natural feel and look, and some say it simply doesn’t compare to the saline type when it comes to copying nature.

Whatever you may believe, it’s important to note that you should always discuss the options with your surgeon before you make any choices.  Educate yourself on what you believe is the safest, most logical choice for yourself, and don’t strictly let the vanity aspect guide you, but rather try to keep an objective, open mind and don’t let the manufacturer’s obvious skewed view get in the way.  Instead try to read unbiased, objective reviews and descriptions by women who’ve actually had them.

That said, let’s talk about the newer options that patients have today when getting their breasts enlarged via augmentation surgery.  There is another option that is garnering a lot of interest on the web as a possibility for wide future use here in the US, but still for whatever reason is only mainly available through surgeons who are running clinical trials on the implant.  The implants I’m talking about are called cohesive gel, or more widely known as “gummy bear” implants.

Cohesive gel, or gummy bear, implants are manufactured by Mentor corporation, and they are named under the model Natrelle 410.  They are still being looked at for wider use, but as with any other medical device approval process, this can take years for them to go through for more popular use, especially when there are other viable alternatives available to those desiring breast augmentation.

So, what is the difference behind the cohesive gel aka gummy bear, and a regular silicone device?  Well, the term “cohesive” actually by virtue means that the described product maintains it’s integrity and it’s shape, even when compromised.  A good visual, and one that you can find on the cohesive gel website, is the comparison to the gummy bear.

When the cohesive, or gummy bear implant, is cut in half, it maintains it’s shape, just like a piece of gummy candy does.  It’s soft and pliable, and yet it has that cohesive nature that allows it to keep it’s shape when the outer shell is broken.

The key word here being “soft”.  That is why so many patients are curious about this type of technologically advanced material, because it is soft like silicone, and yet it maintains it’s shape and integrity much better, and who knows, it may even prove safer since it may be less likely to be leeched into the blood stream if the implant is ever compromised or a revision surgery is needed.

Now, how do they look?  I took a look at many pictures online that show before and afters of patients who received the gummy implant, that I must say they look pretty good, but I couldn’t tell a huge difference between them and saline implants visually.

Of course, I have never actually touched a breast that is altered with the cohesive implant, so I don’t know how they compare in softness and natural feel, bounce and movement, so I’d have to safely assume that this is where the bang for your buck comes in.  Feel and movement are really important when it comes to your breasts, so this does count for a lot for most patients who are concerned with having stiff, unnatural feeling and motionless breasts.

Now on to the cost factor.  Gummy bear implants cost significantly more than saline implants, and a fair amount more than saline implants, so that is definitely going to cause them not to be as widely used whenever they do become popularized over here in the US, as they are in Europe currently.

Another few factors to consider about these nifty implant options is that they are not fillable, so they can’t be inserted as easily through small incisions like silicone and saline, since an empty shell is inserted and then they are filled inside the chest.  What this boils down to is a larger incision to get the implant in.

Also, because they come pre-sized, you’d better make sure that is the size and shape you want your breast to look like, otherwise, they are not really changeable after inserted into the chest unless the patients opts for another surgery to get new ones implanted.

Copyright 2009 Danna Schneider

Ohio Woman Charged with Breast Feeding While Driving

As most of you know, at least in most states, it is illegal to even have an infant out of a car seat when driving, let alone to be breast feeding a baby, with not seat belt and means of protection if involved in an accident, in a moving vehicle.  These laws are put in place to protect babies from careless parents, but sometimes it may be necessary for parents to feed their children a bottle or by breast, but certainly this is not acceptable while that person is driving, that’s just going too far.

One mother did just that, but to make matters worse, as she was breast feeding her baby, she was also driving and talking on a cell phone.  Apparently another concerned motorist saw her doing both of these risky activities and called the police on her.  The mother, of course said that her baby was hungry and she couldn’t let the baby go without feeding, but really this was quite a boneheaded move if you ask me.  It makes it all that much worse that she was also on a cell phone at the same time, which can be a sidetracking activity in and of itself while driving – the reason it has been banned unless it’s using a hands free device in more and more states.

The woman, who is 39 years old, was actually charged with child endangerment and the police department who was informed of her mishandling of the child wanted to make it clear that the issue was not that she was breastfeeding in public, but that she had an infant in her lap while driving, which is illegal because of the seatbelt and car seat laws that are designed to protect children who are too young to protect themselves.

The mother could be faced with midemeanor charges and could also be subjected to a stiff fine for this considerable faux pas.  Hopefully at least she has learned that you really can’t endanger the life of a child like that without consequence.  This is definitely one case where I say it’s good to have protective laws in place.  I’m sure she really loves her child, it’s just that from time to time people don’t think, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, she just probably didn’t see the forest for the trees in this case and was just looking at it as a way to get her baby what it needed at the time.

Jenny McCarthy Won’t Bare Breasts for Playboy Again

In a recent interview, the 36 year old Jenny McCarthy, who look fantastic and will continue to look fantastic for the rest of her life because she’s such a quality woman with intelligence and a down to earth demeanor, has stated that she will not be doing any more Playboy photo spreads, even though that’s how she got her start that skyrocketed her into fame when she was in her twenties.  The funny thing is, I can remember when I was in college around that time, and it seemed like every guy had a poster of her in a bathing suit or her skivvies in their apartment.

She was the epitome of an all American beauty.  Smoking hot body, big breasts, itty bitty sculpted waist, and a sense of humor and self deprecation that made her seem attainable to both men and women, and also immensely likeable.  She didn’t elicit that feeling in women that she thought she was better than other women or that she was one of those girls who wasn’t a woman’s woman, but rather a man’s woman who constantly just wanted male attention at all, instead she projected a feeling that you’d love to have her over for dinner or go out and have a few beers with her -a  cool chick indeed.

Every interview I’ve ever read with Jenny McCarthy just confirms my feeling that she’s a genuine girl who’s open about both her strengths and her frailties.  This latest one was the same, with her opening up about her son Evan who was diagnosed with Autism when he was just a few years old, and her very public fight against the chemicals in vaccinations that she feels are responsible for many cases of autism in children today.

She shared that she sometimes has mixed feelings about going so public with their struggles, but in the end, she really did the right thing, she brought a lot of attention to the subject of autism, and also she can share a message of hope since Evan is now diagnosed as autism-free after she had him on a program that is designed to end autism through diet.

At Oscars, Even Cleavage Was Subdued

Well, it was supposed to be a more subdued, played down, and less “blingy” Oscars night this past Sunday, and it certainly was, but it wasn’t a bad thing.  We noticed when watching the show that the sets were not as glittery or expensive looking, and they seemed to have less performance numbers.  Hugh Jackman did a great job, and was just what we expected, doing a number of sing song types of Broadway skits, which he was great at.

It was a nice change to having a comedian do it actually.  Sometimes I have to admit, their stinging jokes to some of the stars makes it a little uncomfortable even for me sitting at home, and Hugh was very gentle, besides a few good humored ribbings poked at some of the stars, but it was all in good fun and there were really no uncomfortable silences or laughs like there have been in the past.

I noticed that there weren’t so many women celebrity’s breasts on display either, as there sometimes tends to be at the Oscars, except for Sarah Jessica Parkers ample bosoms popping over her dress, but even that was tasteful.  Then there was Goldie Hawn who seemed to be spilling over her dress, but that’s par for the course for Goldie, and it didn’t look bad or distasteful, it’s just her own unique way of dressing.

Other than that, all other breasts were kept in check. Notoriously Halle Berry’s, who’s got one of the most talked about chests in Tinsel Town, kept hers under wraps, and looked gorgeous as always, although her speec introducing one of the female actress nominees was a bit silly since she starts off by mentioning her own nomination, but let’s just hope that was written for her and she was forced to say that.

With the economy being in the dumper, I thought this Oscar night was totally appropriate and adequately subdued.  I liked that the show was not as expensive as it usually looks, I feel like that was respectful of the rampant fear everyone is feeling right now (that aren’t millionaires).  I also liked the fact that the swag and gift bags were kept in check as reported by other media outlets, it’s kind of a slap in the face to begin with if you ask me, that people who are already so priveleged get more free stuff.  All in all, good show!

New Test for Treating Breast Cancer

We get to talk about so many new developments in breast cancer, breast cancer prevention and different ways to go about treating different strains of the potentially deadly disease.  Well, there’s another diagnosing-type treatment that may help oncologists to determine the different “personalities” of breast cancer, and tailor the treatment to the tumors that way instead of a one size fits all approach, which we all know unfortunately hasn’t been the best way to go about it thus far.

They actually extract the nucleus of the cancer cells instead of just staining the breast cancer cells, so that they can more so study that actual components of the cancer cells in that particular patient instead of doing the more general diagnosis, testing and treatment that just kind of catches all instead of tailoring.  The extraction identifies over 50 different characteristics of the cancer cells themselves, which means they can predict with 97% accuracy what patients will respond to standard types of treatments like chemotherapy.

It is even said that they may be able to better identify women in the subset of breast cancer patients that benefit from no real treatment at all, other than the traditional lumpectomy which is minimal down time and does not interfere with the health and physiology of the body like chemo, radiation and other damaging treatments.   The doctor who was talking about this new method of figuring out the specifics of the actual breast cancer cells as they differ from woman to woman, sounded very confident and excited about this new method, which got me excited at the prospects.