Personal beauty tip from a Plastic Surgeon: Keep it simple

The following is an except from an article I was interviewed for in Health Magazine:

Natural Cures - Anti Aging Solutions

The Best Anti-Aging Secrets

From Health magazine

We've all been there:

That moment midappointment when you catch yourself shamelessly staring at your hairdresser, dermatologist, or dentist and thinking, How the heck does she pull it off? What's the secret to her great hair, pore-free complexion, or flawless teeth? Well, we decided to go straight to the source and find out, once and for all, how to get that ageless look—naturally.

We asked the beauty industry's most-sought-after stylists, aestheticians, and MDs to divulge their tricks for stopping the clock. If there's no fountain of youth, their unexpectedly simple advice might be the next best thing.

MY ADVICE: Keep it simple!

"Because I'm a plastic surgeon, companies send me so many skin-care samples—and some of them have 10 different steps! But I'm realistic, so there's no way I'm going to sign up for some huge beauty system that costs hundreds of dollars and requires a commitment that I'm not willing to make.

Honestly, here's my daily skin-care routine: I go home, wash my face with a drugstore cleanser, put on a moisturizer, and fall into bed. I find that this simple regimen works well for me."

—Karen M. Horton, MD, Plastic Surgeon and Reconstructive Microsurgeon at the Women's Plastic Surgery Center, San Francisco

I would also add that a healthy, nutritious diet, regular exercise, lots of sleep and a healthy home and work environment are also very important in health overall, and to beautiful skin!

You should be at your ideal weight and fitness level before a "mommy makeover"

Karen M. Horton, MD answers: Tummy Tuck for skin, fat, and stretch marks after pregnancy?

I'm 5'11 and 249 lbs. After pregnancy, I have a hanging mass of skin, fat, and stretch marks. I went from 186 lbs to 277 lbs. I have zero elasticity, and 1 week after I had my daughter, I had dropped from 277 lbs to 231 lbs. I am still overweight and currently trying to lose the weight, but I have this hanging mass on my stomach of stretch marks and fat. It's horrific. I want a tummy tuck and have done a lot of research, but how much will it cost me? How much do I need to lose before I should have the surgery? I don't accept blood at all, is that a concern?


By Karen M. Horton, MD - San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

For any Mom considering Plastic Surgery such as a "mommy makeover", I always advise women to achieve their weight loss goals prior to seriously considering surgery.

You should have lost as much weight as you feel is reasonably realistic, be physically fit, and have healthy nutrition as part of your lifestyle.

There should also be "calmness" in your personal and/or professional life. Chaos is never a good fit with surgery!

Most Moms seek a full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), which removes excess lower abdominal skin and fat (including some stretch marks!), tightens the muscles of the abdominal wall back together, and decreases the waist line. Sometimes liposuction of the flanks and/or upper abdomen are added to the procedure, if needed.

For women who have not yet reached their ideal weight but who have a large overhang of skin and fat (a "pannus") in their lower abdominal region, it is possible as an interim procedure, to do a limited "panniculectomy". This will only remove the overhang but will not address the abdominal muscles or the upper abdomen.

Be sure to visit a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon with a great deal of experience in these types of procedures!

Karen M. Horton, MD, MSc, FRCSC

Alloderm with the use of implants - is it safe?

The following is an excerpt from questions submitted by the Young Survival Coalition. I have been asked to answer questions on breast reconstruction as an expert.

How safe is the use of cadaver tissue (Alloderm) in breast reconstruction with implants?

Alloderm is one brand name product of human cadaver (donated by dead people) dermis, which is the bottom strength layer of skin. It is sometimes used in reconstructive surgery to potentially add another layer of tissue to thicken the mastectomy skin, to help hold submuscular implants in place, or to decrease rippling of implants.

Alloderm is a "graft", which by definition does not have a blood supply. This is in contrast to a "flap", which has a blood supply and may be either attached to a muscle ("pedicled"), or "free", which involves microsurgery to disconnect and then reconnect tiny blood vessels under the microscope.

If the breast skin has been radiated already, the use of Alloderm adds the additional risks of infection, wound healing problems, and/or the need for implant or Alloderm removal. This is because the radiation interferes with blood vessels growing into the product, and slows the rate of incorporation of the product.

I unfortunately have removed much more Alloderm (inserted by other surgeons) in my patients that I have ever put in myself. I personally do not use this product, but understand that many surgeons do.

Template for a Letter Regarding Cosmetic Surgery Tax ("BoTax")

The Aesthetic Society and all of organized Plastic Surgery present a united front to fight the unfair Cosmetic Surgery Tax!

The Society leadership strongly disagrees with this discriminatory tax and is very concerned with the role of the surgeon as tax collector. Additionally, we see potentially devastating consequences to patient safety, as some may choose to have surgery abroad, seeing physicians who may not have comparable training certification or surgical site standards up to those of ABMS Board-certified Plastic Surgeons.

The following is the template for a letter that patients can use to express their opinion and dissent toward the proposed cosmetic surgery tax:

You can find your elected representative by clicking here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Dear Senator ______,

HEALTHCARE PLAN IN THE SENATE WILL UNFAIRLY DISCRIMATE AGAINST US!

I am writing you today about an issue that affects everyone who utilizes plastic surgery services for anything from Botox to Tummy Tucks.

The healthcare bill approved by the US Senate this weekend, Page 2045 Sec. 9017, Excise Tax on Elective Cosmetic Medical Procedures included in the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

This dense legalese translates to a tax on all cosmetic procedures as partial payment for the healthcare overhaul our current administration is attempting to implement.

The problem is that we would be paying this tax, the FIRST time this country has levied a tax on patients for medical procedures. This Bill is objectionable in many ways, including:

· This is a discriminatory tax. According to the Aesthetic Society Annual Statistics, 91% of all cosmetic procedures are requested by women

· This will not have considerable consequences on the wealthiest patients but, as usual, affects the middle class. We working women, soccer moms, and scores of others who carefully save and budget to improve our appearance and self esteem will be penalized for doing so.

· Procedures such as breast reduction that have been cited in the literature for improving self esteem and quality of life would be taxed as well.

· Our doctor as tax collector: This provision places physicians in the role of tax collector and holds physicians liable should an individual fail or refuse to pay the tax. That is not the relationship we want with our medical provider!

Please, do not allow this portion of the tax bill to pass!

Sincerely,

______________________