Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery...In Brief
The following is being released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Can The US Really Cut Health Care Spending? A new study suggests that while health care is one of the strongest sectors of the ailing US economy, achieving a substantial, sustainable reduction is US health care spending is not probable.

Doctor Used Patients' Liposuctioned Fat As Car Fuel
A plastic surgeon who practised in Beverly Hills, California, is being accused of using human fat liposuctioned from former patients to fuel his car. According to Forbes.com, Alan Bittner allegedly collected the human fat and turned it into biodiesel for his own SUV and his girlfriend's car. He is being investigated by California's public health department.

2009 Trends And Predictions From The Editors Of Consumer Guide To Plastic Surgery
The editors of Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery have gazed into their crystal balls to see what nips and tucks Americans will be seeking in 2009. From how the economy will affect cosmetic surgery to which new products will come to market, here's what we will see more - or less - of in the coming year: Less is more in 2009. The economic recession will spur many consumers to re-evaluate their cosmetic surgery plans.

LATISSE™- New Prescription Product Increases Length, Thickness And Darkness Of Eyelashes
Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved LATISSE™ (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03% as a novel treatment for hypotrichosis of the eyelashes. Eyelash hypotrichosis is another name for having inadequate or not enough eyelashes. LATISSE™ is the first and only science-based treatment approved by the FDA to enhance eyelash prominence as measured by increases in length, thickness and darkness of eyelashes.

10 Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Predictions For 2009
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), the leading national organization of board-certified plastic surgeons who specialize in cosmetic surgery, offers its predictions for cosmetic surgery in 2009. Predictions are based on interviews with leading plastic surgeons around the country.

Botulinum Toxin Provides New Treatment Option
For patients with an uncommon condition causing a swollen appearance of the lower face, treatment with botulinum toxin type A (Botox) provides an effective alternative to plastic surgery, according to a study in the November Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

Most People Would Not Like Botox Treatment As A Christmas Present
Credit crunch stress may add a few wrinkles to the most youthful of complexions this Christmas, but think twice before you include a course of Botox treatment in your loved one's stocking, says Which? (Which? is a UK consumer magazine). Botox has been touted as a fashionable cosmetic treatment that can smooth and fill out wrinkles on the face, but despite its popularity, 73 per cent of people, surveyed by Which?* would react badly if given the treatment for Christmas.

New York Times Examines Reconstructive Surgery Options For Women With Breast Cancer
The New York Times on Tuesday examined reconstructive breast surgery options provided to cancer patients undergoing mastectomies. According to the Times, despite recent advances in reconstructive breast surgery procedures, many plastic surgeons fail to inform women about the extent of their options.

Which? Bid To Stop Online Botox Promotions
eBay has agreed to remove illegal Botox adverts* from its popular site after Which? discovered over 240 instances of unlawful advertising of the product in just five days**. Sixteen companies and individuals were found advertising the prescription only medicine to the public, with many unaware they were breaking the law***.

Cleveland Clinic Surgeons Perform Nation's First Near-Total Face Transplant
A multi-disciplinary team of doctors and surgeons at Cleveland Clinic recently performed the first near-total face transplant in the United States. In a 22-hour procedure performed within the past two weeks, surgeons transplanted 80 percent of a woman's face who suffered severe facial trauma -- essentially replacing her entire face, except for her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin.

Plastic Surgery Experts Available To Comment On Face Transplant Surgery
Facial transplantation is plastic surgery. In fact, Maria Siemionow, MD, who performed this country's first face transplant at the Cleveland Clinic recently, is a reconstructive plastic surgeon. Facial transplantation plastic surgery offers great hope for those who suffer from severe facial disfigurement.

US Surgeons Carry Out Near Total Face Transplant
The first near total face transplant to be carried out in the United States took place at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio in a 22-hour procedure where a multidisciplinary team of doctors and surgeons replaced 80 per cent of a trauma patient's face. In the procedure, which took place within the last two weeks, the surgeons essentially replaced nearly the entire face of a woman who had suffered severe trauma: she was unable to smile, eat, talk, smell or breathe by herself.

Beware Of Overseas Cheap Plastic Surgery, Say Leicester Hospitals Surgeons, England
Plastic surgeons at Leicester's hospitals have issued a stark warning against cheap overseas plastic surgery. Surgeons at the Leicester Royal Infirmary have seen a rise in the number of cases of botched surgery from overseas which has gone wrong and required treatment or even emergency or reconstructive surgery on the NHS.

Biocompatibles International Plc Filing For CE Mark Approval For Dermal Filler Bead
Biocompatibles (LSE:BII) is pleased to announce the filing for CE Mark approval by the Company's development and marketing partner Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH for the Cosmetic Dermal Filler Bead. The product has been licensed to Merz and will be manufactured by Biocompatibles' German subsidiary, CellMed AG. The global market for aesthetic dermal filler products1 is at least $760m2. The current market consists mainly of products manufactured from collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Emotional Health Risks Of Cosmetic Surgey Downplayed In Women's Magazines, Study
A new study by researchers in Canada suggests that women's magazines like The Oprah Magazine and Cosmopolitan downplay the emotional health risks of cosmetic surgery and contribute to the increasing medicalization of the female body. Andrea Polonijo conducted the research as an undergraduate thesis in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.