Men now turning to liposuction

Former Denver Broncos tight-end Reggie Johnson was playing with his 5-year-old son, Reggie ll, in May, when he suddenly found himself gasping for breath.

“I could barely get up the steps,” says Johnson, 42, who weighed 307 at the time. “I was huffing and puffing. I knew I had to do something.”

And he did. Johnson went from eating 3,000 calories a day to about 1,800. “I stopped playing football, but I still ate like a football player,” he says.

Johnson began a medical weight loss program, began walking, and lost 40 pounds in three months.

But there were some stubborn pockets of fat around his abdomen he just couldn’t lose.

So Johnson, now a sales consultant for Coastal Wine and Spirits, decided to get SmartLipo, a laser-assisted cosmetic surgery procedure designed to be less invasive than traditional liposuction, but with the same results and less downtime.

“I’m just enhancing myself,” says the Florida State University graduate, who now weighs 268. “I don’t see anything wrong with a man that wants to look better.”

A growing number of men are turning to plastic surgery to help them look and feel better about themselves. Some are looking for an edge in the job market. Others have found themselves back in the dating pool, or they’ve been inspired by wives who had their own cosmetic procedures.

While women still account for most cosmetic procedures, last year, 200,000 men had something “done.” That’s about 13 percent of all cosmetic procedures, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. And there was a whopping 42 percent increase in minimally invasive cosmetic procedures among men from 2000 to 2009, according to the ASPS.

“I don’t think its taboo anymore,” says Khalid Saeed, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who practices at Clarity MedSpa√ in Land O’ Lakes. “More and more you see it out in the news, (male) Hollywood figures who are openly talking about their procedures and how they’re keeping up. The technology is there, there’s no need to be shy anymore.”

Saeed says women start visiting the plastic surgeon’s office in their 30s and 40s with a plan to enhance their looks. Men usually start showing up in their 40s and 50s.

Most of his male clients choose procedures like SmartLipo and Botox (to help smooth wrinkles) because they don’t cause a lot of bruising or require a long recovery time, and you can see results quickly. Botox continues to be the most popular noninvasive cosmetic procedure for both men and women. Other top surgical procedures for men include rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), eyelid surgery; breast reduction surgery for enlarged male breasts, and hair transplants.

“Most of the men we see in our practice are athletes or previous athletes,” Saeed says. “Back in the day, they played professionally or had athletic prowess. And now, you get a little older and Father Time is catching up with you. They want to freshen their look, stay competitive and just feel better about themselves. But they don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it.”

After doing some research, Johnson settled on SmartLipo because he could resume normal activities the next day. He was awake listening to music during his Oct. 6 procedure.

SmartLipo is similar to traditional liposuction, but less invasive. The incisions are smaller, which leaves little scaring; it doesn’t require general anesthesia and there is little bleeding, which makes recovery quicker.

Johnson’s SmartLipo cost $6,000; the price can vary from $2,000 to $6,000 depending on the area covered. Most men opt to have their abdomen, flanks and “love handles” worked on.

The procedure takes about three to four hours. Patients go home with a bandage covering the small incisions, but no stitches. And they must wear a compression belt for at least three weeks.

Recovery time varies, but most patients can show off their new bod after about two weeks. It takes about three months to see optimum results and skin tightening, Saeed says.

The best candidates are men and women who, like Johnson, have a body mass index under 30, exercise regularly and are in good health.

“The procedure really isn’t for debulking,” Saeed says. “It’s for sculpting areas of fat that just won’t go away because of genetics.”

Two days after his procedure Johnson was impressed with the results. He’s not ruling out more surgical procedures in the future.

“I want to look good for me and for my wife,” he says. “I didn’t like the way I looked, and I did something about it. I’m not shamed. I feel better about myself, and its going to show.”

Reporter Cloe Cabrera

SmartLipo is a brand of equipment and is not less invasive than traditional liposuction. A great result does not come from a particular brand or technology, but a great Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Only plastic surgeons receive training in cosmetic procedures during their specialized residency. Physicians who are not plastic surgeons have usually received a few hours of training from the manufacturer of the equipment.

Is Hollywood Obsessed with Looking Young?

Many celebrities have been candid about receiving cosmetic enhancements to look younger — is Hollywood obsessed with the appearance of youth?

Kim Kardashian, 29, received Botox on her TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” while singer and “Glee” actress Charice also reportedly received the treatment — at only age 18. Meanwhile, reality show celeb Heidi Montag reportedly received 10 plastic surgery treatments in one day at age 23.

On Thursday’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” several stars gathered to discuss aging in Hollywood. Actress Teri Hatcher, 45, shared candid video of what she looks like before she is made up by the “Desperate Housewives” beauty professionals, admitting that makeup and good lighting can go a long way. Last month, Teri posted photos of herself wrinkling her forehead on Facebook, sharing that she was not currently undergoing any plastic surgery or Botox.

“I figured that I’d be okay up until 40 years old,” 60-year-old Cybill Shepherd told Oprah, admitting that in her 50s, “I stopped looking at myself in the mirror because I could see that I was aging.”

Cybill said that she feared aging, worrying that growing older makes you “disposable in this disposable culture.”

“Learning to love ourselves as we age is one of the most challenging things we can do,” Cybill said, stressing that people should laugh and cry as much as possible as they age.

Former “Dynasty” star Linda Evans, 67, told Oprah, “I’m happier [now] because I don’t define myself by the way people think.”

She said of her own plastic surgery experience, “I had surgery done after ‘Dynasty’ because I was in love with [musician Yanni], a man 12 years younger than me … And hey, I’m not sorry that I did it. I wanted to look a certain way so that I could feel better about that 12-year difference.”

Linda said the goal should be “[looking] in the mirror and … [loving] yourself no matter what you see.”

“Getting older, you get wiser, that’s the great thing about aging,” Linda added.

“What is more beautiful than recognizing this peace in your life?” Teri pondered.
-Posted on ETonline.com

New face, and a new smile, for girl who felt the Taliban’s wrath

An Afghan woman whose ears and nose were cut off by her abusive husband as punishment for running away – and whose mutilated face featured on the front of an international magazine – has undergone extensive plastic surgery.
The 18-year-old, Aisha, was featured by Time magazine in an article that revealed how her husband, a commander in the Taliban, had disfigured her and left her to die.
The magazine also helped arrange for her to travel to the US for the reconstructive surgery.
The young woman displayed her new face at a fund-raising event held in Los Angeles for the Grossman Burn Foundation, which performed eight months of surgery.
She was presented with an “Enduring Heart” award by Maria Shriver, the wife of California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who told her: “This is the first Enduring Heart award given to a woman whose heart endures and who shows us all what it means to have love and to be the enduring heart.”
The young woman replied in English: “Thank you so much.”
Aisha, who asked that her family name not be used, was married to a Taliban fighter when she was aged just 12 when she and her sister were handed over in order to settle a family debt according to local custom known as baad. The girls reportedly endured many years of abuse, and were forced to sleep in a stable with the fighter’s family’s animals.
Aisha was often beaten and her in-laws treated her and her sister like slaves.
Eventually Aisha ran from the house but her husband – who returned from fighting inside Pakistan in order to find her and restore “family honour” – tracked her down in Kandahar. He took her back to Oruzgan district where he lived and on the way he cut off her nose and ears.
Essentially left for dead, she managed to crawl to the house of her uncle but he refused to help her. Eventually a relative took her to a US-operated hospital.
“Aisha is only one example of thousands of girls and women in Afghanistan and throughout the world who are treated this way. Aisha is reminded of that enslavement every time she looks in the mirror,” Rebecca Gray Grossman, the foundation’s chairwoman, said in a statement. “But there are still times she can laugh. And at that moment you see her teenage spirit escaping a body that has seen a lifetime of injustice.”
There is a lot more work ahead for Aisha. Experts say the reconstruction of her mutilated face is to continue and she is to stay on in California with host families who are providing her with accommodation.

By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
Thursday, 14 October 2010

Combining Procedures can add more value

Three of the most common procedures patients request to recapture their body are abdominoplasty, breast augmentation and liposuction.”

Each of these procedures has their respective cost, recuperation time and required absence from employment. Abdominoplasty is usually a same day surgical procedure, but requires about 10 days off of work for recovery. Breast augmentation in and liposuction can typically take anywhere from 2 to 7 days to recover. When performed individually, one might be looking at close to a month of recovery time and medical leave from work.

Surgeons can often perform combined procedures such as abdominoplasty and breast augmentation together. Such procedures are often referred to as a “mommy make-over” and are popular because overall operative times can be less with two surgeons operating concurrently to expedite the required anesthesia time.

Because costs can be decreased when procedures such as abdominoplasty, breast augmentation and liposuction are combined, the overall cost is less than if each procedure was done individually. Given the current economy, patients are seeking a value proposition in every respect. Patient selection is always important, and a pre-operative medical clearance is mandatory. Choosing a Michigan Surgeon Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery typically ensures that all the necessary precautions are taken to achieve a safe surgical outcome.

Ask Doctor Ali today about the possibility of combining procedures to see if it could be a good option for you!

Birthday Wish from Dr. Ali and Amae

As a gift to you, we would like to offer a complimentary Microdermabrasion with a light AFA peel as well as 10% off your total of any Medical Skin Care product lines.

When scheduling your appointment, mention it’s your birthday gift from us and please bring your drivers licence for verification. Your Birthday offer will expire at the end of the month following your birthday. Call today to schedule your appointment.

Happy Birthday from Amae!
and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Ali, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

*Offer provided for existing Clients and subject to change without notice, please contact the office for details