Black women are 47% less likely than other women to undergo breast reconstruction after having a mastectomy, according to a study published in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports.

Bargains on consumer goods and services may be designed to encourage spending in tough economic times, however when related to cosmetic injections like Restylane, Juvederm or Botox, the multi-specialty Physicians Coalition for Injectable Safety warns that discounts raise a red flag.

Join a 70-minute demonstration on the evaluation and cosmetic treatment of the face. The session will be hosted by dermatologists Susan H. Weinkle, MD, FAAD, Ashish C. Bhatia, MD, FAAD, and Wm. Philip Werschler, MD, FAAD, FAACS, who are experts in the field of facial rejuvenation.

In what is believed to be the first time in the United States, a nerve transfer was performed on a paraplegic to relieve life-threatening pressure ulcers - a common side effect associated with wheelchair-bound patients. The surgery took place on November 11, 2008, at Monmouth County Medical Center, and was performed by a team of medical professionals led by Dr. Andrew Elkwood, M.D. of the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, NJ.

Identifying malnutrition before surgery in massive weight loss patients seeking body contouring will significantly decrease surgical complications, accelerate wound healing, improve scar quality and boost patient energy levels, according to a study in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(R), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

The American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses presented its Plastic Surgical Nurses (PSN) Editor's Award to Marlene Rankin, a Rutgers College of Nursing faculty member, and her two co-authors, during its annual convention in Chicago Nov. 1.

Patients whose nose has been destroyed by a tumor or injury carry a severe psychological and social burden. Esthetic reconstruction ranges among the most challenging tasks in plastic surgery. Helmut Fischer and Wolfgang Gubisch present the different options for nasal reconstruction surgery in the current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2008; 105[43]:741-6).

Our mothers told us that true beauty is more than skin deep - but researchers from Tel Aviv University are now challenging Mom. They've built a beauty machine that, with the press of a button, turns a picture of your own ordinary face into that of a cover model. While its output is currently limited to digitized images, the software may be able to guide plastic surgeons, aid magazine cover editors, and even become a feature incorporated into all digital cameras.

BTG plc (LSE:BGC), the life sciences company, announces that the full results of the US phase II safety study of Varisolve® are being presented today at the American College of Phlebology (ACP) 22nd Annual Congress. The results confirm that treatment with Varisolve® in subjects with right-to-left (R-L) cardiac shunts, which may allow residual bubbles following treatment to enter the cerebral arterial circulation, does not cause cerebral injury.

New surgical techniques have dramatically improved the aesthetic results of mastectomy without sacrificing outcomes. Properly placed incisions and skin-sparing, or breast skin conserving, surgical approaches provide women undergoing biopsy and surgical treatment for breast cancer with the best option for appropriate cancer eradication while still permitting reconstruction of a more natural looking breast.

The California Center for Advanced Dental Studies (CCADS) has successfully completed its first graduating class of doctors. Fifteen doctors from all over Northern California have completed a unique ten month educational program designed to advance their clinical skills in the area of cosmetic dentistry. Along with other recipients worldwide, educational grants in the amount of $18,500 were awarded to each doctor in this select group.

Scientists in Italy have found bacteria in the root of a tropical grass whose oils have been used in the cosmetic and perfumery industries. These bacteria seem to promote the production of essential oils, but also they change the molecular structure of the oil, giving it different flavours and properties: termicidal, insecticidal, antimicrobial and antioxidant.

Dr Asif Chatoo of LLOC along with Dr Zaki Kanaan and Dr James Goolnik Spotlight the Patient Experience At the BACD Fifth Annual Conference 2008.

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago have performed an innovative robotic-assisted procedure to remove parathyroid glands without an incision or scar on the patient's neck. Bilal Akbar, 53, suffered from hyperparathyroidism caused by chronic kidney failure. His overactive parathyroid glands produced too much parathyroid hormone (PTH), which caused dangerously high calcium levels in the blood. This can lead to bone, blood vessel and heart damage.

While history has taught us that looks matter for everyone from presidential candidates to the person next door, the economic crisis is forcing many consumers to re-evaluate their cosmetic surgery plans. The results of consumer and plastic surgeon polls are being released in conjunction with Plastic Surgery 2008, the annual scientific meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) at McCormick Place in Chicago October 31st through November 5th.

NewImage.com, the premier online destination for personal image enhancement solutions, is pleased to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month for a second year by helping raise awareness of the importance of early detection and encouraging women with breast implants to go beyond regular mammography screenings to reduce the risk of possibly missing a tumor hidden under an implant.

Obagi Medical Products, Inc. (Nasdaq:OMPI), a leader in topical aesthetic and therapeutic skin health systems, announced today the publication of a study of its copper-zinc malonate eye treatment ELASTIderm™ in the September 2008 issue of Experimental Dermatology, a premier journal of investigative dermatology. The results of the study suggest that six weeks of treatment with ELASTIderm can enhance the biosynthesis of elastin in skin.

The Three Ways of Facial Aging - Facial aging has always been associated with the visual signs of sagging skin. For decades, the favored treatment of this sagging skin has been a facelift. When aging recurred, another facelift was done, and so on. After a second or third facelift, the individual no longer looked natural, and instead had a "tight or pulled" appearance.

From the 1970's through the 1990's cosmetic eyelid surgery consisted primarily of cutting out skin and fat from the eyelids and reconnecting the skin for a tighter look. However, as time went on, these patients' eyes began to look hollow. More recent eyelid plastic surgery procedures have moved toward preservation and redistribution of the precious eyelid fat.

The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the not-for-profit, leading organisation for the advancement and ethical delivery of cosmetic dentistry, today unveiled results for their 2007 audit which polled over 200 practices around the country and outlines over 100,000 procedures.

Findings from a study published in the September/October 2008 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal show that, contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding is not a likely cause of post-pregnancy drooping of the breasts. As a growing number of women turn to plastic surgeons to counteract the effects of pregnancy on their bodies, one common postpartum complaint is sagging breasts, also known as breast ptosis, which many believe to be linked to breastfeeding.

Artes Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTE), a medical aesthetics company, today announced that enrollment has been completed in the 1,000-patient post-marketing study required by the FDA. The study follows patients treated with ArteFill®, the first and only FDA-approved non-resorbable dermal filler, for a five-year period.

Surgery comes with great expectations and great risks for complications. Patients and their surgeons each may have preferences for outcomes after surgery. But are their preferences the same or do they differ? A recent study, "A comparison of physician and patient time tradeoffs for postoperative hip outcomes", published in Value in Health, looks at this issue.

Researchers in Germany are describing a potential alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery for easing facial wrinkles. Their study, scheduled for the November 5 issue of ACS' Crystal Growth & Design, a bi-monthly journal, reports that high intensity visible light from light emitting diodes (LEDs) applied daily for several weeks resulted in "rejuvenated skin, reduced wrinkle levels, juvenile complexion and lasting resilience.

Glycotex, Inc. announced enrollment of the first patient in a Phase IIb study evaluating the effect of GLYC-101 on wound closure and cosmetic outcomes in cosmetic surgery patients undergoing carbon dioxide laser skin resurfacing on the lower eyelid area. A previous Phase II Pilot Study, investigating clinical outcomes and safety parameters of GLYC-101 at two doses compared to placebo was completed in April 2008.