CONSUMER: HEALTH NEWS     Making An Informed Decision About Breast Implants Despite more than a decade of controversy over their safety, breast implants are more popular than ever among women who want to build upon what nature gave them or who want to restore what disease has taken away. Whatever the reason, opting for breast implants is a personal decision that should be made only after a woman fully understands and accepts the potential risks of the devices and the importance of follow-up evaluations with her physician...   11.5 Million Cosmetic Surgery Procedures In 2005 Nearly 11.5 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the United States in 2005, according to statistics released today by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Compared to 2004, surgical procedures increased 1% to 2.1 million, while nonsurgical procedures declined 4% to 9.3 million. The Aesthetic Society which has been collecting multi-specialty procedural statistics since 1997 says the overall number of cosmetic procedures has increased 444% since the collection of the statistics first began. The most frequently performed procedure was Botox injections and the most popular surgical procedure was liposuction...   Why Are Men Getting Cosmetic Surgery? One need only look at the increasing number of glossy male magazines and the birth of marketing to metrosexuals to realize that male vanity is reaching new peaks all the time. And thanks to popular shows like Extreme Makeover, men are being presented with extreme ways of appeasing their mirror-gazing ways...   10 Things Your Cosmetic Surgeon Won't Tell You Plastic surgery is a booming field. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 8.7 million cosmetic surgery procedures were performed in 2003 — an increase of 32% over 2002. Reality TV shows like Extreme Makeover and The Swan have helped popularize everything from Botox injections to tummy tucks...   Planning To Look Flab-u-less? Know The Facts About Liposuction A self-described athlete, thirty-year-old Jeanne Smith of Washington, DC, is fit, active, and happy. But like many young women, she has felt dissatisfied with her looks. Because she works in the medical field, Smith knows about its latest trends and techniques. So when friends talked about their satisfaction with liposuction...   Botox Cosmetic: A Look At Looking Good The promise of a more youthful look was too tempting for 53-year-old Mary Schwallenberg to pass up. So, when the Food and Drug Administration approved a product that temporarily improves the appearance of frown lines between the eyebrows, the Orlando, Fla., resident took a shot at it...   The New Face of Anti-Aging Treatments Products coming to market could soon be adding some worry lines to the nonsurgical cosmetic-treatment leader, Botox   Face-lifts used to be the treatment of choice for folks bothered by wrinkles and sagging. But then shots of a little poison known as Botox changed all that. People still opt for plastic surgery these days, but Botox injections have become must-have maintenance for many folks hoping to forestall the day they go under the knife...   Botulinum Toxin-A Lifts Lateral Brow As Option To Facial Surgery Injections into brow depressors cause elevation in lateral brow, becomes option to invasive surgery Injecting botulinum toxin-A into brow depressors resulted in lateral (temporal) brow elevation with minimal and temporary adverse effects, offering an alternative to patients reluctant to undergo facial surgery...   New Wrinkle Fillers Help Turn Back Time More Choices to Erase Fine Lines and Wrinkles Wrinkle fillers that erase the signs of aging are getting better all the time, say experts speaking at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology...   The Five Most Commonly Asked Skin Care Questions 1. What is my skin type and how is it   determined? 2. Why do seasonal changes affect my skin? 3. Why does stress affect my skin? 4. Is there a magic product that will improve my skin or help me look younger? 5. Is cleansing good or bad for my skin?   Popular Microdermabrasion Improves Skin Without A Scratch The term "microdermabrasion" might not accurately represent the skin rejuvenation technique's mechanism of action. According to a presentation made by James M. Spencer, M.D., at the Cosmetic Dermatology Seminar, microdermabrasion appears to improve skin condition without causing any abrasion at all...   Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow Tired of tweezing, waxing and shaving? A growing number of Americans are opting for a more permanent—and pricey—solution: laser hair removal. After years of tweezing facial hairs, waxing her bikini line and dealing with bumps and ingrown hairs from shaving her underarms, Vicki Winston has had enough. So last month, the 37-year-old Knoxville, Tenn., embarked on an attempt to rid the hair from those body parts for good with a laser. The $2,400 she's spending on the process is “nothing” in the big scheme of life and worth it for “convenience and just comfort,” says Winston, a massage therapist and mother of a 3-year-old. Her first treatment barely hurt and took only half an hour. She plans to go to four more sessions, every 10 weeks. “In about a year, I won’t have to shave again, and I won’t have razor bumps, and I won’t have to worry about ingrown hairs,” Winston says...   Hair Loss And Its Causes What is the normal cycle of hair growth and loss? At any one time, about 10 percent of the hair on your scalp is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place. This growing phase lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time...   Hair Restoration Treatments Although an abundance of so called "cures" for thinning hair and baldness is available, the only true way to restore a person's hairline is to seek treatment from a physician. As board-certified specialists trained in hair restoration surgery, dermatologic surgeons are uniquely qualified to diagnose the cause of hair loss and recommend a treatment plan. Since hair restoration procedures greatly rely on the physician's skill and artistry, it's important to see a dermatologic surgeon with training and experience in this area...   Amputation rate for US troops twice that of past wars - Doctors cite need for prosthetics as more lives saved US troops injured in Iraq have required limb amputations at twice the rate of past wars, and as many as 20 percent have suffered head and neck injuries that may require a lifetime of care, according to new data giving the clearest picture yet of the severity of battlefield wounds.     Varicose Veins And Spider Veins The heart pumps blood to supply oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. Arteries carry blood from the heart towards the body parts, while veins carry blood from the body parts back to the heart. As the blood is pumped back to the heart, veins act as one-way valves to prevent the blood from flowing backwards. If the one-way valve becomes weak, some of the blood can leak back into the vein, collect there, and then become congested or clogged. This congestion will cause the vein to abnormally enlarge. These enlarged veins can be either varicose veins or spider veins...   Getting Ready For Cosmetic Dentistry You've done it. You've made the decision to have your smile enhanced through cosmetic dentistry. Now it's time to get ready for the procedure... Things to remember, how to choose a dentist, what to ask your dentist, choosing your clinic, etc...   Only 4% Of Americans With Bladder Problems Seek Medical Help As few as four per cent of US adults with overactive bladders (OAB) seek medical treatment, despite the condition affecting an estimated 34 million Americans over the age of 18...   Losing Weight: Start By Counting Calories Americans are getting fatter. We're putting on the pounds at an alarmingly rapid rate. And we're sacrificing our health for the sake of super-sized portions, biggie drinks, and two-for-one value meals, obesity researchers say. More than 60 percent of U.S. adults are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And about 15 percent of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are overweight. Poor diet and physical inactivity account for more than 400,000 premature deaths each year in the United States, second only to deaths related to smoking, says the CDC. People who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease, and joint pain caused by excess uric acid (gout). Excess weight can also cause interrupted breathing during sleep (sleep apnea) and wearing away of the joints (osteoarthritis). Carrying extra weight means carrying an extra risk for certain types of cancer, including endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancer. But there is hope for overweight Americans...   The Behavior And Psychology Of Weight Management Many overweight or obese patients who fail to lose weight, or use diet and exercise to lose weight but then regain it, do so in part for emotional or psychological reasons or because of a poor understanding of the need for behavioral change. Educating overweight patients about nutrition and exercise is simply not enough; in many such persons, behavioral and psychological factors must be addressed or these factors will prevent them from permanently changing behavior...   What Should I Know About Refractive Surgery? What is refractive surgery? Refractive surgery is an alternative to wearing glasses or contact lenses. It can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The different kinds of surgeries are explained below...   Lasik Eye Surgery - Learning About Lasik LASIK is a surgical procedure intended to reduce a person's dependency on glasses or contact lenses... What is Medical Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology? Diagnostic imaging refers to a variety of non-invasive methods for identifying and monitoring diseases or injuries via the generation of images representing internal anatomic structures and organs of the patient's body. The detailed images produced by these procedures are used to further inform the patient and physician about the anatomic organization and functional working of the inner organs and structure of the patient's body. Diagnostic imaging is an information tool that expands the knowledge of physicians, people and patients and the practice of medicine...   Top 10 Spa Trends What are the hottest new trends in the world of spas? Spa Finder has compiled a listing of the top ten spa trends in 2005 -- covering everything from the rise of online spa travel to super-opulent spa experience...