Study Shows Green Tea Extract Shrinks Tumors

According to an article recently published in the journal Nanomedicine, a laboratory study at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, showed that 40% of human skin cancer tumors disappeared using a compound based on green tea.

The compound, called epigallocatechin gallate, is an extract from green tea leaves. In the laboratory study, 40% of tumors disappeared after a month of treatment, while an additional 30% of tumors shrank.

Previous attempts to take advantage of the anti-cancer properties of green tea were based on IV drips, which didn’t deliver a high enough concentration of the extract to the actual tumors. In the Strathclyde study, a targeted delivery system was created, which piggybacked the extract with proteins that contained iron molecules. Apparently, this was the magic bullet.  

Although clinical trials on humans may be several years in the offing, Dr. Christine Dufes, a senior lecturer at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, and research leader, had this to say, "This research could open doors to new treatments for what is still one of the biggest killer diseases in many countries. With the targeted delivery system, it's taken straight to the tumours without any effect on normal tissue. When we used our method, the green tea extract reduced the size of many of the tumours every day, in some cases removing them altogether. These are very encouraging results, which we hope could pave the way for new and effective cancer treatments.”

Here in Atlanta, skin cancer is fairly common. We get plenty of sun and people love to be out in it. Although there are various treatments for skin cancer, the best "treatment" is to avoid it in the first place through the use of high SPF creams and even cosmetics. Come into my plastic surgery office in Atlanta and get some of the best sunscreen available on the market. You'll enjoy excellent protection and, hopefully, avoid not just skin cancer but the aging effects of too much sun exposure as well! 

To your health and wellness,

Dr. Carmen Kavali

Botox as "Push Present"?

Apparently, Push Presents have become all the rage over the past few years: a present a new Dad gives a New Mom around the time of the baby's birth. I think it's a sweet idea, something to make Mom feel honored, respected, and maybe even a little glamorous after all she's been through during pregnancy and childbirth.

There are plenty of opinions regarding Push Presents: some people think the baby is present enough, and others think it's just a sweet gesture. And there are plenty of ideas for Push Presents--of course the jewelry industry hopes Dad will choose a true bauble for Mom. Fortunoff even has a Push Present registry!

But I just had an expectant mom tell me that she wants Botox and some Fotofacial skin care treatments as her Push Present! Nothing like a little wrinkle reduction and skin smoothing to make a mom feel a little more confident and gorgeous, I say. And, you know, if Mama's happy....

Building a New Breast: You Know We Can Do That, Right?

Breast reconstruction is a gratifying procedure, creating "something from nothing", almost literally. The idea of waking up after breast cancer surgery with two breasts still on her chest is a calming idea to many women.

It amazes me, though, that only about 20% of women who have a mastectomy go through with reconstruction. An article in Cosmetic Surgery Times gives more details. The main barrier to breast reconstruction seems to be AWARENESS! In this age of instant information and constant contact, I find this saddening.

I rarely see a breast cancer patient prior to her diagnosis, so the women I see already know that breast reconstruction is an option. It's the women who never get to the office of a plastic surgeon that we need to reach. I don't think there are any easy answers, but maybe if more people know about this, more people will talk about it.

Thanks for stopping by here!

No Bones About It: Why Many Facelifts Look Unnatural

So have you ever wondered why most facelifts look like, well, facelifts?? Why Joan Rivers looks like she's been caught in a wind-tunnel? It's because most facelifts address loose skin, but do nothing to fill the hollows in the face. It's like making a bed by pulling the comforter tight, but leaving the sheets rumpled beneath it.

You probably already know that you lose fat in your face as you age (and tend to find it in your thighs!). But you also lose BONE as you age--the bones in your face literally become thinner, making eyes look more hollow, jawlines look more loose, and cheeks look more flat. A great article from NPR goes into more detail.

In the world of plastic surgery, there has been a lot of attention given to "volumizing" faces. You may have heard about "liquid facelifts". Or lots of different fillers to fix hollows in the face: Sculptra, Restylane, Radiesse, Juvederm, or even your own fat.

To fix an aging face, you have to treat it like a home renovation: address the foundation first (fill the hollows), then spackle and paint (remove loose skin, sculpt the jawline, and start a good skin care routine).

Thanks for stopping by here!

Fighting Gravity, Two Breasts at a Time

We all know that gravity is not our friend. Nobody likes sagging or drooping. I had the great pleasure of connecting with some dynamic women to talk about breast health: breast cancer screening, breast surgery, and great bra support.

So who were these dynamic women? Susan Nethero and the ladies of Intimacy the Bra Fit Specialists and Karyn Greer from WXIA 11 Alive! You can see the final edit tomorrow night (March 11) on 11 Alive news at 11p and again Friday morning (March 12).

Thanks for stopping by here.

Recession-proof procedures!

The recession may have hit most of us pretty hard, but the 2009 ASAPS cosmetic surgery stats reveal that we still value our appearances. Cosmetic procedures in 2009 were only down about 2%! Of course, the more pricey surgical procedures were down about 17%, which isn't surprising at all. But nonsurgical cosmetic procedures increased by about 1%--that may not sound like much, but when you consider that over 2.5 MILLION Botox procedures were done in 2009, 1% doesn't seem insignificant.

So what were the most common plastic surgeries in 2009? For women, it was breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and abdominoplasty.

For men, the most common plastic surgeries in 2009 were liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, gynecomastia treatment (male breast reduction), and hair transplants.

The most common nonsurgical procedures in 2009 were Botox, fillers, laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels.

Thanks for stopping by!

The End of the Man-Boob

Women are the greatest consumers of plastic surgery procedures, comprising about 85% of my practice. I think there are many reasons for that, including childbearing, age discrimination, and others that could be a topic for another blog.

Men come, generally, to have a few things touched up. They come for Botox when their scowls make them look "too mean" to make a sale. They come for liposuction when they can't get a handle on their love-handles. They come to have their heavy eyelids removed, so they don't look so tired. And, more often than ever now, they come to get rid of their man-boobs. Our professional term for "man-boobs" is "gynecomastia.

There are a few ways to get rid of man-boobs, including laser-assisted liposuction and direct excision (cutting out the extra tissue). The scars are minimal and so is the down-time.

In fact, the procedure can often be done in the office under local anesthesia. Southside Steve, one of The Regular Guys from Rock 100.5, had his procedure done in my office a few months ago and took the time to create a YouTube video about it. My disclaimer here is that I had no editorial control over the video and it probably won't appeal to all of you. View at your own risk.

Fox News ran a story today about man-boobs and the trend of getting rid of them. Thought you might be interested.

Thanks for stopping by here!

Are you ready for a turnaround for your skin,

a reversal of aging,

a perfect winter wake-up,

an about-face for your face?

Join us on
Tuesday, February 2
for an
All-Day Skin and Makeup Makeover Event

RSVP 404-250-3333 to reserve your time

The Perfect Winter Wake-up:

• Fotofacial treatments are only $125 on Event Day Only
• Microdermabrasion is only $75 on Event Day Only

If you're already thinking about more long-term maintenance,

• Try a Package of 3 Fotofacials for only $700
• or a Package of 3 Fotofacials and 3 Renewal Peels for only $1000
• Packages may be purchased at these special prices anytime during the month of February.
  
  

The Turnaround:

Once your skin is prepped from your Fotofacial or Microdermabrasion, see Mark Lares for a Complimentary Glo-Minerals Makeup Makeover.

Mark is a hair and makeup expert, and we are excited to have him with us for this event.

Whether you need a fresh basic look or a new glamorous look for an upcoming event (Valentine's Day, anyone?), Mark's got you covered. And we've got very special pricing on all Glo-Minerals products--you don't want to miss this one!

The About-Face for Your Face:

Renew and Maintain your skin with SkinMedica products.
Event Day-Only Specials:

• SkinMedica Illuminating Eye Cream and TNS Line Refine for only $100
• SkinMedica TNS Recovery Complex: Buy Two, Get One Free
• Buy one TNS Essential Serum and Get TNS Illuminating Eye Cream FREE
• 10% off All SkinMedica products

Juvederm Special, good anytime through February 14: Get a FREE Vivite Defining Lip Plumper with every 1 cc syringe of Juvederm. (mail-in offer)

Octomom--My apologies for extending her 15 minutes

The same woman who denied ever having her lips plumped is now saying her flat tummy (after 14 kids!) is just from diet and exercise. I'm not buying it. Her bellybutton looks like an operated one, and, even if she didn't have a tummy tuck, air-brushing can work miracles!

Now can we all quit talking about her so she'll just go away?

Jumping on the Heidi Bandwagon

I was as stunned as anyone to see the latest Heidi Montag photos in People magazine (and everywhere else!). She looks like an older, plastic version of herself. Or, as a friend of mine said, "She looks like an old porn star."

Now, I'm obviously a fan of plastic surgery. But, as with most things, plastic surgery is better in moderation. And it's better when the procedures are actually correcting a problem, not just tweaking things that are just fine. I'm not sure how any 23 year old could really need 10 cosmetic procedures.

Here's my take on what she had done:

1. Botox: at age 23, likely not needed. But not bad maintenance and prevention, so I can't really knock it, even though her brow position now makes her look a bit evil.

2. Mini-browlift: I'm not even sure what this procedure is exactly. You either do a browlift, or you don't. Meanwhile, it's clear from her "before" photos that she didn't need anything done to her brows.

3. Chin reduction: Ok, I see the difference, but, again, not necessary.

4. Revision of breast augmentation: Obviously to go even larger. All I can say is this: the bigger they are, the harder they fall. She may regret this later.

5. Liposuction: I can see this difference, too, in her hips and waist. Many otherwise thin women do come for contouring of areas that they consider to be their "problem areas", and I think that's not entirely unreasonable. I'm not sure Heidi has done anything to take care of problem areas, though. It seems to me that she's had all this work done, and had People magazine following her every step of the way, just to get more press for the launch of her pop album.

6. Fat grafting to the cheeks: completely unnecessary in a 23 year old

7. Lip augmentation: Not bad

8. Buttocks Augmentation (presumably with fat): I can't really tell a difference here, nor can I see that she needed this procedure done.

9. Revision rhinoplasty (nose-job): She may be on the Michael Jackson path here. Her nose looked just fine before this second surgery.

10. Otoplasty (ear pinning): I don't recall noticing her ears being prominent prior to her surgery, so I can't really say if this made sense. It wouldn't be unreasonable if they did stick out quite a bit before.

I just hope that Heidi doesn't have as many fans as she seems to think she has, so there won't be be hordes of young women following her lead. And I hope she gets the help she needs for her obviously impaired self-esteem. And I hope her 15 minutes are over soon.

Our January Event!

Want to learn more about the NEWEST nonsurgical cosmetic procedure approved by the FDA?

Please join me for a
Lunch and Learn
and find out more about the exciting new wrinkle remover, Sculptra Aesthetic!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Drop in between the hours of 11:30am – 1:30pm
Lunch will be provided for those attending.

Why should you care about Sculptra Aesthetic? Well, if you've been waiting for a great solution for those lines and hollows in your face, Sculptra just might be right for you!

• Sculptra Aesthetic isn't a "filler"--it's a collagen-stimulator! The results are literally YOU, just better!
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  Sculptra Aesthetic lasts 2-3 years! You'll save money in the long run by investing in Sculptra now.
  
  You can visit the Sculptra Aesthetic website and watch the clip of Sculptra Aesthetic featured on the popular morning show, The Doctors, to better familiarize yourself with this amazing new injectable that lasts 2-3 years.
  
  If you're ready to learn even more, give us a call to reserve your space at our Lunch and Learn Event.
  
  ***EVENT ATTENDEES WILL RECEIVE $100 OFF EACH VIAL OF SCULPTRA PURCHASED***
  
  ***Can't make it to the event, but think you're ready to try Sculptra? Call us on January 26 to book your future Sculptra Aesthetic procedure, and you'll enjoy the same savings! ($100 off each vial)
  
  RSVP: 404-250-3333
  

Avoiding a plastic surgery tragedy: What Miss Argentina needed to know

My heart just breaks when I hear stories like the one of the beautiful former Miss Argentina. You probably already heard about her death. It was initially reported that she died after having plastic surgery to enhance her buttocks. (Here's the original story.)

Well, more details have emerged, and it appears that Miss Argentina wasn't actually having "plastic surgery". In fact, an Argentinian plastic surgeon refused to do the procedure she requested! So she went to someone who isn't a plastic surgeon at all and was willing to inject her buttocks with liquid silicone--something not approved in Argentina or here in the States. She died, reportedly, from a pulmonary embolus (a clot in the lungs).

There is an educational opportunity in this tragedy. In fact, this article from CNN.com does a great job of breaking down some of the questions you should ask before undergoing any cosmetic procedure. Of the questions that CNN suggested, these are the ones I think are MOST critical:

"Doctor, are you board certified?

You want a doctor who's certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. "

Doctor, do you have privileges at a hospital to perform this procedure?

Even though you likely won't be in the hospital, you want to know if a hospital has deemed your doctor skilled enough to perform the procedure in their facility.

"The hospital is the judge of the physician's abilities," Haeck said. "If a surgeon says he doesn't have privileges at a local hospital to do the procedure, that should be a red flag."

If the surgeon says he does have privileges, call the hospital and double-check."

Dentist = Plastic Surgeon? I don't think so!

There's a story out today about a dentist who performed breast reduction and liposuction on a 15-year-old! Here's the link to the full story. Now, I've got a couple of issues with this.

First, what's a dentist doing working below the neck? This guy did go to medical school as well as dental school, but that doesn't make him a plastic surgeon. He never did an accredited residency or fellowship in plastic surgery, so, in my opinion, he shouldn't be venturing too far from the face!

Unfortunately, there are no laws against ANY kind of doctor performing ANY kind of surgery he/she wants, so long as they can do it in their own office! That's because no hospital would allow them to do those surgeries in their facilities--the hospitals don't consider them to be adequately trained to do such surgeries. If I wanted to really be reckless, and if I could find someone willing, I could do brain surgery in my office. I guess I could take some weekend courses before-hand, so I'd be "qualified".

Second, who does liposuction on a 15-year-old?! There was another story a few years ago about a 12-year-old who had liposuction, but that was a very unusual case, and there certainly is no accepted established precedent for such surgery. There is sometimes good reason to do breast reduction surgery at that age, but it's not common. There is, in my opinion, no good reason for liposuction on someone that age--that poor girl should have been encouraged to diet and exercise some more.

So, buyer beware: a "cosmetic" surgeon is often NOT a surgeon at all. Most ABPS-Certified plastic surgeons don't call themselves cosmetic surgeons because we're aware of all the non-plastic surgeons using that name.

How do you know if your cosmetic/plastic surgeon is legit? Check out your surgeon here. You'll find out if he/she is Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Can't find your surgeon there? Check him/her out here. You'll see exactly what specialty their board-certification is in (internal medicine, plastic surgery, emergency medicine, etc). And, check out your surgeon here, too. If they're an ASPS member, they have to be an ABPS-Certified plastic surgeon.

Getting Back Your Body After Baby: Mommy Makeovers in Atlanta, GA

What's a busy Mom to do when the family is complete, but all the diet and exercise in the world aren't working to give her back her pre-baby body? Seek out a Mommy Makeover! The trend isn't new, but it's certainly picked up steam in recent years. Both celebrities and soccer moms have these procedures.

Mommy Makeovers are designed to take care of the problem areas that most women have after pregnancy. Now, every Mom is different, but the most common procedures in a Mommy Makeover are tummy tucks, breast lifts, and liposuction.

When you're ready for your Mommy Makeover, come see me at Kavali Plastic Surgery. As a Mommy myself, I can understand what you're going through.