The Brain Vs. The Stomach

The attempt to lose and keep off weight is a problem many Americans struggle with. In fact, two-thirds of adults and one-third of children and adolescents are now considered overweight or obese. By these standards, normal weight no longer exists. However, if you’re lucky to harbor only small amounts of fat, you probably are a candidate for liposuction. A simple procedure performed at my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, liposuction re-contours your body into the shape you’ve always wanted.
Unfortunately, most Americans are nowhere near their ideal weight; therefore they cannot undergo such a procedure. Instead, dropping weight is left up to the specific person. However, statistics show that doing so is not such an easy task. In fact, twenty five percent of men and forty three percent of women attempt to diet each year. Approximately five to twenty percent actually succeed in actually losing, and keeping off, the weight.
But before we blame dieters for not being able to go through with their plans, we must take into consideration that scientists now believe that the brain has a lot to do with overeating. In fact, the urge to eat is not so much wired into our stomachs, but in our brains. How many times has your stomach made clear that it was full, only to have you continue eating what’s in front of you? How often have you not been tempted to eat a burger until you saw someone else eating one? It seems that our brain is much more powerful than our stomach when it comes to delicious food. We can be as regimented as possible, and the brain can still talk us into sampling some tasty treat.
With this in mind, scientists are hoping to find a trigger in the brain that causes us to eat so much. If a trigger does exist, scientists hope to find a way to turn it off in order to regulate our over consumption. If this does occur, America could have a fighting chance in getting healthy again.
To your health and beauty,
Gregory Chernoff

Breast Reduction And Weight Loss

Losing an abundant amount of weight is a rather large accomplishment. Whether it’s via weight loss surgery, or simply by your own doing, it’s an achievement everyone should be proud of. However, with massive weight loss also comes a whole new look to your body. Procedures to take off extra skin are usually a must. Yet, there is another procedure that is done quite often too: breast reduction.
A new study suggests that women who have their breasts reduced after their weight loss are more likely to be happy with their results. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all women should or must wait for a breast reduction. In fact, large breasts can cause pain and even make it hard to exercise. However, the chances are much higher for disappointment in shape and size of the reduced breasts once a woman reaches their ideal weight.
In a recent study, more than a third of the women who had their breast reduced prior to weight loss were unhappy with the final result. Half of the women planned to undergo a breast augmentation to find their perfect breast size and shape to suit their new bodies. Many more said they would if it was covered by insurance. A third of the women who did not opt for a breast reduction before weight loss were unhappy with their overly large breast and half of the women said they were planning on having a breast reduction, while others said they would if they could afford it.
The general consensus is that you’re most likely better off with a breast reduction after weight loss, though some women were perfectly happy with their breasts before and after. It truly varies from patient to patient and must be talked about extensively with their doctor so that the best option can be ascertained.
To your health and beauty,
Gregory Chernoff, M.D.

Dr. Chernoff Discusses 5 Remarkable Uses for Botox

Everyone knows that Botox is effective in minimizing facial wrinkles, and can help minimize extreme sweating. However, many people are not aware of the fact that this multi-use injection can do so much more than that. Here are five additional functions of Botox that are not well known.

1. Reducing Neck Lines
   If the neck folds are not too large, Botox can flatten them so that they do not droop. Because of the strong angle of the neck, you will appear younger. It is important that you find an experienced doctor to perform the procedure. If a doctor injects in the wrong place, you could have problems swallowing. At Chernoff Cosmetic Surgery, a qualified doctor will effectively inject Botox into this region of the body.
   
2. Shaping the Jaw line
   During this procedure, Botox is inserted into the muscle that is used to close and chew. It is amazing how just a small amount of Botox will help enhance the shape of the mouth and jaw. Some experts think that the final results from injection in this area is slight; therefore, other surgeries might be more effective if you desire a dramatic appearance in the jaw line. However, with Chernoff Cosmetic Surgery in Indianapolis, we will work with you to identify your goals and how to achieve them.
   
3. Improvement of Mood
   Studies show that Botox may improve your frame of mind and disposition. One study did determine that Botox enhanced the mental health of some people with a fair amount of depression. While it remains to be seen whether the procedure can cure depression, there is an increasing group of people that believes in its power to alleviate feelings of anxiety and sadness.
   
4. Improving Bladder Control
   Some Botox injections can be used below the waist. If you have uncomfortable involuntary bladder spasms, Botox might be useful. Urinary incontinence is effectively treated with Botox.
   
5. Relieving Anal Sphincter Spasms
   Anal sphincters are not noticed until they are not working correctly. Botox can be injected in the anal sphincter to ease spasms. It is not something that you like to think about, but it could eliminate a big problem.

At Chernoff Cosmetic Surgery, we are constantly looking for the latest and greatest in cosmetic surgery techniques. Contact us today to discuss what we can do to enhance your appearance!

The Tree Of Youth

In Indianapolis, face lifts and Botox are quite popular for combating the aging process. In fact, many cosmetic procedures occur because a patient wants to get rid of wrinkles or simply look and feel younger. But aside from the standard procedures mentioned previously, there isn’t much anti-aging processes that work without the help of a plastic surgeon. However, it seems that there may be a more natural way to combat age if you are not ready to take the plunge into cosmetic procedures, such as the ones I perform every day at my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice.
There are a lot of anti-aging skin creams out there that supposedly work, and some actually do, but the most common ingredients in these creams that do really work are antioxidants. But a new ingredient, the leaf bud of poplar trees, could be the ingredient to push antioxidants out of these creams.
Poplar trees have already been used to combat colds, sinusitis, sunburn and arthritis. But after further study conducted by researcher Xavier Vitrac, the poplar bud has shown that it contains a healthy dose of antioxidant activity. When put to work on some cells in the laboratory it was found that anti-aging effects did occur. Vitrac says that the antioxidant activity was so promising that this extract has a lot of potential to be utilized in cosmetic formulas.
This is great news for those that are not yet ready to undergo Botox injections or a face lift. It is also great news for people who would rather use something natural to combat those pesky wrinkles. But remember, better results are more likely to come out of a cosmetic procedure over a simple cream applied once a day. Whichever you choose, however, is up to you. What’s most important is that you feel good about yourself and your age.
To your health and beauty,
Dr. Gregory Chernoff

Is Cosmetic Surgery “Right” For Teens?

I perform cosmetic surgery on teens in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice. They are always focused on "quality of life" issues, such as rhinoplasty for teens with noses that are outside the normal appearance, like a big hump or a nose that's off-center, etc. I also do breast reductions for teenage girls who are teased or who have discomfort because of overly large breasts, as well as breast reductions in teenaged boys suffering from gynecomastia. I routinely do ear-pinning on kids of all ages, including teenagers, for children whose ears stick out. On a rare instance, I also perform a breast augmentation on a teenaged girl whose breasts are very asymmetrical, ie, one breast is much different in size than the other one, as this can be very embarrassing in a swimsuit or even in a t-shirt.
The media often makes us believe that many teens are undergoing cosmetic procedures, inasmuch as Bristol Palin, who isn't yet 20, has just undergone "reconstructive" (her words) cosmetic surgery–in actuality, it looks like she had a chin implant and some lipo of the cheek area which is probably not essential but I have to admit, she does look better.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery released their statistics of all kinds of cosmetic procedures for 2010, as they do annually. This is what they had to say about the most popular procedures performed on our teens:

• Laser hair removal (51,000 procedures last year)
• Skin treatments (including 16,200 chemical peels and 10,400 microdermabrasion treatments)
• Ear surgery (10,700 procedures)
• Nose jobs (9,100 procedures)
• The study also showed that teenage cosmetic surgery is actually down from previous years–in fact, over 300,000 cosmetic procedures were performed on the under-20 crowd 10 years ago, but last year only about 125,000 were done. Whether that's just a reflection on 2010′s dismal economy, I don't know, but one hopes it might be due to some discernment on the part of parents.

I'd be very interested in your opinion about cosmetic surgery for teens. What do you think? Is it always something the kids should learn to live with, ie, big noses and some of the above items I mentioned, or should parents relent and give cosmetic surgery to their children? I know of one surgeon in the NYC area who advocates a breast augmentation for girls graduating from high school, as a "graduation gift." What do you think of this?
To your health & beauty,
Gregory Chernoff, MD

Does The Fat Come Back?

My Indianapolis Plastic Surgery practice frequently performs liposuction on patients seeking a finishing touch to obtain their sexy silhouette. Whether it’s because a client has an area of fat that is determined to stay even after a lot of hard work, or a client simply wants some help with shaping their body, liposuction is a great way of getting rid of the last remnants of fat. Lipo isn’t a weight loss surgery, but a body contouring procedure meant for patients that are already very close to achieving their ideal weight.
Many of my clients, prior to their liposuction procedure, are concerned about whether or not the fat will return and ruin their new bodies. The answer to this isn’t a simple yes or no, but a yes AND no answer.
The truth is that the fat does have a tendency to come back. A new study recently reports that after liposuction, fat usually returns within a year. It doesn’t, however, return to any liposuctioned part, instead finding other parts of the body to settle in. This means any part of the body that has been liposuctioned will retain its post-op shape. I have seen this for myself in my Indianapolis liposuction patients.
Obesity researchers aren’t surprised by this new report whatsoever. In fact, this study on liposuction patients simply backs up what has already been found in animal data when fat was surgically removed. The goal is no longer to find out if fat returns, but why the fat returns in the first place. Currently the most popular hypothesis is that the body, maybe even the brain, is so used to having the fat that its removal causes the body to regulate itself.  This could explain why weight tends to come back even after a diet.
So does this mean that lipo is futile? Of course not! As previously stated, lipo is more of a body sculpting procedure than a weight loss one. Those recommended for lipo should already be close to the weight they want to be; within 25 lbs is best. In this case a ton of fat isn’t even being taken out, meaning there is less fat to worry about returning. It’s also always smart to get into healthy eating habits and exercising regularly to ward off any pounds being put back on. But whether or not any fat returns, your beautiful shape will still remain as well as your satisfaction.
Will you still consider getting liposuction even though fat does return to other parts of the body?
To your health and beauty,
Gregory Chernoff, MD

Taxpayer Monies Paid For Elective Surgery in Europe

The European Parliament

A leaked copy of The Practical Guide to the Reimbursement of Medical Expenses revealed that almost £3 million of taxpayer monies will be spent in 2011 by members of the European Parliament (called MEPs). That wouldn’t be shocking if it didn’t include spa visits and cosmetic surgery. During these times of fiscal austerity in Europe, it’s not surprising that this report raised alarms among the taxpayers and media.
The European Parliament’s 736 members, as well as their families, have been reimbursed for cosmetic surgery, anti-aging products & treatments, massages and private spa visits, sometimes at rates of 100% of expenses for these non-essentials.  Husbands and sons of MEPs also received treatment for impotence, although it’s claimed that Viagra is only approved if the condition is a result of illness. During these times of fiscal austerity in Europe, it’s not surprising that this report raised alarms among the taxpayers and media.
There was a time in America that military servicemen and women received free cosmetic surgery such as nose jobs, breast enhancements and face lifts. The logic for that practice was that military plastic surgeons were able to better develop their skills in reconstruction when they were allowed to do cosmetic procedures. In other words, it’s easier to work on the injured if you have additional practice working on the healthy. This ended when a CNN story blasted the practice. Now service personnel can get cosmetic surgery at their military hospitals only by paying a fee.
To my blog readers: Do you think people in the military should get free cosmetic surgery? If so, why or why not? Share your views!
To your health & beauty,
Dr. Gregory Chernoff