The Mind Body Connection Part II: Identity
December 18, 2013 - Rhys Branman, MD
Our faces are our foremost identifiers. Pictures on your passport, driver's license, and photographs focus on the face. From a social point of view, you are represented by your face. Because your facial expressions reflect your life experience, some have called the face the "personification of one's soul." Patients seeking procedures such as rhinoplasty, a facelift or other cosmetic facial surgery do well to consider how it may affect your sense of self. Rhinoplasty in particular has been found to affect identity the most. This is why we cosmetic surgeons are always reiterating that a patient should have realistic expectations.... 
Cosmetic surgeons often talk about patients having realistic expectations. Aspects of realistic expectations include not only what can physically be achieved, but also how the results of cosmetic surgery will affect your life. By now many of you are familiar with the concept of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This is a psychological disorder that impairs an individual's self image. Much like other mental health disorders that primarily influence the mind/body connection (anorexia nervosa would be another I could mention), BDD distorts a person's perception of the reality of his or her body. People who have mental health issues that distort... 
A new book on the history of drugs includes BOTOX® as one of the important milestone discoveries in pharmaceutical history. In the past decade we have continued to witness the amazing uses for BOTOX®. From treating facial wrinkles to incontinence to profuse perspiration, BOTOX® has shown itself to be a new miracle drug. At Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, BOTOX® is used to smooth the deep, persistent lines between your brows, on the forehead, crow's feet, and around the lips as well as severe underarm sweating. The bacteria BOTOX® is made from was noted in 1987 for treating eye disorders,... 
by guest blogger Circe Santaniello Decisions, decisions! I think it was Shakespeare who wrote, "To drink or not to drink, that is the question." Or something like that. I just hate it when I have to change my beauty regime. Now skin experts warn that drinking from water bottles could cause premature aging. You know, those dynamic wrinkles caused by repetitive motion can turn to static wrinkles over time. We all knew sucking on those cigarettes caused tiny wrinkles above the lips, but water bottles? And you thought you were protecting your skin by staying hydrated and getting off the... 
What is a liquid nose job? You may have heard of this procedure that touts no down time and no surgery made popular by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville. But a liquid nose job is not really a rhinoplasty. This technique that some doctors are performing involves injecting dermal fillers into the nose in order to camouflage a hump or other flaw. For all the hoopla, this is not a permanent fix, and the nose will always look bigger with this technique too. Face it, you can only add with fillers, not subtract. At Little Rock Cosmetic... 
Here's some amazing news! It almost sounds like science fiction. There is a researcher in Akron, Ohio who is trying to develop a breast implant that detects and cures cancer! Recently, Dr. Judit E. Puskas at the University of Akron College of Engineering has decided to make her research public in order to raise money for her ambitious cause. At the very minimum, her research could impact the future of breast augmentation by reducing chances of infection after surgery. This is a threefold idea: 1. To develop a drug-emitting polymer coating for breast implants. As you know now the casing... 
Liposuction is generally a very safe procedure, and one with a relatively easy recovery. However, there are people who are not candidates for liposuction. Safe as it is, liposuction is still surgery. Tumescent liposuction is what we perform at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center, sometimes Vaser Assisted Tumescent liposuction. One of the reasons some people are not candidates for this procedure is the because of the drugs involved. Lidocaine and epinephrine are used during tumescent liposuction. Lidocaine is a local anaesthetic and epinephrine is used not only to prolong the effect of lidocaine, but also to constrict the blood vessels.... 
Verona, Italy is the home of the Renaissance when and where art and science met. Verona is also the home of the literary characters Romeo and Juliet. Known as the city of romance, what other place could set the standard for classical beauty and the science together? If you are looking for that beautiful profile, you might want to know about new research from this city. Much as a brow lift or eyelid lift can enhance a facelift, so too can combining rhinoplasty and chin augmentation. Dario Bertossi, MD of the University of Verona studied just that. Bertossi, the lead... 
It's that time of year when we all start trudging home for the holidays. Whether it be Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas, Hanukah, or any of them! If you're like me, you live far from family and only make the trek once a year at most. OK, I confess! I try to avoid it! Now don't get me wrong, I love my family and I believe they love me, but sometimes these get-togethers seem to be a chaos of innuendo and backhanded compliments! I just know I am going to be barraged with comments about how I have aged, why I should... 
As a cosmetic surgeon, I like to keep informed not only about new surgical techniques and trends, but also how the media is portraying cosmetic surgery. As you may have noticed, I have written about trends that are dangerous to patients too. I have used this blog to inform you of BOTOX® recalls, warn against medical tourism, and state my feeling about cosmetic surgery for children. One of the biggest dangers in the field of cosmetic surgery is back alley illegal procedures. I have warned about these and written about how to research your surgeon as well. I'd like to... 