Plastic surgery in general has potentially serious risks associated, despite it seeming quick and easy on television. To consider doing plastic surgery in a foreign country, typically to save some money, increases those risks significantly. It is shocking to see that people will risk their health and beauty to seemingly save a few dollars. Consider less invasive and safer treatment options where possible, and do your treatments in North America by licensed and board certified physicians only.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have shut down a medical clinic where at least three U.S. women had plastic surgeries and died following the procedures over the past few weeks, according to local reports.
The latest person to die was Alexandra Medina, a 33-year-old resident of New Rochelle, N.Y., who traveled to the Dr. Ureña Arias clinic in Santo Domingo last week to have a tummy tuck, also known as an abdominoplasty, a cosmetic procedure to remove excess fat and skin.
She was scheduled to have surgery with Dr. Felix Amanzar on the Fourth of July, though it was not clear he was the one who performed the procedure. Medina died of complications from the surgery and her preliminary cause of death has been ruled an embolism, according to Noticias SIN.
An official autopsy is underway and her body is still in the Dominican Republic.
The best way to prevent chickenpox is to get the vaccine. However, if your child still gets chickenpox, follow these tips from dermatologists to help relieve his or her symptoms and prevent skin infections.
If you don’t like relying on medication to alleviate headaches and migraines, this could be a better alternative for you—and it has anti-aging benefits.
There are a few things I blame for the tension headache I get between my eyebrows. The first: staring at my work computer. The second: squinting under the fluorescent lights at my work computer. And the third: the facial expressions I make reading stuff, under the fluorescent lights, on my work computer. The ache is unavoidable. The only solution would be to stop tensing the muscles that cause the ache. But how?
“Botox reduces tension by preventing muscles from contracting or being in a persistent tense state,” says Dr. Benjamin Barankin, a Toronto-based dermatologist and Founder & Medical Director of Toronto Dermatology Centre. Unlike medications and other remedies that address symptoms, Botox is used as a preventative treatment. It inhibits the muscle that can cause a tension headache from being used and therefore prevents the ache from transpiring.
Using Botox for health purposes isn’t anything new—Health Canada approved the use of the injection to treat migraines back in 2011. But now that Botox is more understood and common for both cosmetic and medical reasons (there’s been a 5.1 percent increase in procedures since 2017, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), it’s more accepted as a treatment option. In fact, Botox is used worldwide to treat millions of people with a myriad of health conditions, says Dr. Barankin.
I asked Dr. Barankin just about every neurotic concern you may have about getting Botox for tension headaches and migraines.
How exactly could Botox prevent tension headaches? Does it freeze a certain muscle so it’s not used?
“Botox effectively relieves tension wherever it is injected,” says Dr. Barankin. “It stops or greatly reduces the signaling that occurs between nerves and muscles.” Botox also alters Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) levels, he says, and CGRP is responsible for the pain of a migraine. (Is facial acupuncture a better option than Botox for you? Find out.)
How does the procedure for getting Botox for a health issue differ from getting it for anti-aging purposes?
They differ in a couple of ways. One, the dosing is higher for treating a health concern than it is for a cosmetic benefit, says Dr. Barankin. And two, many health plans will cover some or all of the cost of Botox for health purposes.
The procedures are similar in that some of the injection points are the same, says Dr. Barankin. So, you can end up getting a double benefit (read: pain relief and anti-aging results).
Where is it typically injected when treating tension headaches and migraines?
It depends on where the patient experiences headaches and where they experience pain, says Dr. Barankin. Typically, these spots are in the forehead, area around the eyes, temples and the back of the neck.
Is it possible for Botox to lose effectiveness after a certain number of treatments?
A small percentage of people find that Botox loses its effectiveness over time, which means their dosage may have to be increased, says Dr. Barankin. However, there are other products on the market now that can have similar effects to Botox and more are coming soon (including a topical one). So there are many alternative options to explore, he says.
Since Botox freezes muscles in the forehead, is it possible to overuse other muscles which could lead to wrinkles in other areas (like “bunny nose” wrinkles or wrinkles around the mouth)?
I read on Vogue that Botox could thin the skin and make you look older—is this true?
“It can if used regularly for years in the temples for headache purposes,” says Dr. Barankin. “It can make the area appear a bit more hollow, which is a sign of aging.” If that happens, he says, it can be easily corrected with a touch of filler.
With summer in full swing, when you hit the beach or the pool, or even just go for a walk, sun protection is vital. Not only does it prevent sunburns and premature aging, dermatologists will tell you it also combats skin cancer, which kills nearly 20 people in the U.S. each day.
But sunscreens come in many brands, SPFs and formulas — all of which can be confusing. On top of that, a recent study from the U.S. Federal Drug Administration showed that some common sunscreen ingredients are absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream, the consequences of which are unknown.
Should we be wary of sunscreens? Experts say the answer may depend on your sunscreen’s ingredients, but regardless, the benefits of using sun protection far outweigh the risks. The American Academy of Dermatology, the American Cancer Society and the FDA all continue to recommend regular sunscreen application.
“Everyone recommends the use of sunscreen,” said Theresa Michele, the director of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products and one of the authors of the recent study. “There’s good reason to be making sure people don’t burn out there.”
The PBS NewsHour dove into what you should look for in sunscreens, why you should wear them and why researchers and the FDA still think they’re safe.
It only takes one blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence to nearly double a person’s chance of developing melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – later in life. To protect your baby from the sun, follow these tips from board-certified dermatologists.
With a little practice, bathing your baby is easy and provides a wonderful opportunity to bond with your little one. To make sure your baby stays safe, clean and healthy during bath time, follow these tips from board-certified dermatologists.
At the first sign of hair loss—or even before that, if you’re proactive—you should visit your board-certified dermatologist to discuss the latest and most effective retention and prevention tactics. (Assuming you want to keep your hair, that is.)
There are numerous options available to men now, and they each have extremely high success rates. We tapped our network of experts to get their opinions on the most common methods. Before we get into them, here’s what some of those board-certified dermatologists have to say about the road ahead.
1. Start Early
“We know the best chance to regrow, retain, and fortify hair is with early intervention,” says Robert Finney, M.D. of Heights Dermatology and Laser. “If you start to notice thinning, that’s when you should begin treatment. Don’t be in denial.”
The longer you wait, the less effective results are: “Men who begin to notice a bit of early thinning with hair loss starting at the vertex of their scalp, but who aren’t completely bald, have the best chance to slow down loss, halt loss altogether (by maintaining their hair density), and even regrow some or all of their hair,” says Laura Haygood, M.D., of Adagio Dermatology & Aesthetics. “This means the earlier you start, the better the results, in general.”
2. Recession Is an Exception
“A receding frontal hairline rarely responds to treatment,” warns Haygood. “Men may focus on regrowing hair along the entirety of the frontal, crown, and vertex of the scalp.” The vertex is that transition point between the crown and midscalp.
3. Be Patient
“Whichever hair treatment you choose, it’s important not to give up on the treatment too quickly and stick with it for at least 3-6 months,” says Lindsey Yeh, M.D. It takes time for hair to grow and actually see changes.
You’re playing a long game (forever, even): “Once you notice improvement, you must maintain the treatment regimen to retain these results,” Haygood adds. “So, if and when you decide to stop treatment, the hair simply gradually reverts to the density it would have otherwise been at that point in your life.”
The 5 Best Methods to Regrow Hair
1. The Pill
One of the most common means of regrowing hair is a 1mg prescription of finasteride. (That’s its generic name. You may know it as Propecia.) It inhibits the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which gradually suffocates and shrinks hair follicles, causing hair to thin and fall away before the follicle dries up. “Oral finasteride is a great treatment for male-pattern baldness,” says Anne Marie McNeill, Ph.D M.D. of Newport Beach Dermatology Opens a New Window. . “It’s simple, safe, and one study just showed it reduces your chance of prostate cancer, aside from helping to grow hair.” As we mentioned, start when you’re just starting to thin, and it’ll help you keep the hair you have.
