cosmetic surgery

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.

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

Have you ever noticed that people age differently? Some may just have good genes. Some may be “cheating” time and having work done, such as certain procedures my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice perform. But not everyone wants to, or even can, undergo a treatment such as Botox or laser skin resurfacing. Nor is everyone about to undergo a face lift or brow lift just for the sake of beauty. The truth is that where you live could either be preserving your skin or pushing it into early wrinkles and pigment spots.

A recent study has established a strong association between residing near a busy highway, or heavily traffic-filled area, and early skin aging. The study itself was conducted over twenty years and analyzed two groups of people from Germany: one group residing in heavily industrialized areas, and one  group living in sparsely populated rural areas. Due to the research, airborne particles from car exhaust are now ranked third place as the most potentially modifiable factor to cause early skin aging. It falls right beneath ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke. Unfortunately, not everyone can relocate to a new home, while managing your exposure to the sun and smoke is a much easier task.

This is not the first offense car exhaust is guilty of when it comes to our health. In fact, its threat is more than skin deep. High exposure to traffic-related airborne particles has been known to impair cognitive function in the elderly and inhibit lung function. As of right now scientists have ongoing studies trying to determine whether this exposure has a hand in causing Alzheimer’s disease too.

We may not always be able to choose where can to reside, but if you must live in an area with high traffic you may want to consider taking extra care of your skin. My Indianapolis plastic surgery practice is also more that capable and more than happy to help as well.

To your health and beauty,

Dr. Gregory Chernoff