With the move to more natural foods and lifestyles, many people are seeking to attain the results of traditional cosmetic augmentation without the use of implants or facial fillers. The growing popularity of autologous fat grafting, which transplants fat from one part of a patient’s body to another, has meant that more cosmetic surgery patients are able to achieve their desired all-natural beauty.

But there are benefits to this procedure that extend far beyond the augmentation of breasts or lips; a company in Dallas, Texas called BioLife Cell Bank has established a bank into which patients can deposit fat extracted in the course of liposuction. The fat can be stored for future cosmetic use and may someday have significant implications for medical and genetic research.

Fat extracted from a patient’s body has a variety of applications:

• filling wrinkles on the face
• correcting sagging earlobes
• breast augmentation
• buttocks lift
• lip augmentation
• filling scars and depressions

When used for filling out the face, scars, and depressions, transplanted fat can last longer than facial fillers, which often (depending on the type) need to be applied every six months to 1 year.

With this new fat bank, patients can have their fat retained for future use, instead of having it extracted repeatedly for different procedures over time. In the video above, Tina LeBoeuf, a breast reconstruction patient and mother of 3, is having fat taken from her lower body. Her surgeon will be using some of it to reconstruct her breast, and the rest will be mailed to BioLife Cell Bank, ready to be withdrawn at any time. Future procedures would require office injections rather than a stint in the O.R.

The stored fat may also have important applications in the future, since stored fat contains a high concentration of stem cells, which have been shown to have a number of medical applications.

Nonsurgical procedures such as laser hair removal and chemical peels were the most popular cosmetic procedures among teens in 2010, while the most common surgery was otoplasty, which corrects the appearance of protruding ears.

Otoplasty is the most popular cosmetic procedure among children under 18, mostly around the ages of 5 or 6. Recovery from otoplasty is usually fairly quick and the procedure can prevent teasing. Rhinoplasty, or nose reshaping, is also popular during the mid-teen years, and can correct functional problems with the nose at the same time that it improves the appearance.

Other procedures involve reducing breasts, in boys and girls, or correcting breast asymmetry in girls. Liposuction is rare among teenagers, as cosmetic surgeons will often have serious reservations about performing it unless there are clear and unequivocal reasons in favor of it.

The statistics reveal a stunning 38 percent drop in the number of surgical procedures over the last two years, from 203,308 procedures in 2009 to 125,397 in 2010. Both figures are much lower than the 298,704 procedures reported in 2001, and seem to contradict a general impression that teenage cosmetic surgery has been on the rise in the past decade.

How do cosmetic surgeons decide whether a procedure is appropriate for a teenager? They’re always sure to talk with them first. It’s important that the physical feature in question has basically finished growing, since continued growth could distort the effects of the surgery. Cosmetic surgeons also discuss the procedure with the teenager, so that they can:

• dispel myths and misconceptions
• set up reasonable expectations for the surgery
• carefully consider benefits, drawbacks, and risks
• explore postoperative issues and recovery times

These steps are necessary to ensure that a teenager fully understands the nature of the procedure and will emotionally benefit from the experience.

However, cigarette smoking has been proven to increase the risk of complications across a wide variety of surgical procedures, from lifesaving surgeries to cosmetic procedures like facelifts. “Compared with nonsmokers, smokers who undergo surgery have longer hospital stays, higher risk of readmission, are more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, and have an increased risk of in-hospital mortality,” write the British researchers who authored the study.

Surgeons know that surgery is riskier for smokers, but nobody is certain how long it takes for cessation of smoking to translate into postoperative benefits. This latest study challenges the old assumptions that one could quit smoking several weeks before surgery and thereby reduce the associated risks.

The study authors call for further research on the effects of only a few days’ abstinence from smoking, since their analysis did not account for the symptoms of short-term tobacco withdrawal over that short a time.

The first guest, Erica Moseley, who was an A-cup and had always dreamed of larger breasts says, “I would be in my room praying ‘Please let me wake up and have boobs’ and it just didn’t happen, so one day I just woke up and said ‘It’s happening, I’m getting it done.” Strutting her stuff with an invigorated smile and just 12 days after breast augmentation, she is “more than happy” with the results.

Jeanne LeBlanc, 4’9” with a triple-D wanted her smaller frame to be more proportioned and opted for a breast reduction. Her surgeon Dr. Steven Teitelbaum reports that, “She has neck, back, shoulder pain, rashes under her breasts. The bra strap hurts her and her bra strap even creates a groove on her shoulder. So she just has about every kind of symptom and reason to have a breast reduction” On the show after the surgery Jeanne comments “I saw my stomach – I saw my stomach for the first time in the shower.”

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Dr. Teitelbaum, also a guest on the TODAY show, talks about some of the improvements in technology over the last 20 years and how health insurance can help in some cases with the cost of breast reduction surgery. It is safe to say from this video that the size of the breast is not the important factor, but the comfort and confidence of the patient.

The authors hypothesized that a diet rich in fruits and veggies would produce an anti-inflammatory response in the participants. In this case, they decided to examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and levels of C-reactive protein, a common marker of inflammation and infection.

The participants were interviewed the first day after elective cosmetic surgery. They started the experimental diet on the third day and doctors followed their progress for one more month. They explain the post-operative diet as follows:

“Six servings each of fruits and vegetables, reflecting a diet rich in such foodstuffs, were advised. Seven easy and convenient recipes were developed by the team with the objective of improving palatability and intake.”

Results of the study showed that both the control group and the dieting group experienced a reduction in C-reactive protein, but according to the study authors, “a more expressive decrease could be demonstrated for the high fruit and vegetable participants.”

Although the authors caution against making any hasty conclusions, they do suggest some interesting benefits based on the findings. In particular, they argue that fruits and vegetables are safe, tolerable and inexpensive. They also mention a “synergistic” effectiveness associated with good nutrition.

This study is currently accessible for free through Pubmed.gov

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She says that after pregnancy, she “did everything in her power” to get back in shape, but “you take off your clothes in front of the mirror and it doesn’t look so great.” So she made a decision to do something about it with cosmetic surgery.

“I’m getting a mommy makeover,” she tells the Today show, where she also explains the transformation and shows off her mommy makeover before and after photos.

According to the article, there’s a few reason for this trend. Dr. Steven Margolis, a cosmetic surgeon in New England, said some of his patients turn to liposuction in January after a frustrating year of not losing weight, and another surgeon, Dr. Gregory Antoine, said that women come to him in January to get liposuction so that they look good for summertime.

Timing cosmetic procedures early allows for plenty of recovery time before the summer season for procedures such as breast augmentation and liposuction.

Cosmetic surgeons and spa owners also said that they’ve found men are increasingly giving a cosmetic procedure as a gift for their wives or girlfriends who want to start off the New Year with a fresh body or face.

“It’s the same reason health clubs are busy in January. They get up their resolve and they say this is the year they want to do it, and, of course, they want it done right away,” said Cheryl Clarkson, who owns spa centers in the Boston area.

Dr. Frenzel offers an array of cosmetic surgery procedures for those who want to start the New Year with a new look, as well as non-surgical procedures, including Botox, CO2 laser resurfacing and laser vein treatment.

Several cosmetic surgery specials are currently available at Advanced Cosmetic Surgery; view the specials page for more information.

Facelifts, injectables, and body contouring are three of the procedures where they are predicting growth.

As the economy improves, the demand for facelift surgery will increase, as those who have been putting off the surgery may be more likely to get it in 2011, according to the society.

Already the most popular non-surgical procedure according to ASAPS’s 2009 statistics, injectables (such as Botox, Juvederm and Restylane) will continue to grow in popularity as they evolve and new products become available on the market.

Body contouring procedures will also be on the rise as more obese people may turn to weight loss surgery given the health dangers of obesity. That will lead to an increase in body contouring cosmetic procedures to tighten and remove excess skin after dramatic weight loss.

The society also predicts that more patients will be seeking “posterior body lifts, buttock lifts and surgical and nonsurgical buttock augmentations to shape and augment their buttocks” thanks in part to celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Beyonce who have made it a “must-have accessory.”

The society sees change ahead in fat reduction techniques. While liposuction will remain the standard in surgical fat reduction, new non-surgical techniques will continue to be developed, including freezing, zapping and lasering fat, as possible alternatives to surgery.

Unfortunately, the society also sees consumers looking for bargains on cosmetic procedures. Procedures, such as “discount injectables” bought overseas and cosmetic procedures performed by untrained practitioners will lead to an increase in cosmetic surgery “horror” stories. Always research your cosmetic surgeon to ensure he or she is well-trained in cosmetic surgery.

Read the full list of predictions at surgery.org.

“Implications from this correlation found in our study include possibly improving implant volume predictions preoperatively, leading to improved efficiency, outcomes and reduced reoperation rates,” the authors wrote. They also said that the patients’ BMI could potentially provide an additional data point on which to make operative planning decisions.

The researchers looked at 100 breast augmentation cases in three cities in order to gather demographics of these patients, which they said was lacking from other research. Breast augmentation surgery has been on the increase in the past decade — according to statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there has been a 45% increase in women seeking breast augmentation since 2000.

The study looked at 100 consecutive breast augmentation cases at each location; they were retrospectively reviewed, and data was gathered on height, weight, body mass index (BMI), age, the number of children the patient had and implant volume.

The three geographic group medians were significantly different for weight, BMI and implant volume. BMI was lowest in the Canadian city and highest in Temple, Tex. Temple patients had the smallest average implant size, significantly lower than the other two cities.

The study also looked at the data for all 300 patients as one group. On average, the breast augmentation patients studied were 34 years old, 5’ 4” tall and 128 pounds.

Dr Frenzel specializes in breast augmentation surgery, offering the traditional surgery, TUBA breast augmentation, and breast augmentation revision surgery.

Macrolane is made by Q-Med, the makers of Restylane, and is a gel that adds volume to tissues and can be used for restoring and enhancing body contours or for filling concave deformities and scars. It provides results without open surgery and the scarring at the injection site is minor and is likely to become less noticeable with time, according to Q-Med.

Macrolane is used in Europe but is not yet approved for use in the U.S., and it has been “well established for use in aesthetic facial procedures” according to the study, which was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal. A new formulation of the gel may make it suitable for breast enhancement as well.

The study was done in Sweden with twenty women who received injections of the gel under local anesthesia. The study found high subject improvement rates, 83 percent,  for breast appearance six months post-treatment. At 12 months after treatment, 69 percent of breasts were still considered improved. The decline in satisfaction after a year is not surprising because the results with the gel are not permanent. Those looking for permanent enhancement may be better off considering traditional surgical enhancement with breast implants.

The highest levels of satisfaction were observed in relation to the shape and general appearance of the breast, although comparable trends were also noted for size and firmness, according to the study.

The researchers concluded that “NASHA-based gel is a new option for the patient population who desire aesthetic improvement of the breast but who do not want to undergo surgery.” They also wrote that further studies with larger numbers of patients are warranted.