Q: What are stem cells? A: A stem cell is an undifferentiated cell which has the capacity, in the right circumstances, of forming any other tissue. When we look at your body, we see it is made up of many different tissues such as skin, fat, muscle, bone, and so on. How did we get from a sperm and an egg to all these different tissues? The pluripotent cells formed after the union of the egg and sperm have the ability to differentiate into any of the root tissues of the endoderm, mesoderm, or ectoderm (the inner, middle, and outer layers of the tissues in the body). As these groups of cells develop into the various tissues of the human body, some of the regenerative cells loose the ability to create other types of cells. Stem cells, however, continue to have the capacity to generate other tissues well into adulthood. [Read more...]

You need to look good, because it increases the chances of passing on your genes! Beauty is all about biology after all!

I have had a few separate rather negative incidents over the past few years with younger patients who had no prior experience with Plastic Surgery. I spent far more than the usual time with these patients, explaining the various treatment options carefully. To one, I also explained the risks and benefits of surgical vs nonsurgical treatments, and how the nonsurgical options had some real benefits for her since her appearance would be significantly improved with non-surgical management, and that some things were simply not possible with surgery, but could be done with the non-surgical management. To the other patient, I was trying to explain the details of the surgery, but it became apparent that she simply was not ‘getting it’ and was asking for a treatment that could, in all likelihood, not only result in an unsatisfactory result, but had the real risk of causing serious harm, and that I [Read more...]

The normal female breast develops in utero before birth. While in the early fetal stages, several small bumps develop along the milk line, and all but one of these simply resorb. Usually, everything goes according to plan, and both breasts are programmed to develop normally. Sometimes, however, something does not complete its normal developmental stages, and things go slightly off kilter. Sometimes, more than one of these small bumps remains, and that can cause some issues. One of the most common things I see are extra nipples. These may occur anywhere along a line from the axilla (armpit) to the groin, along what is known as the ‘milk line’. Usually these are shaped just like a normal nipple-areolar complex (what we surgeons call the nipple and the surrounding pigmented skin), only smaller, sometimes miniature. Just as you may see multiple nipples on your pet cat, we are more or less [Read more...]

I think most people are now aware of how sun exposure can cause skin cancers as well as wrinkles. If you are going to go outside, try to do it in the morning. Here’s why… The basic mechanism is that ultraviolet light (aka UV radiation) causes damage to your skin’s DNA. I have already posted previously on the dangers of using tanning salons that promote UV exposure, and that this artificial UV light is a risk factor in melanoma(1) (a very serious type of cancer, sometimes lethal), as well as non-melanoma skin cancers(2). This is especially a problem in young people, who are at greater risk. Your body does have a DNA repair process, that scans for and repairs errors, much like a disc checking program might check your hard disc for errors. The problem is that our bodies do not work at peak efficiency during the entire day: our [Read more...]

Q: Dear Dr.DeLorenzi: I’m thinking about to having a lower eyelid tuck. I am worried about possibility of lower white of eye showing , or my eye shape changing. How often does this happen? If it does happen, can it be fixed? What I want is to get rid of the fat bags under my eyes, and also get rid of the extra skin and wrinkles on my eyes. I am in my mid-50′s, and I also have a deep groove underneath the fat bags. Thank you. A: Hi there: What you are describing is called “scleral show”, and it is a sign of an poor result from eyelid surgery. ‘Scleral show’ occurs when lower eyelids have been treated with traditional lower eyelid surgery, often seen with ‘lateral bowing’. What does that all mean? The traditional (read “old way”) of doing eyelid tucks (blepharoplasty) was to cut away some skin [Read more...]

Who would ever consider getting someone who is completely untrained to inject unknown substance(s) into their bodies? Apparently, quite a number of people! Some of them have even died! Although these illegal injectors have been charged with all sorts of crimes, it does not magically bring their victims back. Some of these victims will have ill effects for life, and suffer the horrible deformities from years of chronic wounds and open draining sores on their bodies. But hey, they got a bargain, right? Here are some examples: Police in Philadelphia arrested Padge Victoria Windslowe on Feb 29-2012. She allegedly administered illegal “butt-enlarging” injections which may have caused the death of a 20 year old British woman (Claudia Aderotimi). In a separate case, Oneal Ron Morris was arrested in Florida for injecting cement, glue, and tire sealant. Wait, there are more… Whalesca Castillo was arrested for injecting liquid silicone into the [Read more...]

Facelift takes 7 years off your face! I summarize a recent article from a peer reviewed journal published on Feb 20, 2012.

I used to use a large number of saline filled breast implants (silicone filled implants are far more common now). These are silicone implant shells, which are filled, at the time of surgery, with ‘normal saline’. Normal saline is a 0.9% salt water solution which is typically used whenever you see an intravenous solution going directly into the blood stream (the hanging bag with the tube going into a vein like you might see in the movies). Some of the older implants will sometimes have a leak develop, usually at the valve structure, and then the implant can empty out, either partially or completely. Patient may notice that one of their implants is getting smaller, sometimes very gradually, and sometimes very suddenly. We know that all implants will eventually break. How long they last will depend on many factors, and sometimes they may fail within just a few years. Most [Read more...]

The breast implants sold in Canada today are among the most studied medical devices in history. In fact, breast implants have undergone more clinical study than most heart valve replacements! Implants are made from a silicone shell, and may be filled with either a silicone gel or saline (a salt water solution, similar in composition to your bodies salt content). Silicone may raise fears, but in practical terms, silicone is one of the safest, most inert substances for medical devices. That is why it is used in most joint replacements and pacemakers as well as hundreds of other medical devices. Furthermore, silicone is used as a lubricant in most syringes, such that you do get a little bit of silicone injected every time you get an injection (a flu shot, for example). Diabetics, who inject themselves with insulin several times per day may inject a significant amount of silicone every [Read more...]