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 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...]

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.

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...]

Please note that I have NEVER used PIP brand implants on my patients, ever!

Juvista® (Avotermin) Scars after surgery or trauma can cause a significant degree of psychosocial distress for people. For centuries, surgeons have been searching for methods of reducing scars and optimizing healing, to reduce these effects. To date, we know that several technique related factors as well as post surgical factors can effect the quality of the final scar. A new drug called Avotermin (trade name Juvista®) is based on the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family of cytokines. These growth factors play a critical role in the final appearance of scars, and this represents one of the first drugs based on growth factors that may make a real difference in scars. Renovo is a biopharmaceutical product company involved in in the discovery and development of drugs to reduce scarring. I have no relationship with the company whatsoever (I have nothing to disclose). The July edition of the Plastic Surgery Journal (the [Read more...]

Some susceptible patients will have recurrent issues with hyperpigmentation, and often the problem will be ongoing for many years unless treated. Surgical scars can become hyperpigmented (darker in colour) and stabilize so that the colour never returns to ‘normal’ unless actively treated. For example, see Figures 1, 2, and 3, showing stable darkened skin along the breast augmentation scar at 2 years and four years after surgery. Clearly, unless the pigment is treated, this problem is not likely to go away on its own. Figure 1: Pre Op-Patient of mixed genetic heritage, Type III skin. Figure 2 Four years Post Op Breast Augmentation Figure 3 Scar hyperpigmentation four years after surgery. (Before Starting Treatment) What is PIH? PIH refers to the increased pigment (darkening) of the area around an scratch, cut, burn or other injury to the skin. Melanocytes are the skin cells responsible for making melanin, the substance that [Read more...]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an advisory on January 26, 2011 regarding a small number of cases of a very rare type of lymphoma (anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALCL) reported in women with breast implants. The data is poorly documented, and critical information is simply not available. Despite the risk of unnecessarily frightening people, I have decided it is prudent to tell you everything we know as soon as we know it because it is the right thing to do. I have prepared the following summary and I have also included links to the primary sources of data on the FDA website. Also, we are making extra office hours available for any of my patients who are worried about this and want to be checked by my team. Over the past several years, there have been a very small number of case reports of ALCL in women [Read more...]