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!

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.

You can have a ‘free’ consultation with my highly experienced, highly trained Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Registered Nurses who can provide you with valuable, unbiased information. These nurses have been trained by me and have many years of experience in the clinic AND in the operating room. They have seen thousands of patients go through the process from the initial consultation, through the surgery and recovery periods, to years and years of followup care, and they know what works. They can offer you some practical woman to woman information, and they can show you photographs of other patients (who have agreed to allow their photos to be shown) but they cannot make a diagnosis for you (that is, after all, my job!!). They are paid a salary, not a commission, so they do NOT have an incentive to book you for something that you don’t want. They are NOT sales people, [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...]