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Who knew that when it comes to your skin and your appearance your diet could be one of the best makeovers ever? According to recent LosAngeles Times article  from the March issue of the journal PLoS ONE is a study that finds that eating that a few extra fruits and vegetables — yes, mother  was right — could give you a substantial boost in the attractiveness. Scientists have been well aware for a while that the same pigments that create color were fruits and vegetables —carotenoids — can gather in your skin and add color also. What remained a mystery was the quantity of fruits and vegetables a person needs to eat and for how long in order for others to notice the contrast in coloring? And what, if anything, will people make of the difference? The verdict: on average, a difference of about 2.9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day was enough for the students to discriminate on the basis of healthy appearance, with more servings associated with looking healthier. Similarly, about 3.3 servings a day was enough for them to discriminate on the basis of attractiveness — with more servings associated with better looks. (One weakness of the study is that most of the participants were Caucasians)The bottom line is that more fruits and vegetables will help to maintain a healthy and balanced body which in turn helps in the area of attractiveness. Dr. Kim explains to patients in their initial consultation that plastic surgery should be selected as an enhancement not as a total solution. Eating right will help to prolong (not replace) the recommendation for facial rejuvenation procedures including facelift, blepharoplasty, and brow lift.

Getting the proper amount of sleep is a no brainer is if you want to stay healthy. But, according to a recent ABC  news story few people actually get the proper amount of sleep. According to the news story a new alternative solution may work. According to the news story using a type of biofeedback called brainwave optimization, patients could get a better night’s sleep. ”Its kind of like pushing the reset button in that you get back to a balanced level to start with, said neurologist Dr. Charles Tegeler. Tegeler says stress or trauma can disrupt the brains natural rhythms and balance. The way biofeedback works is sensors attach to the scalp and make a connection to a brain-mapping computer that reads brain waves. The brain waves are then translated into frequencies and analyzed. Dominant frequencies are then assigned a musical tone and that is piped into the patient through ear phones. As the brain listens to the musical tones, changes can occur in the brain, actually helping you get to sleep. This causes everything to relax and getting to sleep is much easier. Dr Kim consults with patients who admit that lack of sleep has taken a toll on their appearance.  Many complain of bags beneath the eyes and wrinkles on their forehead from raising their brow to look more awake. Dr Kim may recommend Botox injections (for the forehead and crowsfeet) , a brow lift and blepharoplasty for the bags beneath the eyes. While these recommendations will yield incredible results, patients must engage in the proper amount of sleep for the best long term results.

The media was abuzz today because an arrest was made for tanning. Upon further investigation, we learn that the arrest was made because a mother allegedly allowed her five-year-old daughter to use the tanning bed. According to the KTLA news story a New Jersey mother is accused of causing the girl to suffer burns. Patricia Krentcil, 44, has been formally charged wit second-degree child endangerment. The nurse at her daughter Annas school saw that the girl had what looked like a rash, according to a report on Good Morning America. Anna conveyed to the nurse that it was  from going tanning  with her mother, and the school called child services. Essex County prosecutors say that it is their belief Krentcil let her daughter accompany her into the tanning booth without the salons knowledge or approval.
They chose not to name the salon involved, saying the reason is because it is an ongoing investigation. Krentcil denies any doing anything wrong, saying she has taken her daughter to the tanning salon with her, but that she has never taken her into the tanning booth. Instead, Krentcil is adamant that Anna suffered a sunburn from outdoor sun while gardening. This case is a bit bizarre and after looking at the mother, its obvious she has a love of the tanning bed. The tanning bed can cause severe damage to the skin. Dr. Kim warns  patients of the dangers associated with tanning beds and excessive sun exposure. Premature aging is inevitable for patients who insist upon using tanning beds. Contrary to what some may believe surgical enhancements like facelift, brow lift, or blepharoplasty will not erase the lines and wrinkles and skin damage that happens over time with tanning bed exposure or excessive exposure to the outdoor sun.

Most of us have heard of the health benefits associated with red wine. According to recent ABC news story a new study purposed to discover if people actually live longer if they drank red wine. According to the news story researchers at the Harvard Medical School orchestrated a study on mice in which they reviewed the components of a beneficial ingredient found in red wine called resveratrol. The researchers provided the mice a high fat diet and gave half of the mice a large daily dose of resveratrol. Both groups of mice gained weight but the mice who received resveratrol had healthier glucose and insulin levels in their bloodstream. Even more impressive, the mice who were given resveratrol lived substantially longer than the mice who were only given high fat diets. Before wine aficionados claim a victory, they should know that the researchers believe it would be virtually impossible to replicate similar effects in humans.  It would take 750-1,500 bottles of wine for a  person weighing around 150 pounds to get the same dose of resveratrol given to the mice. There is no doubt about it that people are living longer and therefore it is not uncommon for older patients to seek plastic surgery. Provided patients are good about diet and exercise, and are healthy, age alone is not a factor to prevent them from having plastic surgery. Older patients now consider breast augmentation, breastreduction, and breast lifts which previously procedures were predominately sought after by women in their late 20s to late 30s. Patients who anticipate a long healthy life tend to make better choices concerning their health and their appearance.

In our culture lack of enough sleep has become somewhat of a source of bragging. According to a recent news story a recent study proved that adequate sleep is necessary to maintain good health long-term. According to the article up to 70 million Americans are believed to suffer from chronic issues with sleep, from insomnia to sleep apnea. Disrupted sleep has been associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression, memory impairment and a weakened immune system. The World Health Organization has categorized night shift work as a probable trigger, because too much light at night may hamper a hormone involved both with sleep and suppressing tumor cells. Appearance can also be affected by lack of sleep. The more obvious signs include bags beneath the eyes and less than glowing skin. Dr. Kim consults with patients who are concerned about facial rejuvenation yet had not considered the effects of lack of sleep have had on contributing to some of premature aging. For loose and lax skin on the eyelids and bags beneath the eyes Dr. Kim may recommend it blepharoplasty. For the upper lids it will help the eyes to appear more alert and awake. For the bags beneath the eyes Dr. Kim may recommend tightening the skin and repositioning the fat that sometimes shifts as patient’s age. This causes a hollowed out appearance beneath the eyes. For some patients Dr. Kim may combine a brow lift for the best aesthetic appearance. In order to maintain the results long-term patients must adjust their sleeping patterns and allow for adequate sleep on a daily basis.

A new ABC news story seems to infer that housework is the new exercise. According to the news story fitness expert Christine Lusita of Zen Pen Fitness puts a new twist on something most of us abhor: cleaning the house. Its a great opportunity to do functional movements that we do in our everyday life, and we can apply it towards exercise as well, said Lusita. Strategically using your entire body to rub and scrub things to spic and span also increases your metabolism. We can burn tons of calories. For an hour of softball, I burned 96 calories, yet, I spent an hour of window cleaning, and I burned 144 calories. So its definitely not a waste to clean, said Lusita.  According to the news story, if you scrub, sweep and mop your own floor, you could burn up to 450 calories. Calories burned depends on how much you weigh and, of course, the amount of effort and energy used. These numbers are based on someone cleaning for 30 min., weighing in at 130 pounds. Mopping alone burns about 146 calories, and its an effective way to tone muscles also. Sweep away 167 calories or vacuum for about 140.  Any way that we can get exercise and burn calories is welcomed as most of us struggle to maintain a healthy weight. One important point patients who are considering cosmetic surgery procedures like breast augmentation and abdominoplastysometimes don’t know, is how vigorous housework can be. Dr. Kim explains to patients who schedule cosmetic surgery procedures that recovery can be delayed if patients exert too much energy exercising too soon, or engage in heavy duty housework before Dr. Kim has released them to do so.

Many women suffer from depression temporarily after giving birth. According to recent ABC news story the first clinic of its kind is opening specifically to treat serious postpartum depression. According to the news story the nations first stand-alone perinatal psychiatry center at University of North Carolina Hospital, specially trained nurses, therapists and lactation consultants offer a range of intensive sessions to assist moms with coping and relaxation. The main purpose is for each mother and child to bond during treatment just as they would at home. To assist the mother, and help the mom interact with the baby, they also want to help the mother obtain the confidence that she can handle the stress, and anxiety using coping skills in this new role, reported Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody from the University of North Carolina. According to a study of 869 women admitted to inpatient postpartum units in France between 2001 and 2007, two-thirds had marked improvement at the time of their discharge. Postpartum depression can be serious and medical treatment is advised. Depression is not always the issue. Some women consult with Dr. Kim after childbirth because they are dissatisfied with the changes in their body contour following childbirth. Most complain of a sagging component to the breast as well as loss of volume. Many are also discouraged about the loose and lax skin on the abdomen. Typically Dr. Kim will recommend an abdominoplasty combined with a breast augmentation with breast implants. In most cases these procedures can be performed together. It is important that patients secure proper aftercare within the home so that they are able to have the best stress free recovery possible.

It seems strange but for petite women determining the right amount of food to eat and calculating the best diet can be difficult. According to a recent news story a new diet called The Petite Advantage Diet by author Jim Karas has some dining tips for petite women including eating 40 fewer calories a day than taller women. It probably does not sound like much but it adds as much as 4 pounds a year.  Forest Park Medical Center registered dietitian Katie Pearson said the logic is basically based on numbers and simple math –the smaller the person the less fuel required. Shorter people, yes, they probably have to work a little bit harder than taller people because it can kind of catch up with them quicker than taller people,” Pearson said. “There is less space to put it. The petite diet also calls for women to eat in the beginning of the day with breakfast comprising 40% of the day’s calories. Petite patients who are considering breast augmentation and body contouring procedures like liposuction should also be conscious of their height and proportional weight. Dr. Kim helps patients decide about breast implant sizes taking into consideration their height and body frame. Smaller women with smaller rib cages can be overpowered rather easily if the breast implants are too large. For liposuction, especially liposuction of the outer thighs or abdomen petite patients should always consider their overall body contour and liposuction should complement the contour not detract from it. Dr. Kim uses surgical expertise as well as his innate artistic talent to achieve the best results for his patients.

Resting is not a luxury it is a necessity. According to recent NBC Today news story last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proclaimed lack of sleep as a public health epidemic. And an American Psychological Association survey showed a significant gap between the level of stress people stated that they experience and what they believed was a healthy level. But another survey discovered that when women are tired, 80 percent are at minimum somewhat likely to push right on through. We live in a culture in which people accept lagging energy as a fact of life, confirms integrative medicine specialist Frank Lipman, M.D., author of Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again.Its a mindset that starts early. Were now primed to be fatigued from the get-go, says anesthesiologist Bradley Carpentier, M.D., who has studied causes of exhaustion. We not only feel the effects of exhaustion they also show in our appearance. For women, reenergizing can be a critical strategy for maintaining both mental and physical health. Many patients seek consultation with Dr. Kim because they have decided to re-energize their overall appearance. For some patients, that means pursuing a more proportionate figure with breast augmentation, liposuction, or abdominoplasty. For other patients this could mean addressing areas of the face that have begun to show the signs of aging. Dr. Kim may recommend noninvasive cosmetic procedures like Botox or surgical procedures including facelift, brow lift, and blepharoplasty. Reducing stress and caring for our health including our appearance is one of the best ways to ensure a fulfilling and satisfied life.

As the nation prepares to celebrate Mothers Day on Sunday many mothers wait in anticipation for gifts from those who would help her celebrate the special day. Few would argue that most mothers have paid a tremendous price doing what it takes to be the best mother they can. This year Dr. Kim has a number of patients who are being celebrated with the gift of a mommy makeover. This procedure is typically a breastaugmentation combined with an abdominoplasty or tummy tuck. Because every patient is different, there are many variations included in a mommy makeover. For some patients the breast augmentation may include a breast lift and a small implant. For other patients a breast reduction is a better option because of the amount of existing breast tissue. For better contour of the waist Dr. Kim will typically recommend an abdominoplasty when there is an extreme amount of loose and lax skin. For some patients, liposuction may be a better option if skin is tight. These procedures are performed together and for most patients the recovery is only 7 to 10 days. Of course, this will vary based on the extent of surgery being performed. For most patients the result Dr. Kim is able to achieve is not only better than they had prior to pregnancy, but in many cases better than they could have achieved through diet and exercise alone. A mommy makeover is the perfect gift for moms who want to maintain their most youthful and beautiful appearance.