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Aspirin has a new benefit according to a recent NBC news story. According to the story a recent study of more than 1,200 Asian women, those who consumed an aspirin at least a couple of times a week had a reduced risk of developing lung cancer — whether they had ever smoked or not. The discovery, which associates consistently taking aspirin with a risk reduction of 50 percent or more, did not prove that aspirin directly provides protection against lung cancer. There may be other reasons for the connection. The study supports a number of previous studies associating regular aspirin use to reduce risks of certain cancers, including colon, prostate and esophageal cancers. Still, experts believe that it is too early to recommend widespread aspirin use for reducing cancer risk. Even low-dose aspirin carries associated risks, like stomach irritation and ulcers. Avoiding tobacco smoke is still the best way to protect yourself experts warn. Dr. Kim reminds patients that aspirin use prior to cosmetic procedures including noninvasive procedures as well as surgery is not advised. Patients who are scheduled for injectables including Botox and injectable fillers should not take aspirin at least two weeks prior to their injection. Aspirin increases the risk of bleeding and bruising. Patients  who are scheduled for surgery, even shorter surgeries like breast augmentation, and liposuction, are also advised to discontinue aspirin and other medications at least two weeks prior to surgery. Patients who are on a daily aspirin regimen prior to scheduling surgery, may be required to stop at least three or more weeks prior to surgery. Dr. Kim is committed to providing the best possible results in the safest manner possible.

Having a skin disorder that leaves skin itchy and irritated can be an experience that affects a persons lifestyle choices dramatically. According to recent NBC news story the condition dermographic urticarial also called dermographism, meaning writing on the skin, is an exaggerated skin reaction or a type of hive, or urticaria. What happens after a slight scratch is that within minutes, skin feels warm and the area that is scratched gets red, puffy, and raised like a hive. Then, it turns white and later a little pink. Within the next twenty minutes any swelling, itchiness, or markings are gone, and skin appears normal. A New York artist with this condition,  Ariana Page Russell, a 33-year-artist, scratches the letters of a word on her forearm, upper thigh, or stomach, then people can read it because it  looks like she has been writing on her skin.  For Russell, this is skin art. It has had a positive effect on other people who also suffer from the  visible skin disorder. Many of these people tell Page that her decision to put art to her dermographic urticarial helped them to feel better about their condition. While this is an interesting twist on the effects of skin rashes, most people are not willing or able to turn their  dermographic urticarial  into visible art. Patients should be proactive about their skin care including using medical grade skin care treatments for anti-aging , as well as acne treatments.  Provided patients do not have an existing skin disorder that disqualifies them as a candidate, Dr. Kim may recommend facial laser resurfacing which helps reduce acne scarring as well as creates a healthy glow for skin. Injectables including Botox are also effective. Patients of all ages should be concerned with the health of their skin in order to maintain their best appearance for their lifetime.

Moderate consumption of alcohol has once again been linked to a reduction in the risk of stroke for women according to a new study. According to a recent NBC news story drinking alcohol moderately may lower womens risk of stroke, according to the new 26-year study of 84,000 women, those who drank low amounts of alcohol — about half of a glass of wine per day, on average — were 17 percent less likely to have a stroke in comparison with women who drank no alcohol. Women who drank about a glass a day were 21 percent less likely to have a stroke than those who drink no alcohol at all.  Those who drank alcohol in larger amounts showed no reduction in stroke risk, according to the study. The data are in line with current guidelines for women concerning drinking alcohol, which suggest there is a modest decrease in stroke risk for women who drink less than one drink per day, the researchers was a limited study due to the fact that it summarized. The study showed an association, not a cause-and-effect link, and relied on the participants to report their own alcohol consumption.  It is important that women gather information concerning alcohol consumption and their health and are proactive about asking their own personal care physicians the recommendation for their individual health history and overall health. Dr. Kim consults with patients who complain of slight weight gain as a result of a couple of glasses of wine every night with dinner. It is important that patients remember alcohol contains extra calories and as women age it can become increasingly more difficult to maintain a stable weight. Besides reducing the amount of alcohol on a regular basis patients may also want to consider liposuction for small areas of fat that do not appear to respond to diet and exercise. Liposuction is an excellent option for the lower abdomen, outer thighs, and love handles. As a talented artist as well as skilled plastic surgeon Dr. Kim is able to sculpt the body creating incredible results that most patients could not achieve through diet and exercise alone. It is important after body contouring procedures to maintain a disciplined diet and regular exercise in order to enjoy the results for a lifetime.

Regret can often be a powerful emotion. According to a study in a recent Los Angeles Times article it has no place in old-age if you want to be happy. According to the article a new study finds that how we deal with  options that no longer exist  and opportunities  that we consider lost makes a big difference in whether or not we will grow into happy seniors or be the victims of  late-life depression. Reporting their findings in Science magazine, German researchers found when playing games of chance among older subjects , the 20 who had experienced depression later in life were definitely much more likely to respond to regret similar to the way a healthy young person would: Their hearts rate was elevated, their hands would get sweaty, and they would change their playing strategy in the next game. The emotionally healthy older adults, in contrast, were calm cool and collected in the face of regret: Whether they went all in and lost, or held and lost, had no association with how they played the next game. Their palms stayed dry and their hearts did not race. This led scientist to believe older people were happier when they live life without regret. Dr. Kim helps patients understand that regardless of their age when considering plastic surgery it is common for patients to say that they regret having not made the decision sooner. This is most common with patients who have had breast reduction or facelift. Because these procedures are somewhat dramatic and satisfaction is usually immediate, some patients feel a sense of loss that they were unable to enjoy the benefits sooner. Patients wait for different reasons but plastic surgery remains one of the surgeries with the highest rate of patient satisfaction.

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.