If you live in USA and you are considering having a plastic surgery, you might want to compare the cost and services in other countries. Plastic surgery procedures in USA are not cheap; usually prices in South America countries, like Argentina, are about 50% to 70% lower. You may wonder how it is possible that the prices are so low. This is due to two main factors:
1. The cost of living in Argentina is very low compared to United State. Medicine is no exception, lower surgeons’ charges and lower operating room maintenance fees make plastic surgery procedures in Argentina cheaper than in USA.
2. This, together with a favorable exchange rate used in Argentina (US$ 1 = ARS 3,8) offers you the opportunity to obtain top quality treatments and affordable prices.
Less expensive treatments, doesn’t mean a lower standard of care, Argentinean surgeons are considered amongst the best in the world.
Prices listed below are average for cosmetic procedures as reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) on April 27, 2010. Prices in US dollars.
FDA Approves First Sclerosant to Treat Small Varicose Veins in 60 Years
Washington – Merz Aesthetics makes its debut at the prestigious American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) annual meeting with the announcement of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of Asclera™ (polidocanol) Injection, a sclerotherapy treatment for uncompplicated spider and reticular veins.
“Spider and reticular veins are a common, often embarrassing condition that can be treated safely and effectively,” said Robert A. Weiss, M.D., director of the Maryland Laser, Skin, and Vein Institute and Associate Professor of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. “Asclera™ is a minimally-invasive option for patients who are unhappy with the appearance of their legs.”
The FDA approved Asclera™ (polidocanol) Injection on March 30, 2010 to sclerose uncomplicated spider veins (varicose veins less than or equal to 1 mm in diameter) and uncomplicated reticular veins (varicose veins 1 to 3 mm in diameter) in the lower extremity, making it the first sclerosant to be approved in over 60 years. Once injected, Asclera™ acts by damaging the cell lining of blood vessels, causing them to close and eventually be replaced by other types of tissue. Asclera™ is safe and effective when used as directed. Commonly observed local adverse events included injection site hematoma, irritation, and discoloration. Asclera™ has not been studied in varicose veins more than 3 mm in diameter.
“We are very excited about the approval of this treatment, expanding our aesthetics portfolio with products that really matter to patients,” said Dennis Condon, President of BioForm Medical, Inc., a Merz Aesthetics company. “Merz Aesthetics is committed to bringing forward true innovation to solve real problems that impact the lives of aesthetics users, and this takes us in the right direction.”
During the meeting, the company will also unveil the first phase of a unique national consumer survey of women’s experiences and perceptions of minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures. The results shed some light on the underlying motivations behind these women’s cosmetic procedure choices.
Obese women who have bariatric surgery before getting pregnant are at significantly lower risk for developing dangerous hypertensive disorders during pregnancy than those who don’t, according to a study of medical insurance records by Johns Hopkins experts.
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy — which include gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia — complicate an estimated 7 percent of pregnancies in the United States. Researchers say they are much more common in obese women, who make up a third of women of childbearing age.
“We have long known that women who have these blood pressure disorders are not only at an increased risk for pregnancy complications in themselves and their babies, but also for chronic diseases in the future,” says Wendy L. Bennett, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a study leader. “Can we prevent the development of these disorders in pregnancy with bariatric surgery? These findings suggest the answer may be ‘yes.’”
Results of the research are published online in the British Medical Journal.
Medicina Reproductiva: Síndrome de Ovarios Poliquísticos
El síndrome de ovarios poliquísticos (PCOS) es un desorden reproductivo muy común. Las mujeres con PCOS tienen con frecuencia ciclos menstruales irregulares, vello corporal excesivo, sobrepeso, y sufren de infertilidad o subfertilidad.
Muchas mujeres con PCOS tienen una disminución en la sensibilidad a la insulina por la cual su organismo compensa con la sobreproducción de insulina. Los altos niveles de insulina resultantes pueden contribuir a un exceso en la producción de andrógenos (hormonas masculinas, tales como la testosterona) y contribuyen a desórdenes ovulatorios. Además de problemas reproductivos, las mujeres con PCOS tienen posibilidades más altas de desarrollar problemas médicos tales como diabetes de tipo 2 (no insulino-dependiente), hipertensión arterial y enfermedades cardíacas. A la edad de 40 años, hasta 40% de las pacientes PCOS desarrollan deterioro de la tolerancia a la glucosa o diabetes clínica.
Dada la sólida evidencia de que el exceso de insulina juega un papel en el desarrollo de PCOS, es razonable asumir que la reducción de los niveles circulantes de insulina pueden ayudar a establecer la función reproductiva normal. Esto puede ser logrado mediante la pérdida de peso, mejoramiento nutricional y ejercicio físico. Estos cambios deben ser las primeras líneas de tratamiento para una mujer con PCOS y sobrepeso.
Agentes sensibilizantes a la insulina
En forma reciente, nuevas drogas aprobadas por la FDA para el tratamiento de la diabetes tipo 2 se han mostrado un bene?cio para las pacientes con PCOS. Estas drogas, conocidas como agentes sensibilizantes a la insulina, han mostrado poder mejorar la respuesta a la insulina, reduciendo de esta forma la necesidad de producirla y restaurando sus niveles a la normalidad. El agente sensibilizador a la insulina mejor estudiado disponible en Estados Unidos para mujeres con PCOS es la metformina, una biguanida. La metformina reduce la insulina circulante y los niveles de andrógenos y restaura la ovulación normal en algunas mujeres con PCOS. Aun si la metformina sola no restaura la ovulación, puede mejorar la respuesta de una mujer a las drogas en tratamientos de fertilidad. La irritación gastrointestinal, en especial la diarrea, es un efecto colateral común. Estos síntomas en general mejoran luego de pocas semanas. La acidosis láctica es un efecto adverso de la metformina poco usual, pero muy serio. La metformina no está recomendada para las pacientes con enfermedad renal, pulmonar, hepática o cardíaca.
La rosiglitazona y pioglitazona, las cuales pertenecen al grupo de agentes antidiabéticos tiazolidindionas, también están disponibles en Estados Unidos para las mujeres con PCOS. Las tiazolidindionas han demostrado reducir el hiperandrogenismo y restaurar la ovulación en algunas pacientes con PCOS. La toxicidad hepática es la mayor inquietud con estos agentes. Los exámenes de la función hepática deben realizarse cada dos meses durante el primer año y luego en forma periódica. Estas drogas no deberían ser utilizadas en pacientes con alguna evidencia de enfermedad hepática.
Hasta el momento, los nuevos agentes sensibilizantes a la insulina no han sido vinculados a defectos de nacimiento en animales o humanos, pero no se recomienda su uso durante el embarazo. La metformina también debería ser interrumpida en forma temporaria previo a cirugía o procedimientos con rayos X que requieran el uso de contraste endovenoso.
A diferencia de las drogas inductoras de la ovulación, los agentes sensibilizantes a la insulina conllevan poco o ningún riesgo de embarazo múltiple. Se necesitan más estudios clínicos para determinar la evolución, riesgos y complicaciones cuando estas medicaciones se utilizan para el tratamiento de pacientes con PCOS. Aunque los resultados de estudios clínicos han sido alentadores, el uso de estas medicaciones en mujeres con PCOS todavía se considera en investigación. En general, la metformina se usa como agente sensibilizador a la insulina de primera línea; las tiazolidindionas pueden ser consideradas en caso de falta de respuesta o intolerancia de la paciente a la metformina.
Los datos actuales sugieren el uso de agentes sensibilizadores a la insulina para la inducción de ovulación en pacientes con PCOS que desean lograr el embarazo. Debido a que estas drogas corrigen las anormalidades metabólicas asociadas con PCOS, es posible que su uso a largo plazo pueda demorar el surgimiento o reducir la probabilidad de desarrollar diabetes tipo 2 y enfermedad cardiovascular. La falta de datos, sin embargo, hace que el uso a largo plazo de los agentes sensibilizadores a la insulina con este propósito no pueda recomendarse por el momento.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – La Administración Nacional de Medicamentos Alimentos y Tecnología Médica (ANMAT) por medio de la Disposición n° 1501/10 dispuso la prohibición de la importación, comercialización, y uso de las prótesis mamarias fabricadas por POLY IMPLANT PROTHÉSE conocida como PIP e importadas al país por PROESTÉTICA S.A.
El día 30 de marzo de 2010, la Agencia de Seguridad Sanitaria de Productos de la Salud de Francia (AFSSAPS) emitió un comunicado de prensa donde dispuso el retiro del mercado, cese de distribución, exportación y uso de los implantes mamarios fabricados por la compañía mencionada.
La Agencia Francesa había registrado durante los últimos 3 (tres) años un incremento en los reportes de denuncias sobre incidentes que correspondieron principalmente a ruptura de las prótesis, con las consiguientes complicaciones locales.
Consecuencia de estas denuncias se inspeccionó la planta de fabricación y se constató que la mayoría de los implantes producidos desde el año 2001 habían sido elaborados con un gel de silicona diferente al descripto en el registro de aprobación en la Agencia Francesa.
La ANMAT pide a la población usuaria de dichos implantes realicen la consulta médica pertinente con el objetivo efectuar el seguimiento de los implantes utilizados.
New Study May Explain How Weight-loss Surgery Reverses Type 2 Diabetes
California – A team of researchers, led by a UC Davis veterinary endocrinologist, has shown for the first time that a surgical procedure in rats that is similar to bariatric surgery in humans can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The researchers also have identified biochemical changes caused by the surgeries that may be responsible for that delay.
Findings from the study, published online in the journal Gastroenterology, should help researchers identify strategies for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the body is unable to properly metabolize sugar and fat, leading to serious complications including heart disease, blindness and kidney failure.
Type 2 diabetes affects more than 21 million people in the United States, where it results in more than $150 billion in direct and indirect annual costs, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Bariatric surgery currently is considered to be the most effective long-term treatment for human obesity and often leads to marked improvements in diabetes,” said the study’s lead author Peter Havel, a professor with joint appointments in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Department of Nutrition.
“It has been thought that reduction of blood sugar, which indicates a reversal of type 2 diabetes, in patients following bariatric surgery was due to post-surgery weight loss,” Havel said. “This study, however, supports the observations from a number of earlier clinical studies reporting that diabetes is often improved prior to substantial weight loss. It also suggests that endocrine changes in hormones produced by the gastrointestinal tract may contribute to the early effects of bariatric surgery, in addition to the later effects of weight loss.”
“This study confirms our clinical observations that metabolic regulation — specifically homeostasis of glucose — occurs quickly after gastric bypass surgery,” said Mohamed Ali, an associate professor of gastrointestinal surgery and a specialist in bariatric surgery at UC Davis Health System. “It’s clear from the outcome that something physiologic is at work with controlling diabetes that is not related to weight loss.
A Sporting Chance for Active Total Knee Replacement Patients
Study finds implant durability not affected by high-impact sports participation
New Orleans, LA – Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients may be able to participate in high-impact sports without increasing risk of early implant failure, according to a new study presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). In addition, the authors observed better clinical scores in the group of patients who participated in activities discouraged by the Knee Society (KS) than those of the control group.
The Knee Society recommends TKA patients avoid activities that cause high stress loads on the implant and may increase the risk of early failure. Such activities include high-impact aerobics, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, jogging and power lifting, among others.
“Recent studies have shown that as many as one in six total knee replacement patients participate in non-recommended activities,” said Sebastian Parratte, M.D., PhD, an orthopaedic surgeon from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and the Aix-Marseille University, Center for Arthritis Surgery, Hospital Sainte-Marguerite in Marseille, France. “This study offers some reassurance to those patients who choose to return to an active lifestyle after surgery.”
Surgeons Use Neck Muscle, Surrounding Tissue as Lip Implant
Chicago — Augmenting the lips with grafts of muscle and connective tissue from the neck appears to result in improved appearance for at least two years, according to a report in the March/April issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Since ancient times, women have used plant dyes and colored clays to enhance their lips,” the authors write as background information in the article. As an individual ages, the groove on the upper lip flattens, the white lip lengthens and the amount of vermilion (pink tissue) that shows decreases. “These progressive age-related changes lead many patients to seek lip augmentation procedures, often as their main concern in the midst of an aging face and neck.”
“The quest for the ideal permanent lip augmentation procedure has been fraught with challenges,” they continue, including resorption, asymmetry, reactions, extrusion, an unnatural feel or appearance and the formation of cysts. Anurag Agarwal, M.D., of The Aesthetic Surgery Center, Naples, Fla., and colleagues report on the results of 25 consecutive patients who underwent lip augmentation with segments of their own sternocleidomastoid, a muscle running along the side of the neck, and the connective tissue that overlies it (fascia).
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