It really does not take any mystical power or knowledge to foretell  disaster. Just reasoning and logic. I wrote over 4 years ago about the dangers of  touting "anti-bacterial soap" when all is needed is "soap". ( See "Medical Disaster or Soap vs Hope" Aug '06) As predicted: with over use of unnecessary  antibiotics we now have very dangerous strains of bacteria... read more »

Recently there has been some controversy in regard to breast self-exam. Several medical articles indicate that there is no benefit to this procedure in early diagnosis of breast cancer. The reasoning stems from patient anxiety over what they feel leading to over use of extensive work-ups involving mammograms, MRIs, aspirations, and biopsies. Certainly this is true; but that is because... read more »

I cannot over emphasize the importance of sunscreen protection. Sunscreen is just that: it screens out the harmful UV rays, but does allow you to tan SLOWLY. This process prevents burning of the skin. It is the BURNING process that is implicated in sun damaged skin that can ultimately lead to cancer. Tanning itself does not cause skin damage or... read more »

Cuts or Curare? The question is certainly melodramatic but it makes the point. The overwhelming view of most people is that they would rather take a medication than undergo a surgical procedure, any day of the week, whether the treatments are equally effective or not. In reality drugs (which include naturopathic remedies and vitamins,herbals, etc.) have systemic effect on our... read more »

Many people come to see me for aesthetic surgery but are very anxious that their result would leave them with bad scarring, like other scars they have from previous surgeries or accidents. Take heart, scar's appearance depends on location and direction of the scar in regard to lines of tension. In other words a large wide scar on the breast... read more »

Everyone is afraid of pain following surgery or any semi-invasive procedure. Pain is usually secondary to swelling which follows any form of injury. We can help limit this discomfort if we logically and intuitively decrease our activity after any operation. This does not mean that we should lie in bed, on the contrary, that would be most dangerous, but rather... read more »

A large part of plastic surgery encompasses cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic surgery has come under attack recently in many different ways, but one particular editorial stands out as the most misguided effort yet. A very young woman felt it necessary to declare that cosmetic treatments should be declared illegal so that she does not have to feel the need to compete... read more »

Recently a fax came to my office offering a 2 day course in establishing and running a cosmetic practice featuring no less than eighteen (18) procedures! The course involves lasers, Botox, fillers, pulsed light (whatever that really does), needle free mesotherapy and.... how to market the practice. Wow, that is a lot to learn in two days especially since the... read more »

I took a short break from blogging due to a busy schedule trying to keep pace with our economy and people's needs. Present concerns of most people centers around health care reform. We cannot have real reform without tort reform. The health care crisis comes down to lack of insurance for some people. Aside from those who do not choose... read more »

Short of surgery which physically puts our anatomy back where it should be, the aging process should also be treated in terms of skin. We need moisturizers, cleansers, and sun screen on a daily basis; but once in a while we can augment our looks with laser treatments which smooth out our texture , botox treatments which smooth out our... read more »