The impact of scars can be very distressing, particularly if they are on visible parts of the body such as the face, neck, legs or arms. Recent surveys have shown that many people who have had surgery – both cosmetic and routine – were unhappy with the scarring left behind.

However prominent scars could soon be a thing of the past with the advent of several new approaches to minimising scarring.

Scarring is caused when both the top layer of the skin (epidermis) and the lower layer (dermis) are penetrated. However the amount of scarring that happens will depend on how well the skin responds to the issue and how well it copes with healing. The major factor here is collagen, a fibre-like protein which is a sort of glue to help the edges of the wound knit together. When the skin heals well, the edges of the wound are ‘glued’ together by the collagen in the skin helping the skin remain flat and making the scarred area as small as possible.

However, cells called fibroblasts, which are responsible for actually repairing the puncture, can go overboard and setup a new system of blood vessels to the scar area. This then causes too much collagen and this results in rigid lines and lumps and bumps around the wound. The collagen will sometimes ‘overflow’ leaving a rubbery scar over healthy skin tissue.

It is not fully understood why some cuts will heal better than others although good surgical practice, good genes and the location of the wound will all make a different to the way you heal.

So what can be done to help reduce scars?

Juvista is currently in the final phases of development and looks set to be one of the first scar prevention drugs on the market. Juvista is made from a naturally occuring human protein known as the transforming growth factor. Juvista is injected into the edges of the wound after surgery and this technique has so far shown to help reduce the risk of scarring. The injection works by helping the skin heal by weaving the edges together. It is anticipated that this drug will hit the market in the next three years.

Avotermin is another potential scar-reduction drug. Avotermin is made with a synthetic cell-signalling agent. Trials have already been carried out and the results have shown that using the scar prevention drug reduces the chances of scars becoming raised lesions or settling above the skin. This scar reducing drug also reduces the density and thickness of the skin that causes the scarring, helping reduce the appearance of the scar.

If you are going under the knife sometime soon, these developments are too far in the future. After surgery, try and keep your scars moist as this will help prevent scabs from forming. Scabs create a barrier to healing. By keeping the wound moist, you are keeping the collagen away from the surface of the skin and therefore helping to stop collagen overflow. Your cosmetic surgeon is likely to give you a dressing to help keep the wounds moist. Once this dressing has been removed, keep the wound moist by using a moisturising lotion around the scar. Moisturised skin helps wound-healing and ensures the collagen balance is kept even.

There is no need to use expensive creams or lotions either – products such as E45, baby oil, bio-oil or Nivea are all excellent moisturisers although do check you are not allergic to them before your surgery.

It is also worth gently massaging the scar for around a minute several time a day as this will help break the scar up. By massaging the area in a circular motion, you will help make sure the fluid in the skin is moved around and help stop the collagen from becoming lumpy and therefore help to prevent lumpy scarring.

If your scars are particularly prominent or raised, there are several options. Newish scars (scars that have formed within the last 18 months) can be treated with lasers, similar to the way that birthmarks are treated. The lasers target blood vessels that feed the scars, lessening the appearance of the scar. Several treatments are often required and each treatment is likely to cost around $200.

Older scars can be removed by further surgery however there is no guarantee that the resulting scars from the surgery will be any better than your current scars. For UK patients, large, old scars may be removed for free by the NHS, otherwise you will have to seek treatment from a private cosmetic surgeon.

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According to some rumours, Aniston has had Macrolane injections which has boosted her bra size by a whole cup size.

Macrolane injections take around half an hour to complete therefore can be done in a lunch break. A local anaesthetic is applied before a thick needle is inserted deep into the breast tissue and the Macrolane filler injected. The filler itself contains hyaluronic acid (also commonly found in dermal fillers) and is a thick, dense fluid.

The results are almost immediate and most patients will see their breasts increase by one cup size after the Macrolane injections.

The breasts may be tender after the injections and there may be a little swelling and bruising present for a few days. Macrolane injections last for abuot 18 months before they need topping up.

Side effects can include hard lumps after a few days – if the body believes the filler is a foreign object, tissue forms around it to ‘fence it in’, and this creates the hard lumps.

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NewColorIris isn’t just for those who want to change their appearance – this implant can also be used to improve the ocular appearance of patients with partial coloboma (congenital defects of the iris), traumatic irides, ocular albinism and iris heterochromia.

The eye implant itself is a diaphragm that covers the eye’s natural iris. It is made from biocompatible materials that are currently used in cataract surgery, therefore is very safe. The implants themselves are manufactured in the US and are FDA approved, although the procedure is not yet licensed in Europe.

The iris implants are inserted under local anaesthetic and the whole process should be painless and only take a few minutes to complete. The implants do not correct eyesight therefore pre-operation eyesight will be the same as post-op and if you require glasses before the operation, you will require them after. The surgery can be performed on those who have astigmatism. Vision will be blurry for up to four days after the operation and during this period, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eyedrops must be used.

Side effects can be severe though. A recent case highlighted in British newspaper the Daily Mail showed the story of the first person in the UK to undergo the coloured lens transplant.

After the cosmetic surgery, her eyesight remained bad and over a week later, she was barely able to read the top line of an optician’s eye chart – her sight was so bad that she officially could have been registered as blind. Fortunately, her eyesight was saved by a British surgeon however she now has a greater risk of cataracts and glaucoma later in life.

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Much of the trend is said to stem from Victoria Beckham. Pictures of her recently have seen her in tight black t-shirts with her nipples outlined in the top. The pictures have sparked debate over whether they are real or fake, and some people have chosen to have cosmetic surgery to get nipples like her.

Many women who are looking for nipple cosmetic surgery cite reasons that they want to improve their shape and appearance, particularly for occasions when they want to wear a t-shirt without a bra.

The term ‘nipple cosmetic surgery’ actually encompasses quite a range of different plastic surgery techniques. Some of the techniques available are:

• Nipple Lifts: Small flaps of skin around the nipple are made which then helps push it up and out
• Symmetry Surgery: Cosmetic surgery to ensure the nipples on each breast look the same
• Nipple Colour: The areola (the pigmented area around the nipple) can be evened out. The area can also be tattooed to even the colour or to change the colour.
• Inverted Nipple Correction: Some nipples can be flat or concave and refuse to protrude. This condition can interfere with breastfeeding. Cosmetic surgery can be done to correct this issue.

Naturally there are side effects associated with each of the nipple cosmetic surgery procedures. Any incisions are, of course, at a small risk of infection. The surgery can also cause the nipples to lose physical sensitivity if nerve endings are removed or damaged. A small number of women may also lose the ability to breastfeed.

The success rate of each of the cosmetic procedures will also vary. Inverted nipple surgery has quite a low long-term success rate with up to 50% of women saying that the nipples retract again within 2 months of having nipple cosmetic surgery. Weight loss or weight gain can also have a profound effect on the long-term effectiveness of the surgery.

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The risk that herbal supplements may cause adverse effects or slow down the healing process on patients who have undergone plastic surgery is not new. Many herb have a pharmacodynamic or pharamacokinetic effect which means they may make the central nervous system unstable or cause excessive bleeding both during and after the surgery. Common herbs which can cause problems include ginseng, gingko bilboa and garlic.

New research by the University Hospitals Case Medical Centre in Washington has backed up previous studies by showing that more than 40 percent of people using herbal supplements before their cosmetic surgery report more side effects and post-op problems that those who haven’t taken supplements.

The problem of herbal supplements and cosmetic surgery is compounded by many patients not disclosing that they are taking the herbs to the plastic surgeons. Some of these are hiding the fact that they are taking the herbs whilst others believe that as no prescription is required, there is no risk and therefore no need to tell their surgeon.

For anyone who is planning to have cosmetic surgery, it is vitally important to tell your surgeon of any drugs – both prescription and non-prescription – that you are taking. It may take several weeks of abstinence from the drug before your cosmetic surgery can take place safely therefore it is important to ask your surgeon about any herbs well in advance of your surgery date.

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One of our main aims is to spearhead a national campaign to help the cosmetic surgery industry deliver the best service to the public.

Each and every story can help us make a difference so please do not hesitate to get in touch.

If you have or you know of someone that has been affected by a cosmetic surgery experience then please email or phone me on noirin.byrne@crackitproductions.co.uk / 020 7157 3082.

We understand that this is a very personal subject and all cases will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

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After her high-profile divorce from Preston, Houghton decided to enlarge her breasts from a 32B to a 32E. However the 25 year old is now not convinced that getting the surgery was a good idea and is now considering having breast reduction surgery to reduce their size.

“They are just too big,” she explained to Heat magazine. “Now I just want to hide them. I thought I wanted to go up to that size and I loved them at the time but now I wish I’d never had them done. I’m bad at making decisions and I just change my mind really quickly so I do regret it now.

“Looking back, I did it for the attention,” she continued. “I realise it was a cry for help.”

The implants are so large that they have caused Houghton severe back pain – so much so that she has to visit a physio twice a week to help manage the back pain.

Breast implants are not the only cosmetic procedure that Houghton has had: she has also admitted to having fillers in her face and also has hair extensions.

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Recently, Price had been pictured with a glowing complexion issuing some to question whether she had had more Botox or not.

Her looks may be thanks to a healthier lifestyle. Both Price and her husband, Peter Andre, are currently training for the London marathon. Price is running for the Vision Charity whilst Andre is running for the NSPCC. The training has seen Price all but give up drinking as she has said that drinking affects her training too much.

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Cosmetic surgery often means scarring and whilst plastic surgeons often do their best to hide the scars by hiding incisions in folds of skin, the fact is that there will always be some form of scarring associated with plastic surgery. However there are way to reduce the external scarring left after your cosmetic surgery.

Honey provides a moist, healing environment yet prevents bacterial growth even when would are heavily infected. Thus the use of honey can help make a wound sterile, even against antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. How does it work? Well, the pH of honey is low enough to hinder the growth of many forms of bacteria. When it is diluted, a small amount of hydrogen peroxide may also be released and this is also an antibacterial. Honey can also help reduce inflammation and sooth the pain of deep wounds and burns. And honey won’t stick to wounds – dilute it and it will easily lift off and rinsed away.

So if you have any cuts of wounds, it might be worth applying a little honey to help keep the wound clean and to help reduce the scarring. Honey also softens and moisturises skin so if you want to keep wrinkles at bay, try using a honey face mask.

Try the following steps to help honey reduce your scars after cosmetic surgery:

Wash the wound with soap and water
Allow the are to dry naturally
Prepare a piece of gauze that will cover the scar
Apply a thin layer of honey over the gauze – thick enough so the whole gauze is covered but thing enough so that it doesn’t dry out
Lay the gauze, honey-side down, over your scar, making sure the gauze covers the entire scar
Apply a second layer of gauze over the first. This helps to absorb any excess moisture and stops your clothes getting all sticky!
Apply some tape across the pieces of gauze to hold your makeshift dressing in place
Repeat every 12 hours

You should always try a small test area first to make sure that you aren’t allergic to the honey. This routine should also not be used in place of anything that your cosmetic surgeon has given you. If in doubt, ask your plastic surgeon before trying this dressing.

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However a new technique known as SonoSculpt may soon radically change the face of liposuction surgery. SonoSculpt is an innovative new liposuction technique that does not require surgery. Instead, the procedure involves using ultrasound technology to melt away the fat – high energy ultrasound beams are directed into the target fatty areas and the fat starts to break down. The surrounding tissues are left unaffected by the treatment and the body will naturally get rid of the broken down fat.

The SonoSculpt process is not 100% understood quite yet – the technique has been around for several years however it is still uncertain quite what happens to the fat after the ultrasound beam ‘melts’ it. At present LipoSonix, who invented the technique, believe that the body’s immune system responds to the melted fat, helping the body digest some of the fat cells and letting the bloodstream take some of the other fat cells away.

UltraShape is a similar non-invasive liposuction technique that is already popular in parts of Europe, although it is currently yet to be approved by the FDA for use in America.

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