Cosmetic Surgery at age 83: 'Enhancing' the Golden Years

We all want to look our best right? So why should that be any different for senior citizens? Just ask Marie Kolstad, the 83 year old Orange County woman who recently had a breast augmentation procedure.

The great-grandmother has garnered national attention after going public with the details about her desire to look and feel younger, and her surgery has sparked a debate about cosmetic surgery and whether there may be increased potential health risks as we age.

Dr. Walden's article in Culture Map provides a well rounded look at the topic and clears up the controversy:

http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/09-04-11-10-45-how-old-is-too-old-for-cosmetic-surgery-granny-got-breast-implants/

So if you happen to be getting older, worry not about squeezing in your last nip or tuck before your 65th Birthday. As long as you are in good health, you could still have years and years of visits to your plastic surgeon to look forward to.

This Year's Most Stressful Job: The Weather Person!

There is one thing I can say for sure about 2011 so far: Mother Nature is not a happy woman! She has been wrecking havoc all over the world and these days no one is safe from her wrath. I never thought I would be telling my kids one day that I saw a hurricane and an earthquake (AND in the same week) in New York but it's true. Records are being broken all over with temperatures, rain fall (or lack thereof), and magnitudes and directions of storms. It is a crazy world these days so we all should be watching the news and weather channels to be prepared, no matter where you live.



Dr. Walden, the true Texan woman that she is, wrote an article this week to help educate people in Texas (especially Austin) on how to handle that terrible heat safely:



http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/08-28-11-20-28-goodbye-irene/



I hope for everyone's sake that Mother Nature gets a nap, or chocolate, or something to make her happier!

Victory for Common Sense: FDA drops MRI suggestion for patients with silicone implants

BREAKING NEWS: A fairly significant announcement by the USFDA was in the paper today re. silicone gel breast implants (see NYT summary here). Based on testimony and evidence presented, the FDA has finally agreed that the suggestion that patients need routine MRI screening of their implants is no longer one they support. This is bringing the United States into line with the rest of the world on being more pragmatic on the issue and reserving workup for symptomatic patients only.  Recent papers in the surgery literature have been reporting that MRI has been associated with overestimation of rupture rates, particularly when applied to asymptomatic patients. The panel also concluded that no new evidence has been presented to change prior determinations that silicone implants are not causally linked to any known systemic illness.

Rob