Cosmetic Surgery News and Research

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Facial plastic surgeon uses Twitter to disseminate latest information in facial rejuvenation

Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj, Director of The Aesthetic Institute of New York and New Jersey, recently started using Twitter, the popular social networking tool, as a means of disseminating the latest information in facial plastic surgery techniques, new products and beauty trends to his patients and anyone else interested in facial rejuvenation.

29 Dec 2009

"Tan Tax" will hurt middle-class women and women-owned businesses

The proposed 10 percent federal tax on indoor tanning services, added to the latest U.S. Senate health care reform bill in a back-room deal over the weekend, will fall 40-50 percent short of delivering the revenue its proponents promised, according to the International Smart Tan Network (Smart Tan). The tax unfairly targets female consumers, who make up more than two-thirds of tanning clients, and would be detrimental to the thousands of women who own the majority of America's indoor tanning salons.

24 Dec 2009

Second successful phrenic nerve decompression surgery

The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that immediately following a rare phrenic nerve surgery to repair his paralyzed diaphragm, a 47-year-old man has reported significantly improved breathing and feels “15 years younger.” The surgery marked the second known case of successful phrenic nerve decompression, both of which were performed by a New Jersey medical team led by Dr. Matthew Kaufman of the Plastic Surgery Center in Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

23 Dec 2009

AMA backs latest Senate bill

Senate Democrats were bolstered Monday by the endorsement of the American Medical Association as they push for a final vote this week on their health overhaul legislation, Bloomberg reports. "The bill advances many of our priority issues for achieving the vision of a health system that works for patients and physicians," the AMA's president-elect, Dr. Cecil Wilson, said in endorsing the most recent version of the Senate bill, proposed over the weekend by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. (Salant and Donmoyer, 12/22).

22 Dec 2009

Facial plastic surgeon refines rhinoplasty with 3-D endoscopic high definition system

Sam Rizk, M.D., F.A.C.S. (www.drsamrizk.com), takes facial plastic surgery into the future by incorporating the same technology used for years in industrial design to enhance rhinoplasty techniques by empowering him to achieve precise surgical outcomes.

22 Dec 2009

AADA lauds indoor tanning tax in the health system reform legislation

The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) applauds the decision of the U.S. Senate to substitute a 10 percent federal excise tax on indoor tanning services for the proposed tax on cosmetic procedures in the Senate's health system reform legislation (H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2009). The indoor tanning tax, as proposed to Senate leadership by the AADA, furthers its goal of promoting wellness and prevention, and removes the harmful unintended consequences associated with a tax on cosmetic surgery procedures.

22 Dec 2009

AMA supports amended Senate health system reform bill

The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced its support for passage of the amended Senate health system reform bill (H.R. 3590). Passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by the Senate will bring our nation close to the finish line on health system reform.

22 Dec 2009

Suneva Medical and WTI sign credit agreement to expand growth objectives

Suneva Medical, a privately-held aesthetic medical device company, today announced that it has signed a multi-million dollar line of credit facility with Western Technology Investment (WTI).

17 Dec 2009

Senate Democrats vote against tax amendment

The Senate will vote today on an amendment which would send the healthcare bill back to the Finance Committee to strip out its numerous tax hikes on families making less than $250,000 per year. The vote sets up a showdown for Senate Democrats as President Barack Obama has made a "firm pledge" not to raise "any form" of taxes on these families.

16 Dec 2009

Fine print raises alarms over health bill

News reports forecast that some provisions in the Senate health-overhaul legislation could create distractions for Democrats seeking to pass a bill by the year's end.

14 Dec 2009

In New Jersey, cosmetic surgery tax raised funds far below projections

Bloomberg: "A tax on breast enhancements and other cosmetic care, similar to one proposed in the U.S. Senate's health-overhaul legislation, doesn't generate even a third of the $30 million a year originally projected for it in New Jersey, the only state with such a levy."

7 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

In short, if the changes that are proposed for employer subsidies in the current Medicare Part D program are enacted, everyone will lose (Tom Scully, 12/3).

4 Dec 2009

Cosmetic surgery industry lobbies against the 'Botax' in Senate health bill

"Leading makers of antiwrinkle drugs, breast implants and other appearance-related products are trying to derail a proposed tax on elective cosmetic surgery in the Senate's health-overhaul bill," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposed 5% levy -- dubbed the 'Botax' after the antiwrinkle treatment product Botox -- would raise an estimated $5.8 billion over 10 years."

4 Dec 2009

Doctors' groups break ranks to oppose Senate health overhaul

The California Medical Association - which represents more than 35,000 doctors - will announce its opposition to the Senate version of the health overhaul bill later this week, the Los Angeles Times reports. The group's leaders voted to oppose the bill last week, joining several other states, including Florida and Texas.

3 Dec 2009

Interactive video presentation on corset trunkplasty surgery

Alexander P. Moya, M.D., Director of the Center for Weight Loss Body Contouring and Assistant Director of the Geisinger Center for Aesthetics and Cosmetic Surgery at Geisinger Medical Center (GMC), will deliver an interactive video presentation on his corset trunkplasty surgery in April 2010. This presentation will be made to a group of board-certified plastic surgeons at the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's annual Aesthetic Meeting in Washington, D.C.

3 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Every debate in health care would benefit from more transparency about what things really cost and who gets paid what (Steven Syre, 12/1).

1 Dec 2009

Health reform financing ideas watered down, questions remain on premiums, taxes

The New York Times reports that while the Senate health bill "includes nearly every big idea that health economists and medical researchers have for slowing cost growth — as well as for improving the patchwork quality of American health care, ... many of the ideas, like the rule on Medicare reimbursement, have been at least partly neutered. A provision to punish hospitals for infecting their patients, for example, would cut payments for the related treatments by a mere 1 percent.

25 Nov 2009

Cosmetic tax unfairly targets women, says New Jersey plastic surgeon

Say hello to Botax, the 5% tax on cosmetic procedures that was a surprise addition to the roughly 2,000 page health care reform bill. The proposed tax, scheduled to take effect January 2010, has been suggested as a way to help fund health care reform.

21 Nov 2009

5% tax on cosmetic surgery opposed by AAFPRS

The United States Senate is about to consider health system reform legislation which contains a 5% tax on cosmetic surgery deemed unnecessary for medical purposes. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) announces it strongly opposes the inclusion of this tax as it is discriminatory and has already failed in other states.

20 Nov 2009