Young girls are often influenced by the teen queens of television, movies, and music. So when they see their favorite actress dress a certain way it is no surprise that they immediately look for similar fashions. However, when they hear that their role models are going under the knife to enhance their appearance, teens seem to be opposed to the star’s decision. Most recently, Heidi Montag, star of “The Hills,” was a big upset to her young fans; Disney star Ashley Tisdale was also scrutinized for her surgery.

Although these stars are said to be a sort of example for their adoring fans, when it comes to plastic surgery, teens seem to getting smarter. Some state that they find their procedures unnecessary and make them look too plastic – more so in Montag’s case, who underwent facial surgery, breast augmentation, liposuction, and rhinoplasty. Tisdale addressed the surgery rumors by explaining that she had a deviated septum and therefore chose to correct the issue with nose surgery; this made more sense to her teen fans. Young girls are becoming more aware of plastic surgery at an early age and becoming educated on what looks natural and what looks fake – something that many stars may not be doing.

In Tucson, Jeffrey Nelson, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a qualified cosmetic plastic surgeon who can help patients determine what procedure(s) is most appropriate to meet their needs. If you are interested in a face, breast, or body contouring procedure, you can learn more when visiting his website.

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Breast Augmentation vs. Breast Reduction: Contrasting Procedures, Common Goals

Breast augmentation and breast reduction are two sides of the cosmetic breast surgery coin. While seemingly opposites, these two plastic surgery procedures actually have the same goals: to make you feel more comfortable and confident with your own body. It’s all about matching your breast size and shape to your needs and lifestyle.

For example, Jill Parsons recently told her story about her life-changing breast reduction surgery in Road and Trail Talk Magazine. An aspiring competitive runner, Parson’s overly large breasts caused her difficulties in breathing and shopping for clothes. It also created neck and back pain and unwanted attention from both men and women. As a 25- year old woman who wore size six jeans and a 36DDD bra, she compared her discomfort to having a sandbag draped around her neck. The health threats were so great that her breast reduction surgery was covered by her insurance. She recovered within two weeks and was back training in the gym in a month. Unburdened of five extra pounds on her chest, breathing difficulties and unwanted stares, she had the confidence to work her way up to achieving her goal of running a half marathon.

As a contrasting example, Dr. Robert Wald, an Orange County breast augmentation specialist, does life changing work through breast lifts, breast enhancements and breast reconstruction in addition to breast reduction surgery. With patients in Orange County and Riverside County, breast augmentation plays an important role in restoring the femininity and self-esteem in women who have undergone changes due to aging, pregnancy or breast cancer. These women can confidently wear the clothing and swimsuits that they may once have caused them embarrassment.

The story of Jill Parsons’ breast reduction and the successes of Dr. Wald’s breast augmentation procedures both illustrate cases where breast surgery led to a significant and positive lifestyle change. When it comes to breasts, bigger is not always better—it’s all about feeling comfortable in your body.

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As the temperature climbs and summer inches closer, the quest to get a “beach ready” body is in full force, especially in Southern California.

Usually beginning in spring, women become increasingly conscious of their body shape, looking for ways to shed pounds and get a better-contoured physique. Many women often opt to undergo a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure in order to achieve their desired appearance before beach season officially starts.

At the Orange County practice of Robert M. Wald, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., The Aesthetic Institute, patients who have exhausted the natural means of weight loss – regular exercise and healthy diet – inquire about body altering procedures. The most common of these include liposuction and tummy tuck surgery. Liposuction is designed to remove excess fat from specific areas of the body that do no respond to diet and exercise. This procedure can be performed on various areas of the body, including the neck, arms, abdomen, hips, lower back, and thighs. When undergoing one of the various methods of liposuction surgery, patients can achieve a more sculpted and toned body shape. In addition, when combined with tummy tuck surgery, patients can rid their midsection of loose, excess skin and tighten abdominal muscles. Both procedures require a three to four week recovery time, making early spring an ideal time to undergo these surgeries. However, it is best to undergo these surgeries well before summer arrives since they each require a lengthy recovery period.

Along with gaining a flat, sculpted abdomen, many women with small breasts often wish they had larger, more voluminous breasts. To achieve this, Dr. Wald offers breast augmentation surgery with the option of either saline or silicone gel breast implants. By placing breast implants either above or beneath the chest muscle, Dr. Wald can help patients add volume and enhance breast shape. Furthermore, women who have sagging in the breasts after pregnancy and breastfeeding may also wish to learn more regarding breast lift surgery. The combination of a lift and augmentation can help women regain a youthful appearance.

Regardless of the procedure(s) a patient undergoes, it is important to carefully and thoroughly research the surgery and plastic surgeon. If cost is an issue, there are various financing options available; however, because the pressure to be beach ready is on, some patients may commit to surgery based solely on price. Although cosmetic plastic surgery is an elective surgery, it is still an invasive process that should be taken seriously.

Those who would like to learn more regarding breast and body enhancing procedures may contact Dr. Wald at his Fullerton practice.

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A fair amount of people commonly associate the word “fake” with breast implants, but breast cancer? A Texas woman, Trista Joy Lathern, age 24, is being charged with embezzling individual donors and businesses for thousands of dollars in an attempt to get free breast augmentation surgery, following cancer that authorities now claim she never had.

Lathern, a Waco Texas (approximately 160 miles north of Houston and San Antonio) resident created a benefit fundraiser, complete with flyers, live music & a silent auction to stage the hoax. The benefit drew a few hundred people, including dozens of Lathern’s family members and friends, all of whom she successfully duped into her scheme.

McLennan County Sheriffs began investigating following contact from an Austin plastic surgeon’s attorney, who suspected the money used to pay for the breast enhancement was stolen.

“Stranger things have happened with plastic surgery,” according to Houston breast augmentation specialist, Dr. Michael Eisemann. “Thankfully, fraud on this scale is relatively easy to catch.”

According to the police affidavit, Lathern cited marital problems as her motivation for the theft and she thought that telling her husband she had cancer would bring them closer together. The procedure costed approximately $6,800.00 and local authorities are seeking out residents who donated to Lathern’s fundraiser for reimbursement.

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Two California and two Las Vegas women have been charged with organizing, and participating in a scheme to defraud the local Culinary Union’s health insurance program. The women submitted claims for unauthorized cosmetic surgery procedures performed on union members in Mexico, according to U.S. Attorney Greg Brower of Nevada.

Rebecca Acosta, 46, of Chula Vista, Calif., was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on three counts of mail fraud. Acosta was arrested April 14 in San Diego and released Wednesday on a $150,000 bond. Three other women have been charged by criminal complaint for their involvement in the scheme, Brower said. Ana Bertha Acosta, 39, of Dulzura, Calif., was arrested Monday in San Ysidro, Calif., and Sara Casales, 47, of Las Vegas was arrested April 14 in Las Vegas. Both are charged with health care fraud and aiding and abetting. Lucia Solano, 49, of Las Vegas, also arrested April 14 in Las Vegas, is charged with making false statements to investigators.

In 2006 federal investigators initiated an investigation to determine if Las Vegas insurance providers were being targeted for fraudulent medical claims by Mexican medical providers, according to court records. The investigators found that the Hotel and Restaurant Employees International Union Welfare Fund, also known as the Culinary Fund, which offers medical insurance to at least 50,000 people in the hospitality industry in Las Vegas, had been billed about $4.9 million for “out of country” claims from about January 2002 to February 2006. Those “out of country” claims were almost entirely from Mexico, investigators discovered. Most of the claims were for “emergency procedures” in Mexico.

When investigators began interviewing a number of the patients, they were told that the insurance claims were fabricated and that they had actually had cosmetic surgery in Mexico, not emergency services. The Culinary Fund does not provide coverage for cosmetic surgeries, unless they are medically necessary, such as breast reduction and certain types of rhinoplasty.

Rebecca Acosta, the prinicple suspect, and her cohorts allegedly devised a scheme to defraud the Culinary Fund of money through submitting false health care claims. Acosta and the others met with prospective patients at a Summerlin residence and elsewhere for consulting on cosmetic surgeries, court documents say.

Acosta told the patients that she would bill the Culinary Fund for the cosmetic surgery, such as breast augmentations or “tummy tucks,” even though such procedures were not covered through the insurance program. She told patients that she would make it appear as if the patient suffered an unexpected injury in Mexico and had received emergency medical care, and then allegedly made arrangements for the prospective patients to receive a cosmetic procedure at a Tijuana, Mexico, clinic. She followed by charging the patients a fee in addition to any reimbursement they would receive from the Culinary Fund. Acosta instructed each patient not to disclose the true nature of the treatment they received in Mexico.

Once the patients received treatments in Tijuana, Acosta and the others submitted false and fraudulent claims to the Culinary Fund, requesting reimbursement for emergency medical services, even though they knew that the patients had actually received breast implants and body contouring surgery, court documents state.

Between September and October 2005, Acosta allegedly submitted three fraudulent claims for reimbursement for emergency procedures performed on three patients and the Culinary Fund paid more than $42,000 on the claims. If convicted, Acosta faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count; Ana Bertha Acosta and Sara Casales face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine each; and Lucia Solano faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Crane Pomerantz.

“This indictment sends a stern message to those medical providers that defrauding union health and welfare benefit plans by filing fraudulent claims will not be tolerated by my agency,” said Daniel R. Petrole, deputy inspector general for the U.S. Department of Labor. “We are firmly committed to working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate this type of crime.”

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