Plastic surgeons offer help to veterans
the San Diego Union Tribune
A major group of plastic surgeons meeting in San Diego launched a national program to give free consultations and low-cost surgeries to veterans who suffered facial injuries in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. More

Can lasers stimulate a hair-growth spurt?
The Wall Street Journal
Losing your hair? Just glide a handheld laser over your scalp three times a week and you'll see a benefit, say the companies selling the products. Many doctors are skeptical of claims made for the lasers, but a study found that one product did spur hair growth. More

Quality of life for patients may improve with cosmetic eyelid surgery
MedIndia
In a paper presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, researchers administered a retrospective questionnaire survey of 26 adult patients undergoing bilateral upper and lower lid cosmetic blepharoplasty. The authors used the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), which is a validated QOL questionnaire that aims to assess the impact of an otolaryngologic intervention on a patient. Patients undergoing surgery for non-cosmetic indications, or those who had additional cosmetic procedures performed, were excluded. More

Polyacrylamide hydrogel shows promise as lasting dermal filler
Medical News Today
The investigational injectable filler 2.5 percent polyacrylamide hydrogel (AquamidR) is as effective and well tolerated as hyaluronic acid (HA, RestylaneR), for the correction of nasolabial folds, according to pivotal data released here at the 2009 American Society of Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) meeting. More

Rhinoplasty patients typically want the 'ideal nose'
Modern Medicine
Rhinoplasty patients typically want results in line with the ideal parameters established by Powell and Humphreys, a common reference for the procedure, and computer imaging can help define patients' preferences, according to a study published in the September/October issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. More

Earlobe rejuvenation: the lobe lift
Cosmetic Surgery Bible
When you ask people to name the tell-tale parts of the body to look at when determining a lady's age, most people will point to the woman's hands and neck. However the earlobes are also another sign of a person's true age. Just as with any other part of the body, the earlobe will go through the natural aging process. The earlobe is also constantly exposed to the sun and there are few people who will remember to apply sunscreen to their ears when applying it to the rest of their body. More