In our weekly Post Your Face column, Dr. Robert Freund answers readers' cosmetic surgery questions, and shows them how they'd look if they underwent the enhancement. To post your own face, visit postyourface.com.The Patient's Question:
I need to get rid of the wrinkles in my cheeks and tighten up my cheeks. Also my face just kinda fell apart in the last five years, many wrinkles, very deep...I am an entertainer and it looks awful.
Dr. Freund's Answer: The usual culprits for the type of aging you describe are sun damage, smoking, stress, and your genetics. Although I will discuss your surgical options, let me first mention some of the things that could have helped limit this damage over the years.Smoking is the first big no-no. The chemicals in cigarettes reduce blood flow to the skin and help to build up dangerous free radicals (substances that accelerate the aging process). So Rule #1 is to STOP SMOKING!Sun is another must-avoid, as exposure causes cancer and other skin conditions that make us look older before our time. Now, I love the sun as much as the next guy, so the best advice I can offer here is to wear lots of sun block and apply it frequently. My favorite brands are EltaMD or Blue Lizard (both with Zinc Oxide).Stress and lack of sleep will also make you look older. If you don't believe me, look at any president at the start and end of his term. Both cause the levels of the hormone cortisol to rise, which in turn accelerates the aging of your skin.One thing you could have done is to have taken anti-oxidants. These are the substances that fight free radicals and aging. Healthy dietary choices include colorful fruits and vegetables (grapes, tomatoes, squash, oranges, etc...). Good supplements in your health food store include fish oil, flax seeds, alpha-lipoic acid, Vitamin C and CoQ-10.As for genetics, there is little I have to offer.Regarding surgery, you could benefit from two procedures:One to remove the excess skin and tissue from around the eyes and neck (Facelift and Upper Blepharoplasty); and another to smooth the texture and wrinkles of your face (Laser Resurfacing).A Facelift and Upper Blepharoplasty (upper eyelid rejuvenation) will remove excess skin and fat and also tighten the underlying muscle. Downtime is from 10 days to 3 weeks. Cost $9,000 to $13,000.Laser resurfacing is a technique to smooth out and rejuvenate the skin. The technique is not perfect and will not remove all of your wrinkles, however, it will likely make some improvement. The latest laser therapy is called the Fraxel Laser. Downtime can be from a few days to three weeks. Cost is $700 to $2,000 per treatment. Plan on a follow up treatment every few months.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Abortion Foes Claim New Momentum
Thousands of abortion opponents trudged up Capitol Hill to the Supreme Court once again Friday in the annual ritual known as the March for Life. But on this, the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, there were signs they were marching with a renewed sense of direction. "This is an exciting time to be in the pro-life movement," said Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, which organized a "Virtual March for Life" of more than 75,000 avatars to join the actual throng on the National Mall. "A year ago, we were facing unprecedented opposition, seeing the most pro-abortion president ever elected, sweeping in his allies in the House and Senate. And yet through it all, a year later the pro-life movement is really at a high-water mark."Last year's march was the first since 1995 in which the opponents of abortion rights found themselves without an ally in the White House or at the helm on Capitol Hill. They still lack friends in leadership but all in all, this hasn't been a bad stretch for the anti-abortion crowd.
Alex Wong, Getty Images
Activists participate in the annual "March for Life" event as they walk toward the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday.John Green, a University of Akron political scientist, said that after a decade during which public opinion on abortion held very steady, several polls noted a slight change in 2009. While a majority still favor abortion rights, Gallup found more Americans describing themselves as "pro-life" than "pro-choice" for the first time."There's been a shift," Green said. "It's likely because of the election of President Obama. A lot of people thought he would be strongly pro-choice and because they were perhaps in the middle, that led them to move more in the pro-life direction." He added that optimism among abortion-rights advocates turned into complacency. And now it's clear the issue isn't anywhere near the top of the president's agenda.Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, was among those who were "much more hopeful" as Obama entered office. The new president did move early to restore funding to international family planning groups that provide abortion. And he later called for a cease-fire and more "fair-minded words" in the debate during a speech at Catholic Notre Dame in which he was heckled.But two weeks later, one of the few doctors in the country who performed late-term abortions, George Tiller, was gunned down at his church in Kansas. On Friday, the trial of the man accused in the killing began in Wichita. In a stunning article in the February issue of GQ, Scott Roeder candidly tells writer Devin Friedman how he planned what he called the "righteous" killing.Tiller's clinic closed after his death, and others are fighting to stay open amid mounting legal restrictions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 18 states enacted a total of 34 laws related to abortion last year. The measures ranged from mandated counseling to waiting periods and ultrasounds for women seeking abortions to allowing "Choose Life" license plates."This is a very enjoined battle," said Northup, whose group tracks hundreds of anti-abortion bills in state capitals and last year filed five lawsuits against what it sees as the most egregious. "There is a relentless anti-choice activism in this country that looks for every opportunity" to inject the abortion issue into public policy, she said.At the moment, health care reform is Exhibit A. The effort is now stalled on Capitol Hill following the election of "41st senator" Scott Brown of Massachusetts – who supports abortion rights, albeit with limits. But if a deal ever is brokered between the House and Senate versions, one of the biggest sticking points remains the issue of taxpayer-funded abortion."Abortion is a roadblock to bills like health care reform. There's no getting around it," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.For Northup, the health care bill is "another disappointing sign that abortion remains stigmatized. ...Making abortion services out of reach, whether financially or physically, is a betrayal of Roe v. Wade's promise of freedom and equality for women."Despite one poll that showed more Massachusetts voters went to the polls motivated to save health reform, on the morning after Brown's election about a dozen anti-abortion protesters greeted Senate staffers as they made their way to work. They held signs saying, "Save your careers! Kill the bill!"Most staffers ignored Washington resident Missy Smith or gave her dirty looks as they filed into the Dirksen Senate Office building. Smith wasn't perturbed. Holding her bullhorn high, she told the workers that "the American people have spoken" and demanded that the health bill be "euthanized." When asked who she traveled to Capitol Hill with, Smith pointed across the street to Randall Terry, the Operation Rescue founder who often picketed Tiller's clinic and said his alleged killer "deserves to have his frame of mind and his motivation heard by the jury." Two days later, Terry also had a different take on his cause."The pro-life movement is in a crisis. We're making ourselves irrelevant," he said. Speaking to AOL News from the Mall, Terry said Brown's election and the refusal of some Catholic bishops to withhold communion from abortion-rights supporters are signs that "we've lost our way politically." As for the annual march, "It has become a holy pilgrimage for people who don't do anything for the rest of the year."Yoest isn't discouraged, even if many of those supporting her cause Friday were only virtually in the capital. The stalemate over health care "is a real indication of how underestimated pro-life sentiment is in this country," she said.Perhaps, but unlike Thursday's Supreme Court ruling overturning decades of campaign finance law, "whether you like it or not, Roe v. Wade is settled law," said Sabato, who predicts abortion will stay legal but limited. "It's a roller coaster but it's not a world-class roller coaster. The bumps and dips tend to be relatively small," he said of the war over abortion. "Everyone has recognized that this is an armistice. The activists are still shooting at one another, but most people have accepted this compromise as a way to move forward. And it's a compromise because nobody likes it."
By Adams Osilama (GNI)
Alex Wong, Getty Images
Activists participate in the annual "March for Life" event as they walk toward the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday.John Green, a University of Akron political scientist, said that after a decade during which public opinion on abortion held very steady, several polls noted a slight change in 2009. While a majority still favor abortion rights, Gallup found more Americans describing themselves as "pro-life" than "pro-choice" for the first time."There's been a shift," Green said. "It's likely because of the election of President Obama. A lot of people thought he would be strongly pro-choice and because they were perhaps in the middle, that led them to move more in the pro-life direction." He added that optimism among abortion-rights advocates turned into complacency. And now it's clear the issue isn't anywhere near the top of the president's agenda.Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, was among those who were "much more hopeful" as Obama entered office. The new president did move early to restore funding to international family planning groups that provide abortion. And he later called for a cease-fire and more "fair-minded words" in the debate during a speech at Catholic Notre Dame in which he was heckled.But two weeks later, one of the few doctors in the country who performed late-term abortions, George Tiller, was gunned down at his church in Kansas. On Friday, the trial of the man accused in the killing began in Wichita. In a stunning article in the February issue of GQ, Scott Roeder candidly tells writer Devin Friedman how he planned what he called the "righteous" killing.Tiller's clinic closed after his death, and others are fighting to stay open amid mounting legal restrictions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 18 states enacted a total of 34 laws related to abortion last year. The measures ranged from mandated counseling to waiting periods and ultrasounds for women seeking abortions to allowing "Choose Life" license plates."This is a very enjoined battle," said Northup, whose group tracks hundreds of anti-abortion bills in state capitals and last year filed five lawsuits against what it sees as the most egregious. "There is a relentless anti-choice activism in this country that looks for every opportunity" to inject the abortion issue into public policy, she said.At the moment, health care reform is Exhibit A. The effort is now stalled on Capitol Hill following the election of "41st senator" Scott Brown of Massachusetts – who supports abortion rights, albeit with limits. But if a deal ever is brokered between the House and Senate versions, one of the biggest sticking points remains the issue of taxpayer-funded abortion."Abortion is a roadblock to bills like health care reform. There's no getting around it," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.For Northup, the health care bill is "another disappointing sign that abortion remains stigmatized. ...Making abortion services out of reach, whether financially or physically, is a betrayal of Roe v. Wade's promise of freedom and equality for women."Despite one poll that showed more Massachusetts voters went to the polls motivated to save health reform, on the morning after Brown's election about a dozen anti-abortion protesters greeted Senate staffers as they made their way to work. They held signs saying, "Save your careers! Kill the bill!"Most staffers ignored Washington resident Missy Smith or gave her dirty looks as they filed into the Dirksen Senate Office building. Smith wasn't perturbed. Holding her bullhorn high, she told the workers that "the American people have spoken" and demanded that the health bill be "euthanized." When asked who she traveled to Capitol Hill with, Smith pointed across the street to Randall Terry, the Operation Rescue founder who often picketed Tiller's clinic and said his alleged killer "deserves to have his frame of mind and his motivation heard by the jury." Two days later, Terry also had a different take on his cause."The pro-life movement is in a crisis. We're making ourselves irrelevant," he said. Speaking to AOL News from the Mall, Terry said Brown's election and the refusal of some Catholic bishops to withhold communion from abortion-rights supporters are signs that "we've lost our way politically." As for the annual march, "It has become a holy pilgrimage for people who don't do anything for the rest of the year."Yoest isn't discouraged, even if many of those supporting her cause Friday were only virtually in the capital. The stalemate over health care "is a real indication of how underestimated pro-life sentiment is in this country," she said.Perhaps, but unlike Thursday's Supreme Court ruling overturning decades of campaign finance law, "whether you like it or not, Roe v. Wade is settled law," said Sabato, who predicts abortion will stay legal but limited. "It's a roller coaster but it's not a world-class roller coaster. The bumps and dips tend to be relatively small," he said of the war over abortion. "Everyone has recognized that this is an armistice. The activists are still shooting at one another, but most people have accepted this compromise as a way to move forward. And it's a compromise because nobody likes it."
By Adams Osilama (GNI)
Is Ryan Phillippe a Serial Cheater? A Look at His Relationship With Abbie Cornish
After nearly four years of dating, Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish called it quits. If reports about Phillippe's infidelity are to be believed, then Cornish should have adhered to the adage, "If he cheats with you, he'll cheat on you."Last May, Page Six reported that Phillippe was partying with several blondes in Cannes -- and Cornish was nowhere to be seen.In December, The National Enquirer (via The Insider) claimed that the 'Bright Star' actress was fed up with his philandering ways. "Ryan and Abbie are on the rocks because he's back to his horndog ways. He's been hitting the clubs regularly and desperately trying to hook up with almost every young woman he meets. His womanizing has gotten so out of hand, it's like Abbie never existed," a source said.But should Cornish be surprised? Not if she stops to think about how she and Phillippe came to be.The pair met on the set of their film 'Stop Loss,' when Phillippe was still married to Reese Witherspoon back in 2006. Their romance ignited, despite the ring on Ryan's finger.Then, the 'Legally Blonde' star filed for divorce in November of 2006. The tipping point, it seemed, were several clandestine text messages between Cornish and Phillippe that Reese spotted on her soon-to-be-ex husband's phone.Phillippe and his rep took pains to deny other rumors of the actor's drug use during the divorce proceedings, yet he all but admitted he had cheated on his wife."I'm not a perfect person, but I'm not guilty of a lot of the things I have been accused of. My priority is and always has been the health and safety of my family," Ryan said at the time. He refused to specifically comment on his supposed relationship with Cornish, though.Abbie later told W that being associated with the end of the Phillippe-Witherspoon marriage was "a really difficult time for me." "For me, it was like night and day. I woke up one day and there was this whole new thing I had to process and deal with." Well, Abbie, if you don't want to be cast as the dirty mistress -- excuse our 'Grey's' reference -- don't sleep with a married man.Now, we're not saying Abbie deserved what she got, she just should have seen it coming. To use another cliche about philanderers -- once a cheater, always a cheater.
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