When one talks about financing, the most common variable is some type of collateral. When you finance a home or a car, if you do not pay, you loose the car or home. However when you decide to finance a plastic surgery procedure, there is no collateral, they cannot repossess your face if you do not pay, therefore any loan to have a procedure done would be considered an unsecured loan, or a signature loan as it is more commonly referred to.

From that point, it comes down to the normal ins and outs associated with any loan application which includes things like your income and expenses, do you own or rent and of course the big one, what is you credit rating.

Unfortunately if you have never used credit, then chances are you will not qualify for a plastic surgery loan. Since it is a signature loan, you will usually need to have a 700 or better credit rating although many other factors maybe in play that may help or hurt your chances.

Just like taking out any loan, you also need to sit down and figure out if you can afford to make the payments and if so, how much can you reasonably afford to pay every month. If you have any experience in taking out a loan in the past, you will know that the lender will try to push you to take a higher monthly payment to save you interest, but at what cost. At the cost of your ability to take any future loans.

There are many companies and financial institutions that are more than willing to offer specialized plastic surgery loans to those who may not have a high enough credit score to take a loan from a bank. These companies deal especially in higher risk unsecured credit like credit cards. Matter of fact, the credit card giant Capitol One offers plastic surgery loans among other things. Like any other loan or use of credit, make sure that you understand what you are getting into before you make the final decision to dive into the plastic surgery loan process.

By: Dr. Jim Greene

About the Author:

plastic surgery

A med spa is a unique animal, a hybrid between a day spa, beauty salon and doctor’s office. The idea, at least in theory, is to provide a comfortable, non-clinical setting where clients can relax and enjoy both medical and non-medical treatments without feeling they are in a clinic or hospital. From a back massage to Botox injections to laser hair removal, you can have a variety of treatments designed to make you look younger and/or feel better carried out under one roof.

It’s important to know which medical spa is right for you.

Med spas are designed to be relaxing, informal places offering a variety of procedures, both invasive and non-invasive. But if you intend to have anything carried out that is more medically oriented than a manicure, light facial or reflexology foot massage, make sure a doctor is on-site, and that a licensed medical professional is performing your treatment.

Med spas “may offer traditional, complimentary, and alternative health practices and treatments in a spa-like setting,” the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors and Associations states. But they must always “operate under the on-site supervision of a licensed health care professional operating within their scope of practice, with a staff that operates within their scope of practice as defined by their individual licensing board if licensure is required.”

So if you are interested in visiting a med spa, do your homework first. While the experience is meant to be pleasurable with fantastic results, your health and safety should always be paramount.

Then don a fluffy robe and a pair of flip-flops, tie your hair back and expect to be pampered…

Spa Treatments (Non-Invasive)

Med spas offer all sorts of non-invasive treatments, ranging from run-of-the-mill facials to New Age alternative therapies such as iridology and Satvik Energy Healing. Most can be enjoyable and relaxing, as long as they are not used as a substitute for conventional medicine. Among the most popular ones are:

Facials. Many types of non-invasive facial treatments are on offer, the choice is up to the med spa. From tightening and lightening to deep cleansing and facial massage, there is literally something for everyone.

Peels. Light chemical peels can be carried out by licensed staff, a deeper chemical peel should only be done under the strict supervision of a doctor. They exfoliate the outer layer of the skin to reveal newer, more blemish-free skin underneath.

Waxing. Med spas offer a variety of hair removal techniques, with waxing being perhaps the least time-consuming and cheapest – but with only temporary results. However, some people say that regular waxing makes their hair grow in less coarse and more sparse.

Tinting. Eyebrow and lash tinting, or a combination of the two. Make sure you have a consultation with the therapist beforehand, as well as an allergy test at least two days before you go for the tint.

Massage. From Thai massage, deep tissue massage, shiatsu and Reiki, there is a therapy to suit most needs, tastes and even desires. How about a hot stone massage, where – surprise – hot stones are placed on your back to encourage the blood to circulate better, and the lymphatic drainage system to empty? There’s even a spa in Israel that tempts clients with a snake massage, where the little reptiles are set loose to crawl all over your skin…

Medical Treatments (Invasive)

It’s recommended that these treatments be administered by a dermatologist or doctor, not just any old aesthetician. Ask before you go to make sure you have only the most qualified people treating you. As regulations vary from state to state, your safety really is in your own hands. Insist on the best and don’t be fobbed off – would you want a receptionist giving you injections to plump up your buttocks?

Injections. Botox injections are arguably the most popular invasive treatments a med spa can offer. The Botulinum toxin poison, which is FDA-approved, works by relaxing – read paralyzing – the facial muscles to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.

Dermal Fillers. Whether you want Restylane, Juviderm, Radiesse, Sculptra, collagen or other fillers, they can perform a plethora of miracles, from giving your lips that Angelina Jolie look to filling in crow’s feet and smoker’s lines on the face. Can even be used on the hands (ouch!).

Dental. Med spas often offer a variety of cosmetic dental treatment, including teeth whitening, straightening and realignment.

Dermatology. Medical procedures such as wart, mole and scar removals can be carried out at med spas, along with specific acne treatments and deep chemical peels, facials etc. Many also do tattoo removals these days, with excellent results in most cases.

Laser Hair Removal. An intense beam of pulsed light passes through the hair, and the heat destroys it at the follicle point. The choice is up to you: you can have hair removed from your legs, face, bikini area, tummy, underarm area, back or even neck. Suitable for both men and women.

Laser Skin Treatments. Kind of like a chemical peel with laser light used to penetrate the top layer of the skin instead of chemicals. It falls away, revealing newer, more unblemished skin underneath. Ebrium and Fraxel lasers are some of the most popular on the market today.

Photo Rejuvenation. These treatments are suitable for those with specific skin issues such as age spots, blemishes and wrinkles. A combination of heat and pulsed light therapy helps remove the worst of the culprits, and make the rest appear less noticeable through promoting collagen production in the skin.

Vascular Treatments. From sclerotherapy to laser treatment, including getting rid of spider veins on the face, legs, ankles and other parts of the body. Can also get rid of skin tags and hemangiomas.

Visiting a med spa is meant to be a positive experience, not one that will leave you with serious injury or permanent scarring. They can be a fantastic place to have a non-invasive treatment carried out, but often a doctor’s office or hospital is best for something more invasive. Use common sense, and speak with your own doctor first.

Before you visit any med spa ensure that a physician will be overseeing the facility, and that he or she is always on-site. Make sure staff are qualified and licensed, that the equipment is state-of-the-art and up-to-date, and that staff are properly trained to use it correctly. Find out what you’re getting into before you visit any spa, and do your research carefully. Good luck!

By: S Matthews

About the Author:

Med Spa

The realization hit Natalie like a ton of bricks. Her mother, Joann, had literally died of embarrassment! Joann had noticed blood in her stool almost a year before she was diagnosed with colon cancer. At first she told herself it must have been those beets she ate. Then she thought it was most likely her hemorrhoids, although she had not had a flair-up of hemorrhoids since Natalie’s birth 52 years earlier.

The truth was that Joann was embarrassed to talk with her doctor about private topics such as her bowel habits. She didn’t raise the concern with her doctor until she had bloating, cramping and abdominal pain. This led to the diagnosis of colon cancer that ultimately took her life. Natalie’s brother-in-law, who was a nurse, wondered whether Joann would still be alive if she had told her doctor about the blood in her stool when she first noticed it.

Let’s face it; certain topics are embarrassing to talk about with your doctor. I call them the 5 P’s:

o Peeing

o Pooping

o Paying

o Procreating

o Psychic moaning

Although at first blush the challenge of talking with your doctor about embarrassing medical topics seems simple enough, for some people, it can cause significant suffering.

Hillary, for example, had what’s now called a shy bladder. She had not used a public restroom in over 20 years. She was too embarrassed to talk with her doctor about this; instead, she remained a prisoner to her bladder.

Ed was laid off from work and could no longer afford his asthma medications. Instead of talking with his doctor about it, he decided to do without He wound up in the emergency room with an asthma attack that could have been avoided with regular medication.

Tom had some sexual side effects from his blood pressure medicine. Instead of talking with his doctor and getting a different medicine, he just stopped taking it. The doctors wonder if this might have contributed to his heart attack.

Jerry noticed his loss of appetite and sleeping problems as his caregiver responsibilities for his aging father mounted. He wondered if he might be depressed, but dismissed the thought because real men don’t get depressed.

Imagine how each of these stories might have been different if these individuals who suffered in silence could have talked with their doctors.

Here are 6 tips that can help you talk with your doctor about embarrassing medical topics:

1. Own the embarrassment.

Say to your doctor, “This is a taboo topic in our family, so it’s hard for me to ask. Is it normal to have a funny smell coming from your belly button?”

2. Find the words.

Your doctor speaks a specialized language acquired through years of training. Sometimes patients are embarrassed because they don’t know the “right words” or
have a hard time describing the problem.

Remember that your job is to communicate. You don’t need to know the fancy words to do that. If a patient said to me, “Dad had an operation on the dingle-ball thing at the back of his throat”, I would know just what he meant. And, the patient would seem relieved when I said, “Oh, you mean the uvula.”

The best way to make sure you and your doctor understand each other is to use anatomically correct words. Get a basic anatomy atlas. Use anatomically correct
words with your children.

3. Practice saying the words.

Sometimes embarrassing words can be hard to get out of your mouth. Gertrude, a 90-year-old patient said to me, “You youngsters don’t understand how much things have changed. When I got breast cancer in the 1962, the words ‘breast’ and ‘cancer’ were not uttered in polite company.” Some words are still embarrassing to say. Practice saying these words out loud when you’re alone! That will make it easier to say them at the doctor’s office

4. Find the right person to ask.

You may have an easy rapport with the nurse or physician’s assistant at your doctor’s office. You can bring up the sensitive topic with them. Say, “Trish, could you please give the doctor a heads up. I want to know why I should say no to those steroids my buddies at the gym are offering me. I would love to look like they do.”

5. Find the right way to ask.

Maybe it’s easier for you to drop a note or a cartoon to your doctor rather than ask in person. Find the style that works best for you.

6. Remember that your doctor is there to help you, not to judge you.

Your doctor has heard it all before. I promise! Your doctor will not think less of you for asking an embarrassing medical question; in fact, your doctor with think more of you for overcoming your fear and helping you take charge of your health.

By: Dr. Vicki Rackner

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The growth in cosmetic plastic surgery is not limited to the shores of the UK. People all over the world choose this type of surgery to amend facial or body features about themselves. Long gone are the days when one was forced to accept there birth features for better or for worse. Nowadays plastic surgery transplants are also being carried out on young people.

Plastic surgery of course is not an operation that should be taken light heartedly. The pleasure of seeing ones body change into something more desirable or to your own liking, does not come without its costs and body discomfort during the healing process. It is therefore paramount that any such surgery is only taken out after thorough consideration. Where possible it is also wise to accept advice from those close to you, as there maybe alternative methods that could work out just as effectively. For example in the instance surgery is sought to help reduce weight a proper diet that is followed could just as well do the trick without the financial costs involved in surgery. Also do not forget plastic surgery does require aftercare and depending on the type of plastic surgery you intent carrying out, this could be a number of months.

So how many people actually carry out plastic surgery each year and what type of surgery do they undertake?

Well in 2006 over 11.5 million cosmetic surgery procedures were carried out in the United States of America alone, a 447 per cent increase in the amount of plastic surgery operations carried out in 1997.The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s cosmetic surgery statistics are the most comprehensive collection of data available on the number of cosmetic surgical and no surgical procedures performed in the United States

Below is a breakdown of the 11.5 million plastic surgery operations carried out.

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Procedures

The top five most popular surgical procedures in 2006 include: