A PLASTIC surgeon was yesterday found guilty of professional misconduct in relation to his treatment of a 33-year-old Dublin woman who attended him for a breast augmentation operation.
A three-person fitness to practise inquiry team of the Irish Medical Council found six of 12 allegations made against Italian Dr Marco Loiacono in relation to his treatment of Catherine McCormack, from Swords, Co Dublin, proven beyond reasonable doubt.
They have recommended a number of conditions be attached to the retention of his name on the medical register including that he undertake an appropriate professional development programme. Their decision will now have to be ratified by a meeting of the full medical council.
It was found proven that Dr Loiacono failed to arrange for adequate post-operative treatment for Ms McCormack when he became aware her left breast had become infected some days after her surgery at an Advanced Cosmetic Surgery (ACS) clinic in Dublin in October 2006. It was also found proven that he failed to remove her left breast implant in a timely manner when an infection set in or when he saw her on November 9th or 17th, that he failed to treat the infection appropriately, failed to maintain adequate medical records, and failed to apply adequate standards of clinical competence or judgment in her case.
Ms McCormack, a receptionist and mother of three, told the inquiry last December that while she was initially happy with her surgery, one breast implant eventually had to be removed when an infection set in and she was left disfigured. She claimed her outcome after the surgery, which was to bring her from a B bra cup size to a D/DD cup, would have been much better had she received proper post-operative care.
Dr Loiacono, who now works mainly in Italy and Brazil but was operating on patients at Clane Cosmetic Clinic in Kildare and at Cosmedico in Wicklow up to late last year, denied all the allegations and conducted his own defence.
Before the fitness to practise committee reached its decision yesterday it heard evidence from Dr Peter Meagher, a reconstructive breast surgeon at Dublin’s St James’s Hospital. He said the management of Ms McCormack was “fundamentally flawed” and “suboptimal”. He said on November 9th she was clearly “in very real trouble” when Dr Loiacono reviewed her. Nursing notes from the day before referred to her left breast being red, tender and oozing. She had a severe infection and should have been admitted to hospital and put on intravenous antibiotic therapy. Infected implants must be removed, he said, as antibiotics will not work on them as they have no blood supply.
It was “reckless”, he added, to operate where there were no proper post-operative facilities to admit patients to at the ACS clinic, which has since gone into liquidation. Furthermore he said it was “unwise” of Dr Loiacono to stitch Ms McCormack’s wound when it was coming apart and oozing when he saw her again on November 17th. He regarded this as poor clinical practice. If a locum for him did this he would ensure he never worked in the same institution as him again.
He also criticised that Dr Loiacono did not see Ms McCormack for 20 days after her surgery, or for a further eight days thereafter even though she had an infection.
In his own evidence Dr Loiacono, whose contract said he would get 8 per cent commission if he earned the ACS clinic more than €25,000 a day, said Ms McCormack only had a mild infection when he saw her on November 9th and he put her on antibiotics. If he had sent her to hospital she would be in danger of picking up MRSA, he said.
He said she could have been admitted to the ACS clinic if necessary. He stressed nurses from the clinic saw the patient in the days after her operation and he was available to see her within 24 hours if required.
He added that he had carried out over 450 breast augmentations and only in three cases had infections set in. Were he to treat Ms McCormack again, he would not do anything differently.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Is Your Makeup Making You Sick?
That blush, eye shadow and lipstick you wear every day could be making you sick. Very sick. On his weekday television show, "The Dr. Oz Show," Dr. Mehmet Oz asserted that the chemicals in makeup not only can cause health ailments, but also could be carcinogenic.
Here are some of the problems makeup can cause, according to Dr. Oz:
* One component of makeup is mineral dust, which is now 10 times smaller than it was just 10 years ago. The danger is that these particles are so miniscule they can easily be inhaled. Over time, this can lead to lung scarring, inflammation and lung disease.
* The wrinkle creams you use to erase those fine lines, may actually cause more wrinkles later in life. The creams work by causing skin inflammation that eventually breaks down collagen, and it's this process that creates wrinkles years later.
# Many lip gloss and lipstick products contain petroleum. Put that on your lips and you're ingesting it. Dr. Oz says scientists are currently studying whether petroleum in lip gloss and lipstick is linked to cancer.
Dr. Oz said some of the ingredients in makeup have been linked not only to birth defects, but also lifelong reproductive impairments. Other side effects include hair loss, memory loss, anxiety and rollercoaster hormones. He recounted the story of a makeup artist, who experienced many of these symptoms. Blood tests determined her blood contained toxic levels of heavy metals, including aluminum, barium, cadmium lead and mercury, as well as high levels of pesticides and other chemicals.
While cosmetic companies insist the level of a harmful chemicals in any one product is not enough to actually cause anyone harm, many medical researchers counter that daily exposure from numerous products over an extended period of time can be detrimental. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the ingredients in personal care products.
Here are some of the problems makeup can cause, according to Dr. Oz:
* One component of makeup is mineral dust, which is now 10 times smaller than it was just 10 years ago. The danger is that these particles are so miniscule they can easily be inhaled. Over time, this can lead to lung scarring, inflammation and lung disease.
* The wrinkle creams you use to erase those fine lines, may actually cause more wrinkles later in life. The creams work by causing skin inflammation that eventually breaks down collagen, and it's this process that creates wrinkles years later.
# Many lip gloss and lipstick products contain petroleum. Put that on your lips and you're ingesting it. Dr. Oz says scientists are currently studying whether petroleum in lip gloss and lipstick is linked to cancer.
Dr. Oz said some of the ingredients in makeup have been linked not only to birth defects, but also lifelong reproductive impairments. Other side effects include hair loss, memory loss, anxiety and rollercoaster hormones. He recounted the story of a makeup artist, who experienced many of these symptoms. Blood tests determined her blood contained toxic levels of heavy metals, including aluminum, barium, cadmium lead and mercury, as well as high levels of pesticides and other chemicals.
While cosmetic companies insist the level of a harmful chemicals in any one product is not enough to actually cause anyone harm, many medical researchers counter that daily exposure from numerous products over an extended period of time can be detrimental. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the ingredients in personal care products.
Cosmetic Surgery Emerges as Export Product
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
When 46-year-old Wah Lee Ling Jessie from Indonesia decided to get a facelift following years of frustration, she flew to Seoul and turned to BK DongYang Plastic Surgery.
“One of my friends had her face fixed here. When I had an online consultation with the clinic’s coordinators, they assured me that everything would be alright,” she said.
Jessie had wrinkles on her eyelids removed and had some body fat injected into her chin to make her look younger.
“I am quite happy following the surgery. I bet my sister will be willing to come here too.”
Medical tourism, which has also promoted sightseeing and shopping, has become increasingly popular here.
According to the Council for Korea Medicine Overseas Promotion, the number of foreign visitors who received medical treatment at its 31 member facilities marked 25,000 in 2009, a 56 percent rise from 2008.
One woman, a 76-year-old Mongolian, checked into the Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul for five months and paid 420 million won. Visitors to Areumdaunnara Beauty Clinic paid an average of 950,000 won and according to BK DongYang, its patients spent an average of 5 million won.
Because such patients’ bills are not covered by the Korea state-governed National Health Insurance, the industry is rapidly emerging as a next generation goldmine.
Maeng Jung-ju, head of the Gangnam District Office, told The Korea Times that “I believe our future lies in the services sector, specifically the medical field. It will be a major cash cow.”
Cosmetic surgery is by far the most popular. According to the Gangnam District Office, where 70 percent of plastic surgeons in Seoul are operating, the district saw a 25 percent jump in the number of foreign visitors to its clinics in one year.
Why Korea?
“Koreans are quite good at handling small and delicate operations,” Kim Byung-gun, director of BK Dongyang Clinic, told The Korea Times.
“While Westerners are used to reducing the size of the nose and trying to tidy up facial lines, Koreans are used to injecting fillers, creating double eyelids and other techniques that suit Asian customers’ needs.”
His clinic provides stem cell extract injections for rejuvenation and other state-of-the-art surgery services.
“These are getting increasingly popular and as more new methods are introduced, we will see more needs here, too,” he said.
Taking into account that plastic surgery is the most sought-after field even among talented doctors these days _ only the top 10 percent of the doctors manage to get a Ph.D. for plastic surgery _ statistics show that the industry will bloom even more.
The affordability the procedures here is one of their main attractions. According to the Korea Academy of Medical Sciences, Korean doctors are globally competitive but the medical bills are about 66 percent those of Japanese and 30 to 50 percent of the United States.
Some doctors pick the “Korean wave” as one of the most decisive factors behind the rush of foreign medical tourists to Seoul.
A plastic surgeon performs surgery on a patient. Korean plastic surgeons are considered as the best in Asia.
For Wen Lin Lin, a 26-year-old Chinese who recently had a nose job in Korea, it was natural that she came all the way to Korea. “Song Hye-gyo is my favorite actress. When I decided to alter my face to look like her, there was no other choice than to visit Korean doctors,” she said.
Moreover, the high-end hospitality impressed here. “Hospitals provided me with computer simulation of 3D images ahead of the operation, which was a great help. The doctors spoke Chinese, which gave me a sense of security,” she said.
These days the clinics provide nonstop service from the day of arrival to the departure date. From limousine pick-up service to hotel and restaurant bookings, arranging sightseeing and recommending shopping malls, the hospitals and clinics are providing them with what traveling agencies generally do.
“All these merits have added up to make Korea the leader in the world of cosmetic surgery,” health ministry official Kim Gang-rip said. The government expects 140,000 medical tourists worldwide to visit Korea this year.
According to the BK DongYang promoter Lee Mi-kyung, Asians, especially those from China, Singapore, Indonesia and others, accounted for the majority of medical tourists but many Westerners have also picked Korea as their medical tourist destination.
Clinics Are Ready
Medical clinics are more aggressive than non-profit general hospitals in attracting foreign customers.
ABC Plastic Surgeries in Busan, the largest plastic surgery clinic in the southern port city, is enjoying rows of foreign patients these days. It used to be Japanese tourists who arrived in ferry boats and enjoyed short trips, but these days many Russians and Chinese are visiting the port city.
The hospital invited a number of medical tourism agents from Russia and Japan to help with promotion. “Many of them were quite impressed with the sophistication of our skills. It is going all right,” the hospital spokeswoman said.
Some clinics moved into hotels to attract more lucrative tourists. The Imperial Palace Hotel in southern Seoul and the Paradise Busan Hotel have recently welcomed sets of dermatologists into the hotels. The ambitious win-win plan to entice more patients to hotels and to attract guests to the clinics haven’t shown any visible results yet, but it surely helps enhance the brand image of both parties, a spokeswoman of a clinic said. According to insiders, more clinics are likely to open shops inside hotels.
Hospitals Trying to Catch Up
It is true that large general hospitals are more hesitant to secure foreign patients.
Hospitals can spare only 5 percent of their rooms to foreigners. They also face criticism from non-profit oriented hospitals that they are simply digging for gold instead of caring for the health of their patients.
Therefore, they have maintained a low-key approach by attracting foreign medical tourists by bolstering non-therapeutic but lucrative health checkup centers.
However, things are changing these days.
Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul has started promoting its plastic surgery department alongside its other state-of-the-art facilities. “We do double eyelid surgeries and other procedures. Many people don’t know about it,” the hospital spokesman Ha Tae-kyoung said.
Other large hospitals have also geared up for the move. “Who wouldn’t? We need money,” a general hospital promoter said on condition of anonymity.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
Staff Reporter
When 46-year-old Wah Lee Ling Jessie from Indonesia decided to get a facelift following years of frustration, she flew to Seoul and turned to BK DongYang Plastic Surgery.
“One of my friends had her face fixed here. When I had an online consultation with the clinic’s coordinators, they assured me that everything would be alright,” she said.
Jessie had wrinkles on her eyelids removed and had some body fat injected into her chin to make her look younger.
“I am quite happy following the surgery. I bet my sister will be willing to come here too.”
Medical tourism, which has also promoted sightseeing and shopping, has become increasingly popular here.
According to the Council for Korea Medicine Overseas Promotion, the number of foreign visitors who received medical treatment at its 31 member facilities marked 25,000 in 2009, a 56 percent rise from 2008.
One woman, a 76-year-old Mongolian, checked into the Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul for five months and paid 420 million won. Visitors to Areumdaunnara Beauty Clinic paid an average of 950,000 won and according to BK DongYang, its patients spent an average of 5 million won.
Because such patients’ bills are not covered by the Korea state-governed National Health Insurance, the industry is rapidly emerging as a next generation goldmine.
Maeng Jung-ju, head of the Gangnam District Office, told The Korea Times that “I believe our future lies in the services sector, specifically the medical field. It will be a major cash cow.”
Cosmetic surgery is by far the most popular. According to the Gangnam District Office, where 70 percent of plastic surgeons in Seoul are operating, the district saw a 25 percent jump in the number of foreign visitors to its clinics in one year.
Why Korea?
“Koreans are quite good at handling small and delicate operations,” Kim Byung-gun, director of BK Dongyang Clinic, told The Korea Times.
“While Westerners are used to reducing the size of the nose and trying to tidy up facial lines, Koreans are used to injecting fillers, creating double eyelids and other techniques that suit Asian customers’ needs.”
His clinic provides stem cell extract injections for rejuvenation and other state-of-the-art surgery services.
“These are getting increasingly popular and as more new methods are introduced, we will see more needs here, too,” he said.
Taking into account that plastic surgery is the most sought-after field even among talented doctors these days _ only the top 10 percent of the doctors manage to get a Ph.D. for plastic surgery _ statistics show that the industry will bloom even more.
The affordability the procedures here is one of their main attractions. According to the Korea Academy of Medical Sciences, Korean doctors are globally competitive but the medical bills are about 66 percent those of Japanese and 30 to 50 percent of the United States.
Some doctors pick the “Korean wave” as one of the most decisive factors behind the rush of foreign medical tourists to Seoul.
A plastic surgeon performs surgery on a patient. Korean plastic surgeons are considered as the best in Asia.
For Wen Lin Lin, a 26-year-old Chinese who recently had a nose job in Korea, it was natural that she came all the way to Korea. “Song Hye-gyo is my favorite actress. When I decided to alter my face to look like her, there was no other choice than to visit Korean doctors,” she said.
Moreover, the high-end hospitality impressed here. “Hospitals provided me with computer simulation of 3D images ahead of the operation, which was a great help. The doctors spoke Chinese, which gave me a sense of security,” she said.
These days the clinics provide nonstop service from the day of arrival to the departure date. From limousine pick-up service to hotel and restaurant bookings, arranging sightseeing and recommending shopping malls, the hospitals and clinics are providing them with what traveling agencies generally do.
“All these merits have added up to make Korea the leader in the world of cosmetic surgery,” health ministry official Kim Gang-rip said. The government expects 140,000 medical tourists worldwide to visit Korea this year.
According to the BK DongYang promoter Lee Mi-kyung, Asians, especially those from China, Singapore, Indonesia and others, accounted for the majority of medical tourists but many Westerners have also picked Korea as their medical tourist destination.
Clinics Are Ready
Medical clinics are more aggressive than non-profit general hospitals in attracting foreign customers.
ABC Plastic Surgeries in Busan, the largest plastic surgery clinic in the southern port city, is enjoying rows of foreign patients these days. It used to be Japanese tourists who arrived in ferry boats and enjoyed short trips, but these days many Russians and Chinese are visiting the port city.
The hospital invited a number of medical tourism agents from Russia and Japan to help with promotion. “Many of them were quite impressed with the sophistication of our skills. It is going all right,” the hospital spokeswoman said.
Some clinics moved into hotels to attract more lucrative tourists. The Imperial Palace Hotel in southern Seoul and the Paradise Busan Hotel have recently welcomed sets of dermatologists into the hotels. The ambitious win-win plan to entice more patients to hotels and to attract guests to the clinics haven’t shown any visible results yet, but it surely helps enhance the brand image of both parties, a spokeswoman of a clinic said. According to insiders, more clinics are likely to open shops inside hotels.
Hospitals Trying to Catch Up
It is true that large general hospitals are more hesitant to secure foreign patients.
Hospitals can spare only 5 percent of their rooms to foreigners. They also face criticism from non-profit oriented hospitals that they are simply digging for gold instead of caring for the health of their patients.
Therefore, they have maintained a low-key approach by attracting foreign medical tourists by bolstering non-therapeutic but lucrative health checkup centers.
However, things are changing these days.
Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul has started promoting its plastic surgery department alongside its other state-of-the-art facilities. “We do double eyelid surgeries and other procedures. Many people don’t know about it,” the hospital spokesman Ha Tae-kyoung said.
Other large hospitals have also geared up for the move. “Who wouldn’t? We need money,” a general hospital promoter said on condition of anonymity.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
You Need To Know About Cosmetic
About cosmetics;
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and gels, deodorants, baby products, bath oils, bubble baths, bath salts, butters and many other types of products. A subset of cosmetics is called "make-up," which refers primarily to colored products intended to alter the user’s appearance. Many manufacturers distinguish between decorative cosmetics and care cosmetics.
The manufacture of cosmetics is currently dominated by a small number of multinational corporations that originated in the early 20th century, but the distribution and sale of cosmetics is spread among a wide range of different businesses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which regulates cosmetics in theUnited States defines cosmetics as: "intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions." This broad definition includes, as well, any material intended for use as a component of a cosmetic product. The FDA specifically excludes soap from this category.
History of Cosmetics;
The first archaeological evidence of cosmetics usage is found in Egypt around 3500 BC during the Ancient Egypt times with some of the royalty having make up such as Nefertiti, Nefertari, mask of Tutankhamun, etc. The Ancient Greeks and Romans also used cosmetics. The Romans and Ancient Egyptians used cosmetics containing poisonous mercury and often lead. The ancient kingdom of Israel was influenced by cosmetics as recorded in the Old Testament—2 Kings 9:30 where Jezebel painted her eyelids—approximately 840 BC. The Biblical book of Esther describes various beauty treatments as well.
In the western world, the advent of cosmetics was in the Middle Ages, although typically restricted to use within the upper classes, yet frowned upon and banned by the Church.
Cosmetic use was frowned upon at some points in Western history. For example, in the 1800s, make-up was used primarily by prostitutes, and Queen Victoria publicly declared makeup improper, vulgar, and acceptable only for use by actors. Adolf Hitler told women that face painting was for clowns and not for the women of the master race.
Women in the 19th century liked to be thought of as fragile ladies. They compared themselves to delicate flowers and emphasised their delicacy and femininity. They aimed always to look pale and interesting. Paleness could be induced by drinking vinegar and avoiding fresh air. Sometimes ladies discreetly used a little rouge on the cheeks, but make-up was frowned upon in general especially during the 1870s when social etiquette became more rigid.
Actresses however were allowed to use make up and famous beauties such as Sarah Bernhardt and Lillie Langtry could be powdered. Most cosmetic products available were still either chemically dubious, or found in the kitchen amid food colorings, berries and beetroot.
By the middle of the 20th century, cosmetics were in widespread use by women in nearly all industrial societies around the world.
Cosmetics have been in use for thousands of years. The absence of regulation of the manufacture and use of cosmetics has led to negative side effects, deformities, blindness, and even death through the ages. Examples of this were the prevalent use of ceruse (white lead), to cover the face during the Renaissance, and blindness caused by the mascara Lash Lure during the early 1900s.
The worldwide annual expenditures for cosmetics today is estimated at U.S. $19 billion. Of the major firms, the oldest and the largest is L'Oréal, which was founded by Eugene Schueller in 1909 as the French Harmless Hair Colouring Company (now owned by Liliane Bettencourt 26% and Nestlé 28%, with the remaining 46% are publicly traded). The market was developed in the USA during the 1910s by Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, and Max Factor. These firms were joined by Revlon just before World War II and Estée Lauder just after.
Beauty products are now widely available from dedicated internet-only retailers, who have more recently been joined online by established outlets, including the major department stores and traditional bricks and mortar beauty retailers.
Like most industries, cosmetic companies resist regulation by government agencies like the FDA, and have lobbied against this throughout the years.
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