The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| South Korea’s plastic surgery fad goes extreme Posted: 28 May 2013 01:57 AM PDT
A stream of celebrities boast on TV shows how it gave them a "new life," while advertisements extolling its cosmetic benefits are everywhere from street billboards to subway stations, magazines and popular Internet sites. But there's nothing really "cosmetic" about double-jaw surgery. A radical solution to congenital facial deformities or for people unable to chew properly due to excessive over or underbite, the operation involves realigning the upper and lower jaws. One result of the bone-cutting procedure is often a slimmer jawline – and that's what caught the attention of South Korea's booming beauty industry. A small face with a "V-shaped" chin and jawline is considered a mark of feminine beauty in much of East Asia, along with a high-bridged nose and big eyes. "This surgery alters your look far more dramatically than, say, Botox or a nose job because it changes your entire facial bone structure," said Choi Jin-Young, a professor in dentistry at Seoul National University. "But it's a very complex, potentially dangerous surgery ... it's disturbing to see people with no real dental flaws daring to go through it just to have a small, pretty face," Choi said. The procedure, which involves general anaesthesia and takes months to recover from, carries the risk of various complications including permanent facial numbness or even paralysis. Data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons suggests South Korea has one of the highest per-capita rates of plastic surgery procedures in the world. Cut throat competition among the growing number of plastic surgeons has driven some to promote more radical procedures that others might not offer. A number of celebrities, some reportedly paid by doctors, underwent double-jaw surgery and later appeared on TV talk shows saying it had provided a "turning point" in their career and personal lives. There is no official data on how many double jaw surgeries are performed. One recent study estimated the annual figure at 5,000, but it did not differentiate between cosmetic and medically prescribed procedures. Some 52 per cent of those who had taken the surgery suffered sensory problems such as facial numbness, the study said. Seoul's consumer protection agency saw the number of registered complaints surge from 29 in 2010 to 89 last year, though many more cases of post-operative problems are believed to go unreported. "My mouth keeps moving leftward and the jaw area has gone numb," wrote one user of a medical consumer online forum, showing photos of her skewed mouth. "I can't even feel when saliva keeps dripping out of my mouth," she said. Last August, a 23-year-old college who underwent double-jaw surgery killed herself. She left a suicide note explaining her desperation after the surgery left her unable to chew food or stop crying due to nerve damage in a tear duct. Shin Hyon-Ho, a medical malpractice lawyer in Seoul, said he had seen cases where the surgery had resulted in chronic jaw pain, a skewed mouth, misaligned teeth and an inability to chew or smile. "The number of plastic surgery-related cases is growing ... with complications becoming more serious," Shin said. A doctor with the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons said the procedure took off around four years ago when a Seoul dental clinic ran a major ad campaign promoting the cosmetic benefits. As it became popular, plastic surgeons began offering the surgery, causing the price to fall and making it more affordable to more people. "If we are seeing more complications, that's largely because the sheer number of people getting the surgery has increased rapidly in such a short period of time," said the doctor, who declined to be identified. "Yes, it was originally invented to correct a dental deformity, but you can't blame someone for getting the surgery to look good, especially in a place like the South where beauty, especially for women, pretty much trumps it all," the doctor said. Advertising for the procedure is prevalent and unambiguous. "The double jaw surgery clinic chosen by the pickiest ladies," reads one typical poster on a Seoul subway station wall, with large before and after photos. "Everyone but you has done it," admonishes another on a metro bus. A Seoul lawmaker in January proposed setting a minimum age limit for plastic surgery, noting the danger of "bone-related surgeries" in particular. But Lim In-Sook, professor of sociology at Korea University, said legislation couldn't tackle the root causes that push some women to risk their health for a prettier face. "This is a highly male-dominated nation where women need both brains and beauty, or often beauty more than brains, to get a job, get married and to survive in all aspects of life," she said. Plastic surgery, according to Lim, has become just another accepted way of giving yourself an edge in what is a super-competitive society. "So every single part of our bodies becomes an object for nip and tuck," Lim said. "Today it's your jaw, but who knows what we'll have to fix tomorrow?" – AFP/Relaxnews |
| Your hands-free device can still lead to wreckless driving Posted: 28 May 2013 12:48 AM PDT  A new study finds that talking on your hands-free device while driving leads to significantly more driving errors. - AFP pic ALBERTA, May 28 — Talking on a hands-free device while behind the wheel can lead to wreckless driving, according to new research from the University of Alberta. Announced Friday, a pilot study lead by Dr Yagesh Bhambhani showed that drivers who talk using a hands-free cellular device made significantly more driving errors—such as crossing the center line, speeding and changing lanes without signaling—compared with just driving alone. The jump in errors also corresponded with a spike in heart rate and brain activity. "It is commonplace knowledge, but for some reason it is not getting into the public conscience that the safest thing to do while driving is to focus on the road," said researcher Mayank Rehani. The researchers said that they became interested in the topic in 2009 shortly after Alberta introduced legislation that banned the use of handheld cellphones while driving but not hands-free devices. In this study, they used a noninvasive optical technique called near infrared spectroscopy to study the brain activity of 26 participants who completed a driving course using the Virage VS500M driving simulator at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Near infrared spectroscopy allowed the researchers to examine real-time changes in brain activity in the left prefrontal lobe. Participants were first tested in a control condition, using the simulator to drive in city street conditions using no telecommunications device. They were tested again while talking on a hands-free device during two-minute conversations that avoided emotionally charged topics. The research team found there was a significant increase in brain activity while talking on a hands-free device compared with the control condition. "The findings also indicated that blood flow to the brain is significantly increased during hands-free telecommunication in order to meet the oxygen demands of the neurons under the 'distracted' condition," said Bhambhani. – AFP-Relaxnews |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Features To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan