Breast Cancer "Rights"

One of the biggest issues facing all patients these days is access to treatment. I have found that most women are not aware that Breast Reconstruction after a cancer procedure is available to all women, in fact it is a law. Unfortunately many women are not given the opportunity to even consider reconstruction as they are not even made aware that reconstruction can be done at the same time as their Mastectomy or Breast Cancer Procedure. New York has gone one step further,  the act of informing patients of what their options are concerning breast reconstruction must be discussed by law. I think that this is a wonderful idea and allows a woman to make the choice of whether or not to reconstruct their Breast. I offer all the latest Breast Reconstruction techniques here on the North Shore and I am always available to discuss reconstructive options no matter where a woman is in her treatment.

New Law Requires Hospitals to Inform Breast Cancer Patients of Reconstruction Options

While breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is covered by insurers in New York, many poor, minority, and less educated women do not seek out the procedure. Now, New York Governor David A. Paterson has signed into law a bill that is aimed at reversing this trend.

"A disproportionate number of women who are at a socioeconomic disadvantage do not get breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy for one of several reasons. Either they are unaware of it as an option, they do not know it is covered by Medicaid and Medicare insurance programs, they do not know where to gain access to the procedures, or it is never mentioned to them by their other doctors," said Evan Garfein, MD, the plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center who authored the Bill.

He hopes that the new law (A10094B/S6993-B/Information and Access to Breast Reconstruction Surgery) will correct this disparity. It requires hospitals in New York to inform breast cancer patients about the availability of, and insurance coverage for, breast reconstruction before they undergo "mastectomy surgery, lymph node dissection or a lumpectomy."

While Congress passed the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act in 1998, which guaranteed universal coverage for reconstruction after surgery, and New York soon passed comparable provisions into its laws, disparities in access remain.

"Breast reconstruction has been repeatedly shown to improve the quality of life and overall well-being of women who have been treated for breast cancer," Garfein says. "This new law will ensure that breast cancer patients from all socioeconomic groups are informed about their options regarding breast reconstruction and about where to get the procedure."

New "Botox" soon to be approved

The world of cosmetic medicine is a ever changing landscape. I try my best to keep my patients informed of the newest and latest procedures that may interest them or help them. It is always important to research any and all new products and make sure that they can deliver what they promise. I hope to be one of the first practices in the Hammond,Covington and Mandeville area to carry the new Botox competitor, Xeomin. Please read the following article about Xeonmin and begin to educate yourself about this new product.

New Botox Competitor to Debut Next Month

Cosmetic use of Xeomin (Merz Pharmaceuticals] will be considered off-label use as of its initial US launch in September 2010. The drug was approved by the FDA in August 2010 only for treating neuromuscular conditions, such as cervical dystonia and blepharospasm, and is not yet approved to treat dynamic wrinkles between the brows and on the forehead.

Although Botox and Dysport are both approved for cosmetic use in addition to therapeutic use, Xeomin is expected to compete directly with the two botulinum toxin type A wrinkle-relaxing injectables.

Xeomin, Dysport, and Botox are each composed of similar, yet slightly different formulations of the botulinum toxin type A neurotoxin. The formulation in Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA) is particularly unique because it is free of complexing proteins, which may give Xeomin an advantage over Botox and Dysport in treating neuromuscular conditions, since the higher doses necessary can be given without resulting in antibody formation.

Xeomin’s lack of complexing proteins is not seen as a potential advantage over Dysport or Botox when it comes to cosmetic use. However, as the doses used to smooth forehead wrinkles and frown lines is so low, there is no noticeable difference. In fact, some physicians are concerned that it may be more difficult to control spreading or migration of Xeomin, which may lead to muscle relaxation that causes droopy eyebrows and other undesirable results.

Essentially, the effects of Xeomin injections for wrinkle reduction are anticipated to closely mirror the effects of Botox injections. The unit measurements of the two products are even expected to be about the same, although Botox is distributed in 100-unit vials, and Xeomin will be distributed in 50-unit and 100-unit vials.

The only other notable difference is that Xeomin will not require refrigeration prior to reconstitution as Botox and Dysport do, which is a convenience to physicians that likely will not affect consumers.

The lack of fluctuation in Botox prices after Dysport, its first competitor, was launched in April 2009 suggests that the introduction of Xeomin to the US market will not cause a decrease in the price of wrinkle-relaxing injections.

...[A] new trend has sprung up in our youth-obsessed society: an increase in potentially dangerous cheap plastic surgery. Billboards advertising $2,999 bargain boob jobs from a "surgeon to the stars" have sprouted on the California 405 Freeway, a sign in the Midwest proclaims you can "buy one implant, get one free," while an advertisement near Clearwater, Florida brags $8 Botox injections. Still, as horror stories like the former Miss Argentina who died at age 38 following a butt augmentation prove, bargain-basement procedures have their price.
There is a disturbing trend occurring in the world of cosmetic surgery. Beauty at all costs and at the lowest bottom line. This leads to unqualified and unscrupulous doctors performing injections and procedures they are not qualified to do or handle the complications should they occur. This is an article from California that reinforces my position. I always offer free consultations for anyone that has any questions about something they heard in the media or questions about a procedure.
"To get the cost down, they could be cutting back on things like general anesthesia. They make you feel like the procedure must be easier and not so serious if you're just getting local sedation. Nothing could be further from the truth," says Long Beach, Calif., plastic surgeon Dr. Marcel Daniels.

The article is accompanied by snapshots of some hard sell-type highway billboards, which do look pretty tacky.

But because facial injections are less involved than full surgeries, they have become the most popular procedure that physicians like dentists and gynecologists are adding to their repertoire.

Experts cite concerns that untrained doctors can improperly inject the substances, which can be toxic and carry harmful side effects, like a droopy lid or lip. There is also the danger that an unethical doctor may use a blend of cheaper ingredients rather than the FDA-approved name brand, as in [Priscilla] Presley's case.