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Ilena Rose
Aug 20, 2008, 12:01:07 PM8/20/08
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Thanks to Pamela for this up to the moment news.
HADCORP NEWS: August 20, 2008
Leading Story:
French doctor accused in plastic surgery scam arrested in Spain
(AFP)
Khaleej Times
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19 August 2008
MARSEILLE, France - A French cosmetic surgeon who went on the run after being tried for mutilating and endangering the lives of dozens of men and women has been arrested in Spain, police sources said on Tuesday.
Michel Maure, who told investigators he was one of the world's best plastic surgeons, went on trial in June in the southern French city Marseille on charges of false advertising, deception, and causing involuntary injury.
The verdict was due in September, with prosecutors calling for a four-year prison sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros (110,000 dollars) but he went missing in July despite a court order restricting his movements.
A European arrest warrant was issued and he was finally arrested Tuesday in Rosas in northeastern Spain, the French police source said.
Nearly 100 victims had lodged complaints against Maure, 59.
Investigators have said that since 1995, the doctor had practised illegally, describing his clinic in Marseille as a "dirty and badly maintained facility" where his patients faced "an immediate risk of death or severe after-effects."
Many of Maure's mostly female patients decribed his methods as "violent." He carried out painful procedures, such as liposuction or the insertion of breast implants, under a simple local anaesthetic, they said.
His alleged victims have complained of chronic pain and infections. Several have had to undergo reparatory surgery.
Maure, who claimed to be the "victim of a plot," was in 2007 struck off France's medical register.
After Donda West death, California Senate approves new rule for elective surgery
Los Angeles Times
CA, USA
The measure requiring that patients be given physical exams comes in response to the 2007 death of rapper Kanye West's mother, who died of complications related to cosmetic surgery.
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:25 PM PDT, August 13, 2008
SACRAMENTO -- After the death of a rapper Kanye West's mother after plastic surgery, the state Senate today approved a requirement that patients be given a physical exam before elective surgery.
Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) said the measure was in response to the 2007 death of Donda West, mother of the rap musician, of complications related to cosmetic surgery. The family believes that a physical exam would have uncovered coronary artery disease.
"Many of us are concerned about the quality of care extended to those who receive elective surgery," Ridley-Thomas said.
The vote on AB 2968 was 37 to 1.
Why Cosmetic Surgery as a Career Move is BS
U.S. News & World Report
Washington, DC, USA
August 05, 2008 02:42 PM ET | Liz Wolgemuth |
If the news about people investing in cosmetic surgery to benefit their careers makes you cringe, you're not alone. CareerDiva blogger Eve Tahmincioglu writes that if she sees "another story about women getting plastic surgery or getting Botox injections in order to land jobs I am going to puke."
It's media hype, she says. The real career-boosting move is job training.
Yes, go out and take a course or get a degree. Your money will be better spent improving your skills and improving your mind.
I'm not saying you shouldn't reassess your wardrobe, or get a haircut.
There's nothing wrong with trying to look your best. But we shouldn't be ashamed of growing old. People can smell this type of shame and that's what doesn't get you a job.
I was intrigued, particularly because I've written about career-driven cosmetic surgery, so I asked Tahmincioglu a couple of questions via E-mail.
Some of the more common stories of career-linked surgery came from older women in real estate, where "customer touch" is pretty high. For those sorts of jobs, how can one keep up an appearance of freshness and relevancy? Is it just job training?
And patients often speak of the confidence that cosmetic surgery gives them. If a person fits that mold—where physical appearance is so important to them—do you think that quality alone suggests they're not leadership material? Do leaders, in general, find their confidence elsewhere?
Tahmincioglu's on vacation, but she responded because "the 'be-youthful-no-matter-what' mantra I've been hearing lately needs to be reality checked." Here's her very thoughtful response (emphasis is mine):
I've blogged about this often at CareerDiva because I'm getting more and more readers asking whether their age may be impacting their job search negatively, and also because I'm seeing so many stories about women who have chosen plastic surgery or Botox to help their careers.
In the case of Realtors, and others who are close to the public on a regular basis, it's about knowing your business. Home buyers and sellers want someone who knows a particular market... the neighborhoods that are hip; tips on how to make your home more attractive to buyers; are homes priced right, etc. That said, first impressions can be everything. And that starts with the photo of a real estate agent on the website and on the home signs they put up. Get a professional photo taken. I don't care how much plastic surgery you get, a bad photo is a bad photo, and it will turn people off. That's in any industry where you use a photo for the service or product you're selling.
And if you're in a high "customer touch" job, especially one where you need to move around a lot, the first thing you should be thinking about is being fit. I often scratch my head when I see men and women who spend so much money on rearranging their faces surgically but get winded when they climb a flight of stairs. People gravitate to individuals who are full of energy and vigor. They know you can get the job done.
And I'm a big advocate of updating your fashion sense. I was a reporter for Women's Wear Daily early on in my career and there was something to be said about just the right outfit that enhanced your best features. Not everyone is good at figuring out what works best for them, and buying a bunch of fashion magazines will only make you ill. If you're really in the dark, I'd hire a professional image consultant or stylist who can help you find the right wardrobe. You want to look age appropriate but you also want to look hip.
As for leadership, I've interviewed hundreds of CEOs and top dogs at corporations during my career, and 55 in my book, From the Sandbox to the Corner Office, and let me tell you, these men and women oozed confidence. It came from within. The majority I have interviewed did not have plastic surgery. But they looked pulled together, fit, and seemed to always dress right. Most seemed to spend a lot of money on their wardrobes and their hairstyles. Quick snapshot on why, I think, they are so confident—they admit mistakes; they ask for help, and seek out mentors; and they were not afraid of paying dues during their careers and learning from the ground up.
Frankly Liz, I don't buy this confidence-with-surgery BS. People with low self-esteem, or individuals who have become obsessed with aging, are looking for quick fixes to help them when they walk into that job interview. It's a stressful moment. There is no debating that. But doing your homework about a company you want to work for, or staying on top of the changing landscape of your industry, is how you gain real confidence when you're face to face with a hiring manager or a customer.
It's easy to blame your wrinkles for why you're in a career abyss. While I know there is a lot of age discrimination in the workplace, I think the 40-plus crowd is actually helping prop up this bias today. Why? We don't even like ourselves. We walk around like sad sacks wondering why the Gen X hipsters don't want to be our Facebook friends.
What ever happened to the "we're in charge of our own destinies" generation? Maybe we need an old fogy Woodstock to help us all feel better about what is inevitable, folks--growing old. Embrace it, don't try to erase it.
The botox battles
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Aug 3, 2008 21:38 | Updated Aug 4, 2008 10:39
Jerusalem Post
Israel
The head of the Israel Medical Association's ethics bureau has attacked plastic surgeons who place illegal advertisements, aggressively market needless operations and "use people" to make their fortunes.
Prof. Avinoam Reches, who is also a senior neurologist at Hadassah University Medical Center, was speaking on "The Ethics of Esthetics" at Thursday's all-day Israel Medical Convention, organized by Hadassah and two other hospitals and sponsored by a variety of groups at the Jerusalem International Convention Center.
Reches said esthetic surgery was a NIS 500 million to NIS 600m.
industry in Israel, and presented dozens of advertisements from newspapers and Web sites in which plastic surgeons promised to make people "beautiful," based on exaggerated expectations, and change their lives.
Some unethical practitioners offer journalists a free makeover and then expect them to write flattering copy, according to Reches. One ad shows a doctor wrapped in (false) bandages and sitting in an idiotic pose on a surgical table to promote his specialty. This, insisted Reches, was "an embarrassment to the medical profession." Such physicians "create mass psychoses and turn doctors into 'renovators' of the human body."
Some plastic surgeons offered "Botox parties" to which women were invited as a group and underwent injections for their wrinkles one after another, Reches said. Promotions for "discounted" plastic surgery appear in catalogues along with TVs and vacuum cleaners. He conceded that public hospitals, including Hadassah's for-pay Hadassah Optimal, offered esthetic surgery that was not covered by health funds, and that their standards were much higher and not aggressively marketed.
Although doctors were permitted to advertise, they could not include prices or make exaggerated claims about their skills and experience, Reches said.
Most of the advertising violations investigated by the IMA's ethics bureau involved plastic surgeons, he said. "They buy whole pages in newspapers and invent questions that they answer. They create diseases that don't exist and illegally give names of famous people who used their services. They also display parts of the body that may not be published in such ads."
Dr. Roni Moscona, an experienced plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa and the private Ramat Aviv Medical Center, said he could defend his profession but not doctors who advertised and made exaggerated claims. "I believe that a doctor will get patients if he is a good doctor; the word spreads," Moscona said.
Although plastic and reconstructive surgeon can't claim to save lives, Moscona said, it did improve the quality of life of many patients, and satisfaction rates in the US, for example, were "between 80 percent and 90% - a figure that no other medical specialty can beat."
As no parent would hesitate to improve a child's looks with orthodontic treatment, Moscona added, there was no reason why people who were disfigured or terribly unhappy with their body should not try to change them. But he denounced surgeons who performed unnecessary surgery, as on the now-deformed Michael Jackson, and said doctors were now allowed to advertise within limits, thanks to a Supreme Court decision by then court president Aharon Barak.
Moscona criticized the Health Ministry for allowing companies to put its stamp of approval on products that falsely claimed to improve the shape of breasts "without surgery or pain," and showed an ad that said it even had kashrut approval from the Rabbinate. Ministry approval means only that something is not harmful to health - but not that it offers any benefit.
Moscona said he had hundreds of letters from patients who said he "changed their lives" by eliminating physical deformities.
Surgeons, doctors in cosmetic face-off
The Age
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Louise Hall
August 3, 2008
A pledge by health ministers to develop national standards on cosmetic surgery is likely to be derailed by the long-running turf war between plastic surgeons and self-styled cosmetic surgeons.
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced last month that her department would look into toughening the laws surrounding the industry, which has come under fire following horror stories of botched operations and the deaths of two young women following liposuction.
Plastic surgeons say recent NSW legislation to clamp down on advertising, such as fake before and after shots, and a mandatory cooling-off period for people under 18, does not go far enough.
But the industry is unlikely to agree on the clarification of titles such as "cosmetic surgeon" and "specialist" to clear up the confusion among consumers, with both sides refusing to give ground in the feud that has been running since 1999.
Dr Norman Olbourne from the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons says any doctor with a basic medical degree should not be able to call him or herself a cosmetic surgeon or specialist.
He called on NSW to adopt Queensland's approach, in which the word "surgeon" can only be used by fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, who have undertaken eight years of postgraduate surgical training.
They are banned from performing cosmetic surgery on under 18s.
While rivals, including the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, agree on the need to rid the industry of "grandiose titles [that] mean nothing more than a paid subscription fee", they dispute the college of surgeons' assertion that it is the only group qualified to perform cosmetic surgery.
"Our college provides appropriate training in cosmetic surgery whereas plastic surgeons are trained in the public system, where there [are] no cosmetic patients to give adequate training," ACCS chief executive John Flynn said.
"Cosmetic surgery is a distinct and separate speciality."
At the Australian Health Ministers' Conference last month, South Australian Health Minister John Hill urged his state and federal colleagues to consider a number of cosmetic surgery regulations.
They included a surgery ban on under 18s, that a patient's first consultation be with a medical practitioner rather than a "commission-rewarded lay adviser", a psychological assessment be done of a patient's suitability for cosmetic surgery and mandatory assessment by two doctors.
Seven O.C. docs disciplined by state medical board
Thursday, July 31, 2008
OCRegister
Santa Ana, CA, USA
Their violations include wrong-site surgery, misdiagnosis of breast cancer and use of experimental wrinkle treatment.
BY COURTNEY PERKES
Seven Orange County doctors have been disciplined by the California Medical Board for infractions ranging from failing to properly treat a post-surgical wound to injecting patients with an experimental Botox-like drug. Two more have been accused of wrongdoing and face possible discipline.
Here are the doctors named in the state's July round-up of discipline:
Dr. Gonzalo Covarrubias, an orthopedic surgeon from San Juan Capistrano, was put on seven years of probation. According to state documents, Covarrubias committed "gross negligence" in his treatment of a 60-year-old diabetic patient by failing to properly treat an open wound for more than two months after surgery. The patient was eventually treated for meningitis and sepsis. He cannot practice medicine until he completes a clinical training course. Covarrubias is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
Dr. George Georgeson, a Garden Grove pediatrician, had his license revoked after submitting forged letters of recommendation to a specialty college in England. He could not be located by the board and did not contest the accusation.
Five other doctors received public reprimands, the least severe discipline:
Dr. David Chang, an anesthesiologist from Irvine, was reprimanded for failing to keep an ear, nose and throat surgeon on standby during a difficult case of administering general anesthesia. Board documents say the 70-year-old patient had a swollen neck and was not getting enough oxygen. An ENT surgeon eventually performed an emergency procedure to open the airway, but the patient died.
"We don't think it was a violation or any negligence on his part," said Chang's attorney Peter Osinoff. "It's a way of resolving this without maximum costs."
Dr. Richard Huberman of Newport Coast received a reprimand after he was disciplined by the medical board in North Carolina for performing surgery on a patient's wrong heel. A receptionist at his former North Carolina office said he has retired. He could not be reached for comment.
Dr. Joseph Manzini, a Huntington Beach dermatologist, received a reprimand for administering a wrinkle-treatment that was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. According to board documents, Manzini administered an experimental Botulinum Toxin to 10 patients. Last year, Manzini pled guilty to an interstate commerce violation and was sentenced to two years probation.
His attorney Robert Sullivan said Manzini and other doctors ordered the drug at medical conventions without knowing it was not allowed for use in patients.
"More than 100 California physicians bought it thinking it was suitable and received reprimands from the board," Sullivan said. "The doctors were looking for a product that was cheaper for their patients."
Dr. Jyotinkumar Patel, a family practitioner from Laguna Niguel, received a reprimand for his treatment of a breast cancer patient who later died. According to medical board documents, Patel initially diagnosed a lump as a chest sprain. He was also faulted for illegible chart notes.
Patel's attorney Raymond McMahon said Patel has moved to electronic medical records to avoid future record keeping issues.
"He's an excellent, really caring physician," McMahon said.
Dr. Edward Stadler, a Mission Viejo gynecologist, received a reprimand for failing to adequately treat a patient's breast mass. According to state documents, Stadler treated a patient's undiagnosed mass with estrogen therapy and failed to assist the patient in obtaining the tests he recommended. McMahon, who also represents Stadler, said his client acted appropriately.
"He identified the mass. He referred the patient for a mammogram and an ultrasound. She did not follow up," McMahon said.
Here are the doctors facing possible medical board discipline:
Dr. Frederic Corbin, a plastic surgeon practicing in Brea and Beverly Hills, is accused of using non-FDA approved silicone breast implants. He pled guilty to performing breast augmentation surgeries with silicone breast implants that at the time were not approved for use in the United States. He was sentenced to one-year probation and community service. Corbin did not return a phone call but previously told The Register the charge was "spurious."
Dr. Brendan Mull, a pediatric neurologist from Anaheim Hills, is accused of an act of violence and not being safe to practice. According to board documents, last fall UC Irvine Medical Center won a restraining order against Mull after he assaulted a psychiatrist, who was evaluating him for depression. Mull could not be reached for comment.
To look up a doctor's disciplinary record or file a complaint against a doctor, call 800-633-2322 or go online to the California Medical Board site.
California Medical Board discipline definitions
Accusation: A formal, public charge by the board alleging a physician violated the Medical Practice Act. This is the result of a fully investigated complaint that has been referred to the Attorney General's Office for prosecution. Practice is permitted unless otherwise specified.
Public reprimand: Licensee was reprimanded for a minor violation(s) of the law.
Probation: Probation is the result of disciplinary action. Probation is ordered for a specified period of time during which the physician must comply with specified terms and conditions and report to a board probation monitor. Practice is permitted unless otherwise specified.
License revoked: License has been revoked as a result of disciplinary action rendered by the board. No practice is permitted.
MEDICAL DEVICE NEWS
Widow wins $1.54M malpractice verdict
Huntington Herald Dispatch
Huntington, WV, USA
Aug 18, 2008 @ 10:00 PM
By CURTIS JOHNSON
HUNTINGTON -- A Cabell County jury awarded a Barboursville widow $1.54 million in a lawsuit over a 2002 surgery that led to severe brain damage for her husband, Thomas L. Thornburg.
After more than a week of evidence and testimony, the jury found on Aug. 13 against Huntington Anesthesia Group Inc. In the verdict, the jury cleared the doctor involved of any wrongdoing, but faulted a nursing anesthetist for inadequate attention to Thornburg's vital signs.
Surgeons were installing an automatic implantable cardiovascular defibrillator, when the anesthesia team failed to notice deteriorating vital signs, the jury found. A lack of breathing over a considerable amount of time deprived oxygen to Thornburg's brain and caused severe damage.
The device temporarily fixed Thornburg's heart condition, but the 62-year-old man eventually died Aug. 26, 2006. Doctors faced with repairing another cardiac episode decided not to render medical treatment. Doctors said the final episode was treatable, but Thornburg's total health, mental state and living conditions influenced the decision.
The $1.54 million verdict followed a pre-trial settlement reached with St. Mary's Medical Center, where the surgery was performed. The hospital agreed to pay $115,000 to settle wrongful death allegations.
Thornburg's widow declined comment Monday, but family attorney Charlie Hatcher expressed satisfaction with the recent verdict.
"I was real glad for my client," he said. "They get some compensation for the loss of a husband and loss of a father. That's the whole purpose. It doesn't replace him. It's silly to think that, but it certainly gives them some feeling that justice was done and that is our way, in the United States, of compensating victims of negligence."
Attorneys for Huntington Anesthesia Group Inc. could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for St. Mary's Medical Center had no comment.
The $1.54 million verdict includes $1.1 million for non-economic losses. That exceeds West Virginia's non-economic cap by $850,000, but the case pre-dated medical malpractice reform that decreased the cap from $1 million to $250,000.
Thornburg's verdict also exceeded the earlier cap by $100,000, but Hatcher said that mistake and other jury misunderstandings will be remedied in post-trial motions. He anticipates the final award will exceed $1.54 million.
The jury determined that Dr. Stan Striz did not deviate from the accepted standard of care, but blamed Robert Zhea, a certified registered nursing anesthetist.
The jurors divided the $1.54 million award among Thornburg's widow and two children. His widow received 70 percent, while the children received 15 percent each.
Thornburg's widow will receive 100 percent of the settlement with St. Mary's Medical Center.
GM FOODS
Prince Charles: GM crops would be 'biggest ever environmental disaster'
From Times Online
UK
August 13, 2008
Prince Charles said small farmers would be 'driven off their land into unsustainable, unmanageable, degraded and dysfunctional conurbations of unmentionable awfulness'
The Prince of Wales has warned the development of genetically modified crops risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".
In a passionate intervention on the issue of GM food, Prince Charles accused multi-national corporations of conducting an experiment with nature which had gone "seriously wrong".
"What we should be talking about is food security not food production - that is what matters and that is what people will not understand," he said.
"And if they think also that somehow it's all going to work because they are going to have one form of clever genetic engineering after another then again count me out, because that will be guaranteed to cause the biggest disaster environmentally of all time."
Charles told the Daily Telegraph that relying on huge corporations for the mass production of food would threaten future food supplies. He added that small farmers would be the victims.
"If they think this is the way to go we will end up with millions of small farmers all over the world being driven off their land into unsustainable, unmanageable, degraded and dysfunctional conurbations of unmentionable awfulness then you count me out. I think it will be an absolute disaster."
Charles's intervention comes at a time when soaring food costs and shortages are putting more pressure on the GM debate.
The price of food has been pushed up worldwide by poor harvests, some of which may be due to climate change, rising fuel prices, market speculation and the diversion of land into biofuel production.
The biotech industry says GM technology can be used to tackle hunger and poverty by delivering higher yields and reducing the use and therefore cost of pesticides.
And earlier in the year, Environment Minister Phil Woolas suggested that opposition to genetically modified crops may have to be rethought in the light of the global food crisis.
However, green groups and aid agencies fear claims about the potential benefits are not being borne out in practice. Critics say there is no evidence to show GM crops boost yields.
And they warn that rather than tackling poverty in developing countries, much of the GM crops grown - the vast majority of which are in North and South America - are used for animal feed or biofuels.
Charles, who has an organic farm on his Highgrove estate, told the newspaper he wanted to see more family run co-operative farms.
He denied this was trying to turn back the clock and said farmers must work with nature and not against it.
At the end of last month, scientists told the Government field trials of GM crops in the UK need better protection to allow researchers to assess their benefits.
They said the location and details of small-scale trials could be kept from the public to prevent them being vandalised by anti-GM protesters.
And they said the number of field trials had declined in recent years because of sabotage, damaging the UK's ability to inspire innovation and commercial investment.
A Defra spokeswoman said: "As we have said many times, there is an important debate to be had on the potential role of GM crops in the future, and we welcome all voices in that debate.
"Safety will always be our top priority on this issue."
Ilena's Health Lover Blog
Breast Implant Awareness Website
HADCORP NEWS: August 20, 2008
Leading Story:
French doctor accused in plastic surgery scam arrested in Spain
(AFP)
Khaleej Times
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19 August 2008
MARSEILLE, France - A French cosmetic surgeon who went on the run after being tried for mutilating and endangering the lives of dozens of men and women has been arrested in Spain, police sources said on Tuesday.
Michel Maure, who told investigators he was one of the world's best plastic surgeons, went on trial in June in the southern French city Marseille on charges of false advertising, deception, and causing involuntary injury.
The verdict was due in September, with prosecutors calling for a four-year prison sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros (110,000 dollars) but he went missing in July despite a court order restricting his movements.
A European arrest warrant was issued and he was finally arrested Tuesday in Rosas in northeastern Spain, the French police source said.
Nearly 100 victims had lodged complaints against Maure, 59.
Investigators have said that since 1995, the doctor had practised illegally, describing his clinic in Marseille as a "dirty and badly maintained facility" where his patients faced "an immediate risk of death or severe after-effects."
Many of Maure's mostly female patients decribed his methods as "violent." He carried out painful procedures, such as liposuction or the insertion of breast implants, under a simple local anaesthetic, they said.
His alleged victims have complained of chronic pain and infections. Several have had to undergo reparatory surgery.
Maure, who claimed to be the "victim of a plot," was in 2007 struck off France's medical register.
After Donda West death, California Senate approves new rule for elective surgery
Los Angeles Times
CA, USA
The measure requiring that patients be given physical exams comes in response to the 2007 death of rapper Kanye West's mother, who died of complications related to cosmetic surgery.
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:25 PM PDT, August 13, 2008
SACRAMENTO -- After the death of a rapper Kanye West's mother after plastic surgery, the state Senate today approved a requirement that patients be given a physical exam before elective surgery.
Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) said the measure was in response to the 2007 death of Donda West, mother of the rap musician, of complications related to cosmetic surgery. The family believes that a physical exam would have uncovered coronary artery disease.
"Many of us are concerned about the quality of care extended to those who receive elective surgery," Ridley-Thomas said.
The vote on AB 2968 was 37 to 1.
Why Cosmetic Surgery as a Career Move is BS
U.S. News & World Report
Washington, DC, USA
August 05, 2008 02:42 PM ET | Liz Wolgemuth |
If the news about people investing in cosmetic surgery to benefit their careers makes you cringe, you're not alone. CareerDiva blogger Eve Tahmincioglu writes that if she sees "another story about women getting plastic surgery or getting Botox injections in order to land jobs I am going to puke."
It's media hype, she says. The real career-boosting move is job training.
Yes, go out and take a course or get a degree. Your money will be better spent improving your skills and improving your mind.
I'm not saying you shouldn't reassess your wardrobe, or get a haircut.
There's nothing wrong with trying to look your best. But we shouldn't be ashamed of growing old. People can smell this type of shame and that's what doesn't get you a job.
I was intrigued, particularly because I've written about career-driven cosmetic surgery, so I asked Tahmincioglu a couple of questions via E-mail.
Some of the more common stories of career-linked surgery came from older women in real estate, where "customer touch" is pretty high. For those sorts of jobs, how can one keep up an appearance of freshness and relevancy? Is it just job training?
And patients often speak of the confidence that cosmetic surgery gives them. If a person fits that mold—where physical appearance is so important to them—do you think that quality alone suggests they're not leadership material? Do leaders, in general, find their confidence elsewhere?
Tahmincioglu's on vacation, but she responded because "the 'be-youthful-no-matter-what' mantra I've been hearing lately needs to be reality checked." Here's her very thoughtful response (emphasis is mine):
I've blogged about this often at CareerDiva because I'm getting more and more readers asking whether their age may be impacting their job search negatively, and also because I'm seeing so many stories about women who have chosen plastic surgery or Botox to help their careers.
In the case of Realtors, and others who are close to the public on a regular basis, it's about knowing your business. Home buyers and sellers want someone who knows a particular market... the neighborhoods that are hip; tips on how to make your home more attractive to buyers; are homes priced right, etc. That said, first impressions can be everything. And that starts with the photo of a real estate agent on the website and on the home signs they put up. Get a professional photo taken. I don't care how much plastic surgery you get, a bad photo is a bad photo, and it will turn people off. That's in any industry where you use a photo for the service or product you're selling.
And if you're in a high "customer touch" job, especially one where you need to move around a lot, the first thing you should be thinking about is being fit. I often scratch my head when I see men and women who spend so much money on rearranging their faces surgically but get winded when they climb a flight of stairs. People gravitate to individuals who are full of energy and vigor. They know you can get the job done.
And I'm a big advocate of updating your fashion sense. I was a reporter for Women's Wear Daily early on in my career and there was something to be said about just the right outfit that enhanced your best features. Not everyone is good at figuring out what works best for them, and buying a bunch of fashion magazines will only make you ill. If you're really in the dark, I'd hire a professional image consultant or stylist who can help you find the right wardrobe. You want to look age appropriate but you also want to look hip.
As for leadership, I've interviewed hundreds of CEOs and top dogs at corporations during my career, and 55 in my book, From the Sandbox to the Corner Office, and let me tell you, these men and women oozed confidence. It came from within. The majority I have interviewed did not have plastic surgery. But they looked pulled together, fit, and seemed to always dress right. Most seemed to spend a lot of money on their wardrobes and their hairstyles. Quick snapshot on why, I think, they are so confident—they admit mistakes; they ask for help, and seek out mentors; and they were not afraid of paying dues during their careers and learning from the ground up.
Frankly Liz, I don't buy this confidence-with-surgery BS. People with low self-esteem, or individuals who have become obsessed with aging, are looking for quick fixes to help them when they walk into that job interview. It's a stressful moment. There is no debating that. But doing your homework about a company you want to work for, or staying on top of the changing landscape of your industry, is how you gain real confidence when you're face to face with a hiring manager or a customer.
It's easy to blame your wrinkles for why you're in a career abyss. While I know there is a lot of age discrimination in the workplace, I think the 40-plus crowd is actually helping prop up this bias today. Why? We don't even like ourselves. We walk around like sad sacks wondering why the Gen X hipsters don't want to be our Facebook friends.
What ever happened to the "we're in charge of our own destinies" generation? Maybe we need an old fogy Woodstock to help us all feel better about what is inevitable, folks--growing old. Embrace it, don't try to erase it.
The botox battles
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Aug 3, 2008 21:38 | Updated Aug 4, 2008 10:39
Jerusalem Post
Israel
The head of the Israel Medical Association's ethics bureau has attacked plastic surgeons who place illegal advertisements, aggressively market needless operations and "use people" to make their fortunes.
Prof. Avinoam Reches, who is also a senior neurologist at Hadassah University Medical Center, was speaking on "The Ethics of Esthetics" at Thursday's all-day Israel Medical Convention, organized by Hadassah and two other hospitals and sponsored by a variety of groups at the Jerusalem International Convention Center.
Reches said esthetic surgery was a NIS 500 million to NIS 600m.
industry in Israel, and presented dozens of advertisements from newspapers and Web sites in which plastic surgeons promised to make people "beautiful," based on exaggerated expectations, and change their lives.
Some unethical practitioners offer journalists a free makeover and then expect them to write flattering copy, according to Reches. One ad shows a doctor wrapped in (false) bandages and sitting in an idiotic pose on a surgical table to promote his specialty. This, insisted Reches, was "an embarrassment to the medical profession." Such physicians "create mass psychoses and turn doctors into 'renovators' of the human body."
Some plastic surgeons offered "Botox parties" to which women were invited as a group and underwent injections for their wrinkles one after another, Reches said. Promotions for "discounted" plastic surgery appear in catalogues along with TVs and vacuum cleaners. He conceded that public hospitals, including Hadassah's for-pay Hadassah Optimal, offered esthetic surgery that was not covered by health funds, and that their standards were much higher and not aggressively marketed.
Although doctors were permitted to advertise, they could not include prices or make exaggerated claims about their skills and experience, Reches said.
Most of the advertising violations investigated by the IMA's ethics bureau involved plastic surgeons, he said. "They buy whole pages in newspapers and invent questions that they answer. They create diseases that don't exist and illegally give names of famous people who used their services. They also display parts of the body that may not be published in such ads."
Dr. Roni Moscona, an experienced plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa and the private Ramat Aviv Medical Center, said he could defend his profession but not doctors who advertised and made exaggerated claims. "I believe that a doctor will get patients if he is a good doctor; the word spreads," Moscona said.
Although plastic and reconstructive surgeon can't claim to save lives, Moscona said, it did improve the quality of life of many patients, and satisfaction rates in the US, for example, were "between 80 percent and 90% - a figure that no other medical specialty can beat."
As no parent would hesitate to improve a child's looks with orthodontic treatment, Moscona added, there was no reason why people who were disfigured or terribly unhappy with their body should not try to change them. But he denounced surgeons who performed unnecessary surgery, as on the now-deformed Michael Jackson, and said doctors were now allowed to advertise within limits, thanks to a Supreme Court decision by then court president Aharon Barak.
Moscona criticized the Health Ministry for allowing companies to put its stamp of approval on products that falsely claimed to improve the shape of breasts "without surgery or pain," and showed an ad that said it even had kashrut approval from the Rabbinate. Ministry approval means only that something is not harmful to health - but not that it offers any benefit.
Moscona said he had hundreds of letters from patients who said he "changed their lives" by eliminating physical deformities.
Surgeons, doctors in cosmetic face-off
The Age
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Louise Hall
August 3, 2008
A pledge by health ministers to develop national standards on cosmetic surgery is likely to be derailed by the long-running turf war between plastic surgeons and self-styled cosmetic surgeons.
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced last month that her department would look into toughening the laws surrounding the industry, which has come under fire following horror stories of botched operations and the deaths of two young women following liposuction.
Plastic surgeons say recent NSW legislation to clamp down on advertising, such as fake before and after shots, and a mandatory cooling-off period for people under 18, does not go far enough.
But the industry is unlikely to agree on the clarification of titles such as "cosmetic surgeon" and "specialist" to clear up the confusion among consumers, with both sides refusing to give ground in the feud that has been running since 1999.
Dr Norman Olbourne from the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons says any doctor with a basic medical degree should not be able to call him or herself a cosmetic surgeon or specialist.
He called on NSW to adopt Queensland's approach, in which the word "surgeon" can only be used by fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, who have undertaken eight years of postgraduate surgical training.
They are banned from performing cosmetic surgery on under 18s.
While rivals, including the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, agree on the need to rid the industry of "grandiose titles [that] mean nothing more than a paid subscription fee", they dispute the college of surgeons' assertion that it is the only group qualified to perform cosmetic surgery.
"Our college provides appropriate training in cosmetic surgery whereas plastic surgeons are trained in the public system, where there [are] no cosmetic patients to give adequate training," ACCS chief executive John Flynn said.
"Cosmetic surgery is a distinct and separate speciality."
At the Australian Health Ministers' Conference last month, South Australian Health Minister John Hill urged his state and federal colleagues to consider a number of cosmetic surgery regulations.
They included a surgery ban on under 18s, that a patient's first consultation be with a medical practitioner rather than a "commission-rewarded lay adviser", a psychological assessment be done of a patient's suitability for cosmetic surgery and mandatory assessment by two doctors.
Seven O.C. docs disciplined by state medical board
Thursday, July 31, 2008
OCRegister
Santa Ana, CA, USA
Their violations include wrong-site surgery, misdiagnosis of breast cancer and use of experimental wrinkle treatment.
BY COURTNEY PERKES
Seven Orange County doctors have been disciplined by the California Medical Board for infractions ranging from failing to properly treat a post-surgical wound to injecting patients with an experimental Botox-like drug. Two more have been accused of wrongdoing and face possible discipline.
Here are the doctors named in the state's July round-up of discipline:
Dr. Gonzalo Covarrubias, an orthopedic surgeon from San Juan Capistrano, was put on seven years of probation. According to state documents, Covarrubias committed "gross negligence" in his treatment of a 60-year-old diabetic patient by failing to properly treat an open wound for more than two months after surgery. The patient was eventually treated for meningitis and sepsis. He cannot practice medicine until he completes a clinical training course. Covarrubias is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
Dr. George Georgeson, a Garden Grove pediatrician, had his license revoked after submitting forged letters of recommendation to a specialty college in England. He could not be located by the board and did not contest the accusation.
Five other doctors received public reprimands, the least severe discipline:
Dr. David Chang, an anesthesiologist from Irvine, was reprimanded for failing to keep an ear, nose and throat surgeon on standby during a difficult case of administering general anesthesia. Board documents say the 70-year-old patient had a swollen neck and was not getting enough oxygen. An ENT surgeon eventually performed an emergency procedure to open the airway, but the patient died.
"We don't think it was a violation or any negligence on his part," said Chang's attorney Peter Osinoff. "It's a way of resolving this without maximum costs."
Dr. Richard Huberman of Newport Coast received a reprimand after he was disciplined by the medical board in North Carolina for performing surgery on a patient's wrong heel. A receptionist at his former North Carolina office said he has retired. He could not be reached for comment.
Dr. Joseph Manzini, a Huntington Beach dermatologist, received a reprimand for administering a wrinkle-treatment that was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. According to board documents, Manzini administered an experimental Botulinum Toxin to 10 patients. Last year, Manzini pled guilty to an interstate commerce violation and was sentenced to two years probation.
His attorney Robert Sullivan said Manzini and other doctors ordered the drug at medical conventions without knowing it was not allowed for use in patients.
"More than 100 California physicians bought it thinking it was suitable and received reprimands from the board," Sullivan said. "The doctors were looking for a product that was cheaper for their patients."
Dr. Jyotinkumar Patel, a family practitioner from Laguna Niguel, received a reprimand for his treatment of a breast cancer patient who later died. According to medical board documents, Patel initially diagnosed a lump as a chest sprain. He was also faulted for illegible chart notes.
Patel's attorney Raymond McMahon said Patel has moved to electronic medical records to avoid future record keeping issues.
"He's an excellent, really caring physician," McMahon said.
Dr. Edward Stadler, a Mission Viejo gynecologist, received a reprimand for failing to adequately treat a patient's breast mass. According to state documents, Stadler treated a patient's undiagnosed mass with estrogen therapy and failed to assist the patient in obtaining the tests he recommended. McMahon, who also represents Stadler, said his client acted appropriately.
"He identified the mass. He referred the patient for a mammogram and an ultrasound. She did not follow up," McMahon said.
Here are the doctors facing possible medical board discipline:
Dr. Frederic Corbin, a plastic surgeon practicing in Brea and Beverly Hills, is accused of using non-FDA approved silicone breast implants. He pled guilty to performing breast augmentation surgeries with silicone breast implants that at the time were not approved for use in the United States. He was sentenced to one-year probation and community service. Corbin did not return a phone call but previously told The Register the charge was "spurious."
Dr. Brendan Mull, a pediatric neurologist from Anaheim Hills, is accused of an act of violence and not being safe to practice. According to board documents, last fall UC Irvine Medical Center won a restraining order against Mull after he assaulted a psychiatrist, who was evaluating him for depression. Mull could not be reached for comment.
To look up a doctor's disciplinary record or file a complaint against a doctor, call 800-633-2322 or go online to the California Medical Board site.
California Medical Board discipline definitions
Accusation: A formal, public charge by the board alleging a physician violated the Medical Practice Act. This is the result of a fully investigated complaint that has been referred to the Attorney General's Office for prosecution. Practice is permitted unless otherwise specified.
Public reprimand: Licensee was reprimanded for a minor violation(s) of the law.
Probation: Probation is the result of disciplinary action. Probation is ordered for a specified period of time during which the physician must comply with specified terms and conditions and report to a board probation monitor. Practice is permitted unless otherwise specified.
License revoked: License has been revoked as a result of disciplinary action rendered by the board. No practice is permitted.
MEDICAL DEVICE NEWS
Widow wins $1.54M malpractice verdict
Huntington Herald Dispatch
Huntington, WV, USA
Aug 18, 2008 @ 10:00 PM
By CURTIS JOHNSON
HUNTINGTON -- A Cabell County jury awarded a Barboursville widow $1.54 million in a lawsuit over a 2002 surgery that led to severe brain damage for her husband, Thomas L. Thornburg.
After more than a week of evidence and testimony, the jury found on Aug. 13 against Huntington Anesthesia Group Inc. In the verdict, the jury cleared the doctor involved of any wrongdoing, but faulted a nursing anesthetist for inadequate attention to Thornburg's vital signs.
Surgeons were installing an automatic implantable cardiovascular defibrillator, when the anesthesia team failed to notice deteriorating vital signs, the jury found. A lack of breathing over a considerable amount of time deprived oxygen to Thornburg's brain and caused severe damage.
The device temporarily fixed Thornburg's heart condition, but the 62-year-old man eventually died Aug. 26, 2006. Doctors faced with repairing another cardiac episode decided not to render medical treatment. Doctors said the final episode was treatable, but Thornburg's total health, mental state and living conditions influenced the decision.
The $1.54 million verdict followed a pre-trial settlement reached with St. Mary's Medical Center, where the surgery was performed. The hospital agreed to pay $115,000 to settle wrongful death allegations.
Thornburg's widow declined comment Monday, but family attorney Charlie Hatcher expressed satisfaction with the recent verdict.
"I was real glad for my client," he said. "They get some compensation for the loss of a husband and loss of a father. That's the whole purpose. It doesn't replace him. It's silly to think that, but it certainly gives them some feeling that justice was done and that is our way, in the United States, of compensating victims of negligence."
Attorneys for Huntington Anesthesia Group Inc. could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for St. Mary's Medical Center had no comment.
The $1.54 million verdict includes $1.1 million for non-economic losses. That exceeds West Virginia's non-economic cap by $850,000, but the case pre-dated medical malpractice reform that decreased the cap from $1 million to $250,000.
Thornburg's verdict also exceeded the earlier cap by $100,000, but Hatcher said that mistake and other jury misunderstandings will be remedied in post-trial motions. He anticipates the final award will exceed $1.54 million.
The jury determined that Dr. Stan Striz did not deviate from the accepted standard of care, but blamed Robert Zhea, a certified registered nursing anesthetist.
The jurors divided the $1.54 million award among Thornburg's widow and two children. His widow received 70 percent, while the children received 15 percent each.
Thornburg's widow will receive 100 percent of the settlement with St. Mary's Medical Center.
GM FOODS
Prince Charles: GM crops would be 'biggest ever environmental disaster'
From Times Online
UK
August 13, 2008
Prince Charles said small farmers would be 'driven off their land into unsustainable, unmanageable, degraded and dysfunctional conurbations of unmentionable awfulness'
The Prince of Wales has warned the development of genetically modified crops risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".
In a passionate intervention on the issue of GM food, Prince Charles accused multi-national corporations of conducting an experiment with nature which had gone "seriously wrong".
"What we should be talking about is food security not food production - that is what matters and that is what people will not understand," he said.
"And if they think also that somehow it's all going to work because they are going to have one form of clever genetic engineering after another then again count me out, because that will be guaranteed to cause the biggest disaster environmentally of all time."
Charles told the Daily Telegraph that relying on huge corporations for the mass production of food would threaten future food supplies. He added that small farmers would be the victims.
"If they think this is the way to go we will end up with millions of small farmers all over the world being driven off their land into unsustainable, unmanageable, degraded and dysfunctional conurbations of unmentionable awfulness then you count me out. I think it will be an absolute disaster."
Charles's intervention comes at a time when soaring food costs and shortages are putting more pressure on the GM debate.
The price of food has been pushed up worldwide by poor harvests, some of which may be due to climate change, rising fuel prices, market speculation and the diversion of land into biofuel production.
The biotech industry says GM technology can be used to tackle hunger and poverty by delivering higher yields and reducing the use and therefore cost of pesticides.
And earlier in the year, Environment Minister Phil Woolas suggested that opposition to genetically modified crops may have to be rethought in the light of the global food crisis.
However, green groups and aid agencies fear claims about the potential benefits are not being borne out in practice. Critics say there is no evidence to show GM crops boost yields.
And they warn that rather than tackling poverty in developing countries, much of the GM crops grown - the vast majority of which are in North and South America - are used for animal feed or biofuels.
Charles, who has an organic farm on his Highgrove estate, told the newspaper he wanted to see more family run co-operative farms.
He denied this was trying to turn back the clock and said farmers must work with nature and not against it.
At the end of last month, scientists told the Government field trials of GM crops in the UK need better protection to allow researchers to assess their benefits.
They said the location and details of small-scale trials could be kept from the public to prevent them being vandalised by anti-GM protesters.
And they said the number of field trials had declined in recent years because of sabotage, damaging the UK's ability to inspire innovation and commercial investment.
A Defra spokeswoman said: "As we have said many times, there is an important debate to be had on the potential role of GM crops in the future, and we welcome all voices in that debate.
"Safety will always be our top priority on this issue."
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