MD Expertise: The Science of Anti-Aging

Is Plastic Surgery for You? A Personal Choice

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:06:00 GMT

It must just be human nature, this tendency to judge other people's motives and decisions. Certainly, it is defensible when the actions of others affect might us, but there seems to be no end of interest in who has had plastic surgery, or who might, and...(read more)

What is plastic surgery?

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:08:00 GMT

Given that I have been practicing it for nearly twenty years, I thought I knew what plastic surgery was. But lately I'm not so sure what others mean by it; stories in the news routinely lump every Botox injection in with 12-hour major makeover surgeries...(read more)

Cold and Flu Season: Got Wine?

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:19:00 GMT

By all accounts, the coming flu season is going to be a doozy unless we all get our H1N1 vaccination soon. There's always the plain old cold too of course. I can never remember whether we are supposed to starve a cold and feed a fever or the other way...(read more)

Think Pink: Reconstructing Hope for Breast Cancer

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:42:00 GMT

You might think that because of awareness campaigns and earnest research on the causes and treatment of breast cancer, women would have a good sense of what their options are these days. To be sure, it’s not a happy thing to dwell on, and anyone hearing...(read more)

Giving Credit Where Accreditation is Due: Safe Surgery Facilities

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Patients often spend enormous efforts to find the right surgeon, but may give little thought to where the surgery is to be done. Complications can occur for a variety of reasons, and whenever there is a high-profile disaster, such as the death of rapper...(read more)

How To Keep Your Plastic Surgery Discreet

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:58:00 GMT

People are more open about having "a little work done" than they used to be, no doubt about it. But there are still those who feel the need to share only with friends and co-workers on their own terms and not have it broadcasted through the gossip grapevine....(read more)

Bogus Botox? Know your injector.

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:38:00 GMT

Sometimes smart people make choices they come to regret. That is the case with a patient I have been treating for about the past year and a half, after she received injections of what she was told was Restylane by an esthetician at a local beauty salon....(read more)

Mind Over Matter: the Placebo Effect

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:36:00 GMT

Not long ago I was doing an interview with a reporter on a story about anti-aging supplements, and she said something that caught me by surprise. Her question was: Why do some people swear by things that science hasn't proven to work? Isn't the fact that...(read more)

An Organic Matter: Study Questions Nutritional Benefits of Organic Food

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:43:00 GMT

Is organically grown food more nutritious? It seems like a no-brainer, but a recent study reviewing the topic concluded that it is no better that conventionally raised produce, at least in terms of key nutrient content. For many, that issue is beside...(read more)

Be Skeptical of Procedures That Promise Pain-free, Zero-down time benefits

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:06:00 GMT

Let's face it, surgery is scary for most people, and "going under the knife" is a proposition most sensible folks would decline if a suitable alternative exists. Anesthesia adds to the scare factor, even more than the surgery itself for some, even though...(read more)

Medical Tourism: A Tour and a Tuck?

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:29:00 GMT

As health insurance becomes increasingly expensive and difficult to obtain, Americans are following the outsourcing trend and going overseas in growing numbers for medical procedures. For years, America was the destination for royalty and the well-to-do...(read more)

Is Botox the new Lipstick?

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:37:00 GMT

Former Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder is credited with coining the phrase “lipstick effect” to describe the seeming paradoxical rise in lipstick sales during the great depression of the 1930s. This has reportedly held true for every economic downturn...(read more)

Vitamin Waters: Are they Really Worth It?

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:34:00 GMT

I recently became aware of a new type of product called “vitamin enhanced water beverages.” There are quite a few of them too, and they all seem to make a pitch about how healthful they are, being laced with antioxidants and vitamins. Implicit in the...(read more)

Supplements: Tell Your Doctor

Richard A. Baxter, MD — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

It always surprises me that so many people are taking herbal and homeopathic supplements but don't think of them as medicines. Perhaps it is the type of people I see in a cosmetic surgery practice; a 2005 study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive...(read more)