As pharmaceutical companies fight to be the first to market with newer, stronger, sleeping pills few question what is keeping Americans awake? For many women it is a hormonal issue as they approach menopause. Many women do not want to take drugs and would rather address the issues that are bothering them the most. Some patients tell Dr. Kim that after menopause they now have a pear shaped bottom that they do not like. For some, this includes an abdomen with extra fat and loose skin. For others, it also includes excess fat on the outer thighs. Dr. Kim is likely to recommend an abdominoplasty combined with liposuction of the outer thighs when patients are concerned about the entire contour and shape of the bottom half of their figure. Feeling better and more confident about the way that they look helps many women to regain healthy sleeping patterns. According to My Fox LA several pharmaceutical companies are working on new approaches to treat insomnia in the US, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.The compounds are meant to work differently than current leading sleep aids such as Ambien and Lunesta, which, while generally safe, can have troubling side effects because they act on many areas of the brain.By contrast, many of the drugs being developed target particular systems responsible for sleep and wakefulness. The hope is that they will have fewer side effects and less potential for addiction and cognition problems the next day.

Southern Californians love their pets. When they are considering plastic surgery it is easy to overlook how their pets will affect their recovery. Dr. Kim routinely performs procedures such as breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, and liposuction. Although each may have some variance concerning specific recovery instructions, one common instruction involves over exertion and keeping incisions clean and dry. Pets, mainly dogs can interfere with this instruction. For example, if a recent surgery patient has a large dog that pulls and is difficult for the patient to handle this can cause a serious problem. Breast augmentation patients could cause the breast implants to become displaced. Abdominoplasty patients could interfere with the healing of their incision. Obviously, keeping pets away from incisions that are healing(no licking or contact) will help to avoid infection. Patients should plan for alternative care for their pets while they are recovering from plastic surgery. Pets overall are good for your health. According to The Los Angeles Times there are obvious pluses and minuses to living with pets, not only with respect to your happiness and housekeeping, but also with respect to your health. Here’s a sampling of some of what scientists know about how pets can affect your physiological and psychological well-being — the good, bad and downright gruesome.

How many times have people used the expression “if I live to be 100”? With medical progress this has become a reality for many more people. It is important for patients who are considering plastic surgery to consider the long-term affect of their decision. For example, if Dr. Kim recommends a breast augmentation combined with a breast lift to a patient they should consider the ultimate results that they desire over a life time. Patients may regret if they make a decision to only proceed with the breast augmentation with the concept that they can always return later for the breast lift. In the overwhelming majority of cases patients do not return for the second surgery. In this case they would forgo the opportunity to have a stellar and gratifying long-term result. Patients are living longer so it is obvious that they would also want to look their best. According to Fox 5 citing technical errors and inadequate quality control, scientists from Boston University have retracted a study that claimed to have found 150 genetic variants linked to extreme old age.

About a year ago, the team, led by geneticist Paola Sebastiani and longevity researcher Dr. Thomas Perls, published results of an examination of the DNA of more than 1,000 centenarians — people who had lived 100 years or longer. They reported discovering 150 genetic variants linked to extreme old age. While there was no single gene behind reaching triple digits, and environment remained a factor, the work suggested that someday people might be able to get a test to see if they carry a longevity gene.

In a market as culturally diverse as Los Angeles cultural sensitivity is a necessity for any business desiring to succeed. Dr. Kim has a diverse population ranging from Asian, to African-American to Hispanic. As an artist, he celebrates the differences in appearance between the races. Patients considering procedures like rhinoplasty or blepharoplasty often tell Dr. Kim that they are concerned with maintaining their ethnicity while enhancing their beauty. Contrary to what some may believe, most patients are not interested in abandoning the physical characteristics that help to define their race. Dr. Kim believes that the best way to exceed the expectations of his patients is to have a candid discussion and agree upon the extent of enhancement the patient wants. Cultural sensitivity is now an actual department in many medical facilities. According to The Los Angeles Times in 2001, Weiss Memorial concluded that its patient base did not reflect the diverse Uptown neighborhood it is meant to serve.

The key activator was that patients were traveling outside their communities, said Caren Perlmuter, Weiss’ vice president of community relations. A hospital has to reflect the community it is in, and we are in an extraordinarily diverse community.

The answer Weiss came up with was a community outreach program. Weiss has three full-time advocates to act as a bridge between the hospital and Uptown’s Russian, Polish and Vietnamese communities.

As obesity continues to be one of the most talked about subjects both in the media and socially most would agree the health problems can be staggering. Asthma can now be added to the list. Dr. Kim commends those who have conquered the battle of the bulge. Unfortunately, with massive weight loss the skin usually hangs. This is most apparent on the face, abdomen, and breast. A facelift will help to remove the excess skin and in most cases eliminate the turkey waddleunder most necks after weight loss. For the stomach an abdominoplasty removes the loose and hanging skin often referred to as an abdominal flap. The breast almost always need a full breast lift. It may be tempting to believe that breast implants will fill the loose skin and cause the breast to lift. This is rarely the case. Patients may elect for and implant, however, the breast will need to be lifted. Losing the weight is a great accomplishment patients should not compromise and choose procedures that will not provide a dramatic improvement. Obesity related health concerns are inevitable. According to The Los Angeles Times researchers have been delving into the link between obesity and asthma for years. The two conditions do seem to be connected.

In 2010, the journal Allergy published a study that looked at 4,500 men and women. Twelve percent of the obese subjects had asthma, while just 6% of the subjects who were normal-weight did. (Overall, 8% of the study participants had asthma.) According to a Reuters report, study subjects’ likelihood of asthma rose with their body mass index (BMI) and waist measurement.

A 2008 study of asthmatics in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that obese study participants were more likely to have severe bouts with the condition than normal-weight study participants.

Who would have ever thought that there would be snap on teeth? They are marketed as a temporary solution but one must wonder why someone would spend $1000 on a solution that doesn’t fix the problem. Just as in dentistry, plastic surgery has many different short term solutions that are marketed as more aggressive and permanent solutions. Dr. Kim explains to his patients that heavily marketed procedures designed to replace facelifts and liposuction rarely achieve the dramatic results most patients desire. The new competitive plastic surgery market leads the patient to believe that they can achieve dramatic facelift or abdominoplasty results with minimal surgery and minimal downtime. In most cases if the patient is truly a facelift or abdominoplasty candidate doing less will only give them a lesser result. Plastic surgery decisions should never be made based on compromising the results. Snap on teeth may catch on but the question remains: is it best for the patient? According to ABC Century City dentist Kelly Hong takes a wax impression of the patients smile sends the mold to a lab where technicians created a cast of what would ultimately be a picture-perfect smile. The cost is $1,000, about the price of one veneer.

The Snap-On Smile is made of a special crystal resin. It’s flexible and users can even eat and drink with it on.

However, oral hygiene is a must for those who choose to wear one.

Hong instructs patients to brush and clean their teeth well so further decay doesn’t cause any more health problems.

With proper care, the Snap-On Smile could last three to five years, but Hong warns it is only a temporary solution.

Aging and the changes that come with it are inevitable. People lose muscle as they age in most every area of their bodies. Some areas can be improved with exercise. Aging patients also lose volume in their face. This can cause a hollowed looking face especially as the skin becomes more loose and lax. Dr. Kim explains to patients that a facelift will make a major improvement in the neck and mid facial area. When there are hollowed areas specifically beneath the eyes and cheek area Dr. Kim may recommend cheek augmentation or a lower blepharoplasty incorporating a cheek lift. This approach helps the patient to look much more natural without a pulled and tight looking face. Patients should also consider combining a brow lift with facial rejuvenation procedures because in most patients as they age the brow will sag due to lost volume, loose skin, and muscle loss. A new drug, although experimental may help to reduce muscle loss as we age. According to The Los Angeles Times loss of muscle mass is a fact of life starting in middle age — we lose about 1% a year in a phenomenon called sarcopenia. Researchers say they’ve not only discovered the cause of that loss but may have found a drug that could help it as well.
an experimental drug called S107 might shore up those muscles. The study focused on 24-month-old mice (that’s about 70 in human years). Half were given S107 for four weeks, and half received no drug. The mice on S107 had a substantially increased running distance and speed compared with the control group. The S107 mice also had greater muscle force compared with controls.

Marks added, Our results suggest that you can improve muscle function by fixing leaky calcium channels. And in fact, treating aged mice with S107 enhanced muscle strength without increasing muscle size, at least during the four-week treatment period.

Cycling has become more than just a trend mostly due to high gas prices. Shared cycling is not only a good idea but it sparked a study that proved cycling is great for our health. It is not uncommon for women who enjoy cycling on a athletic level to be disatisfied with what they feel are disproportionately shaped legs and thighs. Often these women have muscular legs and do not care for the way their legs appear larger than the top portion of their body. When they consider liposuction of the thighs Dr. Kim consults with the patient in an effort to explain the difficulty in successfully treating the area. The thigh area, especially in athletic women requires special attention when performing liposuction. Dr. Kim, who has a true artistic talent understands that this area must be sculpted delicately for the best result. This is not a one size fits all procedure and when special attention is not given to liposuction of the thighs and legs the results can be very disappointing. Patients having liposuction of the thighs and legs can usually return to cycling in about four weeks. According to The Los Angeles Times public bicycle sharing is gaining popularity in cities around the world as people are trading cars for low-cost rental bikes used for short hops around town. While it’s hoped this will have a positive effect on the environment, a study finds that it may benefit people’s health as well.

It is interesting that men may not consider their weight when dealing with sexual dysfunction. New reports show that just as with women being overweight can be a contributing factor. Most men tend to carry their weight in the abdomen. Dr. Kim explains to his male patients that they should address concerns with weight before they have a true weight problem. Many men are afraid to have body contouring surgery because they believe that it is for lazy and overweight people. This is not true. Liposuction surgery is excellent for men who want a more defined abdomen without love handles. Dr. Kim is able to use his artistic ability to sculpt and shape the abdomen and waist line. Needless to say a confident man who is fit and feels good about how he looks exudes sex appeal. According to The Los Angeles Times obese men who want to improve their sexual health might have another solution besides their erectile dysfunction drugs. A study finds that overweight men who lost just 5% of their weight over eight weeks saw improvements in erectile dysfunction, sexual desire and urinary tract symptoms.

Patients considering plastic surgery are asked a series of medical questions as it relates to their health history. One of the questions concerns a history of blood clots. According to a new study we should also be concerned with family members, specifically siblings who have experienced blood clots. Surgery itself can increase the risk but other factors such as birth-control pills, and obesity can also be contributing factors. Procedures such as abdominoplasty and facelift can be of concern because patients may be inactive for long periods of time which can increase the risk of blood clots. Dr. Kim provides each patient with detailed pre-operative and post-operative instructions. Patients are instructed to walk around to keep blood circulation moving. It is rare that blood clots will occur after surgery; however, patients must cooperate and follow instructions to reduce the possibility. According to The Los Angeles Times having a sibling with a history of developing blood clots in the leg and pelvis may boost the likelihood of developing the condition.
A study released today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Assn. looked at how family relationships may factor into the risk of having venous thromboembolism, the development of blood clots in the veins. Swedish researchers looked at 45,362 cases of people ages 10 to 69 who were hospitalized for the condition.

People ages 10 to 19 who had a brother or sister with the clotting disorder were at almost five times greater risk for the disorder than those who didn’t have a sibling with the condition. For those ages 60 to 69 the risk was twice as great if they had a sibling with a history of the disorder.