Haideh Hirmand, M., FACS. a plastic surgeon who has been in private practice in New York City since 1999, has come out swinging against laser and other aesthetic device makers that have "gone the way of Big Pharma" with direct-to-consumer marketing rather than direct-to-physician. Is Non-Invasive Liposuction a Fat Lie?

None of the technologies presently have FDA approval for specific body contouring/fat reduction applications. Some are approved for dermatologic purposes for example. As a plastic surgeon who is familiar with these latest technologies, I have been excited about their arrival for a while, but I am also skeptical about how some of these machines are being marketed directly to the consumer ahead of their FDA approval and scientific data. In the old times, you had to first convince doctors that a machine worked by showing results and clinical data and then doctors offered it to their patients.

Read it all.

A worthwhile discussion forum thread popped up on LDS.net, in which the question is posed in its LDS Mormon Forums, in the Gospel Boards under Learn about the Mormon Church -- Plastic Surgery? 

An excerpt:

A talk was given a couple of years ago, I believe by President Monson, while a counselor to President Hinkley. He talked of too busy lives, body modifications, etc. Counseled against, to learn to love ourselves for who we are but not by way of commandment, just counsel or advice.

This is followed by a lift from Jeffrey R. Holland's article “To Young Women,” published in November 2009 in Ensign:

In this same vein may I address an even more sensitive subject. I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]” And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies." Every young woman is a child of destiny and every adult woman a powerful force for good. I mention adult women because, sisters, you are our greatest examples and resource for these young women. And if you are obsessing over being a size 2, you won’t be very surprised when your daughter or the Mia Maid in your class does the same and makes herself physically ill trying to accomplish it. We should all be as fit as we can be—that’s good Word of Wisdom doctrine. That means eating right and exercising and helping our bodies function at their optimum strength. We could probably all do better in that regard. But I speak here of optimum health; there is no universal optimum size.

Read it all.

 

A worthwhile discussion forum thread popped up on LDS.net, in which the question is posed in its LDS Mormon Forums, in the Gospel Boards under Learn about the Mormon Church -- Plastic Surgery? 

An excerpt:

A talk was given a couple of years ago, I believe by President Monson, while a counselor to President Hinkley. He talked of too busy lives, body modifications, etc. Counseled against, to learn to love ourselves for who we are but not by way of commandment, just counsel or advice.

This is followed by a lift from Jeffrey R. Holland's article “To Young Women,” published in November 2009 in Ensign:

In this same vein may I address an even more sensitive subject. I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]” And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies." Every young woman is a child of destiny and every adult woman a powerful force for good. I mention adult women because, sisters, you are our greatest examples and resource for these young women. And if you are obsessing over being a size 2, you won’t be very surprised when your daughter or the Mia Maid in your class does the same and makes herself physically ill trying to accomplish it. We should all be as fit as we can be—that’s good Word of Wisdom doctrine. That means eating right and exercising and helping our bodies function at their optimum strength. We could probably all do better in that regard. But I speak here of optimum health; there is no universal optimum size.

Read it all.