As of Aug. 18, 37 people have returned to the United Kingdom after undergoing surgery in India and Pakistan with the superbug gene. The same resistant gene has been detected in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States. In an msnbc.com news service report, scientists are worried that the gene, which is already widespread in India, could spread worldwide as patients bring the bug back home with them.

Lancet Infectious Diseases, a medical journal, reported that this new gene is called NDM-1 and alters bacteria, making them resistant to nearly all known antibiotics. It has been seen largely in E. coli bacteria, the most common cause of urinary tract infections, and on DNA structures that can be easily copied and passed onto other types of bacteria.

Dr. Jeffrey Raval, a double American board certified surgeon practicing in Cherry Creek North at Raval Facial Aesthetics, cautions patients to reconsider decisions to undergo elective cosmetic surgery anywhere outside of the United States. Besides the risk of infection, patients undergoing surgery usually require follow-up visits and care by the surgeon—an impossibility for most patients opting for surgery outside their native country.

Raval Facial Aesthetics now carries Elta MD Skincare UV Facial Moisturizer and Sunblock SPF 30 with Z-Cote®, micronized zinc oxide. This physician’s grade sunscreen protects skin from a broad spectrum of UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays. Use Elta MD Skincare UV Facial Moisturizer and Sunblock SPF 30 with Z-Cote®, as a light moisturizer daily on face, neck, chest and backs of hands. May be worn alone or under makeup. Elta MD is non-comedogenic and safe for all skin types.

”Our patients have expressed that they like the smooth application of this sunblock,” says Jeffrey Raval, MD, FACS, facial plastic surgeon and medical director of Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic. “It absorbs quickly and is not greasy or oily.”

Manufactured by Swiss American Products, Inc. and available at Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics and Raval Facial Aesthetics at 250 Steele St., in Cherry Creek North in Denver, CO. Visit our online store at www.ravalmd.com.

Colorado’s own Heidi Montag Pratt of The Hills MTV reality series now in its sixth season underwent comprehensive plastic surgery earlier this year generating endless news feeds and paparazzi coverage. “This situation should not be perceived as reality,” says Jeffrey Raval, MD, FACS. “Reputable plastic surgeons do not engage in performing surgery to gain notoriety.”

While undergoing 10 plastic surgery procedures performed in one day – a mini brow lift, Botox injections, a nose job, fat injections in her cheeks and lips, a chin reduction, liposuction to her neck, her ears pinned back, buttocks augmentation, liposuction to her waist and thighs, and revision breast augmentation—Montag had the surgeries taped purportedly to use in a future reality show.

Post-surgical photos of Montag reveal a Barbie-shaped physique. “Truly, the responsibility of any cosmetic surgeon is to vet elective surgery options with a patient prior to surgery. Consults with the doctor would routinely identify what surgical procedures are indeed going to enhance an individual’s lifestyle and improve their health. A perceptive plastic surgeon will be able to assess whether an individual is seeking surgery for all the wrong reasons, i.e. to please a partner or to gain notoriety. From the outside, it would appear that this particular celeb pursued surgery to generate media attention rather than to correct physical flaws.”

Dr. Raval has gained a reputation among fellow surgeons in the Rocky Mountain West of being The Nose Doc, particularly proficient at revision rhinoplasty surgery, repeat nose jobs that are more complicated than first-time nose surgeries because of the scar tissue that develops in any surgical area.

Dr. Raval pioneered the use of Dermamatrix in nose surgeries resulting in a smoother, more natural shape to the nose. Introduced in 2006, this dermal matrix is preferred over others because of its uniformly soft and pliable consistency and its increased tensile strength.

To see a video on the benefits of Dermamatrix, go to www.ravalmd.com/rhinoplasty.html.

Denver, Colo.— As an injector trainer, one of a handful of surgeon trainers in the state, Dr. Jeffrey Raval has pioneered a new process to make the injections in this liquid facelift painless. He combines fast-acting lidocane, a numbing agent, with the injectable fillers, a practice that the FDA approved in 2009.

Injectable fillers are used on the face to turn back the clock, plumping up the face to look fresh and young, juicy even.

“I liken the face as we age to a grape that slowly over time turns into a raisin,” says Dr. Raval, who is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and otolaryngologist. He performs surgery on the head and neck only.

One of the greatest contradictions in aging is the loss of fat in the face while simultaneously gaining in the hips and mid-section. Well, there is a solution and it can take years off of one’s appearance, according to Jeffrey R. Raval, MD FACS. The answer is in combining diet and exercise for weight control to retain a firm mid-section with infusions of fat and filler in the face to keep it looking plump and, yes, juicy.

Of the two missions, the one that’s more painful and time consuming is definitely the diet and exercise piece. Dr. Raval explains that around the age of 35 (some studies suggest 30), the average woman loses 1/2 to 1/3 of a pound of muscle each year while gaining an equal amount in body fat. Each pound of body fat burns an estimated 5 calories per day while each pound of lean muscle mass burns approximately 50 calories per day. The result of carrying around fat vs. muscle mass is a drastically slower metabolism. A slower metabolism means weight gain, even when you don’t change eating habits.

“Keeping your physique young looking means an investment of time into regular workouts and it means relentless attention to caloric intake and healthy food choices,” says Dr. Raval, who fits a serious workout session into his busy life a minimum of three times weekly. “Keeping fit and trim as you age means giving up the burgers and fries you might have enjoyed as a teenager. Carbs show up on your waist and hips. Even diet sodas with artificial sweeteners can trigger the cephalic phase response—the sweet taste on the tongue stimulates the brain to eat and overeat.”

On the other hand, successful weight loss will most often result in the face looking thinner, even gaunt.

That’s because our bodies manufacture less natural collagen as we age. The skin loses its elasticity, jowls begin to droop and creases and wrinkles deepen.

At his clinic in Cherry Creek North, the upscale shopping and entertainment district in Denver, Dr. Raval performs several kinds of mini facelifts using a customized combination of facial fillers including Restylane®, Juvederm®, Hylaform, Perlane, Radiesse and collagen in combination with Botox®, Dysport® and PureTox®, three injectable products that smooth away wrinkles and creases by effectively numbing the underlying facial muscles that contract to make natural wrinkles and folds.

Using fillers, Dr. Raval is also able to correct aging jowls, filling in the areas that have receded to create a smooth jaw line, reinserting the definition that is seen on a much younger face. Additionally he can correct aging eyes by inserting filler underneath the lower eyelid where the eye begins to wrinkle and the tissue sometimes appears sunken. Filler plumps up the area, erasing lines and wrinkles and returns the eye to a much younger appearance.

The beauty in the injectable facelift, adds Dr. Raval, is that it can be performed in less than 30 minutes without general anesthesia in his office. The patient may experience a small amount of bruising, but there is no weeks-long recovery as in a traditional facelift.

For information on the One-Hour Facelift, call Dr. Raval’s office at 303-381-3223 (FACE) or read more about age defying treatments at www.ravalmd.com.

Dr. Raval performs traditional plastic surgery including rhinoplasty (nose jobs) and face lifts, but he also specializes in minimally invasive procedures like administering injectable fillers including Botox, Restylane and Perlane to fill wrinkles and give you a rejuvenated look. Dr. Raval’s latest endeavor to help every woman look fabulous, is his new line of moisturizers and serums. Each product is available online, however, some require a prescriptions because of their potency. An in-office consultation will permit you to purchase the prescription products for a year after your visit.

No prescription necessary for the B5 Hydrating Complex which is a serum that enhances the skins moisture while reducing signs of photoaging through a hyaluronic acid-based gel. Hyaluronic acid retains moisture, repairs skin and repletes collagen. The other product that does not require a prescription is the Essential Night Cream. A good night cream is probably the most important part of a daily skincare regime to reduce the effects of aging, and this one in particular is perfect for restoring skin’s vitality through the infusion of antioxidants including vitamins A and C.

The stronger, prescription-required products include an Intense Moisture Cream that is perfect for post-treatment skin renewal. Following a microdermabrasion, non-ablative light treatment or superficial chemical peel, you will want to apply this cream of ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol, to not only moisturize, but to restore the skin’s natural moisture barrier. Dr. Raval also offers an Enhanced Essential Night Cream that delivers vitamins A and C plus Retin A to your skin. The most powerful of all of Dr. Raval’s products is the Antioxidant C & E Ferulic Serum because it administers the same beneficial antioxidants in a highly concentrated dosage.

Detoxify your skin and take the opportunity to freshen up before summer.

This Spring is makeover season in Cherry Creek North. Our office at 250 Steele St. is near the new streetscape project currently underway that will span 16 blocks to update the look and accessibility of the posh shopping district. So get out and get shopping for all the latest Spring styles. And while you’re here, come by and see Dr. Raval at Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics to find out how he can give your look a lift. Come in for a consultation with the double board-certified plastic surgeon to meet your aesthetic goals with the least invasive techniques. Don’t worry about the street construction, we have our own Cherry Creek North parking lot behind our building. And it’s free.

DENVER, CO—The majority of patients seeking facial plastic surgery would prefer that the procedure be performed by a specialist in facial surgery including the head and neck, rather than a plastic surgeon who performs the wide range of cosmetic procedures, according to an informal survey of patients undertaken by Jeffrey Raval, MD, FACS in 2009.

His findings from patient consultations are consistent with a recent study released by the American Academy of Facial and Plastic Surgery in February 2010 showing that 85% of Americans would undergo facial plastic surgery if given the chance and that 80% of those surveyed would prefer that the treatment be performed by a plastic surgeon that specializes in facial surgery.

“It’s really a function of the New Think in our society,” says Dr. Raval of his micro study compared to the general U.S. study. “Specialization is preferred at all service levels today, from Starbucks coffee and Nike shoes globally to the Steadman Clinic locally in Vail. The majority of new patients I see in my practice for dermal fillers to facelifts share with me that they’d rather be treated by a specialist, or a sub-specialist because a more focused pays attention to the little details. It’s the face that others recall about a person. It comes right down to the pores. It’s in the fine details.”

With more than 2.3 million facial plastic procedures (according to the American Academy) performed in 2009, 38,000 were revision surgeries including scar removal, sometimes caused by injuries and other times resulting from facial treatments.

Dr. Raval is multi-board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Board of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, and is a fellow of both the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the American College of Surgeons. His office is located in Cherry Creek North at 250 Steele St., in the heart of Denver’s elite shopping and entertainment district.

Raval Facial Aesthetics, his main practice, is also home to Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics, a laser treatment clinic specializing in hair and tattoo removal and skin rejuvenation procedures including micro dermabrasion, lunch-time peels, and the weekend-facelift which is a hybrid treatment of facial dermal fillers including Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane, Radiesse, Volumalift, Dysport and Puretox plus Botox.

In addition, Dr. Raval recently launched his own proprietary line of prescription-strength skincare products called RavalRX. Essential Night Crème was released in January 2010 and a select group of companion products are due to be released in Spring 2010.

“This trend toward what I call the New Think is the result of patients having more information at their fingertips through the Internet,” says Dr. Raval. “Patients are not simply price-shopping; they’re doing their oun due diligence prior to treatment by interviewing surgeons and their medical backgrounds. Additionally, patients are seeking to align with a cosmetic surgeon who shares the same philosophy. At Raval Facial Aesthetics, we recommend series of smaller, often non-invasive treatments on a regular basis to retain a youthful look without having to go to the extreme. As a rule, patients welcome our approach because it aligns with tighter budgets and reduced downtime.”

Contact Dr. Jeffrey Raval at Raval Facial Aesthetics for information at jeffrey@ravalmd.com or call 303-381-FACE (3223).

Botox injections were up 8.1%, as were Restylane filler injections. Laser treatments were up 1.6% in Q4 2009.

Is this a sign the economy is turned around? Or is it a signal that some people won’t forego ongoing cosmetic care that keeps them looking younger and consequently makes them feel younger?

“We see this as a positive,” says Jeffrey Raval, MD, FACS, facial plastic surgeon practicing in Cherry Creek North, the upscale boutique and restaurant epicenter of Denver, CO. “It underscores the value in less invasive procedures like injections done more frequently so as to forestall major cosmetic surgery.”

Dr. Raval operates his practice Raval Facial Aesthetics together with Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics, a laser hair and tattoo removal clinic, in the same location. He has gained the reputation of being The Nose Doc in the Rocky Mountain West by his peer surgeons who have recognized his capabilities especially in revision rhinoplasty, made more complex because of the scar tissue that results from an original nose job. Dr. Raval also has been referred to as The Face Doc for his achievements in treating head and neck needs of patients, particularly in the cosmetic market sector.

“BOTOX is the most commonly used injectable in the cosmetic field,” says Dr. Raval (www.ravalmd.com). “The filler injectables are increasingly preferred because they don’t require the downtime that a traditional face lift or forehead lift or neck lift can require. Patients are short on time, working longer hours, putting in more exhausting weeks. While they’re showing evidence of being more tired, they don’t want to appear tired because it takes away their competitive edge. Filler injectables are the ideal solution to treat this very active and busy patient.”

On Jan. 20, 1010, the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM) released a report that Botox and filler injections will lead the cosmetic treatments performed in 2010 as the country works its way out of the most severe recession in decades.

The editors of Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery concur, releasing a forecast for this year showing Botox at the top of services that patients will find the money to pay for.

Denver, CO—With only eight more days ’til Christmas, chances are you need help get your shopping done! Online gift certificates are now available at www.ravalmd.com and www.rockymountainlaser.com.

Jeffrey R. Raval, MD FACS added his new online store to his two websites Dec. 15, 2009 just in time for the holiday season. It’s a move to make holiday gift giving a beautiful experience. From now until Dec. 31, 2009, online shoppers can buy a $100 gift certificate for products and services at Raval Facial Aesthetics and Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics and PAY ONLY $75. That’s a $25 savings.

Raval Facial Aesthetics and Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics are located at 250 Steele St., Denver, CO 80206. Besides gift certificates, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Raval has added his own name-brand prescription-strength line of skincare products to his online store and live location.

Essential night cream with antioxidants vitamin C and A is sold under the Raval Rx label. An enhanced medical grade Essential Night Cream is available to existing patients and the formulation includes Retin A and Hydroquinone. The ingredients in this new beauty product are designed to contradict signs of aging, especially at a high altitude.

The price of this Night Cream is surprisingly inexpensive—the 40g container is only $100 for the basic Night Cream and $120 for the prescription-grade cream enhanced with Retin-A and Hydroquinone.

“We’ve added our online retail presence because we recognize that our patients and prospective patients have less and less time for themselves,” says Dr. Raval. “Everyone is working harder days and longer hours to keep up in this economy. We want to make it exceedingly easy for our patients to continue their cosmetic beauty regime without fear of running out of product. Plus our gift certificate program is the gift that a woman (or man for that matter) can use at will while saving on product and treatments.”

Dr. Raval has had an online presence for the nine years he’s been in practice in Denver, Colorado. Over that time, he’s grown to be known as The Nose Doc for his rhinoplasty surgery, particularly for revision nose jobs, correcting the surgeries other doctors have performed. As a American Board certified head/neck surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Raval is also board certified as an Ear/Nose/Throat surgeon also called an otolaryngologist.

To purchase a gift certificate online, visit www.ravalmd.com or www.rockymountainlaser.com.

Call Dr. Raval at 303-381-FACE (3223).

The so-called “Botax” would add a 5% levy on face-lifts, tummy tucks, Botox injections and more

November 24, 2009

Cosmetic surgery and procedure patients and health-care providers are lining up in opposition to a provision in the U.S. Senate’s version of Health Care Reform which would impose a 5% tax on purely cosmetic elective procedures, a measure designed to raise nearly $6 billion of the projected $849 billion cost of the healthcare bill.

Having been tagged the “Botax” by observers — a take-off on popular Botox injections for wrinkle relief and a procedure presumably subject to the proposed new tax — the new cosmetic procedure tax is being championed as simply a tax on the wealthy who can afford it. But according to organizations representing the plastic and cosmetic surgery industry, such a tax would in fact target the middle class and working women in particular.

Jeffrey Raval, Md, FACS, a Denver facial plastic surgeon who operates Raval Facial Aesthetics, P.C., and Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics, P.C., calls the tax unfair and a burden on the middle class, especially women. Dr. Raval said he treats women and men from all economic levels at his Cherry Creek North offices.

The United States Senate cleared an important hurdle in Health Reform legislation Saturday night with a 60-40 vote, reflecting strictly partisan support, which will bring the Democratic leadership’s massive 2,074-page bill to the full Senate for debate as early as next week. Passage of the bill remains uncertain, as members of the more moderate wing of the Democratic Party are not in lock-step with the full caucus on many of the legislation’s provisions, and joining with the body’s 40 Republication members in opposition may leave the bill subject to a filibuster and bar a final up-or-down vote.

A report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) cited many problems with the Botax provision, chief among them a 2005 survey conducted by the group indicating that only 10% of people considering cosmetic surgery over the next two years had a household income greater than $90,000 per year, a clear indication that such procedures go well beyond the privileged few. Moreover, the association said that 86% of cosmetic surgery patients are women, with the bulk of them working women between the ages of 19 and 64.

When the idea of a “luxury” tax on cosmetic procedures was first raised last summer, the White House was reportedly backing a provision that would have made the cosmetic procedure tax even higher: 10%. But when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., last week introduced the bill that will debated in the Senate, the tax rate was dropped to 5%. If the bill passes, the cosmetic plastic surgery tax could begin to be collected as early as January 2010.

Another potential problem in the bill, observers say, is the definition of “cosmetic” as it relates to the tax. Sen. Reid said he took the language for the provision from IRS rules currently in place to bar tax deductions for purely elective and cosmetic procedures. These would include, he said, anything “not necessary to ameliorate a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or disfiguring disease.” But some medical professionals worry about the interpretation. For instance, would breast reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy qualify, in that the disease itself did not misshape the breast, but rather the treatment of the disease caused the disfigurement.

To date, the only tax on cosmetic medical procedures imposed in the US has been in the state of New Jersey, a 6% tax, and early indications are that the state has realized a 59% shortfall based on projected revenue estimates when the legislature passed the measure in 2004. At least six other states – Texas, Illinois, Washington, Arkansas, Tennessee and New York – have such Botax bills introduced or budget provisions proposed, although none of them have actually passed such legislation.

“Medical professionals in the cosmetic surgery industry object to this tax provision because it doesn’t really reach the wealthy as intended, but rather it falls largely on women making less than 90,000 a year which is just the type of person we a supposed to be helping with healthcare reform and other economic stimuli the democrats are proposing,” said Dr. Raval. “Today many working people are turning to cosmetic procedures to heighten their employment prospects in today’s competitive working environment. Contrary to what the Senate Democrats are saying, this unfair cosmetic tax is indeed a tax on the middle class.”

According to statistics from the ASPS, in 2008 there were 12 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures that would be subject to the tax performed in the United States, a 3% increase from 2007. Of those 1.7 million were surgical procedures, with breast augmentations (307,000 procedures; down 12% from 2007), nose reshaping (279,000 procedures, down 2%), liposuction (245,000 procedures, down 19%), eyelid surgery (221,000 procedures, down 8%), and tummy tucks (122,000 procedures, down 18%), the leading categories.

The ASPS said that there were 10.4 million minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures last year, an increase of 5% over 2007. Leading the way were: Botox (5 million procedures, up 8%); hyaluronic acid fillers (1.1 million procedures, up 6%); chemical peels (1 million procedures, up 2%); laser hair removal (892,000 procedures, down 2%); and microdermabrasion (842,000 procedures, down 6%).

There were also 4.9 million reconstructive procedures, presumably non-taxable, including such things as tumor removal, laceration repair, scar revision, hand surgery and breast reduction, the ASPS said. This category rose 3% from 2007 tallies.