Pie, it?s time for you to grow up. Bar, it?s time for you to make room for pie.
?My pies are definitely grandma?s pie,? Lyss Lewis says. ?But I?m modernizing pie. Bringing it forward.?
Pie Bar, a bar serving pie, will debut Wednesday night on Capitol Hill. It will serve pie. In a bar.
Pie, it seems, has turned 21.
?It?s a hybrid ? it?s a restaurant but it?s a lounge,? Lewis said of the new venture she and her twin sister Natalie Delucchi?are launching on E Olive Way in the former home of Saley Crepes.
Late in 2012,?CHS introduced you to the idea and the back story of the sisters?including their shuttered?Seattle Pie Company?business.
On Wednesday, Lewis says she is excited to see her first customers experience the transformed space that has turned the old crepe cafe into stone-stacked bar and open kitchen. You?ll be able to watch them bake the scratch pies ? apparently there is a hydraulic pie press involved ? while you drink beer and wine and then drink beer and wine while you eat pie. Some are savory. Some are sweet.
At the Pie Bar preview party (Image: Pie Bar)
Pie Bar Menu
There will be learning curves. What cider pairs best with apple pie?
This new, grown-up pie is 21-and-older only ? Pie Bar really is a bar. But kids and people on the move can stop by the window for a slice or a pie to go.
Pie Bar joins?Speckled & Drake,?which took over the old Living Room space to create?a Brooklyn-infused, Pacific Northwest-style hangout?and?John John?s Gameroom?with its?beer and pinball?on the base of the curve where Olive Way leaves the Hill.
Twin pie bar operators. You don?t see that every day (Image: Pie Bar)
Lewis is the first to admit that the concept is an experiment but one that she believes will work ? even the planned Lemon Meringue ?Pietini? cocktails.
?We were at La Bete the other night ? and we were like what the fuck are we creating?? Lewis said excitedly. ?I?m just trying to grow it into something new.?
Pie Bar is located at 1361 E Olive Way. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 5p-2a.
After the bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon on April 15, Americans everywhere grieved for those who were involved -- and mothers struggled with how to tell their children about the tragic event.
SURFSIDE BEACH ? It?s a bit ironic that Les and JoAnna Jones are getting a tutorial on how to use their new Kindle in a conference room at the Surfside Beach Library filled with stacks and stacks of hardback books.
But it?s not as ironic as it once was because of the way libraries are adapting to emerging technology.
The physical selections in the Surfside Beach Library run the gamut from classics and poetry to self help and non-fiction.
Now, any of those genres are just a click away on devices such as the one the Joneses are trying to master.
Welcome to entertainment and information in the 21st century, where more and more people are trading in their library cards, video store memberships and newspaper subscriptions for e-readers, Netflix and online news gathering.
The Horry County Memorial Library System has officially joined the fray, having recently begun offering e-books to its patrons.
In 2009, when the county began a $12-million building program that officially ends Tuesday with the reopening ceremony for the newly-renovated Bucksport Library, some residents were skeptical.
Cliff Boyer, director of the Horry County Memorial Library System, fielded questions about whether the new libraries ? in North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Aynor, Carolina Forest and Bucksport ? were a good investment given the emergence of the Internet.
?We?ve got Google. Why do we need libraries?? they?d ask.
Google and other such search engines are good for certain things, but that?s not a good substitute for a well-staffed library that helps patrons become more information literate, he told them.
To that end, while there are no plans for more new libraries in Horry County, the library?s small selection of e-books ? 340 strong ? is expected to continue growing.
?New technology doesn?t kill the old technology. It just compliments it,? said Michael Easler, a reference librarian at Surfside Beach Library who offers one-on-one sessions on how to use e-readers.
Easler was working with the Joneses Thursday morning. The couple got their new Kindle as a gift from their son and were filled with questions, such as the difference between wireless and Wifi access, how much data it takes to stream a movie, an explanation on what the magnifying glass icon is ? it?s a search engine ? and how to read books.
?This is a new world to us,? Les Jones said.
The Surfside Beach couple have always read books and watched movies in the traditional way. That will change once they?ve mastered the Kindle, a device they revere for its small size and sheer convenience.
?It?s a take and go,? JoAnna Jones said.
Boyer said it was two years ago that a drop in price led to the ?Kindle Christmas? and an upswing in requests for e-books.
After some false starts, library officials decided in January to go with 3M Cloud Library to satisfy e-readers. Patrons began choosing amongst the 340 e-books currently available just a few weeks ago.
Boyer said the service is efficient because it works across multiple devices such as Kindles, iPads, iPhones, Windows PC and Mac.
?It was one of the few you could actually return a book early,? he said.
The selection started out so small because the library only had $10,000 in their budget to put toward e-books, Boyer added. It?s going to continue to grow on a regular basis, with officials putting some of its requested $600,000 for the 2014 fiscal year into growing not only its e-book selection, but other media such as downloadable audio books.
Tracey Elvis, youth services librarian for Conway Library, said streaming media was a part of the conversation when library officials spent $4.1 million on a new facility in 2006.
Was it worth the investment? Elvis thinks so.
?We needed more room for everything,? she said.
Conway Library went from a building housing eight public computers to one with 28. And they?re always occupied, Elvis said.
?Libraries will be here to stay, even with e-books,? she said.
A new library is expected to open in Pawleys Island in August 2014, said Patti Burns, head of adult service with the Georgetown County Library System.
Georgetown County?s libraries offer almost 1,600 e-books to readers, Burns added. She said they do create a little concern, especially when a new library will be built soon, but ultimately the e-books are a product patrons still have to check out.
Plus, Georgetown County?s libraries offer computers, gaming, faxing, local history and genealogy, she said.
?We?re not just books,? Burns said.
The streaming of popular media continues to grow, but to the detriment of those companies still peddling the physical product.
In January, Dish Network Corp. announced its plans to close about 300 Blockbuster stores across the country, losing about 3,000 employees and leaving only 500 locations left in the U.S.
That?s in sharp constant to the video streaming and DVD-by-mail service, Netflix, which last week announced it gained two million subscribers in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2013.
Netflix took its first major leap in a new direction in early February with the debut of "House of Cards," a critically acclaimed series made exclusively for Netflix.
Then there are newspapers, which have suffered for years as more and more readers flock to the Internet and social media for details on events both locally and nationally. Layoffs and furloughs are a reality for journalists all across the country.
As far as libraries go, Boyer isn?t expecting the same fate.
?I love the business model. You can sell the books and never have a warehouse,? Boyer said.
E-books won?t make libraries obsolete, despite publishers saying only 50 percent of their content will be available in hardback in five years, he said.
Libraries will continue to adapt, just like they did with the release of VHS tapes, DVDs, Blu rays and, of course, the Internet.
There are many other uses for libraries beyond simply checking out a book or movie, Boyer said.
?People still need help connecting with information,? he said.
That?s evident in couples like the Joneses, or, as Boyer mentioned, someone who gets a specific medical diagnosis and comes to a local library and finds relevant information within its various databases.
While there are no new libraries on the horizon, officials hope to integrate a virtual branch this fall.
It will be available anywhere there?s internet access and will feature e-books, downloadable videos and audio books.
It?s all part of what Boyer says is the library system?s adapting to this new media age.
Ultimately, e-books will sit alongside physical books for readers? attention. But one, Boyer feels, won?t replace the other.
?It?s a sensory experience when you read. It?s not just the eyes; it?s the feel of a book. Those things will never be replaced,? he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact BRAD DICKERSON at 626-0301 or follow him at Twitter.com/TSN_bdickerson.
NEW YORK (AP) ? They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.
In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn't have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous 'superbugs' that are hard to treat.
The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread:
Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.
While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable. There is no widely-accepted evidence that these inventions have prevented infections or deaths.
Meanwhile, insurers are pushing hospitals to do a better job and the government's Medicare program has moved to stop paying bills for certain infections caught in the hospital.
"We're seeing a culture change" in hospitals, said Jennie Mayfield, who tracks infections at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Those hospital infections are tied to an estimated 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency last month sounded an alarm about a "nightmare bacteria" resistant to one class of antibiotics. That kind is still rare but it showed up last year in at least 200 hospitals.
Hospitals started paying attention to infection control in the late 1880s, when mounting evidence showed unsanitary conditions were hurting patients. Hospital hygiene has been a concern ever since, with a renewed emphasis triggered by the emergence a decade ago of a nasty strain of intestinal bug called Clostridium difficile, or C-diff.
The diarrhea-causing C-diff is now linked to 14,000 U.S. deaths annually. That's been the catalyst for the growing focus on infection control, said Mayfield, who is also president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
C-diff is easier to treat than some other hospital superbugs, like methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA, but it's particularly difficult to clean away. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't work and C-diff can persist on hospital room surfaces for days. The CDC recommends hospital staff clean their hands rigorously with soap and water ? or better yet, wear gloves. And rooms should be cleaned intensively with bleach, the CDC says.
Michael Claes developed a bad case of C-diff while he was a kidney patient last fall at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. He and his doctor believe he caught it at the hospital. Claes praised his overall care, but felt the hospital's room cleaning and infection control was less than perfect.
"I would use the word 'perfunctory,'" he said.
Lenox Hill spokeswoman Ann Silverman disputed that characterization, noting hospital workers are making efforts that patients often can't see, like using hand cleansers dispensers in hallways. She ticked off a list of measure used to prevent the spread of germs, ranging from educating patients' family members to isolation and other protective steps with each C-diff patient.
The hospital's C-diff infection rate is lower than the state average, she said.
Westchester Medical Center, a 643-bed hospital in the suburbs of New York City has also been hit by cases of C-diff and the other superbugs.
Complicating matters is the fact that larger proportions of hospital patients today are sicker and more susceptible to the ravages of infections, said Dr. Marisa Montecalvo, a contagious diseases specialist at Westchester.
There's a growing recognition that it's not only surgical knives and operating rooms that need a thorough cleaning but also spots like bed rails and even television remote controls, she said. Now there's more attention to making sure "that all the nooks and crannies are clean, and that it's done in as perfect a manner as can be done," Montecalvo said.
Enter companies like Xenex Healthcare Services, a San Antonio company that makes a portable, $125,000 machine that's rolled into rooms to zap C-diff and other bacteria and viruses dead with ultraviolet light. Xenex has sold or leased devices to more than 100 U.S. hospitals, including Westchester Medical Center.
The market niche is expected to grow from $30 million to $80 million in the next three years, according to Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm.
Mark Stibich, Xenex's chief scientific officer, said client hospitals sometimes call them robots and report improved satisfaction scores from patients who seem impressed that the medical center is trotting out that kind of technology.
At Westchester, workers still clean rooms, but the staff appreciates the high-tech backup, said housekeeping manager Carolyn Bevans.
"We all like it," she said of the Xenex.
At Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a 140-bed facility in Northampton, Mass., the staff calls their machines Thing One, Thing Two, Thing Three and Thing Four, borrowing from the children's book "The Cat in the Hat."
But while the things in the Dr. Seuss tale were house-wrecking imps, Cooley Dickinson officials said the ultraviolet has done a terrific job at cleaning their hospital of the difficult C-diff.
"We did all the recommended things. We used bleach. We monitored the quality of cleaning," but C-diff rates wouldn't budge, said nurse Linda Riley, who's in charge of infection prevention at Cooley Dickinson.
A small observational study at the hospital showed C-diff infection rates fell by half and C-diff deaths fell from 14 to 2 during the last two years, compared to the two years before the machines.
Some experts say there's not enough evidence to show the machines are worth it. No national study has shown that these products have led to reduced deaths or infection rates, noted Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
His point: It only takes a minute for a nurse or visitor with dirty hands to walk into a room, touch a vulnerable patient with germy hands, and undo the benefits of a recent space-age cleaning.
"Environments get dirty again," McDonald said, and thorough cleaning with conventional disinfectants ought to do the job.
Beyond products to disinfect a room, there are tools to make sure doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are properly cleaning their hands when they come into a patient's room. Among them are scanners that monitor how many times a health care worker uses a sink or hand sanitizer dispenser.
Still, "technology only takes us so far," said Christian Lillis, who runs a small foundation named after his mother who died from a C-diff infection.
Lillis said the hospitals he is most impressed with include Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, where thorough cleanings are confirmed with spot checks. Fluorescent powder is dabbed around a room before it's cleaned and a special light shows if the powder was removed. That strategy was followed by a 28 percent decline in C-diff, he said.
He also cites Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., where the focus is on elbow grease and bleach wipes. What's different, he said, is the merger of the housekeeping and infection prevention staff. That emphasizes that cleaning is less about being a maid's service than about saving patients from superbugs.
"If your hospital's not clean, you're creating more problems than you're solving," Lillis said.
The weather is warming across the country, which means that tick season is fast approaching. And with ticks comes the ever-growing threat of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks that causes flu-like symptoms such as chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches and joint pain. Even if you think you know all there is to know about this insidious illness, one fact may surprise you: most insurance companies will not pay for long-term Lyme treatment.
?There are countless people out there just like me who have been living with this disease for decades with no relief in sight,? says Terri Reagan, 55, a New Jersey resident who was first infected with Lyme disease 20 years ago after being bitten by a deer tick while walking her dog.
One woman: Health insurance didn?t cover chronic Lyme treatment
In 1993, Reagan first came down with the flu-like symptoms that signify Lyme disease. She suspected that it was Lyme and was diagnosed by a doctor who immediately gave her a standard two-week regimen of oral antibiotics. Her symptoms dissipated, but not entirely, and she was ?down and out? for nearly two months after being bitten.
Since then Reagan?s life has been punctuated by long, arduous relapses, with symptoms including nausea, extreme fatigue, short-term memory loss, depression and debilitating joint pain, just to name a few.
?For the last two years in particular, I have had no quality of life,? Reagan says.
Last August, Reagan experienced her worst relapse ever. So she searched for a nearby physician who specializes in Lyme disease (often known as a ?Lyme literate doctor?).
The doctor put Reagan on an aggressive IV antibiotic treatment schedule in November that should?ve lasted six months. But after just one month of treatment her health insurance provider, United Healthcare, stopped paying, informing her that further treatment was deemed experimental and would not be covered. For the next two months Reagan spent more than $6,000 out of pocket for her treatment, but eventually the money ran out. She had no option but to stop.
?The bottom line is if you suffer from chronic Lyme disease and don?t have the money for treatment, you?re screwed,? Reagan says.
The Lyme controversy
The heart of this issue stems from a debate about what exactly Lyme disease is. According to Patricia Smith, president of the nonprofit Lyme Disease Association Inc., the problem boils down to two schools of thought.
?According to the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and most insurance companies, Lyme disease is hard to catch and easy to cure,? Smith says. ?They believe that a few weeks of antibiotics are enough to cure the disease and that?s that.?
However, hundreds of Lyme disease sufferers and Lyme-literate physicians claim Lyme bacteria survive in the body long after treatment is completed. This results in what?s known as persistent Lyme disease, or Lyme disease treatment syndrome.
The IDSA doesn?t buy it. A review panel met in 2010 to examine 2006 IDSA guidelines for treatment of Lyme. The panel concluded that there?s no evidence for the existence of chronic Lyme disease and that long-term antibiotic treatment is ?unproven and unwarranted.?
Why insurance won?t cover treatment
Most insurance companies base their coverage criteria on guidelines set forth by groups like the CDC and IDSA. That means if the CDC and IDSA don?t recognize chronic Lyme disease as a legitimate, long-term illness, neither does your health insurance provider.
Consider the case of Jim Kosal. Two years ago Kosal was misdiagnosed with ALS (a degenerative neurological disease that affects the spinal chord and nerve cells in the brain). By the time doctors figured out that he actually had Lyme disease, it was too late. The disease had progressed to a chronic stage, and his insurance provider wasn?t going to pay for treatment.
?First they said the therapy was ?investigational,?? recalls Jim?s wife Erica. ?Even after we demonstrated that it wasn?t, they questioned whether or not Jim even had Lyme, even though he had multiple diagnoses.?
The Kosals have spent more than $30,000 since Jim first became ill, and even after two rounds of appeals their insurance company doesn?t appear to be budging on reimbursement.
?(Insurers) think there?s a one-size-fits-all approach to treating Lyme,? says Jennifer Reid, co-chair of the Ridgefield Lyme Disease Task Force, a nonprofit educational and advocacy group based in Connecticut.
But, she adds, Lyme is a very complex disease, and a lot more research is required to understand it.
When it comes to Lyme disease, the language of most insurance policies is fairly straightforward. For instance, Aetna?s policy clearly states that it will pay for a four-week regimen of antibiotic treatment. However, Aetna considers additional antibiotic therapy for so-called chronic Lyme disease experimental and investigational, claiming that treatment for this condition has not been proven effective.
?Most people don?t read their policies, so it comes as a shock when they get sick (from Lyme disease),? Reid says. ?I know people?who have lost their homes, their insurance, even their jobs. The potential for financial disaster is tremendous.?
Is change coming?
Make no mistake?Lyme disease isn?t going anywhere.
According to the CDC, this nasty and debilitating illness is America?s fastest-growing vector-borne disease (a disease carried by birds, animals or insects). In 2002, there were nearly 25,000 reported cases of Lyme disease nationwide. By 2011, that figure jumped to about 35,000 cases.
And yet the medical and insurance communities remain tight-lipped about the whole ordeal. Over the course of reporting on this story, all messages to health insurance representatives and doctors went unreturned.
?That?s because they?re afraid to talk about this too openly,? Smith says.
In recent years, state medical boards across the country have reprimanded dozens of Lyme-literate doctors for treating long-term Lyme patients with extended antibiotic regimens, sometimes going so far as to suspend their licenses. The claim is that these doctors are not following standard guidelines for Lyme treatment and are, in essence, being irresponsible practitioners of medicine.
This threat is so real and present that four states?Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Massachusetts?recently passed laws allowing doctors to prescribe long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme patients without fear of losing their licenses or being dropped by certain health insurance providers.
?It?s all well and good that you can now get treated in Connecticut for chronic Lyme, but it doesn?t change the fact that insurance won?t pay for it,? Reid says. ?And that has to change.?
New stats: Plastic surgery trend has women armed for spring and summerPublic release date: 29-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Shannon McCormick shannon@mediasourcetv.com 614-477-2719 American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Inspired by strong-armed celebrities, upper arm lifts jump 4,378% since 2000, new ASPS statistics show
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., April 29, 2013 New statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that arm lifts in women have skyrocketed more than 4,000 percent in just over the last decade. It is a trend fueled, in part, by sleeveless fashions for women and more focus on strong-armed celebrities. In 2000, more than 300 women got upper arm lift procedures. Last year, more than 15,000 did.
Arm Lifts By The Numbers:
Procedures in 2012
Overall: 15,457 up 3% since 2011 / 4,473% since 2000
Women: 15,136 up 4,378% since 2000
98% of arm lift patients were women
Most popular with patients over 40. The majority, 43%, of patients were ages 40 and 54, 33% were over age 55.
Average surgeon fee: $3,939 / total spent on arm lifts: $61 million
Upper arm lifts can include liposuction or a surgical procedure known as brachioplasty, in which loose skin is removed from the back of the arms.
"Women are paying more attention to their arms in general and are becoming more aware of options to treat this area," said ASPS President Gregory Evans, MD. "For some women, the arms have always been a troublesome area and, along with proper diet and exercise, liposuction can help refine them. Others may opt for a brachioplasty when there is a fair amount of loose skin present with minimal elasticity."
Doctors say there is no single reason behind the increase, though celebrities from the White House to the red carpet may be having an influence. A recent poll* conducted on behalf of ASPS found that women are paying closer attention to the arms of female celebrities.
According to the poll, women most admire the arms of first lady Michelle Obama, followed closely by Jennifer Aniston. Actresses Jessica Biel and Demi Moore, and daytime TV talk show host Kelly Ripa also got votes for their toned arms.
"I think we are always affected by the people that we see consistently, either on the big screen or on TV," said ASPS Public Education Committee Chair David Reath, MD, based in Knoxville, Tenn. "We see them and think, 'yeah, I'd like to look like that'."
That's just what happened to 24-year-old Natalie Robinson of Knoxville, who says she was inspired by the arms of the first lady. "I looked at Michelle Obama and said 'Oh my gosh, I want her arms. When I first started losing weight and started to tone up, I had her image in my head."
That was three years ago. Today, Robinson has lost more than 170 pounds and continues an amazing transformation through diet and exercise. But for all the weight she'd lost, Robinson says she still wasn't entirely happy.
"I had a lot of excessive skin around my upper arms," she said. "Every time I looked in the mirror there was a reminder of a heavier person and I just couldn't get rid of it."
That's when Robinson contacted Dr. Reath, who performed her brachioplasty. "Natalie had the perfect arms for this procedure," said Dr. Reath, "but it's not for everybody."
A brachioplasty requires an incision from the elbow to the armpit, generally on the back of the arm, leaving a visible and permanent scar. For Robinson, the scar was much easier to deal with than the excessive skin, but Dr. Reath cautions patients to carefully consider the pros and cons before having an upper arm lift, particularly a brachioplasty.
"It's a trade off. We get rid of the skin, but we leave a scar," he said. "So, as long as there's enough improvement to be made in the shape of the arm to justify the scar, then it's a great procedure."
Dr. Reath stresses the importance of proper diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle to all his patients, but says some women simply can't achieve the look they want on their own. Many who simply want to tighten and tone their upper arms, but don't have a lot of excess skin, opt for liposuction instead of a brachioplasty.
"We are genetically programmed to have different accumulations of fat in different areas, and for some women the arms can be a problem area," said Dr. Reath. "The arms are a very noticeable area and if excessive fat and skin are an issue, they tend to look more out of proportion than the rest of the body."
That was certainly the case for Robinson, but not anymore. Robinson says she never expected surgery to make her arms perfect, just more normal. "Well-proportioned is what I was going for, and I'm very happy. It was well worth the investment," she said. "I would do it again."
###
For more new statistics on trends in plastic surgery including gender, age, regional, national average fees and other breakouts, refer to the ASPS 2012 National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics report at http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news-and-resources/2012-plastic-surgery-statistics.html. (Stats on this site will be updated with the specific demographics and trends when embargo lifts on 4/29/13). Information about procedures and referrals to ASPS Member Surgeons can be found at http://www.PlasticSurgery.org.
* This poll was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons from March 28-April 1, 2013 among 1,219 women ages 18 and older. This online poll is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete poll methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Shannon McCormick.
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at PlasticSurgery.org or Facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and Twitter.com/ASPS_News.
Broadcast quality multimedia elements at: http://bit.ly/14STmA2
(Multimedia Newsroom is password protected until embargo lifts. Please contact media relations representative listed below for password prior to embargo.)
Media Contacts: Shannon McCormick, 614-932-9950 (ext. 14) shannon@mediasourcetv.com or ASPS: 847-228-9900, media@plasticsurgery.org
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New stats: Plastic surgery trend has women armed for spring and summerPublic release date: 29-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Shannon McCormick shannon@mediasourcetv.com 614-477-2719 American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Inspired by strong-armed celebrities, upper arm lifts jump 4,378% since 2000, new ASPS statistics show
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., April 29, 2013 New statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that arm lifts in women have skyrocketed more than 4,000 percent in just over the last decade. It is a trend fueled, in part, by sleeveless fashions for women and more focus on strong-armed celebrities. In 2000, more than 300 women got upper arm lift procedures. Last year, more than 15,000 did.
Arm Lifts By The Numbers:
Procedures in 2012
Overall: 15,457 up 3% since 2011 / 4,473% since 2000
Women: 15,136 up 4,378% since 2000
98% of arm lift patients were women
Most popular with patients over 40. The majority, 43%, of patients were ages 40 and 54, 33% were over age 55.
Average surgeon fee: $3,939 / total spent on arm lifts: $61 million
Upper arm lifts can include liposuction or a surgical procedure known as brachioplasty, in which loose skin is removed from the back of the arms.
"Women are paying more attention to their arms in general and are becoming more aware of options to treat this area," said ASPS President Gregory Evans, MD. "For some women, the arms have always been a troublesome area and, along with proper diet and exercise, liposuction can help refine them. Others may opt for a brachioplasty when there is a fair amount of loose skin present with minimal elasticity."
Doctors say there is no single reason behind the increase, though celebrities from the White House to the red carpet may be having an influence. A recent poll* conducted on behalf of ASPS found that women are paying closer attention to the arms of female celebrities.
According to the poll, women most admire the arms of first lady Michelle Obama, followed closely by Jennifer Aniston. Actresses Jessica Biel and Demi Moore, and daytime TV talk show host Kelly Ripa also got votes for their toned arms.
"I think we are always affected by the people that we see consistently, either on the big screen or on TV," said ASPS Public Education Committee Chair David Reath, MD, based in Knoxville, Tenn. "We see them and think, 'yeah, I'd like to look like that'."
That's just what happened to 24-year-old Natalie Robinson of Knoxville, who says she was inspired by the arms of the first lady. "I looked at Michelle Obama and said 'Oh my gosh, I want her arms. When I first started losing weight and started to tone up, I had her image in my head."
That was three years ago. Today, Robinson has lost more than 170 pounds and continues an amazing transformation through diet and exercise. But for all the weight she'd lost, Robinson says she still wasn't entirely happy.
"I had a lot of excessive skin around my upper arms," she said. "Every time I looked in the mirror there was a reminder of a heavier person and I just couldn't get rid of it."
That's when Robinson contacted Dr. Reath, who performed her brachioplasty. "Natalie had the perfect arms for this procedure," said Dr. Reath, "but it's not for everybody."
A brachioplasty requires an incision from the elbow to the armpit, generally on the back of the arm, leaving a visible and permanent scar. For Robinson, the scar was much easier to deal with than the excessive skin, but Dr. Reath cautions patients to carefully consider the pros and cons before having an upper arm lift, particularly a brachioplasty.
"It's a trade off. We get rid of the skin, but we leave a scar," he said. "So, as long as there's enough improvement to be made in the shape of the arm to justify the scar, then it's a great procedure."
Dr. Reath stresses the importance of proper diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle to all his patients, but says some women simply can't achieve the look they want on their own. Many who simply want to tighten and tone their upper arms, but don't have a lot of excess skin, opt for liposuction instead of a brachioplasty.
"We are genetically programmed to have different accumulations of fat in different areas, and for some women the arms can be a problem area," said Dr. Reath. "The arms are a very noticeable area and if excessive fat and skin are an issue, they tend to look more out of proportion than the rest of the body."
That was certainly the case for Robinson, but not anymore. Robinson says she never expected surgery to make her arms perfect, just more normal. "Well-proportioned is what I was going for, and I'm very happy. It was well worth the investment," she said. "I would do it again."
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For more new statistics on trends in plastic surgery including gender, age, regional, national average fees and other breakouts, refer to the ASPS 2012 National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics report at http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news-and-resources/2012-plastic-surgery-statistics.html. (Stats on this site will be updated with the specific demographics and trends when embargo lifts on 4/29/13). Information about procedures and referrals to ASPS Member Surgeons can be found at http://www.PlasticSurgery.org.
* This poll was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons from March 28-April 1, 2013 among 1,219 women ages 18 and older. This online poll is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete poll methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Shannon McCormick.
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at PlasticSurgery.org or Facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS and Twitter.com/ASPS_News.
Broadcast quality multimedia elements at: http://bit.ly/14STmA2
(Multimedia Newsroom is password protected until embargo lifts. Please contact media relations representative listed below for password prior to embargo.)
Media Contacts: Shannon McCormick, 614-932-9950 (ext. 14) shannon@mediasourcetv.com or ASPS: 847-228-9900, media@plasticsurgery.org
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Public release date: 29-Apr-2013
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