Alina Lohan, the 17-year-old model and sister of actress Lindsay Lohan, has become the subject of rumors that she has had plastic surgery after she was spotted at New York Fashion Week in September. She disputes this adamantly in Page Six Magazine’s next issue, according to iVillage.com.

“It’s stupid,” she told Page Six. “I was cracking up. Because, like, when would I do that? I’m 17 years old.”

The issue has become a family affair as well. Dina Lohan, Ali’s mother, told talk show host Wendy Williams that her daughter had “absolutely not” had plastic surgery. Older sister Lindsay also defended her sister on Twitter, writing “I love how haters pick on my sister yet every runway model is just as thin! My sister is gorgeous and I’m so proud of her and her career!!!!”
Ali Lohan recently signed on as a model for Next Model Management. She told Page Six that her recent weight loss was due to a growth spurt. She has also been rumored to have had work done on her face, which she denied.
“That’s not legal! I would need my mother’s signature, and do you think my mom would ever sign off on that? No,” she told Page Six.

Cosmetic physicians – and their patients — have a new, relatively inexpensive skin treatment in their arsenals as Led Technologies announced their latest product, the dpl Nüve. The handheld product is the second of the company’s deep penetrating light (DPL) devices and has received FDA approval. It is designed to treat pain, wrinkles and acne.

The device uses photons to penetrate into damaged tissue, increasing circulation to combat issues such as muscle spasms, minor muscle and joint aches and pains, and arthritis-related pain and stiffness. The device is non-invasive and has no side effects, according to the company.

In the company-led clinical studies, 13 subjects were given treatments during a 10-week period. All subjects reported visible improvements to skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles while improving skin tone. Of those studied, 66 percent rated the procedure between a three and five on a scale of five when reducing periorbital wrinkles (crow’s feet).

According to the company Web site, the dpl Nüve will reduce the need for skin creams, spa treatments, pain remedies and possibly Botox. The device, which plugs into a wall outlet, uses 56 880 nanometer infrared and four 660 red light emitting diodes (LEDs). The device retails for $180, although the company is offering it for $160 for a limited time.

“The majority of the population has never been even introduced to light therapy, and we are expecting that to dramatically change in 2011,” said Brent Safer, Led Technologies LLC director of operations, following the FDA approval of the dpl Nüve in September 2010.

Society for Aesthic Plastic Surgery has revealed a rising demographic in the cosmetic surgery arena: men.

Stereotypes aside, men have long been a small minority in the totality of the cosmetic surgery industry. While they still represent a small minority – 8 percent according to the ASAPS – their numbers are growing.

Last year, more than 750,000 procedures were conducted on men in the United States. The vast majority were in non-invasive procedures. Botox treatments were the highest, with more than 225,000 procedures, followed by laser hair removal at more than 118,000.

Of more invasive surgeries, lipoplasty lead the way at 37,183 followed by rhinoplasty, 30,099 and blepharoplasty, 20,675.

In a recent interview with Forbes Magazine, Dr. Lawrence Glickman of the Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, said men are looking at improving their looks and health in any way possible.

“It’s really for them to feel better about themselves and look as good as they feel. Lots of male patients are physically very fit, they’re going to the gym, they’re eating better diets, they’re staying out of the sun and yet they don’t look like they feel,” he said.

The increase in male patients, Glickman said, is a result of a new paradigm of beauty. Once kept in the shadows as a way of looking and feeling better, plastic and cosmetic surgery has become an acceptable form of enhancement. While it first became more acceptable for women, men are finding it OK to have various procedures, Glickman said.

His opinion resonates in the recent ASAPS study, which revealed that 49 percent of men and 53 percent of women approve of cosmetic and plastic surgery. Financing opportunities for procedures have become a popular was of deflecting the recent economic woes as well.

The most likely male group to receive cosmetic procedures is from 35 to 50 years old, making up more than 41 percent of all male patients last year. The next largest is aged 19 to 34 years old at 29 percent, followed by 51 to 64 year olds, numbering nearly 23 percent. Of the male patients to receive procedures last year, 81 percent were white, according to the ASAPS study.

These are the top surgeries for men, according to the ASAPS:

• Lipoplasty, 37,183
• Rhinoplasty, 30,099
• Blepharoplasty, 20,675
• Gynecomastia, 18,256
• Otoplasty, 10,949

Top five minimally-invasive procedures:

• Botox, 225,235
• Laser hair removal, 118,888
• Hyaluronic Acid, 69,788
• Laser skin resurfacing, 44,430
• IPL Laser treatment, 35,935

Hollywood starlet Denise Richards has been in the public eye for more than a decade and has made numerous top-10 most beautiful lists during her career. Now 40 years old and the mother of three young daughters, she says she feels hypocritical when she tries to promote the need for a healthy body image.

Richards has had multiple breast enhancement surgeries since she was 19 years old. She told Us Weekly that she was in such a rush to get the procedure she failed to research the surgeon properly. After the procedure, she learned the surgeon put larger implants than she asked for.

“I just thought because they’re a plastic surgeon, they must be good. You have to be your advocate for your own body and ask 100 questions,” she told the magazine.

As her daughters age, the oldest now 8 years old, Richards says she regrets the decision to get breast implants, although it is not because of pain or displeasure with the outcome. She said it was lack of confidence in her own body image that led her to the decision. Now she hopes to promote healthy body image to her daughters through diet and exercise.

Still, she must explain to them that in her business, body image is often not a personal experience.

“I often times feel like a hypocrite with my daughters when trying to teach them to have a healthy view on beauty and body image. I’m in a business where looks and weight do matter,” she wrote on iVillage.

Ultimately, Richards says the decision to get elective cosmetic surgery is a personal decision that should be based on “whatever makes a person feel good about themselves”.