Hasta La Gadget!

This isn’t exactly an earth-shattering revelation. Even if unconfirmed, it is pretty much expected. It is only fitting that Google’s premiere smartphones for 2017 will run on Qualcomm’s premiere mobile chip platform for 2017. So yes, the Google Pixel 2 will run on the Snapdragon 835, just like any high-end smartphone the second half of the year. Perhaps more interesting, … Continue reading

Infertility treatment is more common than ever, thanks to technology. 

More than 70,000 babies were born through in-vitro fertilization in 2014, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. That’s an increase of nearly 10,000 babies, compared with five years earlier.

Men and women are increasingly likely to seek medical help for reasons that include reduced stigma and more employers offering coverage for IVF. But one big reason for the trend is clear: Fertility doctors are getting better at making babies.

“Science is moving at a pace that’s very different than any of us could have ever imagined,” said Dr. Eli Adashi, a Brown University professor of reproductive medical science who specializes in ovarian biology.

Researchers have fine-tuned the best ways to stimulate a woman’s ovaries, grow embryos in the lab and pick the best ones to transfer to her uterus. Improved success rates have made IVF ― once considered an experimental procedure ― the gold standard of fertility treatment.

Here are some of the most inspiring breakthroughs that promise to rock fertility treatment further over the next decade:

1. Babies Made From Three People

For the estimated 12,000 women in the U.S. who risk passing down devastating mitochondrial diseases, including neurological disorders, and heart and kidney problems, a new procedure can be the difference in deciding to have children or not. 

Scientists have found a way to remove the DNA nucleus from an egg with bad mitochondria (the energy-generating part of our cells), and place it into a donor’s healthy egg, from which the nucleus has been removed. The egg is then fertilized in the lab with sperm from a third person. 

”It’s a huge breakthrough because we’re able to separate out the part of the egg that’s causing the problems,” said Susan Solomon, CEO of the New York Stem Cell Foundation.

The controversial procedure has already been approved in the United Kingdom, and it’s under review at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Supporters say it doesn’t really mix the genes of two women, since there’s not much DNA contained in mitochondria. In the future, it might be possible to use the technology to help rehabilitate less robust eggs from older women or women who prematurely went through menopause.

2. Fewer Twins From Better Embryo Freezing

For the last decade, the buzz about freezing eggs has been focused on women stashing away eggs to prolong fertility. But about five years ago, fertility doctors adopted a flash-freezing technology called vitrification to preserve embryos of women undergoing IVF.

It’s trickier to freeze five-day-old blastocyst embryos of about 80 to 100 cells than it is to freeze a single-cell egg. But the vitrified embryos have a better chance of surviving the warming process and resulting in a pregnancy than embryos frozen the old way.

The big payoff: Fertility doctors can convince patients who want twins to aim for a single pregnancy, and to save their remaining frozen embryos to try for a sibling later. 

“By transferring a single embryo at a time, we can achieve safer pregnancies and healthier moms and babies,” said Dr. Alan Penzias, fertility doctor at Boston IVF and professor at Harvard Medical School.

3. Cheaper Genetic Testing

Couples worried they could pass on genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, to their offspring have long agonized whether to add thousands more to their IVF bill to have an embryo biopsied and tested for defects.

New technology known as next-generation sequencing allows scientists to study an embryo’s DNA with better accuracy, and to identify a much longer list of potential disorders. And, instead of studying a handful of embryos at a time, technicians can put a barcode on each embryo and test 200 at once.

“It can bring down the cost from thousands of dollars to hundreds,” said Penzias. “If you had told me in medical school that someday we could see an IVF couple, test their embryos and routinely help them avoid passing on a lethal disease, I would have never believed it.”

4. Making Eggs And Sperm From Skin Cells

For years, we’ve heard about “potential” applications of stem-cell science.

The future is finally getting close. The tantalizing idea of creating eggs from skin cells that have been programmed into embryonic-like stem cells was realized in mice by Japanese scientists a couple years ago. And here’s the kicker: Those mice gave birth to pups that also reproduced. The ability to make artificial eggs and sperm would be a “revolution” for reproductive science, said Adashi.

“It would eliminate IVF as we know it,” Adashi said. “You wouldn’t need to stimulate ovaries or retrieve eggs. You’d simply donate a cheek swab. It’s still a long way off, but people are working on it.”

In the meantime, doctors agree that the next revolution should focus on making fertility medicine accessible to more patients. Insurance plans are still not required to cover fertility treatment in most states. 

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It’s no secret ― men are getting more Botox now than ever before.

According to a recently released study from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of men getting botulinum toxin injections (commonly known by their brand names as Botox, Dysport and Xeomin) totaled 453,281 in 2016 ― adding up to 9.9 percent of total procedures done on both men and women. In 2015, a study from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said that the number of men getting injections increased by 337 percent since 2000. 

With this concrete evidence that men are getting more Botox than ever, we couldn’t help but wonder why. And do their reasons for choosing the treatment differ from those of women? 

HuffPost reached out to five plastic surgeons based in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco to learn more about the men who are getting Botox and the reasons they’re doing it. 

Men who get Botox are generally 35 to 65 years old.  

The five doctors we spoke with all agreed on a few things – the men visiting their practices for toxins are typically 35 to 65 years old; they’re most often white-collar professionals in the business, law, fashion or art world with higher incomes; and they’re primarily getting toxins injected into their brows and around their eyes around three to four times a year. But that’s about where their similarities stop.

I have a huge Republican CEO getting Botox. He’s a Trumpite and he’s a toxin junkie.”
Dr. Seth Matarasso, plastic surgeon

Dr. Seth Matarasso, a San Francisco-based plastic surgeon and clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco, told HuffPost that it’s impossible to pinpoint a certain type of male who receives Botox. 

“I have Asian men, I have African-American men, I have white men, I have everyone,” Matarasso said, adding that he sees everyone from politicians and venture capitalists to baseball and hockey players. “I have a huge Republican CEO getting Botox. He’s a Trumpite and he’s a toxin junkie.” 

Matarasso added, “There is no demographic and to me that speaks volumes ― the fact that it’s crossing every racial, every sexual, every social demographic. There is no way to pigeon hole [a man] and say, ‘Oh, he’ll never get it.’” 

Competition in the workplace is a major motivation for men who get injections.

While the plastic surgeons agreed that women mostly got Botox to appear younger, every doctor cited competitiveness as a major – if not the major – reason men are getting more Botox.

“They’re simply having more procedures done because they want to maintain the competitiveness in an increasingly ageist workplace,” Dr. Daniel C. Mills, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery told HuffPost.

Dr. Paul Nassif and Dr. Terry Dubrow, the stars of E!’s hit plastic surgery show “Botched,” both backed up Mills’ comments, saying men fear competition with a younger man.

“The younger and better you look, the better chance you have to stay in the market and compete,” Dubrow said. “It’s as simple as that.” 

Plastic surgeons are getting better at targeting men.

Dr. Daniel Maman, a board-credited plastic surgeon with 740 Park Plastic Surgery, said that in the past, most plastic surgery websites only targeted women. 

“A male would go onto your website and would only see pictures about [procedures for women]. Now we have a dedicated tab on our website for men and it has galleries showing pictures of men,” Dr. Maman said. 

And according to a recent Elle magazine piece, men are now also going to “Brotox caves” to get their procedures done. These special offices that cater specifically to men are decorated with faux snakeskin, giant TVs and even artwork chosen for a male audience. 

Spouses and significant others are encouraging these kinds of procedures. 

“Men blame their spouses with the ‘I don’t care but my wife/girlfriend wants me to do it,’ excuse,” Dr. Dubrow said..

Most of the doctors agreed that after men see the results of their significant others’ Botox, they’re more likely to give the procedure a try. 

“Men start with something they’re comfortable with – they’re going to start with toxins,” Dr. Matarasso told HuffPost. “Because [they’ll think to themselves], ‘My wife’s been doing it, my friend’s been doing it, I know it’s safe. I know it’s subtle.’ This isn’t your grandfather’s facelift.” 

Social media and online dating have also had a major influence. 

“I think with social media and men wanting to look good ― since honestly a lot of the older men are going out with younger women ― they do want to use Botox,” Dr. Nassif said.

Dr. Matarasso agreed, saying he’s seen people come in for a procedure because they were having their online profile pic updated. 

“It’s a visual society, whether you want to blame or give credit to the internet,” he said. 

Men are also becoming more open to these kinds of procedures. 

“More and more men care about their appearances now than ever and have begun to understand that taking good care of their skin and even utilizing injectables like Botox can help them maintain a healthier, more vibrant look,” Dr. Mills said. “Plus, men having a little work done isn’t stigmatized the way that it once was. It isn’t just for women anymore – not by a long shot.” 

It’s no longer taboo for a guy to sit at a table with their guy friends from high school and say, ‘Oh you know, I had Botox,’ or, ‘Oh, I had liposuction.’ In general it’s becoming more accepted.”
Dr. Daniel Maman, plastic surgeon

And while it is becoming more accepted, all of the doctors agreed that men would never come in to appointments together ― something a lot of women do. 

“[Men would] rather be caught bra shopping or buying condoms,” Dr. Dubrow said.

Part of that might be because of men’s low pain tolerance when it comes to toxin injections, which could explain why the procedure isn’t something they’d consider an enjoyable experience to share with friends.

“Men do not have the same pain threshold as women,” Dr. Matarasso said. “Women are much more stoic and say, ‘OK just put the needle in.’ Men tend to just be a little more needle-phobic.” 

And yet despite men’s hesitance to share in the experience together, they’re less afraid to talk about it. Dr. Maman explained, “It’s no longer taboo for a guy to sit at a table with their guy friends from high school and say, ‘Oh you know, I had Botox,’ or, ‘Oh, I had liposuction.’ In general it’s becoming more accepted.” 

Statistically speaking, men still have a long way to go to catch up with women when it comes to the number of toxin procedures performed each year. But as the number of men who get Botox continues to rise, the number of lines on their faces will magically plummet.

The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter will make you happier and healthier, one email at a time. Sign up here. 

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Breakfast cereal sales have been on the decline, and while part of that is because millennials have not jumped on this easy breakfast option, another one is because folks are concerned about eating healthily. And cereal, because of our memories of the sugary stuff we ate as kids, does not often depict the image of good food choices. 

But at the end of the day, we still love cereal because it’s an easy, thoughtless breakfast option. There are only so many overnight oats we can eat, only so many smoothies we can blend. Some mornings, cereal is what sounds right.

And so we set out to find cereals that we could feel good about eating for breakfast. Looking at the calories, fat, fiber, protein and sugar content ― and  the ingredient list ― we consulted with Charles Mueller, associate professor of clinical nutrition at NYU, and found 10 choices that would make a healthy part of anyone’s morning routine.

Each of these cereals got the stamp of approval by Mueller, and he gave each one a grading based on how well it did in terms of ingredients, sugar content and salt. Check them out:

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Adverts are about to get a lot more personalised — or creepier, depending on your point of view — the next time you hop on the All 4 streaming service to catch up on The Island with Bear Grylls. This month, Channel 4 is bringing a new ad format to…