In Your Face » Celebrities

Breast implants as road to riches?

Colin Stewart — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:37 +0000

See ‘STYLES OF VICTORIA BECKHAM’ slide show

MONEY AND MAMMARIES

What do both women at the top of the list of wealthiest British celebrity couples have in common?

Each has prominent and publicly discussed breast implants, notes plastic surgeon and blogger Dr. Tony Youn. The No. 1 couple is Victoria and David Beckham. No. 2 is actress/model Katie Price (pictured) and her ex-husband. Also known simply as Jordan, Price is relatively little known in the United States.

Does the same pattern apply in the United States? Although I don’t have a listing of “celebrity couples,” the situation here seems to be a bit different, primarily because of Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah, who denies having turned to plastic surgery, is at the top of recent Forbes listing of celebrities with the highest incomes. Next is Madonna, who surely shouldn’t make such a denial. No. 3 is Beyonce Knowles, who some say has had breast implants.

Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery: Katie Price Has Large Breast Implants http://tinyurl.com/m4o3yx

Discussions are welcome in comments below and by joining Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine.

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Memo to Jessica Simpson: Please show us true beauty

Colin Stewart — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:00:05 +0000

See ‘JESSICA SIMPSON’S BEAUTY’ slide show

Photo: Jessica Simpson in 2005 in Miami. (AP photo)

MEMO TO JESSICA SIMPSON

Next month, you’ve announced that you will start shooting a reality TV series that you call a search for “true beauty.” Possibly that will turn out to be true, but early signs are that your “Price of Beauty” shows will gawk at various cultures’ ideals of physical beauty without challenging our own.

In the press release announcing the show, you say, “I have always believed that beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful,” but your show on VH1 seems to be heading in other directions.

There’s no mention of problems related to women’s and men’s body images. These range from eating disorders to some people’s inclination to undergo repeated plastic surgeries that make them less attractive. As a prominent singer/actress, you yourself have had Restylane injected into your lips, but hated the results. You have been the subject of rumors that you had breast implants and other plastic surgery, although you deny it.

A show called “The Price of Beauty” would be a good place to explore issues raised by the YWCA in its “Beauty at Any Cost” report last year:

Low self-esteem and unhealthy competition between girls over their looks.
Appearance-based job discrimination.
Risks posed by smoking as a way to remain slim.

Many of those problems result from people acting on beliefs that are totally opposed to your statement that “beauty comes from within and confidence will always make a woman beautiful.”

When the series launches on VH1 next year, I hope you will show us people’s inner beauty and the beauty that comes from a woman’s self-confidence, but so far that’s not how it’s described. Instead, you say you plan to:

Study local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes.
Participate in some of the extreme practices you discover.
Interview other countries’ pop-culture icons on their own quests for beauty.

Please don’t do only those things. Since you know what real beauty is, please show it to us.

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Jessica Simpson, expert on international beauty?

Colin Stewart — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:59:05 +0000

See ‘JESSICA SIMPSON’S BEAUTY’ slide show

This slide show is a companion to the post, “Memo to Jessica Simpson: Please put ‘true beauty’ on TV. “

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Latest views on Michael Jackson range from sad to angry

Colin Stewart — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:29:23 +0000

Update: Did Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeries lead to his medical problems? See plastic surgeon’s comments below.

See ‘R.I.P., chameleon and ruined man’ slide show

TRIBUTES AND CONDEMNATIONS

Cosmetic medicine blogs, which reveled in discussions of Michael Jackson while he was alive, mostly fell silent or expressed only muted criticism after he died. Readers of this blog were less restrained. Below are excerpts from blogs’ recent posts and from readers’ comments about Michael Jackson.

CELEBRITY COSMETIC SURGERY

Blogger and plastic surgeon Dr. Tony Youn combines his coverage of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, commenting, “Both have undergone their share of speculation about their plastic surgery. I guess it doesn’t matter now.” In the past, Youn has often written about Jackson on the Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery blog, including recommendations about how to fix his nose.

Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett - Rest in Peace http://tinyurl.com/knby87

AWFUL PLASTIC SURGERY

After praising Michael Jackson as a memorable singer and performer, the Awful Plastic Surgery blog moves on to describe him as “an odd fellow who changed dramatically over the years.” It has photos (including the ones above) but few details about his transformation. To fill that gap, the blog issues an invitation to plastic surgeons.

Michael Jackson - the plastic surgery years (tribute and photos)
Plastic Surgeons Please Send Us Your Thoughts On Michael Jackson http://tinyurl.com/nh22zo

COSMETIC MAKEOVERS

The Cosmetic Makeovers blog limits itself to praise of Michael Jackson. It simply links to two YouTube video tributes.

Michael Jackson - A Video Tribute http://tinyurl.com/qwf9u6

COSMETIC SURG BLOG

Plastic surgeon and blogger Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez of Maryland sent word that he is preparing a video for his blog on the topic of whether Jackson’s repeated plastic surgeries caused his medical problems, which began after he was burned during shooting of a Pepsi ad. Here’s the comment that posted on his behalf on this blog by Leeza Rodriguez:

There was a very slippery slope in terms of plastic surgery following the Pepsi commercial. MJ was treated by Dr. Hoefflin for the burn injury in the commercial, and then Hoefflin went on to perform multiple nose surgeries during the next few years. Everybody knows the obsession created a awful looking nose, but not many realize that there may have been a function impairment.

The multiple surgeries probably caused internal valve collapse with associated breathing problems.Dr. Rodriguez will release a video blog on his topic tomorrow. Stay tuned at http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog

THIS BLOG’S COMMENTS

Readers who commented on the In Your Face blog’s Michael Jackson post, “Sad ruins of Michael Jackson: Doctors share the blame,” ranged from sad to angry. For example:

Michael Jackson was one of the greatest performers of our time. While he had his legal troubles his music is basically the soundtrack to my life. The troubles he had legally are now between him and GOD. Rest in peace…
What is the main question here? Which side of the fence do you lie on?
Icon or child molestor?
whoever wrote this article should be ashamed of themselves. for god’s sake the man is dead…. you think now people could stop saying terrible things about him….
He admitted to convincing 12 year old boys sleep in his bed and he gave them “jesus juice” or wine…. The guy should have died in prison!!!

For more info, visit Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine. To discuss this topic, comment below or join Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine.

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Sad ruins of Michael Jackson: Doctors share the blame

Colin Stewart — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:14:27 +0000

See ‘R.I.P., chameleon and ruined man’ slide show

Photos: Above, Michael Jackson, age 50, in March, when he announced his plan for comeback concerts in London this summer. Below right, at age 46 in 2005. Lower photo, at age 13 in 1972, singing in his Encino home. (AP photos)

‘SMEAR ON OUR PROFESSION’

Yesterday’s death of pop superstar Michael Jackson completes a sad story that began with brilliant achievements and ended with financial and physical ruin, exacerbated by his addiction to plastic surgery and his other personal failings.

Jackson was a boy, then a man, who could bring to life the exquisite dance steps and melodies that he dreamed up, but whose face could not be transformed into his vision of what a face should look like.

The profession of plastic surgery shares the blame with Michael Jackson himself for his multiple plastic surgeries and the dismal result.

“He was a cordial gentleman of immense talent but had a completely unrealistic and disconnected concept of what his physical appearance was. It is a smear on our profession that there were so many people who did operate upon him,” said plastic surgeon Dr. Brent Moelleken of Beverly Hills Moelleken described himself as “one plastic surgeon of many who declined plastic surgery for Mr. Jackson.”

For plastic surgeons, the sequence of nose jobs that Michael Jackson underwent is a cautionary tale.

“There is seldom a plastic surgical conference where before and after photos of Michael’s unfortunate progression of rhinoplasties is not shown,” said plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Persky of Encino. “His rhinoplasty history emphasizes that the surgeon ultimately needs to take responsibility and only perform surgery that is structurally sound. I believe that Michael’s surgeon succumbed to letting Michael push for more changes through surgery. A surgeon must be able to say no, no matter how famous, no matter how much financial gain is involved.”

Plastic surgery John Di Saia of San Clemente noted that for Jackson “his normal features became distorted over time” as a result of excessive plastic surgery.

Complicating Jackson’s self-image and his medical care was the skin disease vitiligo, which caused his skin to lighten. The change in his skin color wasn’t just a choice that Jackson made, according to Dr. Christopher Zachary, chairman of the UCI Department of Dermatology.

“Michael Jackson suffered a form of skin disease which in Caucasians is insignificant, but in people of color can be devastating. For Jackson, who was in the public eye almost from birth, vitiligo must have been acutely embarrassing, a psychologically painful affliction, a curse on his public appearance. No wonder he tried too hard to improve what nature had given him,”

Zachary said doctors now can treat vitiligo more effectively than in the past, using lasers and pigment cell grafting techniques.

Facial plastic surgeon and nose-surgery specialist Dr. Payman Simoni of Beverly Hills, who did not treat Jackson, says the singer’s medically assisted abuse of his face may have been triggered by comments that his father made when Jackson was a boy.

In response to a query from “In Your Face,” Simoni submitted a history of Jackson’s many plastic surgeries, based on Simoni’s educated speculations and observations. This depressing history has been only gently edited:

He was born with cute African-American facial characteristics. However, his father reportedly nicknamed him “Big Nose.” That may have started his long battle with his nose.

People first noticed the changes with his nose during the “Thriller” era when he was just 26 years old. His nose seemed slightly narrower. At this time his nose was still proportional to his face and ethnicity.

Just one year after, Michael’s nose appeared to be even thinner. This could have been the normal progression of healing after rhinoplasty. His nose still looked good for his face.

Two years later, at age 29, Michael seemed to have another nose job and cheeks implant. His dramatic facial changes in conjunction with whiter skin got people talking. He blamed his change in skin color on a medical condition called vitiligo. However, the uniform skin color on his face and neck could hint at the use of skin bleach.

His famous little teeny nostril triangles and a sharp razor bridge of the nose popped into pictures three years later. This was the nose surgery that he really should not have done. Or more importantly his doctor should have refused.

To make matter worse, he now had a manly cleft in his chin and a square jaw.

Most probably, he was not satisfied with his last nose surgery at this time but there was no point of return. In a couple of years, in 1993, his legal allegations and loss of some important advertisement contracts had probably made him more dissatisfied with himself. He probably took out his anger on his nose and underwent another rhinoplasty that devastated his nose to the max. This time his nose was at the worst of his life; an extremely upturned nose with a super-sharp tip. …

In 1997, he shows up with a larger chin implant that made his nose even less in balance. This is the part that is difficult for me to comprehend. We have someone who is extremely “unlucky” with his nose procedures. Now some plastic surgeon decides to go ahead and go extreme on his chin too. This should be warned to plastic surgeons on their first day of their training.

Michael celebrated the new millennium with an eyelid surgery. At 2004, Michael had a reconstructive surgery on his nose by a German plastic surgeon. No significant change was seen but it was definitely somewhat improved.

It is obvious that Michael consistently wanted a thinner nose through his life. Was it his father’s remarks at early age that created his wrong self-image? We would never know. But the lack of complaint on his part against any of his plastic surgeons could indicate that he may have blamed himself throughout.

But equal blame should be placed on those plastic surgeons who blindly did what they were requested.

Michael Jackson, rest in peace, finally.

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Michael Jackson: What he and doctors did to his face

Colin Stewart — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:51:02 +0000

See ‘R.I.P., chameleon and ruined man’ slide show

This slide show is a companion to the post, “Sad ruins of Michael Jackson: Doctors share the blame.”

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Botox can end baldness? Idea draws scorn, interest

Colin Stewart — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:00:24 +0000

Local doctors have responded with a mix of scorn and fascination to the new claim that Botox can be a “cure for baldness.”

It’s not a claim that’s made by Botox-maker Allergan of Irvine. The announcement came from cosmetic surgeon Dr. Simon Ourian of Beverly Hills, who says injections in patients’ scalps have produced hair growth.

“It doesn’t make sense that Botox would cure baldness,” says Dr. Christopher Zachary, chairman of the UCI Department of Dermatology. “I have injected men numerous times high on the [forehead] and have never seen any hair growth.”

“It simply does not make sense, physiologically. I think he might have the same success if he injected lemonade,” says bariatric surgeon Dr. Brian B. Quebbemann of Newport Beach.

But dermatologist Dr. Dore Gilbert of Newport Beach is interested. “I hope it works. I will give it a try in selected patients,” he says. “The patients need to understand that this would be an ‘off label’ use of the drug.”

Others wondered whether the claim was less a scientific discovery than a marketing maneuver aimed at attracting patients by giving him prominent play in Internet search engines.

Plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia of San Clemente is interested, but skeptical. “It is possible, but unproven,” he says. “It might just be a PR grab for the good doctor.”

As noted in yesterday’s post, plastic surgeon Donald Altman of Irvine adds, “I haven’t any clinical experience or anecdotal notion that Botox causes any hair regrowth on the scalp.” But, as a bald guy, cosmetic-doctor Altman has an offer for this bald-guy blogger: “I will have to keep my eyes open to this finding and let you know if I learn anything. If true, it might prompt me to try injecting both of our scalps.”

The Botox claim also caught the attention of Tamra Barney, a “Real Housewife of Orange County.”

“Ya, that’s it. … I use Botox to keep the hair on my forehead! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!” she said.

On a more serious note, I’ve asked Dr. Ourian to provide data and photos from his use of Botox as a hair-growth treatment. I’ll post them on this blog when I receive them.

This post expands on yesterday’s “A clue about how Botox might cure baldness.”

(Photo courtesy of Guardian.com)

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They think Cameron Diaz’s face is too smooth

Colin Stewart — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:00:32 +0000

See ‘A decade of Cameron Diaz’ slide show

This is an excerpt from blogs’ recent posts about plastic surgery, celebrities, etc. — assembled for posting here and at Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine:

CAMERON DIAZ — YES OR NO

The 36-year-old actress says no to plastic surgery, as In Your Face noted recently, but Make Me Heal speculates that she may be using Botox, which ISN’T plastic surgery.

Mk Me Heal: More Plastic Surgery for Cameron Diaz? http://tinyurl.com/llejrk

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For more info, visit Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine or join the discussion by signing up there with a free Twitter account.

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S.C. gov.’s mystery trip spurs plastic surgery rumors

Colin Stewart — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:15:18 +0000

As soon as South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (pictured) announced that he had taken a secret trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina — not a hike on the Appalachian Trail, as previously stated — Twitter erupted with speculation that he had ducked out of the country to have plastic surgery. (*Don’t miss the update below).

Many people speculated that some sort of sexual escapade was involved, but these days cosmetic medicine is also uppermost in many people’s minds when a public figure vanishes from sight.

Here are some sample messages from Twitter:

Don’t they do a lot of plastic surgery in Argentina? Maybe Sanford had a nip and/or tuck. He wants to be pres-maybe felt needed freshening.
Newswire says Gov. Sanford was in Argentina, not on the Appalacian trail. Tell wife news, wife says: 3 words: Cheap plastic surgery.
Gov. Mark Sanford: Can you say Plastic Surgery!
oh my best guess re Gov. Sanford - plastic surgery of some type that he was trying to keep on the dl
Whatever was Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina doing in Argentina on Father’s Day? It’s winter there btw. I say plastic surgery.
Not the App Trail! Missing Gov Sanford was in Buenas Aries. Hair plugs, right? Or other plastic surgery.
My guess is Sanford is waiting til the bruising from plastic surgery disappears b4 reappearing
Or maybe Sanford is having plastic surgery, like hairplugs or eyebag removal. Whatever it is that men get.
Where in the world is Governor Mark Sanford?? My vote is recovering from plastic surgery. Butt implants to be exact!

*Update: Guess the folks who suspected a sex scandal were right. Sanford announced at a press conference today that he had an affair.

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Britney downsizes breasts as Sophie Monk enlarges hers?

Colin Stewart — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:00:05 +0000

This is a snapshot of blogs’ recent posts about plastic surgery, celebrities, etc. — assembled for posting here and at Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine:

BRITNEY SPEARS

Plastic surgeon Dr. Tony Youn agrees with speculation that the singer may have downsized her breast implants.

Youn: Britney Spears - Breast Implant Reduction? http://tinyurl.com/ogzzug

SOPHIE MONK

B-movie actress, singer and sometime Ryan Seacrest flame Sophie Monk has upsized her breasts, says plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia of San Clemente:

Sophie Monk and Breast Implants? http://tinyurl.com/lclpbx

Photo courtesy of Dr. Tony Youn

For more info, visit Twibes.com/CosmeticMedicine or join the discussion by signing up there with a free Twitter account.

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