MONDAY MYTH #3: Cosmetic Surgery is easy to do
July 26th, 2010
Is it true that cosmetic surgery is easy to do?
I believe this is a mistaken belief that stems from two aspects of cosmetic surgery. The plastic surgery community has largely looked down upon limiting a practice to elective cosmetic surgery, since its inception over 125 years ago. Plastic surgeons doing cosmetic surgery exclusively used to be referred to as “nose crackers†or “hair dressers†by their reconstructive surgery colleagues. It was considered a less noble specialty. In fact, one of my earliest mentors as a medical student said, “Always do some reconstructive surgery, so your peers won’t call you a nose cracker!â€
Secondly, the technical aspects of cosmetic surgery procedures are actually simple by design. Incisions are small, there are few steps and the physiologic stresses to the patient are minor. This all true. But the difficult part of cosmetic surgery is the sculpture and all cosmetic surgery is sculpture. Tissues are removed, implants are added or underlying structures are rearranged. Poorly done, this sculpture will result in a very unnatural and aesthetically displeasing result. Done well, the result will be natural and balanced, enhancing the patient’s own beauty and self-esteem. A good result is often one that no one notices.
Botox for Teen before TV Debut
July 21st, 2010
The new star of Glee has had Botox right before she makes her debut appearance – at just 18-years-old. Teenage singer Charice Pempengco says she wanted to have the procedure “to look fresh on camera” before joining the show as a foreign exchange student. I hope this not another new pop culture trend.
It is hard to imagine any cosmetic facial problem that an 18 year old would have, which warrants the use of Botox. Facial animation wrinkles just have not had time to develop. The fact that she had Thermage is quite disturbing. Thermage is a non-surgical procedure that tightens skin and smoothes wrinkles. Superficial skin conditions like irregular pigmentation might also be improved by Thermage, but she was reported to be treated for wrinkles. Skin tightening effects are not necessary, nor are they indicated for teens. This is particularly true for Asian women. In my experience, their skin remains tighter than patients with lighter skin tones. Thermage cannot narrow the face. This requires facial sculpting. Liposuction or buccal fat pad excision remove facial fat to narrow the cheeks and certainly not recommended for teenagers.
The entire situation is absurd! It sounds like another Hollywood publicity stunt or medical grandstanding to me.
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