Celebs and their plastic surgery

Articles about Plastic Surgery News

What’s Behind Our Love Of The Butt?

Monday, September 23rd, 2013

There is an interesting and fun article in the Detroit Free Press today.  Writer Georgea Kovanis explores the current obsession our culture has with the butt.  Kim Kardashian?  Beyoncé?  Twerking?

Click HERE if you are interested in reading it!

 

Rise In Anti-Aging Procedures Of The Hands

Tuesday, August 20th, 2013

So it appears that the newest trend in plastic surgery is hand rejuvenation.  We’ve heard about chin implants, the Facebook facelift, the Pippa butt lift, and now it’s treating the Madonna Mitts.  From the Daily Mail:

Cosmetic surgery clinics have  reported an 18  per cent increase in enquiries in the past month of  people having anti-ageing  procedures on their hands.

The new cosmetic surgery trend, which sees  women having dermal fillers and laser resurfacing to reduce the signs of ageing,  has been dubbed the banishing of ‘Madonna Mitts’ after popstar Madonna, 55,  who has ‘anti-aged’ almost every part of  her body but often resorts to fingerless gloves to cover her hands.

As the years pass, skin on the hands thins,  causing veins to become more prominent and liver spots to appear.

While make-up can disguise tell-tale signs of  ageing on the face, it’s more difficult with hands – which is why it’s often  said that hands are the best indicator of age.

Speaking about the latest cosmetic trend, a  spokesman for the Transform clinic, which has seen an 18 per cent increase in  the number of anti-ageing hand procedures perforemed, said: ‘Our hands are  exposed to the sun more frequently than other parts of the body and a failure to  apply sun cream to hands as regularly as we do the face makes them susceptible  to sunspots and accelerated aging.

There are many ways to rejuvenate the hands.  The first approach to take are creams.  Hydroquinone can be used along with an exfoliating cream to lighten age spots.  IPL treatments can also be used in conjunction with creams to further enhance the results.  Some doctors are injecting fillers into the hands, such as Sculptra and Juvederm.  Other doctors are injecting fat into the hands to soft them up and reduce the appearance of veins.

The hands are definitely a body part that shows its age, and I agree that treatments for them are definitely becoming more and more popular.

 

Buttock Injections Killing And Maiming Women Who Seek A Cheaper Alternative To Plastic Surgery

Wednesday, August 7th, 2013

From the Washington Post:

Women across the U.S. are risking their lives for black market procedures to make their buttocks bigger, often involving home-improvement materials such as silicone injected by people with no medical training.

Some want to fill out a bikini or a pair of jeans. Others believe a bigger bottom will bring them work as music video models or adult entertainers. Whatever the reason, they are seeking cheaper alternatives to plastic surgery — sometimes with deadly or disfiguring results.

Deaths from black market buttocks injections have been reported in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada and New York. An interior decorator in Mississippi faces trial in the deaths of two women who were injected at her house.

Though there is little data on the procedures or injuries they cause, doctors and authorities say they are seeing them more often. Online forums used to set up the illegal procedures have attracted thousands of responses. Some men also seek out buttocks enhancements, but the procedures are much more popular among women.

Very big buttocks have been popular in hip-hop videos for years, celebrated by songs like the 1990s hit “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot, with lyrics declaring, “I like big butts and I cannot lie.”

The article goes on to tell the story of Apryl Brown, a woman who underwent illegal silicone injections to the her buttocks with horrifying results.  After suffering multiple complications, Brown ended up with her hands and feet amputated.

I met Brown while filming an episode of Katie.  Her story is frightening, but serves a reminder for anyone considering black market plastic surgery to exercise extreme caution.  This type of thing happens in your own backyard, too.  I recently filmed a segment of TLC’s My Strange Addiction with a woman who was addicted to these same kind of silicone buttock injections.  She is one of the lucky ones, though, who hasn’t suffered any major complications.  I’m glad she has stopped these dangerous procedures.

To read more of the Washington Post article, click HERE.

 

How Many Years Does Plastic Surgery Take Off Your Appearance?

Saturday, August 3rd, 2013

There is an interesting study soon to be published that looks at just how many years plastic surgery can take off your face.  And, can plastic surgery make you look more attractive?

From Today.com:

Zimm and four colleagues tracked 204 facial plastic surgery patients, all of whom had opted for primary facial surgical procedures such as facelifts, neck lifts, upper or lower blepharoplasty (eye lifts) and brow lifts at the same Toronto, Canada, plastic surgery clinic.

Out of the 204, 12 men and 37 women met the criteria for the study. These 49 subjects, who ranged in age from 42 to 73, had a series of photos taken before and after their surgery. Makeup and jewelry, which the study refers to as “confounding variables,” were not allowed in either the before or after shots.

Photos were all taken by lead author Dr. Peter Adamson, who also performed the plastic surgery, using the same standardized background, the same camera and the same type of photography techniques.

A group of 50 “raters,” primarily made up of hospital workers and lay people recruited from the community, were then asked to estimate and record the age of the patients in the before and after photographs. They were also asked to rate the patient’s attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the top ranking (as always).

On average, raters estimated the patients’ age to be about 2.1 years younger than their chronological age before surgery and 5.2 years younger than their real age after surgery. There also was a small, “insignificant” increase in attractiveness scores in the after photos.

So do you really only lose 3 years off your looks with plastic surgery?

I don’t think so.

If my patients lost only 3 years after having actual surgery, I’d be out of business.  “How much younger will I look after my facelift?” is a common question plastic surgeons like me get asked nearly every day.  My answer depends on the patient, but typically ranges from 7-15 years.  Losing three years off your appearance is more in line with spa-grade treatments, not plastic surgery in my opinion.  There was another study a couple years ago that revealed facelifts take off 7 years on average, which is more along the lines of what I’d expect.  You can read about that study HERE.

To read more about this subject, visit the Today Show article HERE.

 

Plastic Surgeon Sues Staten Island Mob Wives Renee Graziano For Defamation

Tuesday, July 16th, 2013

Interesting story from silive.com:

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — “Mob Wives” reality-TV star Renee Graziano allegedly told the world a “full-body lift” performed by a plastic surgeon nearly dropped her six feet in a grave.

The Oakwood resident wanted to nip and tuck some fat and sagging skin, but instead claimed to have “flat-lined” and “almost died” after her plastic surgeon put her under the knife.

She called the procedure, broadcast on the show, a “plastic surgery nightmare.”

Ms. Graziano, 43, the daughter of reputed Bonanno crime family consigliere Anthony (TG) Graziano of Huguenot, allegedly told media outlets she lost six pints of blood and underwent emergency treatment at Staten Island University Hospital.

The doctor, who denies any medical error, struck back with a $77 million defamation lawsuit against Ms. Graziano, VH1 and the show’s producers. The action was filed in Brooklyn state Supreme Court.

 

Wow.  As a plastic surgeon who has performed surgery for television programs, I always fear that the patient will develop a complication.  It’s inevitable that some patients have postoperative issues, and the vast majority of the time these issues can be cleared up without jeopardizing the patient/doctor relationship.  The stakes are exponentially increased, however, when television cameras are involved.  Performing a successful surgery on TV can get a lot of traffic into your practice, but a major complication or an unhappy celebrity can be potentially devastating.  Probably the most extreme example of this is Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West’s mom before she died.

To read the rest of the silive.com article, click HERE.

photo credit: prphotos.com

 

Bitchy Resting Face – Do You Have One?

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

You might have seen this “PSA” for the Bitchy Resting Face (and its male counterpart a**hole resting face). If not, watch it! It’s hilarious. I’ll be talking about BRF and its plastic surgery solutions Tuesday morning 7/2 at around 8:15 am on NBC’s TODAY.

In the meantime, you can read my comments and an excellent article about BRF on the Today Show’s website HERE.

 

The New Diet Aid: A Tongue Patch?

Thursday, June 20th, 2013



So you want to lose weight? Well, a Beverly Hills surgeon has devised a way for you to lose 30 pounds in just one month! Reportedly, the doctor sews a postage-size stamp piece of Marlex mesh to your tongue, making it so painful to eat that you have to stay on a liquid diet. Check out this article in the Huffington Post to learn more.

I think I’d start with Weight Watchers first.

 

Being A Plastic Surgeon Requires A Lot Of Explaining

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013

This is an interesting guest editorial in KevinMD.com by a prominent reconstructive plastic surgeon.  Not all of us specialize in cosmetics!

A new crop of medical students will begin a residency in plastic surgery this summer. They have worked long and hard to secure these coveted spots.  As a service to them and to the profession, I wanted to take this opportunity to help make their path a little easier by offering a bit of advice.

When asked what you do, simply say that you are a surgeon. I avoid saying plastic surgeon because it invariably prompts awkward facial expressions and comments to the effect that I am just the person they’ve been waiting to meet, nod nod, wink wink! In many people’s minds, plastic surgery is synonymous with cosmetic surgery, yet I do no cosmetic surgery. This usually strikes people as very odd. A plastic surgeon who doesn’t do cosmetic surgery is like an auto-mechanic who doesn’t fix cars, or a teacher who doesn’t teach.

 

So what do I do? Strictly speaking I should describe myself as a reconstructive microsurgeon, although that usually draws blank stares. The truth is that while cosmetic surgery is probably the most visible and perhaps the most glamorous aspect of plastic surgery, it’s a relatively small part of the specialty. The breadth of the specialty fills a six-volume Plastic Surgery textbook I edited this year.  Only one of these volumes is dedicated to aesthetic surgery.

Some say that plastic surgeons are the last general surgeons. We don’t own a disease like cancer doctors do, and we don’t own a part of the body like heart surgeons do. We work all over the body on all kinds of diseases and frequently with other physicians in a multidisciplinary group. We’re not only misunderstood by the public, but also by many of our medical colleagues.

- See more at: https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/06/plastic-surgeon-requires-lot-explaining.html#sthash.NrdBecS5.dpuf

 

Plastic Surgery Can Give You A Lift – Some Interesting Statistics From ASAPS

Saturday, June 15th, 2013

These are some interesting statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.  I do a lot of lifting procedures and find that these have some of the highest satisfaction rates in plastic surgery.  One thing that surprised me, 80% of people who lose weight gain it back!  That’s a disappointing number.  I wonder how these numbers may be applied to the various diets?  Some probably have higher rates of recurrent weight gain than others.

 

Man Sues Cosmetic Surgeon After He Allegedly Removed His Nose

Monday, June 10th, 2013

The video says it all. So why did this man’s doctor remove his nose? This is pure speculation, but an infection of the cartilage of the nose, such as by MRSA, could result in the cartilage being destroyed. This could cause the nose to collapse, and necessitate actual removal. So what should people take away from this?

This man’s surgeon is not certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. I’ve written it before many times: A cosmetic surgeon is not the same as a plastic surgeon! Make sure to do your homework. If you want plastic surgery, see a REAL plastic surgeon. If you aren’t sure if your doctor is one, then visit www.surgery.org or www.plasticsurgery.org. If you are having plastic surgery of the face, then a surgeon certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery is considered an equivalent in all states.

 

Medicare Funding Eyelid Lifts – Possible Insurance Fraud?

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

The media has been all over this one.  Statistics are showing that the number of people utilizing Medicare to pay for upper eyelid lifts has increased significantly.  From Salon.com:

From 2001 to 2011, eyelid lifts charged to Medicare more than tripled to 136,000 annually, according to a review of physician billing data by the Center for Public Integrity. In 2001, physicians billed taxpayers a total of $20 million for the procedure. By 2011, the price tag had quadrupled to $80 million. The number of physicians billing the surgery more than doubled.

“With this kind of management malpractice, it’s little wonder that the [Medicare] program is in such dire shape,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla), who is also a physician. “The federal government is essentially asking people to game the system. Every dollar we spend on cosmetic surgery that isn’t necessary is a dollar that can’t be used to shore up the program for people who need it the most.”

Plastic surgeons say there are a number of legitimate reasons for the spike, including a tendency among the elderly to seek fixes for real medical issues they might have quietly suffered through even a decade ago. But surgeons also acknowledge an increased awareness of the surgery fueled by reality television, word-of-mouth referrals, and advertising often including dramatic before-and-after photographs that promises a more youthful appearance. And doctors concede they face increased pressure from patients to perform eyelid lifts, even when they do not meet Medicare’s requirement that peripheral vision actually be impaired.

In my practice, I haven’t seen an increase in the number of seniors having this covered by Medicare.  Medicare has specific guidelines for what is needed to get an eyelid lift covered.  That being said, it’s possible for some patients (and doctors) to game the system by falsifying visual field testing.  I’ve had more than one patient ask me to bill insurance for their eyelid lift when it’s not indicated.  I just tell them that I don’t commit fraud.

Here is a video I did for Fox News of an eyelid lift that was billed to insurance (appropriately!):

For more on this story, visit Salon.com.
 

 

Double Jaw Surgery In South Korea – A Horrifying New Trend

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013



This is a fascinating video from Newsy about a new trend in Korean plastic surgery: the double jaw surgery. This is an operation where the jaw is broken in two places, reshaped, and wired shut for six weeks. Apparently, many South Koreans are having this done in order to thin their jawlines to look more ‘attractive.’ It’s an excruciatingly painful, invasive operation. I should know. I’ve had it done.

I wrote about this in my book “In Stitches,” but during high school my jaw grew to epic proportions. I had trouble closing my mouth and eating. I thought I looked deformed. So I underwent surgery to break my jaw and set it back. And voila! It worked.

But it hurt like hell.

To anyone who is considering double jaw surgery and really, truly does not need it: Don’t Do It! Watch the video about to hear stories from people who’ve regretted it. If you do have a real orthognathic problem, though, make sure you see a reputable oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Don’t trust this surgery to just anyone.

 

Miradry – A Permanent Solution to Excessive Armpit Sweating – Now At YOUN Plastic Surgery in Metro Detroit, Michigan!

Saturday, May 25th, 2013

I am really excited about the newest treatment we have at my office in Troy, Michigan. We’re now offering Miradry, the only FDA-approved, non-surgical solution to excessive underarm sweating, or hyperhidrosis. I’m actually the ONLY board-certified plastic surgeon in the entire state of Michigan to offer Miradry.

So what’s the scoop with Miradry? The device uses electro-magnetic energy (microwaves) to permanently destroy the sweat glands in the armpits. Local anesthetic is needed, and the procedure is performed in the office in about an hour. You can return to normal activities very shortly afterwards.

The studies so far are showing an 80-90% reduction in sweating at 2 years, with every indication that the results are permanent. RealSelf.com has greater than a 90% “worth it” rating. I’m really excited to offer my patients this revolutionary, game-changing treatment. If you have problems with excessive sweating of your armpits, then this treatment is for you!

To learn more about Miradry, feel free to call my office at (248) 273-7700 to schedule your complimentary Miradry consultation with my staff. Trust me, it really works.

 

Angelina Jolie – Prophylactic Mastectomy with Reconstruction Using Breast Implants

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

So you have probably all heard by now that Angelina Jolie was diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene and has undergone a double mastectomy with reconstruction.  The actress and director wrote a very poignant, well-written op-ed for the New York Times. Here is a segment of it:

On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.

But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.

My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a “nipple delay,” which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.

Two weeks later I had the major surgery, where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place. The operation can take eight hours. You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in your breasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life.

Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.

I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.

Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

I applaud Angelina for coming forward and revealing her diagnosis and treatment.  Hopefully this helps to inform people not only about the potential diagnosis and treatment options for breast cancer, but also inform women about their reconstructive options.  Studies show that women who undergo immediate reconstruction after mastectomy benefit psychologically a great deal.

To read the rest of Angelina Jolie’s op-ed piece, click HERE.

If you’ve ever wondered how plastic surgeons reconstruct a woman’s breast after mastectomy, there is a very well-written article in CNN.com HERE.  I’m quoted in the article, which also describes how Angelina’s reconstruction was likely performed.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

 

Police: Plastic Surgeon Tortured Ex-Girlfriend Over Facebook Posting

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

WSVN-TV –

Crazy story about a plastic surgeon in Florida. Why does it seem that so many of the bizarre plastic surgery stories come out of Florida?

 

Is Your Sunscreen Poisoning You?

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

There is an interesting article (and accompanying television segment) from plastic surgeon and fellow ASAPS member, Dr. Arthur Perry, on the possible long-term side effects of chemical sunscreens.  From his article on www.doctoroz.com:

There are 17 individual sunscreen ingredients that are FDA approved: 15 of these are clear chemicals that absorb UV light and two are made of minerals that reflect UV light. Of these 15, nine are known endocrine disruptors. To be effective, chemical sunscreens need to be rubbed into their skin 20 minutes before sun exposure. They do a pretty good job at blocking UV light, but they actually get used up as the sun shines on them. In fact, some sunscreens lose as much as 90% of their effectiveness in just an hour, so they need to be reapplied often. This is not the case with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the two mineral, or physical, sunscreens. These two work very differently – they sit on the surface of the skin and physically block UV light.

Chemical sunscreens don’t sit on the surface of the skin – they soak into it and quickly find their way into the bloodstream. They scatter all over the body without being detoxified by the liver and can be detected in blood, urine, and breast milk for up to two days after a single application. That would be just fine if they were uniformly safe – but they’re not.

As I mentioned, nine of the 15 chemical sunscreens are considered endocrine disruptors. Those are chemicals that interfere with the normal function of hormones. The hormones most commonly disturbed are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid. Endocrine disruptors, like some ingredients in chemical sunscreens, can cause abnormal development of fetuses and growing children. They cause early puberty and premature breast development in girls, and small and undescended testicles in boys. They cause low sperm counts and infertility. Endocrine disruptors that act like estrogen can contribute to the development of breast and ovarian cancers in women, and other endocrine disruptors may increase the chance of prostate cancer in men.

Pretty scary stuff, isn’t it?  To be completely transparent, Dr. Perry does have his own line of skin care products, which include the sunscreen Zinc Oxide.  However, I’ve met Dr. Perry, read some of his books, and am in a committee with him for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).  He’s a solid guy and a very well-respected, board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City.  To learn about his line of skin care products, go to www.drperrys.com.

To read the rest of his article, click HERE.

 

 

Arm Lifts Grow In Popularity – From USA Today

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

From today’s USA Today:

“Arm lifts” have become one of the fastest-growing varieties of plastic surgery, a new study shows.

More than 15,000 women underwent an arm lift in 2012, an increase of more than 4,000% since 2000, according to a report out Monday from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The popularity of the procedures isn’t driven by a desire to look as good as Michelle Obama does in a sleeveless sheath.

Instead, the surgeries are growing because more people are losing massive amounts of weight, usually through obesity surgery, says David Reath, a plastic surgeon in Knoxville, Tenn., and chairman of the public education committee for the plastic surgeon society.

About 200,000 Americans a year undergo some kind of weight-loss procedure, such as gastric bypass, says Jack Fisher, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, from Nashville.

While surgery can help people lose weight and fat, it doesn’t decrease the amount of skin, Reath says. People who lose 100 pounds or more can be left with a lot of extra skin.

“Once skin is stretched out, it becomes like a broken rubber band,” Fisher says. “Even when you lose weight, the skin doesn’t go back to its normal shape.”

The number of cosmetic surgeries increased by 3% last year, to nearly 1.7 million,  according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. When non-surgical options such as botox injections are included, Americans had more than 10 million cosmetic procedures last year.

Arm lifts aren’t for everyone.

The surgeries can cost $5,000 or more out-of-pocket, Fisher says. And they leave patients with a scar that stretches from their elbow to their armpit.

The problem with the arm lift (aka brachioplasty) is that it leaves a long scar that extends from elbow to armpit.  The scar is visible when you wave at someone and lift your arm up.  For this reason, it’s usually reserved for people with a lot of excess skin, such as massive weight loss patients.  It’s typically combined with liposuction for an optimal result.

For the rest of the USA Today article, click HERE.

 

The Plastic Surgery Diet By Dr. Robert Tornambe

Friday, April 26th, 2013

We are what we eat.  And that refers to how we look.  Dr. Robert Tornambe, a board-certified plastic surgeon and member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) recently published an article on the Huffington Post called “the Plastic Surgery Diet.”  These are his recommendations on what to eat in order to maintain youthful, healthy skin.  Here are his 10 easy steps to a healthy but delicious diet.

1) Eliminate unhealthy fat intake. Avoid margarine, deep fried foods and foods with trans-fat and saturated fat.

2) Increase your intake of monounsaturated oils. Use extra virgin olive oil, walnut, canola or flaxseed oils.

3) Eliminate the unhealthy “white” carbs. Avoid refined flours, sugars, white rice and foods high on glycemic index.

4) Eat plenty of whole grains. Brown rice and bulgur wheat.

5) Avoid refined and processed foods.

6) Include plenty of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants.  Blueberries, strawberries and dark leafy greens like spinach and kale.

7) Hold the salt and spice it up.  Use more anti-inflammatory herbs and spices for seasoning. Curry, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, garlic and onions are all anti-inflammatory.

8) Eat lean protein sources like chicken. Reduce red meat and avoid full fat dairy products.

9) Eat fish high in omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, arctic char, sardines, anchovies, black cod, mackerel and even oysters are excellent sources.

10) Drink red wine in moderation. One or two glasses daily

I like it.  It’s similar to dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu’s Feed Your Face diet, which also focuses on avoiding foods with a high glycemic index.  To read the rest of Dr. Tornambe’s article “The Plastic Surgery Diet,” click HERE.

 

The Newest In Aesthetic Plastic Surgery At The ASAPS Annual Meeting In New York City

Friday, April 19th, 2013

I just returned from the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), the premiere society for cosmetic plastic surgeons.  It took place at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, and was attended by the top aesthetic surgeons in the United States.  This is THE meeting where the hottest new treatments are introduced, scrutinized, and demo’d, and plastic surgeons describe the newest ways to perform surgeries with less downtime and better results.  Here are some highlights:

1. I was privileged to be invited to be on the Media Relations committee for ASAPS, along with several other very prominent plastic surgeons.  Although our committee is small, it’s a virtual who’s who in famous ‘media’ plastic surgeons today, including Dr. Andrew Ordon from “The Doctors,” Dr. Brent Moelleken from “Extreme Makeover” and “Plastic Wives,” Dr. Arthur Perry who co-authored the “Me” books with Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Steve Teitelbaum, chair of the committee and frequent television commentator.  I look forward to working with these great doctors to exert a positive influence on today’s media.

2. “Hot Topics” is my favorite session at the annual meeting, as this five hour course reveals the most newsworthy items in our field.  Some highlights included Exparel (a new medication that might make pain pumps obsolete), the Lifestyle Lift, Nonsurgical Fat Reduction, and the award for the worst, overhyped gimmick of all (the fad of thread lifts).

3. Two of the most talked-about subjects in plastic surgery are the new FDA-approved Natrelle 410 breast implants (aka the gummy bear implants) and use of Strattice for treating breast implant capsular contracture.  My old friend and colleague, Dr. Brad Bengtson, revealed his experience using Strattice to treat recurrent capsular contractures, with impressive results.  If only the Strattice wasn’t so expensive!

4. I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Dr. John Trupiano, an old friend who is now a practicing plastic surgeon in Fargo, North Dakota.  We had a nice dinner together and then watched “Oz: The Great and Powerful.”  If you’re in Fargo, he’s a great guy to see.

I’m looking forward to the next ASAPS meeting next year, scheduled to take place in San Fran!

For more about ASAPS, or to find an ASAPS doctor in your area, visit www.surgery.org.

 

The Silk’N Face FX on “The Ricki Lake Show”

Monday, April 15th, 2013

I was recently asked to demonstrate a novel, take-home device for tightening the skin of the face for “the Ricki Lake Show.” This is a one-of-a-kind device, and although not the same as the laser treatments in the office, can be a nice way to rejuvenate your skin at home.