Celebs and their plastic surgery

Articles tagged body dysmorphic disorder

The Psychology of the Human Barbie

Thursday, August 21st, 2014

You may have seen photos circulating on the internet with examples of women who look incredibly like real Barbie dolls.  I’m not talking about plastic surgery ‘enthusiasts’ like Jenny Lee, but young women (often Eastern European) who look like real Barbie dolls.  The newest one, Lolita Richi, is only 16 and claims to have a 20 inch waist, 32F bra size, and absolutely no plastic surgery.  Seriously??

I was asked by Yahoo! to discuss the psychology of these Human Barbie dolls.  Do they have a type of BDD?

You can read my comments on the Yahoo! article HERE.

 

Why Your Plastic Surgeon Won’t Operate On You

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Here is the intro to my latest article on CNN.com:

I make my living operating on people, but I don’t accept everyone.

I turn down one out of every five patients who consult me for cosmetic plastic surgery. Mostly I say no because of a patient’s unrealistic expectations.

“Dr. Youn, I’ve had five children. I’ve breastfed all of them and now my breasts droop down to my waist. I want my breasts lifted and perky. I want them to feel as firm as they did when I was 16. Oh, and no scars, please.”

Sometimes the risk of surgery simply outweighs the benefit.

“Dr. Youn, I’m 80 years old. I have end stage emphysema, two stents in my heart, and uncontrolled diabetes. I want a facelift. And could you tighten up my butt?”

And sometimes a patient’s request is just weird.

“Dr. Youn, I want liposuction on my kneecaps and surgery on my belly button so it looks exactly like Paris Hilton’s.”

To read the rest of the article, click HERE.

 

When Wanting Beauty Becomes An Unhealthy Obsession – My NPR Segment

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

A recent study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery determined that 1/3rd of patients who present for rhinoplasty surgery have Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD.  I recently discussed this troubling statistic, and how this relates to people of color in a segment of NPR’s Tell Me More with Michel Martin.

Youn says there are potential neurological reasons for BDD, but social influences are major factors.

“We’re really a society that is based on a Caucasian ideal of beauty. If you ever look at People magazine’s ’50 Sexiest People in the World,’ there are very few No. 1 Asian-American males in that demographic in those groups. And you see that also with other types of ethnicities,” Youn said.

And the country with the highest per capita rate of plastic surgery is South Korea, says Youn.

To listen to the entire interview, click here.

Thank you to Michel Martin and the staff at NPR’s Tell Me More for inviting me on the show again!

 

I Want My Favorite Celebrity Body Part: From MSNBC.com

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

 

Ashlee Simpson’s nose.  Natalie Portman’s Cheeks.  Beyonce’s behind.

It seems every day I see a new patient who wants to change a part of his or her body in order to look like a celebrity.  A recent study by the International Society of Plastic Surgeons listed Angelina Jolie as the first choice for women and, no shock, Brad Pitt for men.  Most celebrities look great—that’s why they’re celebrities—but are “regular” people going too far when they request their body to look like their favorite star?

Twenty years ago I walked into an oral surgeon’s office with a photo of Andre Agassi.  During high school my jaw had grown enormously.  I looked like an Asian Jay Leno.  Only Jay’s jaw was smaller.  The oral surgeon studied Andre’s jaw line and told me he would do his best.  He broke my jaw in two places, set it back, and wired it in place.  Success!  I no longer looked like Jawzilla.  Sadly, I don’t think you’d mistake me for Andre Agassi.  Since I went for a celebrity look—at least in my jaw—I guess I shouldn’t cringe when my patients bring in photos of celebrities to show me how they want to look.

But bringing in photos of celebrities could be an indication that a prospective patient may have unrealistic expectations.  Frankly, this is my number one reason for turning a patient down for surgery.  When I presented that photo of Andre to my oral surgeon, I honestly wanted to show him what I considered an acceptable looking chin.  I might have chosen any photo—celebrity or civilian—whose chin jutted within the range of “normal.”

Unfortunately, some patients don’t desire simply to look “normal.”  They really do want to look as much like their favorite celebrity as possible.  This desire to look like another person could be a sign of serious psychological issues, including body dysmorphic disorder.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, is a psychiatric condition in which a person looks in the mirror and sees something completely different than what others see.  To a person with BDD, a small bump on the nose appears to be the size of a melon.  Their twisted vision leads these troubled individuals to undergo multiple plastic surgeries in misguided attempts to correct deformities that don’t exist.  People who suffer from BDD sometimes define physical perfection in terms of a celebrity whose photo they bring to a plastic surgeon’s office.  They’re never happy until, in their minds, they look exactly like that celeb.

Early in my career a woman with undiagnosed BDD consulted me for plastic surgery.  You would think the moment she pulled out a photo of Jennifer Aniston, twenty-five years her junior, a warning bell would go off in my head and my inner voice would scream “She’s crazy!  Don’t operate on her!”  You would think wrong.  I performed a facelift on her and lived to regret it.  While everyone who saw her afterward thought she looked fabulous, she was devastated by what she perceived as a “botched job,” pointing out nonexistent scars and lumps that you couldn’t see under a magnifying glass.  She exploded into a terrifying tirade in my office, screaming “I’m a Monster!” and threatened to perform her own version of a facelift on me, and then hit me with her car.  For the next two years I looked over my shoulder every time I walked out of my office, worried that I’d see her behind me, scalpel in hand.

Years ago, my plastic surgeon mentor said, “Plastic surgery is not meant to make people look different, but to make them look like a better version of themselves.”  I firmly believe this.  As plastic surgeons, we should ask the question: When have we gone too far?

When we perform plastic surgery to make someone look different and not better.

Most people agree that Ashlee Simpson looks much better after her alleged rhinoplasty.  If you looked at photos of my hideous cartoon jaw you would agree that I look much better today.  And most people would agree that Heidi Montag looks worse after her 10 plastic surgeries in one day.  Heidi looks like a changed person.  In plastic surgery, change is not necessarily better.

I try to do my best to give my patients what they’re looking for, if possible, even if they come in waving a photograph of somebody’s famous nose, chin, or chest.  I draw the line at patients who insist on transforming their entire bodies into their favorite celebrities.  This could be BDD speaking; these patients need therapy rather than plastic surgery.  Thankfully, in most cases it’s impossible to change someone so much that they resemble their favorite celebrity.  You can’t build a Porsche using Hyundai parts.

Reprinted from MSNBC.com.  To view the accompanying slideshow, click HERE.  To read a plastic surgery-related excerpt from IN STITCHES, called “Beverly Hills Bloodsuckers,” click HERE.

 

Top Celeb Body Parts: My MSNBC.com Slideshow

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

 

MSNBC.com asked me to write a slideshow for them on the top celebrity body parts.  Can you guess which asset of  Jessica Biel and Matthew McConaughey is tops in Hollywood?

To view the slideshow, click HERE!

To read my article on MSNBC.com called “Envy Scarlett’s lips?  Beware: Celeb body parts look best on original owners” click HERE.  In the article I reveal quite possibly the nuttiest, craziest, most threatening patient I’ve ever encountered!

 

Sheyla Hershey – Woman With World’s Largest Breasts In A Coma

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

Sheyla Hershey, the model who claims to have the world’s largest breasts, is now in a coma following a suicide attempt.  According to The Sun:

Brazilian Hershey, who lives in Houston, Texas, had her MMM-cup implants removed in September after getting an infection during an op to fit them.  She was due to have an op to return her to a size KKK today.

But the bipolar mum, who has been in therapy over her boob obsession, overdosed on Sunday – her second suicide bid in two months.  After her first attempt, she said: “Once I reclaim my identity as the World’s Biggest Boobs I can be a better role model for my daughter.

“I feel so ugly without my breasts. Without them, I don’t know who I am.”

Wow.  She obviously has major psychiatric problems.  I hope she gets through all right and both she and her family get some effective therapy.

This is the nightmare of many plastic surgeons, including myself.  We can operate on someone, not knowing their major psychiatric disorder, and then find out that the patient is mentally unstable after a (perceived) negative result.  It’s the classic case of BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) that plastic surgeons are trained to spot.  Unfortunately, some patients hide their BDD well until AFTER surgery, when it comes out in full force.  I’m planning on telling a real doozy of a story about my experiences with BDD in my second book!

To preview IN STITCHES, my memoir about becoming a plastic surgeon, click HERE!