Patrick Swayze

Several websites are reporting that actor Patrick Swayze's battle with pancreatic cancer is worsening.

Patrick recently got word that the cancer had spread to his liver and that is what his doctors said would begin the countdown to the end," a source told National Enquirer magazine.

If true, this is terrible news. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat of all cancers. Long-term survivability is uncommon. I wish him and his family the best through this horrible time.

I thought Patrick Swayze was fantastic in Ghost and Dirty Dancing, although his most entertaining shoot ever may have been with Chris Farley on the Chippendales SNL segment...

Photo credit: prphotos.com

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Nicole Kidman or Wax Figure?

Is this a photo of Nicole Kidman or a wax figure of Nicole? It seems as though she has resumed her Botox injections, in addition to lip enhancement with a filler such as Restylane. I bet she's had some chemical peels too, judging by the smoothness of her skin.

To check out my last post on Nicole Kidman, titled "Nicole Kidman : Botox Free?" click here.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Quick links

Here are some quick links to take up time while you are relaxing at home...

1. If you are on Facebook, take the True Age Test. They ask you 20 questions about yourself and determine the true age of your body from the results. According to this test I am 17 years old! Then why do I feel 50 today? (Must be the five days of surgery in the last seven days...)

2. Click here to view a television segment on the Beverly Hills radiologist who fashioned himself a liposuction guru. There is a warrant out for his arrest, and now he is somewhere in South America. After you go to the CBS site, type in "Raid" and/or "Bittner" to view the segments on Dr. Alan Bittner.

3. Are Guns N' Roses Bringing Back Plastic Surgery? Check out MakeMeHeal.com for their post on the Gunners (I've asked for Chinese Democracy for Christmas).

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

How Do You Screen For Breast Cancer If You Have Implants?

Here is a segment I did with ABC Channel 7 here in Metro Detroit. If you have breast implants, take a look to learn about how to screen for breast cancer.

Stars Admitting to Botox

A recent article in People Magazine has compiled a number of celebrities who have gone on record to having Botox injections. Most of them like what the treatments do, and there is an estimate that 75% of stars over the age of 35 receive Botox injections! Here is a list of the stars who get or have gotten Botox:
Brooke Shields
Vanessa Williams
Lisa Rinna
Lori Loughlin
Daisy Fuentes
Jenny McCarthy (yes to Botox, but no to vaccines?)
Jennie Garth
David Hasselhoff (ha!)
Simon Cowell
Linda Evangelista
Janice Dickinson (no surprise there)
Courteney Cox
Teri Hatcher

If the star's name is highlighted, you can click on it to visit one of my previous blog entries on their Botox.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Hollywood Breast A Listers.. and a Couple B's

COEDmagazine.com has a photo display of Hollywood stars who do not appear to have had a breast augmentation. They are all A's and B's. Check it out here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Rhytec (Portrait) Goes Out of Business?

I've heard through the grapevine that Rhytec, the company that makes the Portrait skin rejuvenation machine, has closed its doors. This leaves the hundreds of physicians who own this machine in a bind. If another company does not produce the nozzles that are necessary for their plasma treatments, then these doctors will be left with a very expensive (approximately $60,000 from what I've heard) piece of useless machinery.

So now we see the credit crunch affecting the cosmetic and plastic surgery industry. Some good friends of mine, well-respected plastic surgeons Dr. Steve Svehlak and Dr. Dan Yamini have been using Portrait with very nice results. Hopefully the procedure can continue on with a new manufacturer.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Has Brad Pitt Had Chemical Peels and Filler Injections?

Star Magazine has recently run a spread on Brad Pitt's "Plastic Surgery Secret." A very well-respected New York-based plastic surgeon believes he may have had a chemical peel to smooth the skin and filler injections such as Restylane or Juvederm to fill his wrinkles. Source.

He does look quite a bit better. The two photos are hard to compare, however, due to the different expressions in each one. The photo from Sept 6 has him looking surprised, with an open mouth, whereas the Nov 6 photo shows him smiling. It is a very common practice among plastic and cosmetic surgeons to use before and after photos which do not show the same pose. Because most everyone looks younger when they smile (since their cheeks look fuller and help cover up bags under the eyes) these photos are commonly used as 'after' pictures. The most famous Lunchtime Facelift (you know who they are!) before and after photos are a prime example of what I consider deceptive advertising. It's almost as if they ask the patient to look as old and grumpy as possible in the before, and then in the after they crane their neck up and smile. It's too bad that most people can't spot this!

Thanks for reading.

Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Radiologist Liposuction Doctor Drives to Work in a Car Fueled by His Patients' Liposuction Fat

Crazy story I found on Dr. Disaia's blog. Apparently there is a radiologist who practices liposuction surgery in Beverly Hills. He has committed himself to going green, and even utilizes the liposuction fat of his patients to fuel his SUV as he drives to and from work! I wonder what the exhaust smells like? Ick.

According to Dr. Disaia's blog his office was recently raided by the Medical Board of California. Maybe if he threw out his patients' liposuction fat like everybody else and drove an electric car to work he would still be in business!

To view his website, click here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Cosmetic Surgery Addict Injects Cooking Oil Into Her Face

In a bizarre story, a woman addicted to plastic surgery has admitted to injecting cooking oil into her face in an attempt to plump it up. According to the Telegraph:

Amazingly, she found a doctor who was willing to give her silicone injects and, what's more, he then gave her a syringe and silicone of her own so she could self-inject. When her supply of silicone ran out Hang resorted to injecting cooking oil into her face.
As Hang's notoriety spread she was featured on Korean TV. Viewers seeing the report took mercy on her and sent in enough donations to enable her to have surgery to reduce the size of her face. During the first procedure surgeons removed 60g of foreign substance from Hang's face and 200g from her neck.
After several other sessions her face was left greatly reduced but still scarred and disfigured.
And it would seem that even Hang can now see the damage she has done; she now says that she would simply like her original face back.

This woman obviously has a major case of BDD. The problem with this psychiatric condition is that most people who have it don't think they do. In medical terms, we call it "lacking insight" into their condition. This causes them to be resistant to undergoing psychiatric treatment for it. When I've tried to encourage patients like this to stop undergoing plastic surgery and maybe get counseling instead, they usually don't listen to me and go to the next plastic or cosmetic surgeon down the street. Often that surgeon is willing to operate on them, and the unfortunate cycle continues.

Oh well. I try.

Click here to view a segment on BDD that I did on the Montel Williams show.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Julianne Moore : Plastic Surgery = Chinese Foot Binding?

According to actress Julianne Moore, she likens plastic surgery to Chinese Foot Binding. According to People.com she states:

"The analogy I use is ancient Chinese feet-binding," Moore reveals in the December issue of the U.K.'s Tatler. "At what point did they decide that small feet were more beautiful? People started making them smaller and smaller until they were stumps and not beautiful at all."

So will the 47-year-old actress refuse to go under the knife – ever? She may be idealistic, but Moore won't go that far. She admits, "Never say never."

I think the Chinese foot binding analogy goes a bit far. Much of plastic surgery is meant to restore the body to a previous state or remove excess skin that can become both a cosmetic and functional problem, such as tummy tucks and thigh lifts. The aim of good plastic surgery is a natural rejuvenation, not abnormal deformation like in Chinese foot binding. Maybe Julianne should stop being a moral compass and get back to acting...

Photo credit: pictzz.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Lisa Rinna Admits to Having "Too Much Filler"

Soap star and former Dancing with the Stars contestant Lisa Rinna has gone on record admitting to having had Botox and injectable fillers. According to an interview with In Touch Weekly:

The 45 year-old Rinna says, "We all know everyone does it! We go on Jenny Craig and do all these things to change ourselves, so why can't we get a little filler?...
At my age, you have to look good if you want to continue working. Sometimes we do things to help, and I did. I had tried Botox, and then fillers came into the plastic surgery world, and you think, "That's not a bad idea..."
I thought I looked great. It was a little bit more than normal, but you think it'll go down, so I wasn't scared. But two days ago, I saw a photo of myself at a party and went, "Oh, jeez. I have too much filler..."
I see that it's too much, so I'm going to lay off. I don't want to look weird! It'll go down in three months. And of course I'll stick with my doctor here in LA. I've seen him for years and he knows me best."

I've written about her lips many times in the past. Click here for previous posts. Take out the excessively plumped up lips and she looks fantastic for a 45 year old woman. It's nice to hear a Hollywood celebrity being up front about her plastic surgery. It's too bad not all celebs are so honest (Nicole Kidman?).

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

I Saved Barack Obama's Presidential Candidacy

Now that the election is over, I think it is important to reveal that I singlehandedly saved the new President-elect Barack Obama's candidacy. Click the photo of the article from the National Enquirer to see how I did this. Before you dismiss this as fluff, remember that the National Enquirer is the magazine that exposed John Edwards' affair, devastating his political career.

Had I not revealed the Obama Sex Tape as a hoax, using my extensive knowledge of human facial anatomy, we might have a President-elect McCain today. A type of scandal like the one I averted for him would likely have been more devastating than Watergate and Monicagate combined!

So for all you Obama supporters out there, you're welcome.

;)

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Beauty Blog by My Former Aesthetician

My former aesthetician, Brooke Moinet, has a nice little blog focusing on all things cosmetic, including makeup, hair, and plastic surgery. Take a peek at her site here.

Here are her thoughts on the current state of eyebrow shaping:

Brows: Natural, full brows that are groomed and have shape are in-style, and most flattering. So, if you’re still sporting the two rows of hair above your eyes, you need to cancel your next brow appointment and make it for about six months to a year. Unless you’re a drag queen, you need to start growing those babies out.

Best wishes on your move to Miami, Brooke!

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Top 10 Celebrities Who Don't Need a Mask This Halloween

Celebrity Smack has a post on the Top 10 Celebrities Who Don't Need a Mask This Halloween. Every single one appears to have had bad plastic surgery of some kind. I didn't see any kids wearing costumes of these celebs last night. I did see a pretty good Iron Man though...

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.: