Surgical Roulette - Risks of Surgery with a Phony Plastic Surgeon

The Times Publication has an outstanding article chronicling the story of Dr. Peter Normann, an Arizona-based Internal Medicine and Emergency Room specialist who masqueraded as a plastic surgeon. In a span of seven months three unsuspecting patients died under his care. The article highlights the unfortunate and shocking stores of several of his victims. It's a fascinating read. From the article:

While the cosmetic horror stories described by the patients of Peter Normann represent some of the most egregious in the state's history, research shows they are part of a larger and growing danger of ill-equipped and inadequately trained plastic surgeons performing invasive cosmetic procedures.Normann, an emergency room and internal medical physician, was never certified as a plastic surgeon. In other cases, some Valley physicians certified to practice as gynecologists or even ear, nose and throat doctors have been found to be practicing cosmetic surgery, many with little more experience than a weekend training course.
The results are patients being left scarred, disfigured, and in three of Peter Normann's cases, dead.

In response to the growing number of phony plastic surgeons, the Arizona Medical Board released a Guide to Choosing a Cosmetic Surgeon. You can find it here.

Even here in Metro Detroit there are numerous physicians who are performing plastic surgery with little more than a weekend course's training. If you are thinking of having plastic surgery, make sure your surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. All members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, so this is a good place to find a plastic surgeon for you.

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

Haylie Duff - Plastic Surgery?

Has Haylie Duff had plastic surgery recently? It appears so. Check out the new photo on Celebrity Smack, and compare it to the photo here. She appears to have had a reduction genioplasty, or surgery to reduce the projection of the chin. Her nose also appears to have been tweaked via a rhinoplasty. Overall I think the nose looks great, but the chin may have ended up a bit on the smaller side. I'll be interested to see how she looks when more photos come out. Hopefully it won't be a PR disaster like her sister Hillary Duff's veneers.

For the Celebrity Smack article, click here.
Photo credit: prphotos (from 2007)

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

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Reese Witherspoon Eats Cookies to Look Younger - Nutricosmetics

According to an interview with In Touch Weekly magazine, Reese Witherspoon has been eating cookies which claim to have anti-aging properties. According to Pop Crunch:

The Walk The Line star is rumored a huge fan of beauty giant BORBA’s DeLuscious Vitamin Enhanced Cookies, which claim to combat fine lines and wrinkles.
The tasty treats come in different flavors including Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate Toffee White Chocolate, and boast more than nine minerals and vitamins.

These cookies are commonly known as nutricosmetics, or foods believed by some to have anti-aging properties. Many of them have anti-oxidants and are packed with vitamins and minerals. Some examples include Borba's skin balance gummy bears and age-defying water. While it's big business overseas, nutricosmetics (or nutriceuticals) have not become as big a hit here in the U.S., although some high end stores do carry these types of foods.

What's my opinion? I think that virtually anything you eat that is good for you (fruit and veggies=good, fat fried salty foods=bad) will help keep you looking younger. That's common sense. I once worked with a plastic surgeon who loved Burger King. He ate Whoppers all the time and his face was a greasy mess. I bet if he changed his diet he'd look much better. I often see this in my patients. The ones who don't drink, don't smoke, stay out of the sun, and eat good foods look younger than the ones who do all of the above.

It's just that they might not have as much fun in life...

Photo credit: prphotos.com

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

Youth Knows No Pain - Plastic Surgery Documentary

Set your TiVo's folks! Filmmaker Mitch McCabe has created a documentary on the current state of plastic surgery, premiering at 9pm EST August 31st on HBO. Screenings before this premiere include:

Cinevegas Film Festival : Saturday June 13, 6:30pm, and Sunday June 14, 10am.

Silverdocs Film Festival, D.C. area. Friday June 19, 3:30pm, Sunday June 21, 6:30pm.

Los Angeles: Sunset Gower Studios, June 30th, 7pm

Here's the lowdown:

In YOUTH KNOWS NO PAIN, an age-obsessed daughter of a plastic surgeon (filmmaker Mitch McCabe) takes a journey through America's $60 billion a year anti-aging world. In this Alice-in-Wonderland tale, McCabe spends 2 years traveling across America visiting doctors, experts and lives with a cross-section of characters from Minnesota to Texas who've gone to varying lengths to "beat the clock", to paint a funny but troubling portrait of a country that desperately needs to stay forever young. Along the way, one wonders if the filmmaker herself hasn't been pulled in by the seduction of youth.

"Youth Knows No Pain" is an alternately wry and unsettling journey across that grey zone where physical appearance meets self-esteem. Mitch McCabe has assembled for the film a remarkable group of individuals who collectively reveal that there's a deep discomfort running through the heart (and body) of contemporary America."
-Richard Peña, Program Director, Film Society of Lincoln Center

For more information on Youth Knows No Pain, click here for their Facebook page.

Special thanks to Mitch McCabe.

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

Michael Jackson - Does He Have Skin Cancer?

The newest Michael Jackson rumor circulating on the internet is that he may be getting treated for skin cancer. According to the Sun:

A source said: “Michael’s tests showed spots of skin cancer on his body, and cells which could turn to skin cancer on his face... He was at first very concerned, but says he has been assured by the doctors that they can treat this and he will recover... Michael is really looking forward to his concerts and is determined to wow his fans at each and every gig... He said he’s insisted that any treatment must fit around the concerts, and the show will go on.”

Jacko, who has been seen making regular visits to his Beverly Hills dermatologist wearing a mask and surgical cap, received the shock diagnosis last month.

The most common skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma, which almost never spreads to other organs or kills people. If left untreated, it just tends to get larger and larger. Pre-cancerous cells can often be treated without surgery.

For all you MJ fans, I bet that he'll be just fine.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

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

New Study Reveals that Thread Lifts Don't Work

A new study published in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery comes to the conclusion that Thread Lifts, a popular type of lunchtime facelift, just don't work. Here are some details:

- 33 patients who underwent thread lifts were compared to 10 patients who underwent other surgical procedures.
- Follow-up averaged 21 months.
- On a scale of 0 (no improvement) to 3 (considerable improvement), those patients undergoing thread lifts scored lowest, showing only 0.3-0.5 degrees of improvement.
- For those patients who underwent traditional surgical procedures, their scores ranged from 1.5-2.3.
- The authors conclude that the improvement seen by thread lifts at 1 month were likely due to swelling and inflammation.
- The authors conclude that thread-lifts carry a high risk of complications, while extensive scarring may make it difficult to remove the threads, which is problematic because studies have found up to 20% of patients need a repeat surgery.

I do not perform thread lifts because the results I've seen from even the most respected plastic surgeons have been unimpressive. Most physicians who perform thread lifts are not real plastic surgeons, but cosmetic surgeons who learn the procedure in a course. There is no real substitute for a well-done facelift or mini facelift (in selected patients).

For more information on the threadlift study, click here.

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

Lisa Rinna Opens Up About Her Plastic Surgery

In a very frank, revealing interview on the Today Show, actress Lisa Rinna has admitted to silicone injections in her upper lip. She admits to having it done 23 years ago during the time of the movie Beaches. Like injectable silicone often does, it got hard and she's had to have steroid injections to the upper lip to soften it up. She also admits to having Botox and Juvederm injections. The Juvederm is especially evident in the obliteration of her nasolabial folds - the lines between the corners of the mouth and sides of the nose- and her plumped up cheeks. Finally, she admits to having had a breast lift, which she really feels she benefitted from.

It's always nice to see a celebrity be frank and open about his or her plastic surgery, whether good or bad. I speculated that she had a Gortex implant in her upper lip, which is another type of permanent implant like silicone. Unfortunately, the only way to remove liquid silicone is to cut it out. Ouch.

For streaming video of the Lisa Rinna Today Show interview, click here.

Photo credit: prphotos.com
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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

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The Hottest and Newest in Plastic Surgery... From the Las Vegas Strip

Last week I attended the annual Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting in Las Vegas. Here are some highlights of the newest and hottest things you may soon see (or are seeing) in plastic surgery:

1. Fractional Lasers are everywhere. It seems that nearly every laser company is plugging its fractionated laser. These are basically lasers which are similar to the old CO2 lasers, but instead of focusing on all the skin, they only focus on tiny spots at a time. This causes less downtime and discomfort, but does it create similar results? Time will tell.
2. Will we someday be able to apply Botox as a cream? A company is working on a cream containing a botulinum-type toxin which may work similarly to Botox when applied. This is technically not Botox, but a botulinum-like cream. It is still in the development phase.
3. BodyJet - Water-assisted liposuction. The maker claims that it is less invasive and has less discomfort. Only a handful of surgeons currently have this machine. Is it a flash-in-the-pan or a new device with legs?
4. Removing fat without surgery - I covered this at length on the Rachael Ray Show. Two big players are Liposonix and Ultrashape. Neither is FDA-approved, and likely won't be for some time. There is one other device I am looking into however...
5. Smoothshapes - This is a new anti-cellulite treatment which combines laser with mechanical massage. I don't have any experience with this machine, because I own a Dermosonic anti-cellulite machine instead. I think there are many effective ways to treat cellulite, and these are two of the most prominent. Click here to see a segment I did with the local Fox News affiliate on treating cellulite.
6. Ulthera - This is an ultrasound machine that can target its energy to heat up the platysma (neck muscle) in order to tighten it and therefore create a nicer neckline. The results look promising, but it is still under investigation.
7. Cosmetic Gynecology - There was some interesting discussion on this topic, since many plastic surgeons and gynecologists are entering this new "field." I have absolutely no desire to perform cosmetic gynecologic procedures. A prominent gynecologist weighs in on this subject on his blog here.
8. Rumored to be coming to plastic surgeons' offices soon: Gummy bear implants! This is both a good (great implant for a select group of patients) and bad (hopefully quack cosmetic surgeons won't try to put these difficult-to-place implants in). If they are placed poorly, they can turn upside down and slide around, causing major cosmetic problems.

Much of the meeting focuses on how to improve our plastic surgery techniques, which would be boring for most of the readers of this blog. I always find it a great learning experience to see how other plastic surgeons perform similar surgeries, as I strive to continually improve my technique and results. Thanks to the ASAPS for putting on a great meeting.

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

Bruce Jenner Has Another Facelift

Kim Kardashian has confirmed that her step-dad Bruce Jenner has had his second facelift. According to USmagazine.com:

"Twenty five years ago, Bruce was ill-advised by a doctor to have a partial facelift and a nose job," Kim writes. "Unfortunately, the result wasn't what Bruce had hoped for and for years since then he has been the victim of cruel taunts from the media."

"Since he's turning 60 in October, Bruce felt it was time to correct the mistakes made by the previous doctor so he went to a new doctor for a second facelift," she continues. "The results are amazing! Bruce looks better than ever and he is extremely happy with the result. Make sure you watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians next Sunday to see what Bruce went through for his new look!"

I always thought he'd had his nose whittled down too much. Hopefully the corrective work will make him look less 'operated on' and more masculine. Bruce does seem like the most sane one of the bunch in that reality show. Unfortunately, in the above picture he looks like he was just ridden hard and put away wet!

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

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Angelique from I Love Money 2 - Go Away!

Continuing with the theme of over-the-top reality show contestants... VH1 just ended its series I Love Money 2, which has as one of its stars a French stripper named Angelique. With her idiotic statements, overinflated trout pout, and watermelon-sized breast implants, she singlehandedly sets the women's lib movement back thirty years. Hopefully Americans will never have to see her ever again!

Yes, I know this is harsh, but I'm partial to Metro Detroit's own Prancer, whom Angelique verbally assaulted on the program. Unlike Angelique, Prancer's quite down-to-earth, fun, and personable. Check out her MySpace here.

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

Annina from Big Brother UK

This is a photo of Annina, a participant in television program Big Brother in the UK. As you can see, her breast implants are excessively large, and her skin even looks a bit mottled in her breasts and chest. Sometimes skin that is this color can signify poor blood supply to the tissues and can increase her risk for implant and skin-related problems. My advice to her would be to downsize her breast implants, have a breast lift, and avoid smoking and tanning.

Or she could just leave well enough alone.

Photo credit

For an even more shocking photo on Awful Plastic Surgery, click here.

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

Carrot Top, Vegas, and Meetings

I've just returned from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery annual conference in Las Vegas. It was held at Mandalay Bay, and was chock full of the newest in the field of cosmetic plastic surgery. I'll post some of the 'hottest' and 'newest' trends in a future post.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with two plastic surgeons whom I went to residency with, Dr. Sanjiv Kayastha and Dr. Terry Higgins. Dr. Kayastha practices outside Albany, New York, and Dr. Higgins (who has been mentioned on this site once before) practices in Vegas. Both are outstanding surgeons, and if you live in their area they would definitely be the people to see!

In between attending meetings and seminars, I did spot one celebrity dining at the table next to us Monday night: Carrot Top. He was there with a couple friends and kept to himself. Wow, is he striking. That red fro combined with muscles galore makes him a sight to behold!

Photo credit: prphotos.com

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

A Little Botox for Paula?

For all of you American Idol watchers out there, this photo of Paula Abdul from Dlisted.com does appear to show some Botox working well to prevent wrinkles between her eyebrows (the glabella). It looks like she's trying to grimace but can't. This is exactly what Botox (or Dysport) can do to prevent the "11" sign between the eyebrows.

Go Adam Lambert!

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

Daryl Hannah - Plastic Surgery?

MakeMeHeal.com has a post on Daryl Hannah's possible plastic surgery. She looks puffy and completely unlike herself. What a shame. Unless she used permanent fillers like Artefill (bad) or Silicone (worse), most of the changes should get better with time. I've always considered her to be very attractive, especially when she starred in one of my all-time favorite movies Roxanne.

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

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Miss California Carrie Prejean's Breast Implants

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, supposedly had her breast implants paid for by the Miss California USA pagaent. This is according to Shanna Moakler, co-executive director of Miss California USA.

In an interview with "Access Hollywood," Billy Bush asked Moakler, "Did you guys pay for it?"
"Yes," Moakler responded. "We did."
"It was something that we all spoke about together," Moakler said referring to herself, Prejean and Keith Lewis, Moakler's co-executive director. "It was an option and she wanted it. And we supported that decision."

Moakler, a former Miss USA herself, defended the organization's decision to pay for the implants, telling "Access" that it's a common practice in beauty competitions.
"Breast implants in pageants is not a rarity. It's definitely not taboo. It's very common. Breast implants today among young women today is very common. I don't personally have them, but you know — they are," she said.

The above photo appears to show a pair of breast implants which create a round look in someone with little breast tissue to cover them. They are very tasteful in size, though.

Source

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