How Do You Choose a Plastic Surgeon?

I've received numerous emails asking me how a prospective patient should choose a plastic surgeon. Unfortunately, with medical insurance reimbursements declining, many physicians are attempting to become "plastic surgeons" in order to make more money. This can be anyone from your family doctor to your ER physician to even your dentist. There is no law against a person calling themselves a plastic surgeon or even advertising themselves as that in the paper or yellow pages. Heck, I can put an ad out that says I'm the world's best cardiologist, and if I could convince you to let me perform angioplasty on you then there is no law against it!
My first advice to a patient is to go to the website: http://www.plasticsurgery.org and find surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery in your area. This website lists nearly every board-certified plastic surgeon in the U.S.
Second, make sure that the board-certified plastic surgeon you select is proficient in the surgery you are interested in having. Plastic surgeons are trained in a wide array of plastic surgery, including hand, reconstructive, and cosmetic surgery. Just because I was fully trained in hand surgery doesn't mean you want me reattaching your thumb!
Third, meet with the surgeon(s) to make sure you are comfortable with him or her. There is no better indication of how your surgical experience will be than the face-to-face consultation with the surgeon. If you don't meet the surgeon during the consultation or it is very rushed, it is an indication that the surgeon may also rush your surgery and may not take care of you afterwards.
Finally, there is a difference between a cosmetic surgeon and a plastic surgeon. The field of plastic surgery is very difficult to enter, as the residency positions are extremely competitive to obtain and consist of at least five years of rigorous training with at least two of those years dedicated to plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgeons, on the other hand, can be trained in one of many fields, including ENT, general surgery, OB-Gyn, and dermatology. Often, these practitioners can abruptly change their medical practice to become a cosmetic surgeon with as little as one year of cosmetic surgery training. I once had the family physician of a patient of mine try to convince her to cancel her facelift with me so that the family doc could perform the facelift herself! Crazy!
Now, there are some outstanding cosmetic surgeons out there, don't get me wrong. I often send difficult eyelid reconstructions to oculoplastic colleagues of mine, who would do a much better job than I. Just do your homework and make sure that your surgeon has the training to do the surgery you want. Although he or she may perform a fantastic rhinoplasty, it may not be wise to let a facial plastic surgeon (an ENT with additional training in plastic surgery of the face) perform your breast augmentation. This happens more often than you may think (especially here in metro Detroit).
Good luck and feel free to comment.

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

Oscar Wrap-up - Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren

I found the Oscars to be pretty unsurprising last night. Everyone looked great in their tuxes and dresses, with no obvious bad plastic surgery on display... except possibly Nicole Kidman.
I've commented on her "Botox Brow" and possible canthopexy before, but it does appear that her lips have been recently augmented, likely with an injectable filler like Restylane. Her lips did not seem to move completely normally, possibly because the injectables are a bit firmer than the normal lip tissue. She was an interesting contrast to her BFF Naomi Watts, who looks completely natural.
There are also reports that Nicole may have had a breast augmentation too. This definitely appears possible, but not completely obvious. If she has had a breast augmentation it matches her body well and hasn't been overdone.

I thought the following celebrities looked great, without any sign of plastic surgery: Kate Winslett, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, and Leonardo DiCaprio. As for Helen Mirren, either she has inherited fantastic genes OR she has had a facelift in the past (likely distant past?). Her neckline is almost too good for a 61 year old woman.

Photo credit: eonline.com

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

George Clooney Admits to Plastic Surgery

Several sources are reporting that George Clooney has admitted to having plastic surgery last night on the Oprah pre-Oscars special. He has confessed a blepharoplasty to pal Julia Roberts, who replied that she hasn't had any surgery done "yet."

There are two things to come out of this:

1. The only postoperative photo I've seen of George shows a nice result.
2. I question whether Julia was being honest. She does appear to show some signs of a rhinoplasty in the past.

Sources: Make Me Heal.com, Daily Mail.com, Starpulse.com

Photo source: photorazzi.com (Taken Dec 4, 2006)

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

Hugh Grant Attracted to Plastic Surgery

Contactmusic.com is reporting that Hugh Grant is attracted to plastic surgery. The star of Notting Hill and Love Actually reportedly stated that he is:

undecided about his opinion on going under the knife, but has developed a liking for some people's enhancements. He says, "I'm ambivalent about it, although I feel sorry for a lot of these Beverly Hills wives who've had so much done that they look a little scary these days. "On the other hand, I've seen some plastic surgery that I've found rather strangely sexually attractive."

I guess that includes just about all of us who find stars such as Carmen Electra, Jennifer McCarthy, and maybe even his old flame Elizabeth Hurley attractive. Plastic surgery doesn't have to look unnatural or weird. It can obviously be used to enhance a person's appearance!
On that note, back to Jocelyn Wildenstein in the next post...

photo credit: photorazzi.com
story credit: plasticized.com
Thanks for reading.

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

Jocelyn Wildenstein - Part II - What Plastic Surgery?

What plastic surgeries do I think Jocelyn Wildenstein has had? Her before and after photos reveal some possibilities (from the top):

Brow lift: Creates the overly arched eyebrows
Botox in the forehead, frown lines, and crow's feet: Eradicates the wrinkles in these areas
Upper and lower blepharoplasty: Removes any bags under the eyes or excess skin of the upper eyelids
Canthopexy: Elevates the corners of the eyes, giving them the 'cat-like' appearance
Fat grafting and/or Cheek implants: Plumps up the cheeks
Midface lift: Elevates the cheeks, but they are now too high
Lip plumping injections: Likely silicone, but could also be a solid implant (like Gortex)
Facelift (more than one?): Makes her face too tight-looking
Chin augmentation: Enlarges the chin with an implant.

All of these surgeries can create very natural, youthful results if performed correctly and in the right patient. Unfortunately, her surgeon has overdone these procedures, creating vastly exaggerated results. This is also not anti-aging surgery, but facial deforming surgery in my opinion.
In the next post I will give you my opinion on how I would correct what has happened to her.
Click HERE for Part III of the Jocelyn Wildenstein series: How I Would Fix Her Plastic Surgery.

To view streaming video of Dr. Youn on VH1's Plastic Surgery Obsession, click here.

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

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Jocelyn Wildenstein - Part I - Her Story

This is the first post of three on Jocelyn Wildenstein, the New York Society Lion Woman. While many of us recognize her face, not many of us really know her story. By understanding how she came to be, maybe we can better understand why she has made herself look the way she does. Divas the site.com has an excellent writeup of her personal story, which doesn't just trash her and her plastic surgery. Here is the Cliff Notes version:


Jocelyn grew up in a middle class family in Switzerland. There she became a skilled hunter and pilot. She eventually met and married billionaire art collector Alec Wildenstein. Marriage was difficult. Though Jocelyne tried as hard as she could, it was sometimes a thankless task to jolly her husband out of his somber moods. The only consolations, it seemed, were the lions in his private jungle and his priceless art collection. When Alec's eye began to wander after many years of marriage, Jocelyne grew jealous and believed that drastic measures were called for.

Pushing fifty and insecure about her looks, Jocelyne visited a renowned plastic surgeon. She wanted to revitalize her appearance in order to recapture the Alec she was so desperately in love with. The first surgeries were successful. This happy state of affairs lasted quite some time, and Jocelyne had the feeling that things were once again back on an even keel. So it was with both shock and sadness that she learned Alec wanted to sleep with other women. Not knowing what to do, a desperate Jocelyne formulated a plan that was so audacious in its daring that she may be forgiven for failing to see its drawbacks.

Jocelyne realized that Alec loved his jungle estate, and the cats that inhabited it, more than anything else in life. So armed with this information, she returned to her plastic surgeon with an unusual request: She wanted to be transformed into one of the giant Cats that Alec loved so much. Though surprised at this unorthodox request, the surgeon did his best to comply.

After countless surgeries - no one can say with certainty just how many - Jocelyne the Swiss beauty disappeared, and "The Queen Of The Jungle" took her place. Jocelyne's appearance was indeed striking. The first time Alec saw his new wife, it is said he screamed at the sudden appearance of this creature that confronted him. Naturally, Jocelyne was disappointed, and returned to her plastic surgeon for more work. It is rumored that several prospective patients ran screaming from the office, so concerned were they that they would end up looking like Jocelyne. As the reader may well imagine, this did nothing to improve the poor socalite's anxiety. However, Jocelyne persevered, and hasn't stopped to this day. When questioned as to the precise number and types of surgeries she's had, she merely replies with a smile "no more or less than any other woman".

Part II will focus on what I think she has had done. Click HERE for Part II of the Jocelyn Wildenstein series: What Plastic Surgery Has She Had?

To view streaming video of a segment of Montel that I did on plastic surgery addiction, click here.

Photo credit: Divas the site.com, Photorazzi.com
Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

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Plastic Surgery at the Grammy's

Make Me Heal.com has a wrap-up of my plastic surgery observations from the Grammy Awards show this past Sunday night. We cover Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, the Dixie Chicks, and even Carrie Underwood. Check it out if you have a minute.
Thanks to the folks at Make Me Heal.com.

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