Hillary Duff's Veneers

It's a quiet time for celebrity plastic surgery news, so I thought I'd comment on some cosmetic work of the past.
In August 2005, Hillary Duff had veneers placed on her teeth after chipping them on a microphone. Her dentist was a bit overzealous, however, causing her to undergo quite a bit of scrutiny for her new, overly-long teeth. She subsequently had them shortened and has looked great ever since. Good thing, since those extra-long teeth were "So Yesterday."

Photo credit: Life and Style magazine

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

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Plastic Surgery Recession?

Slate.com has an interesting article about plastic surgery and the current possible recession the country is undergoing. I can't say that I agree with everything written in this article, but I did find it a very interesting read.

The location where I practice (the metro Detroit area) is undergoing a definite recession. Jobs are being lost (many from the auto industry), people are fleeing the state to move elsewhere, and the real estate market is in the toilet. While the population here is shrinking, there appear to be no shortage of real and fake plastic surgeons still entering this market. Many have also turned to hyping their takes on procedures as something special (even if there is no scientific data to support this) as a way to lure patients in the door. Plasticized.com has what they consider to be an example of this from a plastic surgeon in my area.

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

Quick Links

Some quick links if you are interested...

1. The OC Register polls dermatologists and plastic surgeons on their thoughts regarding Priscilla Presley. One of them actually stated, “I would recommend that she looks fabulous now and that she does not need to have any more work done.” Huh?? What's he smoking? Click here.

2. Juliette Binoche sees "fear" in the faces of women who have Botox. I had 'fear' in my eyes when a "Dan in Real Life" DVD (which she starred in) showed up via Netflix, but it was actually a nice little movie. Click here.

3. Dr. Rob Oliver comments on Accolate and Singulair for breast implant capsular contractures. I've been using this for years, with some benefit. We don't have a lot else to try for patients with capsular contracture short of surgery. Click here.

4. The Evolution of Emilio Estevez, on Awful Plastic Surgery. This Young Gun is no longer Billy the Kid, but more Billy the middle-aged man. Click here.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.

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

Whitney Houston - Breast Implants?

Does Whitney Houston have breast implants? This photo from Ayyyy! is very suggestive of it. The two half-grapefruit look can often signify breast implants placed above the muscle in a person with very little breast tissue. In these patients the implant makes up nearly the entire breast and the round look of the implant is not blunted by the muscle covering it. For this reason, in really thin patients it is often best to put the implants partially under the pectoralis muscle.

Is Kevin Costner now the Boobyguard?

Photo credit: Ayyyy!

To view a video of a breast augmentation I performed for Fox News, click here.

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

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Demi Moore Admits to Leech Therapy

On a recent appearance on David Letterman's Late Show, Demi Moore admitted to undergoing a turpentine bath and leech therapy in order to "thin" and "detoxify" her blood. It occurred at some woman's house in Austria. The leech was placed onto her belly button, where it latched and sucked blood until it was fully engorged and fell off.

Leeches??!! Yuck.

I find it completely amazing that celebrities are comfortable admitting to ridiculous 'treatments' like this, yet still can't admit they've had plastic surgery. It's more appropriate for a Hollywood star to admit they've had high pressure water shot up their rectum (the celebrity colonic) than a facelift. With the slow trickle of stars coming forth and admitting their plastic surgery, maybe things will eventually change.

For the video from the Late Show, click here to visit Cosmetic Makeovers.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.

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

Plastic Surgery Continued to Grow in 2007

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the most recognized plastic surgery society in the U.S., has recently released their 2007 statistics. Each year the ASPS conducts a survey of its member plastic surgeons (comprises over 90% of board-certified plastic surgeons) to determine trends and numbers of plastic surgeries performed. Here are some highlights:

1. There were almost 12 million cosmetic plastic surgeries performed in 2007, a 7 percent increase from 2006 and a 59% increase from 2000.
2. The top 5 cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were: (1) Breast augmentation (up 6%), (2) Liposuction (unchanged), (3) Rhinoplasty (down 7%), (4) Eyelid surgery (up 3%), and (5) Tummy tuck (up 1%).
3. There were nearly 10 million minimally-invasive procedures performed, up 10% from 2006.
4. The top 5 minimally invasive cosmetic procedures were: (1) Botox (up 13%), (2) Hyaluronic acid fillers (up 35%), (3) Chemical peel (down 4%), (4) Laser hair removal (up 2%), and (5) Microdermabrasion (up 10%).
5. The amount of facelifts performed in 2007 has actually risen by 14% over 2006.

Some of my thoughts on these trends:
1. Even with a slowing of the national economy, plastic surgery continues to be a hot market. While more and more people are being introduced to plastic surgery via minimally invasive procedures like Botox, the traditional surgical procedures remain more popular than ever.
2. Breast augmentation is the top plastic surgery for the second year in a row, no doubt aided by the return of the silicone gel implants in November 2006.
3. Hyaluronic acid fillers rose from the fifth most common minimally invasive procedure in 2006 to the second most common in 2007. Patients are beginning to see the longevity of these excellent fillers (much better than collagen) without the long-term risks of longer-acting fillers (like silicone - shudder). I predict these numbers will continue to grow as more and more companies get into this market.
4. The status of facelifts may be finally turning a corner. Patients may be finally figuring out that most of the overly-hyped lunchtime facelifts are just that: hype. These mini-thread-lunchstyle-facelifts don't compare to the results of a real, muscle-tightening facelift, no matter what the fancy, deceptive advertising might say. With more patients undergoing real facelifts by real board-certified plastic surgeons, it is possible that patients are learning that advertising is not always truthful.
5. Keep in mind that these numbers do not reflect plastic surgery procedures being performed by non-board-certified plastic surgeons, such as cosmetic surgeons (dentists, ER Docs, ENT's performing breast augmentation, and the like). I would unfortunately assume that the numbers of plastic surgery procedures being performed by improperly trained doctors continues to rise at an alarming rate.

For more on the ASPS 2007 statistics, click here.

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

Dolly Parton - Plastic Surgery on American Idol

Dolly Parton was featured on American Idol last night. I thought she looked good... for Dolly Parton. I think Dolly is somewhat like Pam Anderson, in that they look somewhat artificial, but somehow it works for them since they are larger than life stars. She has nary a wrinkle on her face, but somehow looks much better than Joan Rivers, who appears to have had a similar amount of work done. This may be because her plastic surgeons have focused on addition of volume to her face in addition to tightening of the skin. I thought she looked radiant. She's such a musical legend, a a sweet, cute woman. I wouldn't want my mom to look like her, but it sure works for Dolly!

The website Dollymania addresses her plastic surgery in this way:
She has freely admitted to a great deal of plastic surgery, including having anything sucked, tucked or lifted when it starts to sag. She has said she had her breasts "lifted," has had work done on her face, neck and rear end, regularly endures chemical facial peels and takes collagen injections to hide wrinkles. She has said that she is not ashamed of having plastic surgery because she wants to look her best for her fans and believes anyone who wants to have it done, has the money to pay for it, thinks it will improve their self-esteem and visits a licensed and qualified doctor for the procedure should go ahead and do it.

For my brief comments on Dolly Parton's plastic surgery, click here and here and here.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.

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