Dr. Youn on the Fox News Channel Wed Aug 1st

I've been asked to be on the Fox News Channel tomorrow morning at 9:30am EDT tomorrow on the show America's Newsroom. If you get a chance to catch it, I'll be discussing the influence of plastic surgery television shows on patients and surgery. Thanks to the Fox News Channel for the invitation.

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

Star Jones Admits to Gastric Bypass Surgery

Star Jones has recently admitted to Glamour magazine that she underwent gastric bypass surgery back in August 2003, resulting in a weight loss of 160 pounds over 3 years. According to Canoe.ca, the former View cohost stated:

"Everything about me was already so public (mostly my own doing - talk about dumb!), so of course everyone wanted to know what I had done," she writes. "I was also terrified someone would have a tragic result after emulating me without making an informed decision with her doctor."
"But the complete truth is, I was scared of what people might think of me," she continues. "I was afraid to be vulnerable, and ashamed at not being able to get myself under control without this procedure."

I find this woman as annoying as a mosquito stuck in my ear canal. I do respect her courage with admitting her surgery, however. I just hope that she hasn't lost too much weight and has become unhealthy. It is important for patients who've had gastric bypass to make sure they are getting proper nutrition, and I fear she may not be.

photo credit: prphotos.com

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

Courtney Love Wants to Get Her Lips Fixed

Courtney Love has recently commented on MySpace that she would like to get a corrective procedure done to her lips. According to the Associated Press:

In a message on her MySpace site, she said she regrets having had cosmetic surgery on her mouth back in the day, which she refers to as "my dark years." She said her mouth "was perfectly cute." She has since had corrective procedures but says her "mouth still looks wonky. I have to restore myself to not looking ridiculous."

I like to enhance lips with long-lasting, but temporary injectable fillers like Juvederm or Restylane. Fat grafting (which is permanent) is another good technique, but only a small portion of the fat usually stays for good and the lips can look swollen for weeks. I'm not a fan of permanent or 'semi-permanent' lip fillers, since they often look fake (Gortex) or can have bad reactions (silicone), sometimes years after they are placed. What type of surgery could Courtney Love have had? Maybe a lip advancement or placement of an implant like Gortex, both of which are not surgeries I recommend due to the high rate of unnatural results. I hope she is eventually comfortable in her celebrity skin...

story credit: todaysthv.com
photo credit: photorazzi.com

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

Britney Spears nose job, good rhinoplasty

To be more specific, example of a smart rhinoplasty and very good plastic surgery. When Britney Spears underwent rhinoplasty, she was already recognized by public, and, probably did not want all American press to discuss her nose. So her plastic surgeon just created a smaller copy of her nose. That's really smart!

Tara Reid before and after plastic surgery

Having done dozens of pictures for FHMs and Maxims, one day Tara Reid appeared on the same pages with surprisingly bigger breasts, so much bigger and rounder that all celebrity blogs immediately suggested Tara had breast augmentation. Her plastic surgery remained a rumour untill November 4, 2004, when Tara Reid was embarrassed by a wardrobe malfunction. At P. Diddy's thirty-fifth birthday party at Cipriani's Restaurant in New York her dress fell, exposing her left breast. Suprisingly, it took a relatively long amount of time for Reid to notice the malfunction, which led some to suspect that she was inebriated. Terrible scar tissue was so visible around Reid's nipple, that her plastic surgery became evident - she had breast implants.

John Cusack - Necklift?

The Bosh.com is reporting that John Cusack may have had a necklift recently. According to their article:

“John’s never been a vain person, but when he watched his latest film, he was shocked to see how awful the sagging skin under his chin looked,” an insider told The ENQUIRER.
“At first John, who’s very squeamish, tried to avoid surgery and went the ‘anti-aging’ route with a specialist.”
But the “Say Anything” star was unhappy with the results, revealed the insider. So the big chicken took a cold turkey approach to facing his fears- and made the decision to have a neck-lift.
“The last thing in the world John wanted was a plastic surgery,” said the insider. “He admits he’s a coward when it comes to medical procedures. But the results were fantastic.” John’s procedure took place in early July.

Most 41 year olds don't typically have a lot of sagging skin under the neckline. This is more common after someone turns 50. It's also unfortunately common for a person to visit an "anti-aging specialist" and have a bogus procedure performed which doesn't work. I tell all my patients: "If it doesn't make sense to you, it likely won't work." This includes lifting sagging skin with injections, threads, and fancy-marketed 'intelligent' liposuction. If you decide to go this route, try to get a money-back guarantee in writing first!

Photo credit: photorazzi.com (from 2004)

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

How Do Plastic Surgery Reality Television Shows Influence Patients?

A recent study published in the leading plastic surgery journal has examined how reality plastic surgery television shows like Dr. 90210 can affect the decision making of prospective patients. Some highlights of the study:

a. Researchers studied the behavior of 42 cosmetic plastic surgery patients.
b. Out of these patients, 57% were high-intensity viewers of plastic surgery shows.
c. These patients were greatly influenced by television and the media to opt for cosmetic plastic surgery.
d. They felt they knew more about general plastic surgery.
e. They also believed that the reality shows on plastic surgery reflected real life situations.
f. Four out of five participants said that the reality shows influenced their decision to go in for plastic surgery.
g. One-third said that they were "very much" or "moderately" influenced.

Is this a good or bad thing? I must admit that I am a bit biased, since my appearances on Dr. 90210 a few years ago helped get my practice going. For the most part, I have great respect for many of the plastic surgeons on the various reality shows, and believe they present the specialty well. I would count these "television" surgeons as my friends or acquaintances (among others): Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, Dr. Gary Motykie, Dr. Steve Svehlak, Dr. Dan Yamini, Dr. John Diaz, Dr. Robert Rey, and Dr. Gary Alter.
Nothing, however, takes the place of a patient undergoing a real face-to-face consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. This is where the truth should be separated from some of the exaggerations which are seen on television.

p.s. Don't forget to catch the season premiere of Dr. 90210 on E! July 30th.

story credit: plasmetic.com

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