Blog
Why More Black Women are Seeking Plastic Surgery
Cosmetic procedures have traditionally been unpopular among African-Americans, but there are recent signs of this stigma declining, according to a recent article on ABC News. More black women are pursuing cosmetic procedures against the beliefs widely held among their communities.
Black Women Speak Out
“There’s a pressure from the community that, you know, ‘African-American women don’t need to have beauty enhancements.’”
– Phyllis Jackson, who received a Botox injection at a Beverly Hills dinner party.
“I think African-American women are still in the closet about having plastic surgery…[but] I think we’re doing it a lot more.”
– Linda Caradine-Poinsett, 50, who received body contouring surgeries to increase the size of her breasts and reduce her waistline.
“I’ve wanted my backside larger all my life… One day I just woke up and everybody was talking about butt, butt, butt. They’d had this surgery and that surgery… The first question I asked [my plastic surgeon] was, How big can you make my butt?”
– This woman wished not to be identified.
The Advantages of Dark Skin
The natural advantages of black skin are another reason why many blacks have declined to pursue cosmetic procedures. “Darker skin has natural protective factors against sun,” Chicago plastic surgeon Dr. Julius Few told ABC. “So we don’t see the same wrinkling, because sun exposure typically will cause weathering or cracking or folding of the skin.”
As well, Few said, black skin has more oil and thus tends to be more resilient against wrinkling:
“A lot of people think oil in the skin is bad. The reality is oil in your skin is good. It’s kind of like folding a piece of paper. The more you fold the piece of paper, the more you’re likely to get a wrinkle in it. Well, if the skin is a bit oiler, has better moisture to it, it will tend not to get a heavy crease in it.”
How Many Years Does a Facelift Take From Your Face?
Questions of beauty and appearance are often subjective, and it can often be difficult to attach a number to something as elusive as cosmetic enhancement. However, a recent effort headed by University of Toronto plastic surgeon Dr. Nitin Chauhan provided some promising results, which have been published in the latest issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. It seems that patients undergoing facial surgery can appear about 7 years younger on average.
The new study began with the recruitment of 40 first-year medical students, who were asked to look at a collection of photographs. These were before-and-after pictures, separated and scrambled, of patients who had undergone different facial rejuvenation surgeries at Dr. Chauhan’s clinic: 54 women and 6 men, aged 45 to 72. The medical students were asked to estimate the age of the person in each photo.
On average, the study found that patients who had undergone facial surgery appeared 7.2 years younger than their before photo. Since after photos are normally taken months or even years after the surgery, this actually meant that the average age that the students assigned to the after photos was about 9 years lower than the patients’ age when the photos were taken.
Not surprisingly, the study found that multiple procedures resulted in significantly better results, shaving further years off patients’ faces. Patients who underwent facelift and neck lift surgeries looked 5.7 years younger, while additional eyelid surgery removed almost two more years, and a forehead lift took roughly another year from the face.
People who had all four surgeries – facelift, neck lift, blepharoplasty, and forehead lift – appeared a full 8.4 years younger than their before photos. Dr. Chauhan hopes to use these results as an objective measure that can be used to manage patient expectations.
“Nothing we do is magical,” he told Health.com contributor Matt McMillen. “We do certainly get 60-year-old patients who want to look 40, and this will help us when we discuss expectations.”
Talking with Celebrity Surgeon Andre Aboolian
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Andre Aboolian is well known in California for his numerous television appearances, most notably when he performed a full body lift on “The Biggest Loser” winner Erik Chopin. The post-bariatric “body expert,” renowned for his skills in liposuction and body contouring, recently took some time to talk about his profession with an editor of the Los Angeles Health Directory.
A father of two, Dr. Aboolian is sensitive to the needs of his patients, and feels that “it is very important for a woman – and not because of a man but for herself – to feel comfortable in her body and feel attractive.” Plastic surgery is about vanity, Dr. Aboolian says, “but so is putting on makeup in the morning, coloring hair, applying nail polish and so on. It’s all about making you look better.”
“I want people to know that there is a lot of GOOD plastic surgery and the good plastic surgery is the one you don’t see and don’t notice because the outcome is so natural and flattering… If you can’t tell that the person’s undergone plastic surgery and looks great, that’s a plastic surgery well done. Unfortunately, the media portrays one bad plastic surgery after another.”
Dr. Aboolian addressed some of the disturbing stories about plastic surgery that have emerged in recent years. He was the doctor who declined to perform body contouring surgery on Donda West, Kanye West’s mother, in 2007 because she had hadn’t obtained clearance from her physician. Mrs. West later died from complications after finding another surgeon who agreed to perform the procedure despite these misgivings.
“The most important thing to know is that plastic surgery is no different than any other surgery. There is the misconception that plastic surgery is somehow different (safer) than a surgery performed in a hospital… I’m no different than any other doctor, be it a heart doctor, or an urologist. I’m a physician. It’s about the human body; it’s no different; it’s not risk-free.”
Botched Surgeries on the Rise Among Non-Specialists
Botched cosmetic surgeries are on the rise with a growing number of practitioners who practice beyond their specialty, according to a recent article in the New York Times. Doctors who are board-certified in fields such as otolaryngology, gynecology, and general practice are marketing cosmetic procedures as part of their services, which is perfectly legal under US law.
More patients are seeking revisionary surgeries to correct the damage caused by botched cosmetic procedures, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) president Dr. Malcolm Z. Roth. “The public needs to be protected from doctors who are not upfront about what board certifications they have,” he told the Times.
One of the victims of this trend, named Joan, was interviewed by the Times about her experience receiving a facelift and tummy tuck from a board-certified doctor. A financial-services professional, she was treated by a Beverly Hills doctor whose board certification turned out to be in otolaryngology. She received thick scars on her temples and a wavy abdomen that probably could have been avoided by a certified plastic surgeon.
“I had to use all my savings to get a real plastic surgeon to fix what he did to me,” Joan told the Times. “I have an M.B.A. I’m not stupid. But when the doctor has a nice clinic and all those diplomas and certifications on the wall, you think he knows what he’s doing.”
Unfortunately, US laws make it difficult for patients to distinguish top-quality care from the practices of non-specialists who frequently lack experience:
- Forty-six states do not require that doctors who advertise themselves as being “board-certified” must specify which board has certified them. Only Texas, California, Louisiana, and Florida require that doctors must do this.
- Doctors who practice beyond their specialty aren’t required to report this fact to any oversight authority.
- Non-specialists are not required to report complications to any oversight authority.
Members of ASPS, who have received special training and certifications in plastic surgery, are subject to stringent rules and oversight from the society. Patients who want to minimize their risks and achieve the best results from surgery should be sure to ask about board certifications and always seek second opinions when surgeons aren’t specially trained and licensed for plastic procedures.
Cosmetic Tourism: A Deadly Proposition?
Affordable flights, low-cost procedures, and foreign climes have made cosmetic tourism an attractive option in recent years. However, the inexpensiveness of foreign plastic surgeries often masks a dangerous environment, with chronic regulatory gaps and lack of patient aftercare. The growing popularity of cosmetic tourism has been accompanied by increasing rates of complications and botched procedures.
In Australia, there has been a veritable explosion in overseas botched surgeries. Australian tourists have been travelling to developing countries such as India, Malaysia, and Thailand for cheap plastic surgeries such as breast augmentation and liposuction. As a result, complications arising from botched overseas procedures have risen 38 percent in the last year. Here’s how these complications break down:
- 72% of botched overseas surgeries could not be corrected.
- 62% of patients suffered permanent disfigurements.
- Almost half could have experienced life-threatening complications.
- The average cost to attempt surgical repairs was nearly US$6000.
The Four Perils of Cosmetic Tourism
Disease. Why do travellers usually receive vaccinations before travelling abroad? It’s because certain diseases, including local strains of common diseases, can affect your body in serious ways. Patients recovering from surgery are risking their lives in foreign germ environments.
Low standards. Many overseas clinics can offer low prices because they don’t face the same regulatory hurdles as their American counterparts. Will your procedure be performed by a fully qualified doctor? For many elective or minimally invasive procedures, the answer is no.
Travel strain. Preparing for surgery is stressful enough without adding a foreign vacation. It’s easier to relax and feel comfortable closer to home.
Post-operative care. Responsible plastic surgeons provide a high level of post-operative care to reduce the risk of complications. It’s an important step in the healing process that many foreign clinics don’t offer, since low prices often demand a “revolving-door” policy.
Maintenance Facelifts Create Longest-Lasting Results for Patients Under 50
For middle-aged and older patients, facelifts often represent the best opportunity for recapturing a look of youth and vitality. For patients younger than 50, however, facial rejuvenation surgery often goes unconsidered. That may soon change, based on the results of a new study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, which reveals that younger patients typically reap the best results from what’s being called “maintenance facelifts.”
Earlier studies have already revealed that patients who underwent facelifts at 50 years or older had lower satisfaction scores than their younger counterparts. This is because the skin of patients older than 50 usually shows signs of aging, such as discoloration or uneven texture, that can’t be corrected with facial rejuvenation surgery. Younger patients tend to favor non-surgical procedures, such as Botox, facial fillers, or dermabrasion, which provide excellent results but don’t last as long as facelifts.
The new study compared short-term and long-term patient satisfaction ratings with expert analyses of their follow-up photographs. Participants were divided into three age groups: under 50, 50-60, and 60+ at the time of the surgery.
Facelift patients younger than 50 experienced a “remarkable maintenance of their youthful appearance,” according to the study. The oldest group, however, had satisfaction scores and expert ratings were lower than the youngest group. This was because they had significant signs of aging at the time of the surgery. While the facelift managed to reverse most of these signs, so that the 60+ patients looked younger than their peers, some indications of aging remaining. Not surprisingly, the intermediate group experienced intermediate results.
The researchers concluded that patients under 50 were especially well-suited to receive facial rejuvenation surgery: “A ‘maintenance’ facelift should be offered to and even preferred in younger patients as a surgical option for facial rejuvenation.” Younger patients who fight the signs of aging with cosmetic fillers or Botox may want to consider a facelift as a longer-term solution. It may be one of the most satisfying cosmetic procedures that they ever receive.
Reversing Stretched Earlobes and Other Body Modifications
Tattoos that need to be removed upon later reflection are nothing new. In the twilight of the punk age, however, more unusual modifications have begun appearing in plastic surgeons’ offices. Many younger clients are seeking to reverse generational fashion statements that seem regrettable in hindsight.
Justin Berton, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, interviewed one such individual. 21-year-old Oakland resident Colton Tidwell (not the person pictured to the right), had his ears modified with disc earrings to the extent that he “could fit a golf ball through the hole in his earlobe.” This remnant of his teenage years caused problems later in life:
“I went a little too far with it… My body had become a bumper sticker… It bothered me that people could take one look at me and think they knew what I liked or didn’t like.”
Tidwell often found himself tucking his drooping earlobes under a baseball cap in order to avoid embarrassment. After having the surgery, which took 30 minutes, he was able to get a new job at a bank, and was happy that his ears had been fixed.
Body Modification Reversal: A Growing Niche
Some plastic surgeons have emerged as niche experts in body modification reversal. Dr. David Kahn, a plastic surgeon in San Francisco who repaired Tidwell’s ears, has worked on half a dozen stretched earlobes over the last two years. Dr. Haresh Yalamanchili, a plastic surgeon in Houston, has performed at least 14 and has become notorious as “the guy who does ears.” To fix a stretched earlobe, surgeons typically make tiny incisions to release the hanging portion. Then they repair the ear’s surface to make it look natural. Videos of the procedure can be seen on YouTube, although these are not for the faint of heart.
“I don’t regret doing it,” Tidwell told the Chronicle about the stretching. “And I don’t regret fixing it, either. You learn something from all of it. It put it in perspective for me: Whatever you do, especially if it’s to your own body, it really matters.”
(Picture source: Wikimedia Commons, Х Рулон Х Обоев Х)
American Breast Implants Unaffected by French Scandal
The French breast implants manufacturing scandal has made waves from Paris to Caracas, but according to industry groups, American women who received breast implants within the U.S. have nothing to fear from the ongoing scandal over defective breast implant devices manufactured by Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP).
Women around the world were shocked last month with the discovery that PIP had released implants filled with industrial silicone, rather than the medical-grade fillers mandated under law, as a cost-saving measure. These implants pose a greater risk for rupture, while the health effects of industrial silicone remain uncertain. French authorities promptly issued a recall notice to the 30,000 Frenchwomen who had the devices implanted over the past decade.
What About the United States?
While PIP exported to numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela, its silicone gel-filled implants were never approved for use in the U.S. A recent press release from pharmaceutical giant Allergan indicates that the company’s breast implants use only medical silicone. However, American women who received implants abroad may have received PIP implants.
What Comes Next?
The effects of industrial-grade silicone on the human body have never been tested, although many have argued that the only result will be that the implants are more likely to rupture. Fears of a greater cancer risk remain unsubstantiated. In medical-grade silicone implants, ruptures can cause scar tissue, inflammation, and irritation. As well, it’s more difficult to remove an implant that has ruptured.
Venezuela has followed France’s lead in offering to foot the bill for removal, although the cost of replacements will not be handled at government expense. The U.K. has advised against removal, although Tim Goodacre, the president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons has called for PIP implants’ removal on the grounds of continued uncertainty. Other countries are likely to develop strategies in the coming weeks.
Rival Hyaluronic Acid Dermal Filler Gets FDA Approval
The FDA has approved a new hyaluronic acid dermal filler produced by Merz Aesthetics, according to empr.com.
The new hyaluronic acid dermal filler, which is called Belotero Balance, has been approved to treat moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds. This includes nasolabial folds, the lines that run from your nose to the edges of your mouth.
Belotero Balance joins Merz Aesthetics family of non-surgical injectables, including Radiesse. Radiesse is a popular filler comprised of calcium-based microspheres in a water gel that works to restore lost volume in the face. Though its uses are similar to Belotero Balance, the new hyaluronic acid dermal filler works differently.
Like similar hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, Restylane and Juvederm, Belotero Balance works to restore lost volume to your skin by increasing its hydration. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring hydrating component in your skin and these dermal fillers work to mimic it. When injected into the skin beneath the site of a wrinkle, a hyaluronic acid dermal filler provides a sort of scaffolding for depressed areas of skin, supporting them and improving the appearance of youth on the face.
To test the effectiveness of Belotero Balance, it was compared in a split-face study with a collagen-based filler. Using a scale that rates wrinkle severity, Belotero Balance was shown to provide a greater reduction in the appearance of nasolabial folds over 24 weeks. In fact, at the six-month mark, Belotero Balance still showed a greater correction of the wrinkles than its counterpart.
To learn more about your hyaluronic acid dermal filler options in Denver, please email plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
Double Chin Treatment: Neck Contouring
Though exercise may not correct a double chin, many patients are choosing neck liposuction as a treatment, according to ABC News.
The double chin treatment can be completed in a relatively short amount of time, usually in under an hour, and can be done without the need for a general anesthetic. By inserting a thin tube called a cannula, your plastic surgeon is able to use delicate liposculpture techniques to tone the lower face, minimizing the look of a double chin.
Patients who choose neck liposuction as a double chin treatment should have adequate skin elasticity, however, to ensure a toned result. If you lack skin elasticity, a neck lift, combined with liposculpture may be more appropriate.
After undergoing her successful neck liposculpture treatment, Terry says she likes the look of her face. While before she complained of a “long, sort of fat part” her jawline is now more defined. A more clearly defined jaw can help a patient’s face appear thinner.
As long as patients maintain a healthy lifestyle, including diet and exercise, the results from neck liposculpture as a double chin treatment can be long lasting.
If you would like to learn more about facial rejuvenation surgery in Denver, please email or call plastic surgeon Dr. Mouchantat.
