Friday, but not a Figure Fix post...

My apologies, dearest readers, but there is a lot going on behind the scenes at My Plastics Life right now. So in lieu of another insightful, thought-provoking Friday Figure Fix (I promise, one will be forthcoming), here's a roundup of all things vaguely plastic surgery-related I have been catching up on from the past week:

• Yes, another article decrying the downturn in plastic surgery (but not all hope is lost!).
• Somehow, I don't think the U.S. government is going to be following Brazil's innovative lead here. But can you imagine?
• I'm all about looking good at any age, but this is slightly horrifying. Don't girls know how naturally beautiful they are?
• A good thing? Or TMI? I admit, I refuse to join Facebook, for a variety of reasons.
  
• It's a two way street: absolutely.
• Summer's coming, finally. Are you stocked up on sunscreen and wide brimmed hats?
  

Not quitting my day job

Screenshot from www.retroland.com. Not the title-winning shot, clearly.

It's definitely my inner geek crying out, but I sought out and loved the documentary, The King of Kong, which traces one pretty regular man's quest to be the best in one of the most famous games of arcadeland. There's something so fascinating about humans and their obsessions - and how scarily good people can get at something when they devote hours upon hours of their lives.

So a little cheer for this plastic surgeon, who saw the movie, and thought, I can do that. And did.

The best part? He's gotten two referrals out of the media attention following his claim on the championship.

Me? I admit I'm more of a pinball kind of girl, and I'm nowhere near approaching 10,000 hours of play. Something to shoot for, I guess. In the meantime, back to the grind at good ol' Duet...

Nothing says "thinking of you" like...

... your old breast implants. Thanks, Sharon and Ozzy, for sharing.

Friday Figure Fix: Mental break

Okay, I need a little more time to create something fabulous for the Friday Figure Fix column. Give me a week, and in the meantime, enjoy this beautiful view of the Bay Area from an overlook at the Montebello Open Space Preserve. I love living here!

Friday Figure Fix: No miracles here

In what seems like an endless series of "caveat emptor" posts over here at My Plastics Life, now a new tidbit of information on what's really going on out there, this time from the FDA.

We've talked so many times before about how there is nothing magical about how to fix your figure, and something seems too good to be true, it probably is. In the world of medicine - and more specifically, plastic surgery - quick fixes can lead to disappointing, and sometimes even dangerous, results.

In this case, the latest culprit is "Lipodissolve". Who needs surgery when you can get fast results with injections that simply melt the fat away? Life, unfortunately, is not that easy , and it seems that a lot of patients were harmed for believing these practitioners' touts.

Caveat emptor, part three

Photo courtesy of Graeme Weatherston

Seriously, how many times can we talk about this?

In today's Style section of the New York Times, there is a very interesting article discussing a very disturbing trend in cosmetic surgery: the awake breast augmentation. As the article points out, most of the practitioners of this procedure aren't plastic surgeons (or even surgeons) and aren't performing the surgery in an accredited facility.

The supposed benefits to doing a major surgery while the patient is awake? It's cheaper, for one (you don't have to pay for the anesthesiologist); and the practitioners claim that it allows the patient to have "of the moment" input into their bust size.

Maybe I'm a very conservative plastic surgeon, but those reasons seem pretty weak. I like having an anesthesiologist with me during surgery. Breast augmentation is a serious and delicate operation. Since I trained for years to learn all the details of how to perform surgery, I like to focus on what I'm good at and leave the anesthesiology part to the guys and gals who spent their years learning all the ins and outs of anesthesia. Makes sense, not just for my comfort, but especially for my patient's comfort.

As for the patient input claim? I'm definitely a patient advocate in this matter - I do my utmost to communicate openly and often with my patients about what their hopes and expectations are in terms of breast size, shape, and feel - and this should be done well before the operation. By the time the surgery starts, we're all on the same page, and my patients trust me to use my surgical skill and judgment to deliver the look they want. I personally think it's problematic if you don't have that sense of trust before going under the knife and you have to rely on last minute input from your "awake" patient who is actually fairly altered from the narcotics and barbiturates given for the procedure. If you can't drive a car or sign a legal document while on those kinds of meds, you certainly can't give an informed opinion on how big you want your boobs to be.

But that's just what this cranky female plastic surgeon thinks (although, from the comments in the article, it's what other well-known and respected plastic surgeons are saying too...).

I guess we shouldn't be surprised...

It pains me a little to be returning to this subject, because I don't want to seem like I'm enthusiastic or even the least bit encouraging. But yes, Heidi Montag seems to be dragging out her latest stint in the plastic surgery gossip headlines - this time talking about "back scoop" surgery (at least this is mildly relevant to recent posts on this blog).

I feel slightly bad for her - and perhaps shame on her surgeon for this - how can you have a surgery without really knowing what it's about?

Caveat emptor, again

Finally, a little research to back up what I've been on my soapbox about for so long.

So there you go, ladies and gentlemen. The fine scientists at Loma Linda have established that yes, there are an awful lot of folks out there practicing "cosmetic surgery" with no surgical background. Depending on your savvy and comfort level, maybe that's okay for some of the less invasive procedures like Botox and dermal fillers, but you probably want to do a little extra research on the physician you choose for your liposuction...

Friday Figure Fix: Back to back, part two

86F at the Artists' Palette in Death Valley in March. A bit warmer than Palo Alto these days.

Now that cold, dreary weather has crept back on us in the Bay Area, it seems a bit wrong to be talking about how plastic surgery can help get you ready for swimsuit season, does it not? Oh well. The real spring will be arriving soon, with bright and sunny days that seamlessly meld into the sweltering, minimally-clad days of summer. Right?

And so we trudge onward, divesting the deepest secrets to a sexy back, courtesy of your favorite female plastic surgeon... Last week we talked about the main trouble areas associated with the oft-neglected but all-important back. Today, let's talk about fixes.

For overall definition and touch ups, liposuction remains a great solution. We've talked about lipo before, and the same theories apply to its use on the back. You should be close to your ideal weight to get the best results, and if you do have just a few nagging problem areas, liposuction can help trim down some of the fat collections so that your back looks smoother and more in proportion with the rest of your figure.

If we're looking more at rolls of skin and fat (like the ones that hang over the bra, or prevent you from finding a well-fitting bra/swimsuit), we might be veering more into the world of surgical excision. Sort of like a mini-tummy tuck, but on your back, the procedure entails removing that overhang of excess skin and fat. The trade-off for the cunningly named "back roll excision", of course, is a scar. Depending on where the targeted roll is, sometimes that scar can be very well hidden in the area that a bra would cover.

The global pursuit of beauty

I thought this piece in the New York Times' photography, video, and visual journalism blog was especially well-done, with stunning and thought-provoking photos. It reminds us that the pursuit of beauty is so wide-ranging, not just in geography and population, but also in what individual segments of society deem acceptable and not. Where do you draw the line between medical necessity/maintenance of health and hygiene/adaptation to social and cultural norms/preening/cosmetic surgery/obsession/psychiatric disorder? It's more difficult than it seems.