A day (or two, or three, or four) without the internet

Wow. Four and a half days involuntarily deprived of internet access makes you a discombobulated technological cripple. No email, no Google, no news, no way to print out directions to Mother's Day brunch, and most horrifyingly of all, no blogging...

Lucky for us, today AT+T figured out that our woes were the result of a malfunction at the central office and they "just needed to turn the switch on". That took four-plus days to figure out?

Despite our Luddite-like hiatus, the world of plastic surgery still managed to spin on its axis. And although I sometimes fear that my continued posting on this subject puts this blog dangerously close to transforming into a hateful plastic surgical rant, I have to believe that it's all about information and education. So enjoy, more frightening news, this time from our neighbors and colleagues on the east coast.

Friday, but not a Figure Fix exactly: Your moment of zen

A California poppy on top of Windy Hill

Sorry guys, you're going to have to be patient with me about this Friday Figure Fix thing. The column is slowly cooking in my head, and it will emerge fully formed at some point.

In the meantime, I was reading a new book called Drive, by Daniel Pink. It's interesting, a pop-business-culture examination of what motivates people. He opens one of the middle chapters with a snippet of poetry I've never come across before, but really enjoyed:

You need not see what someone is doing
to know if it is his vocation,

you have only to watch his eyes:
a cook mixing a sauce, a surgeon

making a primary incision,
a clerk completing a bill of lading,

wear the same rapt expression, forgetting
themselves in a function.

How beautiful it is,
that eye-on-the-object look.

- W.H. Auden

I love discovering beautiful things in unexpected places.

As plain as...

Photo courtesy of djcodrin

The latest issue of Elle landed in my mailbox a few weeks ago; buried deep in the back of the magazine, under the "BEAUTY: PSYCHOLOGY" section were a pair of articles about rhinoplasty.

The first one, titled "Pieces of You", discusses the author's regret later in adulthood regarding her surgery; she felt she had lost a vital connection to her father, whose proud nose she had inherited and chose to alter as a teenager.

The second article, "Mother, Mirror", takes a different point of view; this author tells how she came to terms with the unique shape of her nose, despite everyone else's unsolicited opinions and advice.

Plastic surgery, clearly, isn't for everyone. The CNN article briefly delves into some of the limitations of age; it raises the question of whether or not rhinoplasty (or any cosmetic surgery, for that matter) is an appropriate "graduation gift" for a teenager.

Even beyond the age issue, I think the decision to change the shape of your nose is one of the most difficult, for both the patient and the surgeon. The nose is such a key architectural element of your face, and it often carries a lot of cultural weight. Much of your nose's shape and structure is related to race and heredity. Some people want to keep some of those ethnic or familial nuances when they have their rhinoplasty; others are committed to eliminate all traces in order to obtain their concept of the ideal nose.

There is no right or wrong; it's a very personal decision and one that you have to live with for the rest of your life. It's as plain as the nose on your face.

Hold on - lush lashes for anyone?

Photo courtesy of djcodrin

The New York Times Style section has another interesting piece today, this time focusing on the explosive popularity of Latisse. For those of you who have somehow missed the Allergan-funded media extravaganza featuring Brooke Shields, Latisse is a medication that increases the length and thickness of eyelashes. As the article points out, Latisse is a prescription-only drug, but consumers and apparently physicians are finding ways around that stipulation.

As with a lot of medical discoveries, Latisse's usefulness for the "lash-challenged" was somewhat serendipitous. The drug, bimatoprost, was originally used and marketed by Allergan as a glaucoma medication; eye doctors noticed that their patients were growing longer, lusher lashes on the treated eye. Allergan moved to capitalize on that discovery, which now grosses them over $70 million a year.

The thing is, because Latisse is so "easy" and the perception is that it's "just" a cosmetic enhancement, it seems that not everyone is exercising the proper amount of caution with its dispensation and use. As with any prescription medication, not everyone is a suitable candidate, and there are benefits, risks, and known side effects with the use of Latisse.

Just as with all the other non-invasive cosmetic procedures, like Botox/Dysport and dermal fillers like Juvederm and Restylane, a qualified and experienced physician should do a full history and physical before determining if you are right for the procedure/medication.

This is what Dr. Weintraub and I do at Duet; call us conservative, but you are not just our client, you are our patient. We want you to look good and feel good, and I think that a little good old-fashioned doctoring helps achieve that. Even with something as "simple" and fabulous as Latisse.

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.