Come payment time, a surprising number of celebs have been known to adopt an even lower profile. “Most of them don’t just hand you a credit card like a normal person,” says Beverly Hills surgeon Randal Haworth. “They tell you to call their handler or money manager-but then you can never get the money manager on the phone!” (Many starts think the honor of halting an icon’s physical deterioration should be payment enough.)
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Predictably, having their looks constantly scurtinzed by the celbrity weeklies has made his patients “far more compulsive than they used to be,” say Dr. Haworth, who adds that he regurlarly turns away patients who want laser treatments at weekly (instead of the recommended six-week) intervals. “It becomes a battle of wills,” add Beverly Hills dermatologist Stuart H. Kaplan. “Celebrities are so used to being catered to, they treat a doctor who tells them ‘no’ like they’d treat an uncooperative maître d’.” Unfortunately, like alcoholics who hit the next bar if they’re refused a drink, patients who don’t get their way often sign up with another physician. “I recently ran into a woman,” says Dr. Haworth, “who informed me that she was now seeing someone else because I wouldn’t let her do what she wanted.”
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In terms of actresses, Dr. Haworth would like a shot at refining the proboscis of Sarah Jessica Parker. And believe it or not, Dr. Sadick feels that Angelina Jolie could use a little help. “She has pigment issues,” he whispers.
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Like everyone else, celebrities set their standards of beauty by studying other celebrities. According to our panel, even their most famous clients are not above coveting their colleagues’ best features. Women most often request Gisele’s breasts, Elle Macpherson’s eyes, and Angelina’s lips, thought requests for J. Lo’s ass have tumbled along with her career. Men most often come in with pictures of Sean Penn’s chin, as well as Tom Brady’s. Both sexes, however, are increasingly aware of the pitfalls of too much plastic. With images of Melanie Griffith’s notoriously inflated lips dancing in their heads, they’re reluctant to undergo any radical changes. “The words, ‘I don’t want to look like Pam Anderson’ have been uttered to me so many times,” says Dr. Haworth with a sigh, “I hear them in my sleep.”
