In addition to facial rejuvenation, buttock and breast augmentation, stem cell marketing has reached such peaks that one may posit that they harbor the solution for global warming.
Postulated uses of stem cells
A recent study came out in our esteemed, peer-reviewed journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery addressing stem cell enriched fat transfer versus “regular” fat transfer (PRS Journal: stem cell rich fat transfer). In essence, this study showed there was no difference in the effects of a fat transfer whether it was enriched with stem cells or not. This was essentially the same conclusion of a blog post I wrote a few years back. However, what makes this news different is that it comes from a well-designed, randomized prospective study.
You may then ask yourself why are there so many doctors promoting stem cell facelifts and fat transfers as being the chalice of youth or life’s elixir to immortality and aging. The simple answer is finance and marketing. By promoting your fat transfer as being different, labeling it with the trendy buzz prefix of “stem cell”, prospective patients will naturally think they are getting something better, longer-lasting and more natural.
You may then ask yourself why their before-and-after photos are impressive. The simple answer is that for every before-and-after photo of a stem cell-enriched fat transfer there are 10 equally-as-impressive before-and-after results from regular fat transfers. The bottom line is that one can achieve equivalent results from a regular, well-performed fat transfer-specifically, one in which the fat is appropriately harvested, cleaned and transferred by the physician with precision and artistry. Fat is basically serving as a filler, but one that is extraordinary. Extraordinary because it is not only permanent but is actually living as well-consequently it can grow or shrink depending if the patient gains or loses weight, respectively.
Stem cell science is in its infancy and we have much to learn. Indeed, many stem cell scientists now believe that the byproducts of stem cells (cytokines, etc) play a far more important role in healing than the actual stem cells themselves.Fat is a rich source of stem cells but to assume that the stem cells, when transplanted into the face, can miraculously know how to uniquely reverse aging is pipe-dreaming at best.
Good plastic surgery is invisible but many people insist that they can always spot anyone who has had plastic surgery. For example, they claim they can always spot a celebrity with a facelift and list those with obviously sad results that garner all the press. You can refer to the three attached photographs as examples of such. (They go on to name others who have not had any plastic surgery and when I in turn correct them, they express bewildered disbelief.)
Joan Rivers with look-at-me pixie-ear deformity
Bruce Jenner with a plain-as-day pixie-ear deformity after a facelift
Mickey Rourke sporting his obvious Pixie-ear and man-bun on the red carpet
However, this blog post is not about good plastic surgery, it is about the bad and the ugly. There are many signs that scream “facelift”:
1. Overly pulled face skin with diagonal grooves
2. Altered hairlines such as pulled-back sideburns
3. Widened, non-hair-bearing scars with step-offs in the natural hairline behind the ear
4. Distorted anatomy in front of the ear canal due to effacement of the delicate tragus cartilage and finally…
5.”Pixie ear”.
Most of these aforementioned problems stem from misplaced anchoring of the newly redraped skin flaps resulting in needlessly excessive tension across potentially visible scars. One immutable rule in plastic surgery dictates that such increased tension can create widened scars, hair loss and distorted anatomy. Yet, despite these well-documented problems, I unfortunately still see many patients who seek correction of these stigmata of ill-conceived facelifts.
Correcting these problems is not an easy task. Generally, a secondary facelift needs to be performed to release enough skin so that both scars can be removed and closure achieved in a tension-free matter. If it happens to be a lucky day, scars that were placed in front of the ear can even be moved more posteriorly to within the ear canal as in this example of a facelift I performed in order to not only make her look younger but also remove her telltale signs of past substandard surgery.
Pixie ear deformity and tired appearance after previous facelift
Note correction of pixie-ear deformity after revision facelift. An endoscopic brow lift, fat transfer, upper lip lift and a lower blepharoplasty were also performed
Every ethnic group has certain predisposed notions of what ideal beauty is based upon their own genetic make up and cultural ideals. Cultural ideals are influenced by trends and therefore can change over the years (think of the beauties depicted in Ruben’s paintings).
In terms of Kim Kardashian‘s genetic make up, she is partly Armenian and represents for many an ideal version of female pulchritude.
Unfortunately, she is depicted on the cover of myriad top-tiered magazines as a cartoon representation of bottom-heavy female beauty and sexiness.
The cover of Paper is no exception.
Here, she has been clearly “Photoshopped” to exaggerate her waist-to-hip ratio and smooth out the buttock cellulite she most certainly possesses. In this case, add oil for good measure to flame some pubescent boy’s fantasy. She may have had one or more fat transfers to accentuate her already full bottom (which may or may not show up on x-ray as microcalcifications) but, who cares?
This would all be harmless titillation were it not for the fact that many unsuspecting women will be easily influenced to attain their own version of Kim’s voluminous buttocks. Don’t get me wrong-I am the first to appreciate an hourglass figure and a well-balanced full bottom to complement a woman in-and-out of clothes. But full is different than big which in turn is different from a comic-book-big butt of a centaur.
Often times buttock enhancement procedures may lead to immediate or even long-term disastrous consequences. Buttock augmentation can be performed with silicone implants, fat transfer, or injections with man-made substances ranging from PMMA to free silicone or other illicit compounds found in back alleys or mechanic shops.
Buttock augmentation with silicone implants is generally considered a safe procedure but has a higher rate of infection as compared with other implants in the body and the results often feel unnaturally hard. I perform fat transfer which is very safe but the patient must have a enough fat to transfer in order to make the result a meaningful one. I am not a proponent of injecting free silicone or other man-made substances because of their inherent danger in terms of disfigurement and possible death.
One must remember that we do not know of the long-term consequences of having such outrageously enhanced buttocks in regards to how they will look and droop as the patient ages. Drooping buttocks is a very difficult problem to treat for the plastic surgeon and the only solution would be a butt lift.
Unfortunately, most buttock lifts produce mediocre results with unsightly scars. Contrast this to a breast lift, the result of which is often spectacular with minimal scarring.
Those contemplating injections and other forms of untested ways to augment their derrière must do their homework and be prepared to roll dice. One must remember that even though one may not experience immediate complications, one must consider the long-term effects of having an extra 2 to 4 pounds of added junk in your trunk.
In light of recent photos of Renee Zellweger, a conversation has begun about plastic surgery. (Zellweger responded to the uproar, telling People magazine, “I’m glad folks think I look different! I’m living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I’m thrilled that perhaps it shows.”) But whether or not Zellweger had plastic surgery is irrelevant, and the reality — and potential repercussions — of going under the knife is worth exploring in further discussion. We spoke to “The Swan” contestant Lorrie Arias about her experience to get a better handle on the reality of undergoing such extreme physical change. This is her story.
Ten years ago, at age 34, Lorrie Arias underwent approximately $300,000 worth of plastic surgery. In 1995, she lost 150 pounds; in 2002, her husband died; and, in 2004, she became a contestant on “The Swan.”
The program, which Jennifer L. Pozner called “the most sadistic reality show of the decade“ in “Reality Bites Back,” took its title and premise from a literary fairy tale, “The Ugly Ducking.” Two women deemed to be “ugly” underwent a total transformation at the hands of a panel of specialists, including a plastic surgeon. At the end of each episode, one was eliminated and the other went on to compete in the pageant that ran as the show’s finale. It aired for two seasons in 2004, before being canceled in 2005 as a result of low ratings.
After losing a significant amount of weight, the then-police department volunteer auditioned for the show in hopes of a tummy tuck. Arias was frustrated that she had worked so hard to get healthy and still had so much extra skin. As a result of her “sad story” the selection committee chose her for the show.
Once Arias got to the set of “The Swan,” doctors and producers set up a much more intensive transformation than she had expected. Over two and a half months of filming, she had a tummy tuck, buttock lift, inner thigh lift, dual facelift, upper lip lift, upper and lower eye lift, endoscopic brow lift, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation and breast lift — the most procedures of any contestant on the show.
A decade later, she told HuffPost Entertainment she is depressed, bipolar, agoraphobic and believes she continues to suffer from body dysmorphic disorder. She has regained the weight she lost in 1995 and refuses to leave her home, save for trips to see her therapist every few months.
There is relatively little research regarding the psychological fall out from plastic surgery, both because extreme alterations are rare and it is not in plastic surgeons’ best interest to participate in or fund such studies. Some work has been done on the effect of TV representations on adolescents’ body image and the ways in which unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment following a cosmetic procedure. In terms of diagnoses, the topic most often discussed is body dysmorphic disorder.
“That refers to essentially an over-focus on a certain body part as being deformed or problematic, to the point that the person becomes obsessed with it,” Dr. Paul Puri, a psychiatrist, said. “Many times an individual believes getting surgery will fix it. In the research and literature, this has not been show to be a solution. It can be a problem with self-esteem, anxiety or other underlying issues, and surgeries don’t typically solve those other issues.”
Of course, sometimes, people get surgery later in life due to social pressures based on standards of beauty and youth. “Those are two largely different reasons as to why people get plastic surgery,” Puri clarified. In cases involving dysmorphic disorder, it tends to pre-exist the surgery and then be exacerbated when the results differ from what the person desires. “The case may be that if someone fixes all of their hopes on surgery, it can be extremely disappointing and actually worsen their anxiety if it is not fixed,” Puri said.
After appearing as a contestant on “The Swan,” Arias faced a lot of negative reactions from those who knew her before the surgery. “You get a lot of crap,” she said. Arias felt that some friends and family were “jealous,” and others uncertain of who she had become. The latter group included the eldest of her two sons, who said at the time, “she doesn’t look that much like my mom anymore.”
“He has told me that he felt afraid,” Arias said. “That makes me feel guilty, because I realize that if the shoe were on the other foot, I would have freaked out too.”
Perhaps the most unnerving reaction came from Arias herself. The reveal is set up as a surprise for the show’s contestants. Arias said she had caught a slight glimpse of her reflection in medical equipment, but all mirrors were covered in the two and a half months she spent undergoing her various surgeries. It was only on stage that Arias was given access to a mirror. She reacted with quiet surprise, only losing it once the cameras turned off.
“I was screaming for the executive producer,” she said. “I was screaming, ‘I want my face back!’ That’s how freaked out I was. Intelligently, I knew that was impossible. But it was so weird. It was like looking at somebody else, but it was you.”
That feeling has become less difficult to reconcile over time, but Arias was happier before the show. “I’ve had self-esteem issues all my life,” she said. “But before, I was functional. Then I go and have all this stuff done that people would give their leg for, and I’m confined inside.”
Immediately following “The Swan,” Arias experienced what she calls a boost of confidence. “Going out gave me a little bit of self-esteem,” she said. “I liked my chest. My breasts were my badges of self-esteem. I would go out and wear low-cut tank tops and see women hit their husbands for looking at me. That was never the kind of thing I would do before. I would wear normal shirts.”
Soon, though, those old feelings of insecurity came creeping back. Arias said the symptoms leading up to her current condition began shortly after filming ended, and have only worsened. She raved about her plastic surgeon, Dr. Randal Haworth — “I was blessed to have him” — but blamed the show for not providing adequate therapy to help process such an extreme change.
While on “The Swan,” Arias did receive psychological care, though those sessions largely focused on loss of her husband. In February of 2013, she spoke to the Post citing a lack of follow-up as the cause for her mental health issues.
Arias kept the 150 pounds she lost off for nearly 10 years, and shed 10 more for the show. However, after “The Swan,” she says, she lost a sense of control over her body. “I started to yo-yo,” she said. “I was 155 on ‘The Swan,’ now I’m sitting here at 248. And I’m miserable.”
To stop feeling that way, she would consider more surgery. “I would do it in a heart beat. If I had the money, I’d do the weight loss surgery first,” she said. “This is going to sound weird, because I’ve already had so much done. I would have a new breast augmentation. I would have another brow lift. I would have another facelift. I would get more liposuction. I would do all that and my arms.”
Arias would also be willing to do the show all over. “Crazily enough, I would do it again,” she said. “Knowing what I know now, knowing I would gain weight again, and knowing I wouldn’t have that other face. At least I could be a big and pretty person. I can’t imagine myself any differently.”
Arias acknowledged that stance might be incomprehensible for someone who hasn’t undergone such extreme plastic surgery. Despite wanting more surgery, she is able to recognize that her insecurities are internal. “I thought a tummy tuck would give me all the self-esteem in the world. Of course, it didn’t. All I want now is for my story to help others, so they won’t think that going under the knife is a cure-all,” she said. “For a while it may be, but everything still comes back up.”
And yet, Arias still believes the upset over female celebrities and plastic surgery comes from an inherent desire all women have to change their appearances. “The uproar every time something like that comes up in the news is personal jealousy,” she said. “Most women would like to have something done, but maybe they’re afraid or they just can’t afford it.”
Chloe is 14 years older than Lionel’s daughter Sofia, but the resemblance is uncanny. “They have the same hairline and forehead,” says LA plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth. “Their skin tone is similar, their eye coloring is similar, their shape is similar, their face shape is similar. Even the chin-to-lower-lip and the upper-lip-to-nose ratios are similar.”
These 484 elite go-to physicians keep the entertainment industry’s injuries and illnesses in check and at bay, whether from shoots gone wrong (CHARLIZE THERON’S herniated disc), performance fatigue (KISS’ Paul Stanley’s vocal cords, RINGO STARR’s drummer fingers), just plain accidents (talk to CHRIS ALBRECHT) or not-so-plain cancer. Not to mention the passage of time ( the ultimate villain- ask a dermatologist).
Industry Favorite
When industry clients arrive at his busy office, they enter what Dr. Haworth describes as “the bat cave,” a clandestine garage parking entrance through an alleyway, providing the utmost privacy for those who might not want to be photographed pre- or postsurgery. But with so many Hollywood patients, sometimes an in- office run-in can’t be avoided.
“ Two very famous people were in rooms next door to each other, and they both knew each other, “ says the plastic surgeon, laughing. “The opened the doors at the same time and were so embarrassed.”Haworth, who appeared on Fox’s The Swan, also is an artist, working in graphite and acrylic, and those skills heighten his work on sculpting skin.“ With painting, you have to have a keen eye and the ability to ascertain microscopic detail and understand the power of a shadow versus a light reflection,” says Haworth.
“ I’m able to imbue that into what I do with plastic surgery.” While he performs a wide variety of cosmetic surgeries, including facial rejuvenation, rhinoplasty, and breast enhancement, Haworth also serves actresses and models with nonsurgical treatments such as carbon dioxide laser treatments and Botox. “ He’s a rock star,” says former America’s Next Top Model contestant CariDee English.
Renée Zellweger stunned fans this week, unveiling a new face that makes the “Bridget Jones” actress look nothing like her old self. Plastic surgeon speculated Tuesday that Zellweger, 45, may have had a minor brow lift-that made her unrecognizable.
“She had really small, squinty eyes-and that was her charm,” Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. RANDAL HAWORTH the post. “It seems radical only because this is her first time we’re seeing her eyes.”
New York plastic surgeon Dr. Steven Greer deadpanned that he’s not even sure photos of Zellweger at Elle’s 21st Annual “Women In Hollywood Awards in Beverly Hills on Monday were really her. “The surgeons remove too much skin,” Greer said. “They overdid it.” YA rep for Zellweger could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
By trade-offs, I am not referring to complications or risks.
By trade-offs I am referring to subtle and sometimes significant alterations in your appearance that will be incurred by undergoing a certain plastic surgical procedure. It is the doctor’s responsibility to inform the patient of these trade-offs (including risks of complications) while it is the patient’s responsibility to make an informed decision to proceed if he or she feels that the benefits of the surgery will outweigh the risks and trade-offs.
Examples of such trade-offs are the scars in and around the ear that result from a facelift. Even though they may be near invisible, they are scars nonetheless. The majority of patients feel that benefits of the facelift outweighed any of the associated trade-offs. Similarly, patients who undergo an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), mastopexy (breast lift) or brachioplasty (arm lift) should be fully aware that they will develop scars from those procedures. Though the majority will heal well with very acceptable scars, most of the time the scars will be visible to some degree.
Patients who undergo a rhinoplasty must understand that their nose will be numb, stiff and hard for up to 3 months or more while swelling can persist for 1 to 2 years. Numbness from a facelift or a browlift can last many months as well. Despite understanding these trade-offs, the vast majority of patients have no problem undergoing these procedures once they have decided to do so.
Over the years, I have found it curious that a small minority of patients undergoing lip reshaping surgery in the form of upper lip lifts and V-Y plasties had unrealistic expectations in terms of their healing and results. They were surprised even angry that they experienced numbness, stiffness and associated scarring. Sometimes a very subtle change in the nostril position occurred after the surgery. These trade-offs may arise even though the result of the upper lip lift is successful from the aesthetic standpoint-in other words, the net benefit in the sensual-youthful-beauty quotient for the face has been increased. However, a few may consider the lip lift a failure if they have experienced even a slight degree in any of these trade-offs.
Though these trade-offs can mostly be successfully reversed, a patient should not elect to undergo such a procedure if he or she will not accept that these can be normal aspects of the procedure. If one thinks about it, an upper lip lift will have its trade-offs in the same way other procedures would have their own yet it perhaps gets more attention than other anatomical features of the face because the lips are expected to not only look beautiful but also function as well.
And function they do, more than any other part of the face. Indeed, lips are used to express, emote, eat, kiss and speak-essentially they move millions of times a day! Because of these strong repetitive muscle forces around the nasal and oral region the plastic surgeon must create a strong upper lip lift that will resist these forces in order to achieve a result that is long-lasting, with minimal scarring and nasal distortion.
In fact, lip shaping procedures are the most challenging of all facial plastic surgeries, even rhinoplasties. Though the success of facelifts are measured in centimeters, brow lifts in increments of 2 to 4 mm and rhinoplasties in millimeters, lip reshaping surgery is measured in quarter-to-an-eighth of a millimeter! With those scales, one can almost consider this close to microsurgery.
In 2014, it would be a miracle to undergo an upper lip lift with an unequivocal guarantee of no scarring, nasal distortion, prolonged minor sensory changes and stiffness. If you are contemplating undergoing an upper lip lift but will not tolerate any of these tradeoffs, I suggest you avoid the procedure altogether and wait for that miracle to happen.
Patients often asked me what are the differences between a skin-only lip lift and my muscle hemming technique. To put it simply, longevity, scarring and nasal distortion.
Skin Only Lip Lift
Until the late 90’s, the only lip lift I knew how to do was the skin only type. I would perform this by excising a certain amount of skin below the nasal base and sewing the lower edge of the excision to the upper edge which happens to be the skin of the nose. The only thing now supporting this entire weight of the upper lip (which happens to move millions of times a day, eating, kissing, expressing and speaking) is the freshly closed incision at the skin level. One can imagine that this provides little support for all the action occurring around the upper mouth area. Consequently, the longevity of the lip lift itself is lessened, the nostrils are more likely to be pulled downwards while the resulting scar is more likely to stretch and thicken.
The results of a skin-only lip lift. Notice the widened scars, significant nostril distortion and recurrent long upper lip.
Muscle Hemming Lip Lift
After many years of observing the long-term results of skin-only lip lifts, I developed the muscle hemming technique. By employing moderate principles of plastic surgery in which nip and tucks (such as a facelift) are improved by lifting and tightening the layers below the skin including muscle I have noted a significant benefit to my lip lifts in terms of scarring, longevity and less nasal distortion. However, the recovery period was notably increased. The muscle hemming technique involves placing slowly dissolvable sutures into the muscle layer below the skin and intern suturing that to the periosteum (lining) of the bone deep to the nose itself. The lip lift is thus a solid one without relying on skin closure to achieve its superior long-term results while lessening the chance of undesirable scarring and pulling around the nostrils.
Skin Flap Lip Lift
Which brings me to today. For the last 3 years I have been employing a skin-flap technique which provides all the benefits of the muscle hemming technique but with half the recovery. Suturing of the muscle is minimized in this technique but none of the longevity and superior scarring is sacrificed. The period of significant distortion and swelling has been halved from 2 weeks to less than 1. Additionally, the results are “softer” in appearance with minimal to no distortion of the nostril area.
Patient with subliminal long upper lip with minimal upper tooth showAfter skin -flap lip lift by Dr. Haworth of Beverly Hills. Notice significant increase in tooth show and natural shortening of the upper lip with minimal nasal distortion. Being a lip lift expert, he developed this surgery to further his evolutionary journey into perfecting the ideal upper lip lift. This new technique also produces softer results those from the skin-only and muscle-hemming techniques.
Performing the modern lip lift with minimal-to-no-scarring and achieving a permanent beautiful result is challenging . It requires attention to minute detail and appreciation of how the oral region plays a central role in facial harmony. The vast majority of patients are thrilled with the subtle yet powerful results of this operation, but it has taken over 2 decades of unwavering dedication and imagination to get this far.
Better late than never! This is the second part of a blog I wrote almost one year ago about the upper blepharoplasties and brow lifts. Brow lifts are often confused and considered part of a facelift but they are not. A facelift deals with rejuvenating the areas below the lower eyelids including the midface, jowls, jawline and neck.
I am honored to be giving a talk to my esteemed plastic surgical colleagues at the California Society of Facial Plastic Surgeons annual meeting in Lake Tahoe this March. The purpose of my talk is to share my thoughts not only of brow elevation but also of controlling and creating the ideal brow shape. Ironically, as I write this, I am sitting in my hotel room having just listened to 6 hours’ worth of talks from other plastic surgeons about brow lifts and shaping as part of a meeting for the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. As always, I come back from these meetings with one or two pearls that I am keen to incorporate into my practice to provide the best possible results for my patients.
However, I think that most surgeons miss the point about brow reshaping. We all understand that we want the tail end of the brow to sweep upwards in a glamorous yet subtle arch without creating a surprised or malevolent/samurai look (think Carrot Top or Cruella DeVille). Unfortunately, the techniques to achieve that fall short of their stated goals. Surgeons apply tension through hidden incisions behind the temple hairline in a effort to raise the outside aspect of the eyebrow, but this is soon met with diminishing returns. As in all aspects of plastic surgery, simply applying more tension to a region that is resisting movement will not will not provide long lasting elevation. After a few weeks to months, mother nature wins and the structure (in this case the outside aspect of the brow) will fall down again.
Endoscopic brow lifts are beautifully elegant operations that are performed through 2 cm hidden incisions within the hair which do not involve shaving or cutting out skin. Most surgeons, as I mentioned, will attempt to lift up the outside aspect of the brow by angling the incisions outwards on the side of the head to apply upward tension through them. Unfortunately, much resistance is encountered and the results reflect that. In a counterintuitive move, I have angled the inner incisions towards the midline and have found that I can lift the outer aspect of the brows almost effortlessly with minimal tension. The results are long-lasting and more simulate the appealing eyebrow shape of a young cover girl.
Check out the following 31 year-old patient who underwent a brow lift along with fat transfer, chin implant and a minor rhinoplasty:
I feel that brow lifts are sometimes misunderstood creatures. They are under appreciated and when performed correctly provide extremely beautiful results that not only rejuvenate the forehead, reduce wrinkles, elevate and reshape the brows while rejuvenating the upper eyelids. 70% of patients that come to my office complaining of upper eyelid sagging and all they simply need is a well performed modern endoscopic brow lift.
31-year-old female with noticeable facial asymmetry with low-set brows. Of note, she also had slightly weak chin and a subtle bulbous nasal tip
Three month follow-up showing exquisite improvement in brow position and shape. Note how her face and eyes “open up”
Preoperative photograph showing the oblique view of the same patient.
A three-month follow-up of the same patient demonstrating the chin augmentation as well as the minor change to her nasal tip. Again, note the improved brow position and shape without any look of surprise.”
Stem cell science is in its infancy and we have much to learn. Indeed, many stem cell scientists now believe that the byproducts of stem cells (cytokines, etc) play a far more important role in healing than the actual stem cells themselves.Fat is a rich source of stem cells but to assume that the stem cells, when transplanted into the face, can miraculously know how to uniquely reverse aging is pipe-dreaming at best.
