BellaSugar

Insatiable Plastic-Surgery Addict? There's an App For That

BellaSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:06 -0700

OK, there are a million bad apps out there already, but the Shafer Plastic Surgery App really puts the "terrible" in the "terribly useless." An "informational database of over 1,000 FAQ’s covering invasive and non-invasive plastic surgery procedures and treatments," this iPhone app seems designed mostly to tell young, trendy women about procedures that, if you're at all considering, you should be discussing directly with a doctor instead of a gadget. If plastic surgery is going to make you really, truly happy, then OK, go for it. But taking advice from your phone on how to look your best is probably not a wise idea. Plus, the graphics on this thing are kinda sleazy. A headless female torso with water running down it and just a hint of boob - really? I think surgery is a serious thing, and your self-esteem is too. What about you? Would you download something like this?

Is Denise Richards's Boob-Job Admission TMI?

BellaSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:03:49 -0700

This week, Denise Richards told Howard Stern that she's had three breast-augmentation surgeries. (Once, twice, three times a lady?) She had her first surgery when she was 19. "I was flat as a board, and I thought 'Whoa, you can just buy them' and stupidly had them done," she said. Unfortunately, they were too big for her frame, so she had them replaced - with even larger ones. She found what she was looking for the third time around, though she now says, "It was a big mistake. Young girls, don't do it!"

I appreciate it when people are open about the work they've had done, if only because I appreciate transparency. But to go on and on about it can be overload. In this case, do you think Denise's admission is spot-on, or is it too much information?

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Black-Market Silicone Injections: As Bad an Idea as They Sound

BellaSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:00:38 -0700

I always figured that if someone said, "Hey, I'm an unlicensed practitioner who wants to inject silicone into your ass," most people would know to run far away. Sadly, that's not the case. In an alternately depressing and stupefying story, the New York Times reports on a disturbing trend. Women, many of them Latina and transgender, are going to underground "pumping parties." There, they're injected with black-market silicone to create larger breasts, bottoms, and thighs.

While side effects are rare - or perhaps just underreported, as the procedure is illegal - the risks are great:

. . . Fiordaliza Pichardo just wanted to look beautiful, so a few years ago, she began getting silicone injections from a woman she met through a friend in order to plump up her thighs and derriere. She never expected to pay such a high price for her looks. In March, a day after receiving an injection, Ms. Pichardo, 43, died of what the medical examiner later determined was a silicone embolism in her lungs.

Because silicone can move through the bloodstream, it has the potential to cause this kind of fatal clot in the lungs. Unfortunately, because the plumping effect is relatively cheap and quick, experts think the procedure is unlikely to go away anytime soon. The FDA is planning to issue a warning about the dangers of silicone injection, but something tells me that won't be enough to keep some women from taking risks to feel more beautiful.

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What's Your Take on Medical Tourism?

BellaSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:00:30 -0700

As any American who doesn't have health insurance - or heck, even some American who does - can tell you, medical care doesn't come cheap. That's why an increasing number of people are traveling abroad to have medical procedures done at a fraction of prices. That goes for cosmetic surgery, too; from Costa Rica to Thailand to India, a number of countries are encouraging visitors to have a boob job, face lift, or tummy tuck while on holiday. And as medical costs soar, enterprising businesses are figuring out how to draw visitors; just last month, Aero Mexico partnered with industry group Medical Tourism Association to create travel packages. Within eight years, as many as 23 million Americans could travel abroad for their medical needs; some will do so for elective procedures such as plastic surgery.

Advocates of medical tourism point out that traveling for surgery can save people thousands of dollars, that the physicians are licensed (and often trained within the United States), and that a luxury vacay can make surgery feel a little less awful. But critics argue that some facilities may not have the same resources as domestic hospitals do, and that flying for long distances places extra stress on a healing body. (Usher's wife, Tameka Raymond, was put in a medically induced coma after liposuction went bad in Brazil.) When it comes to cosmetic surgery, do you think people who travel for their procedures are making the smart choice?

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A New Treatment Could Swap Belly Fat For Bigger Boobs

BellaSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:00:32 -0700

Are you a member of the IBTC? If some scientists have their way, you may have an option to grow to a bigger cup size. The London Times reports that a new treatment, soon to be available in Britain, could lead to a bigger bosom - "naturally." The treatment involves harvesting stem cells from extra tummy fat, then growing them in the breasts. Most likely, women would go up a cup.

The technique, already used in Japan, will be tested on 30 women beginning in May. Professor Kefah Mokbel, who leads the project, says the stem-cell ta-tas are superior to implants. "They feel more natural because this tissue has the same softness as the rest of the breast," he says. But plastic surgeon Eva Weiler-Mithoff, who is unconnected to the project, has some reservations. While she has treated cancer patients with good results, she doesn't recommend it for healthy women. Bottom line? Another way to have bigger boobage could be available in the near future, but until then, a push-up bra remains the best option . . . or you could, you know, just be happy with what you've got in the first place.

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Should Teenagers Have Plastic Surgery?

BellaSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:00:37 -0800

As a teenager, I was involved in a minor car accident. Since then, I've had a little bump on the top of my nose. And while I possibly could have had it fixed along the way, I now consider the imperfection unnoticeable - a unique part of me.

Today, the New York Times published an article on the topic of teenage plastic surgery. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, procedures for those under 18 have tripled in the past 10 years, with breast augmentations occurring six times as much - surprising figures, eh?

Some argue that the problem is more about low self-esteem, causing young girls to feel they must change their bodies to be accepted. Others view plastic surgery as a self-esteem booster, with supporters claiming it can actually prevent destructive behaviors such as eating disorders. What do you think? Is teenage plastic surgery just too risky, or are you all for it?

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Plastic Surgeons on the Economy: "It's Not a Pretty Picture"

BellaSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:00:40 -0700

Thanks to a saggy economy, plastic surgeons are reporting more nips and tucks in their bottom line. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports a drop in the number of cosmetic procedures in the first half of 2008 compared with the same time period in 2007. As the New York Times explains:

About 60 percent of the respondents said they had performed fewer breast-augmentation and liposuction procedures this year. Almost half the doctors reported a decrease in eyelid operations; 44 percent said they had performed fewer nose jobs.

A separate study shows that the number of Botox injections, too, have seen a double-digit drop compared to a year ago. While this news isn't wonderful for the surgeons, I can't help but wonder if their dark cloud has a silver lining. If cosmetic surgery becomes less popular, might that lead people to accept and enjoy themselves as they are?

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Botox Tragedy! The Daily Show Explores the "Good Life Crisis"

BellaSugar — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 08:00:53 -0700

Need another sign of the wilting economy? While employers try to pack two jobs into one employee, things are getting rough in even the poshest places. As those intrepid reporters at The Daily Show prove, the near-recession is putting a wrinkle into the plans of the trout-lipped and smooth-skinned. Literally. Check it out:

All About the New New Face

BellaSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:00:55 -0700

Set aside a little time to check out this New York magazine story about the changing face of, well, faces. The writer, Jonathan Van Meter, points out something I've been noticing, too: Our culture is so obsessed with youth that looking good is becoming synonymous with looking like a teenager. He writes:

In the last 10 years, perhaps with the coming of Britney Spears, the age of the ideal has dropped precipitously. Now both fashion and celebrity magazines are filled with images of teenagers - whether they’re Eastern European models or tanned California reality stars. Their faces are plump and dewy and flushed with youth. As thin as their bodies are, they still haven’t entirely shed the baby fat in their faces. This, it seems, is what women in their forties and fifties are now after: baby fat.

It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly when or how a new aesthetic is born, but it seems clear that once we became obsessed with the baby face of the teenage girl, the world of dermatology came up with more and better ways for us to achieve the plumpness of youth.

The story goes on to discuss the "New New Face," the idealized look that famous people ask their dermatologists and surgeons for. It features full lips, large eyes, a small chin, high cheekbones, a petite nose, and a wide smile - pretty much what all babies are born with, and what some women are now paying tens of thousands of dollars to re-create. Except it never really does look convincingly natural, Van Meter says; a 50-year-old will never look just as she did at age 30.

Faces aren't like hair color or hemlines - in one season, passé the next - and yet with fillers and Botox, it's possible to have a dramatically different visage. But are people fighting a battle that nobody can win?

If You Were Asked to Get a Cosmetic Treatment For a Wedding, Would You Do It?

BellaSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:00:55 -0700

Just when you think Bridezillas couldn't get any scarier, the New York Times reports on a gauche new wedding trend: The bridal cosmetic surgery party! Yep, now in addition to spending $300 on a ruffled puce dress, bridesmaids are being asked to have a little Botox, Restylane, and even boob jobs before the big day - and it's not even their big day.

“If I were 25 or 26 and getting married, a bracelet, necklace, or matching earrings would be fine,” says a bride-to-be who took her bridesmaids to a medspa. But at the ancient age of 35, it's no good: "As you get older, everyone is more conscientious about their skin and appearance. Giving them something for themselves - as opposed to something that they’ll never wear again - is more meaningful.”

The day my friend asks me to slice open my chest or get botulinum toxin jabbed into my forehead is the day I say, "Sorry, toots, but I can't be in your wedding." Do you feel the same way, or is this justifiable?

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