Tag Archives: breast implants

Permalink to Plastic Surgery Timeline – When Will I Heal By?

Plastic Surgery Timeline – When Will I Heal By?

by shane|on January 10, 2012 |in Body, Breast, Face, Liposuction, plastic surgery, SmartLipo, tummy tuck |tagged , , , , , |Leave a comment

In plastic surgery, often one of the biggest questions patients will ask me is,”how long will I be down after this procedure?” Of course, this depends on the surgery and partially on an individual basis although for the most part, it is pretty predictable.

I recently found a little straight-forward article by a husband and wife plastic surgery team out in Columbus Ohio who summed it all up very nicely. Drs. Christine and Michael Sullivan of The Sullivan Centre are certified plastic surgeons and this is what they wrote:

Breast Augmentation or Liposuction (Including SmartLipo TriPlex)
To be ready by New Year’s, have surgery by December 1.To be ready by Valentine’s Day, have surgery by January 14.To be ready for Graduation, have surgery by April 20.To be ready by Independence Day, have surgery by June 4.To be ready by Labor Day, have surgery by August 1.To be ready by Thanksgiving, have surgery by October 22.To be ready by Christmas, have surgery by November 25.
Facelift or Rhinoplasty
To be ready by New Year’s, have surgery by September 1.To be ready by Valentine’s Day, have surgery by October 14.To be ready for Graduation, have surgery by January 20.To be ready by Independence Day, have surgery by March 4.To be ready by Labor Day, have surgery by May 1.To be ready by Thanksgiving, have surgery by July 22.To be ready by Christmas, have surgery by August 25.
Tummy Tuck or Breast Lift
To be ready by New Year’s, have surgery by November 15.To be ready by Valentine’s Day, have surgery by December 31.To be ready for Graduation, have surgery by March 5.To be ready by Independence Day, have surgery by May 15.To be ready by Labor Day, have surgery by July 15.To be ready by Thanksgiving, have surgery by October 7.To be ready by Christmas, have surgery by November 10.
I found this to be very accurate and helpful! Good job, Drs. Sullivan!

About The Sullivan Centre: The Sullivan Centre, co-founded by Drs. Christine and Michael Sullivan, is the first free-standing ambulatory surgical center dedicated to cosmetic surgery in central Ohio. It is located at 97706 Olentangy River Road in Columbus, Ohio 43235. Reach them at sullivancentre.com or by phone at 614-436-8888.

Permalink to Celebrity Plastic Surgery – The Collective Obsession With Youthful Perfection

Celebrity Plastic Surgery – The Collective Obsession With Youthful Perfection

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on October 6, 2010 |in Body, Breast, Celebrity Plastic Surgery, plastic surgery |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment
Lisa Rinna Lips

Lisa Rinna Recently Had Her Lip Augmentation Reduced.

Plastic surgery is a part of celebrity culture today. From reality stars like Heidi Montag, Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson, and “The Real Housewives of…” to comedians like Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin, to actors like Lisa Rinna, Nicole Kidman, Meg Ryan, Micky Rourke and of course stage performers like Cher and Kenny Rogers. All of these celebrities and hundreds more like them appear to have had cosmetic work done, and most, save Kim Kardashian and Cher, seem to have gone too far and pushed the limits of what plastic surgery is capable of.

The force behind this Hollywood celebrity trend to use plastic surgery beyond what is rational is a collective obsession with youthful perfection. That is, in American culture, youth is romanticized and physical perfection is idealized. The problem is that we are only young for a brief time in reality. Indeed, this evanescent quality is probably an ingredient of the fuel feeding this obsession. Combine this with the fact that very few, if any of us, are genetically perfect and you end up with a majority of the country somewhat unsatisfied with their appearance. Add to the fire, the pressure celebrities are under to be examples of perfection to those who consume their movies, TV shows, and music videos and you can imagine the desperate feelings these people have to hold on to this image of perfection or lose their celebrity status.

Further complicating the mix is that the personalities who go into that line of work tend to already enjoy some degree of narcissism with their coffee and you have a perfect storm. Nowhere do we see example after example of drastic measures taken by desperate souls to enhance or hold onto any shred of perfect youth that medical science might be able to offer. Likewise, nowhere else do we see so many sad cases of the fuel of this collective obsession with youthful perfection igniting the fire that ends in plastic surgery disasters.

As a plastic surgeon who believes very much that plastic surgery, and other cosmetic procedures such as Botox and facial fillers, can improve a person’s appearance and make them feel more confident, I cringe when I see the next star to step onto the red carpet with lips the size of sausages or faces pulled so tight they look like, as a friend of mine recently described, “a screaming skull.” Likewise, it sickens me to see a breast augmentation disaster such as putting 700cc breast implants in a petite woman of 5 foot 2 inches as was done to Heidi Montag, so she ends up making Barbie look comparatively proportional! These cases are not medical science being used to improve lives, they are a shameful mockery of the fine art of plastic surgery.

The most difficult thing for me to get my head around is the process by which a trained doctor goes through with these surgeries. If he or she is even remotely educated in plastic surgery, or even the pretend plastic surgeons who call themselves, “cosmetic surgeons,” these doctors have to know how awful these results are going to be before they even put the patient to sleep. As a plastic surgeon, my job is to improve on nature while balancing these improvements with aesthetic principles of balance, physical limits, and genetic realities. And a reality of being a plastic surgeon is knowing that some patients will come in with unrealistic expectations. I regularly have to sit down and explain in no uncertain terms, that there is such a thing as “too big” when it comes to breast implant size. It is very common for small framed women who have A-cup breasts to request breast implants that are simply going to make her look very top-heavy, cause stress damage to the skin, and create discomfort to the point that she will need to have them removed. When I explain the physical limits and the reality, most women normally understand and opt for smaller implants. In cases where they are still unconvinced and determined to have the larger implants, I apologize and tell them that as an ethical plastic surgeon, I cannot perform the surgery with the implants requested and we go our separate ways. And yes, occasionally they come back to me to have their “too large” implants removed.

I can feel for these plastic surgeons who have celebrities for patients. I can imagine they hear a lot of desperate stories about needing “that edge” in order to stay relevant in the fast paced world that is Hollywood, where one day you may be the toast of the town and the next you are wondering why you can’t even get an infomercial job. I realize there is tremendous pressure to push the limits because if you don’t someone else will. At the same time, we are doctors first and we have to do what is right by the patient, even if the patient is demanding what is wrong. We know that lips that look like two sausages painted red will look like hell, we know that 700cc implants can not be sustained in a petite woman of 5 foot 2 inches, we know that if you stretch the face back too far you will create a lizard mouth. We know this because it is what we do. Just as an engineer knows what you can and can’t do if you want a bridge to stay standing, a plane to stay in the sky or a computer to crunch ones and zeros and end up with me being able to type this article.

One thing I always stress with my patients is that when all is said and done, a stranger should never be able to look at you and “know” you’ve had plastic surgery. Whether it is breast augmentation, lip augmentation, a tummy tuck or a facelift, all should be subtle enough to look perfectly natural. Sure, if you go from an A-cup to a C-cup overnight, your friends might notice, but to the world, you should just look shapely, balanced and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, not like a freak of nature. Similarly, a facelift should simply take 10 to 15 years off your face, not make you look like a new person. You should look like pictures of yourself from the past. If you look at Joan Rivers now and Joan Rivers from 15 years ago, it is like they are two different people. On the other hand, if you look at Cher now and Cher 15 years ago, she looks the same! That’s plastic surgery done right!

The collective obsession with youthful perfection will probably be a part of the American cultural reality for the foreseeable future. Perhaps, just being a little more aware of it and reminding ourselves and our children to actively work toward being less influenced by it and more happy with our own realities is the answer. Sure, a good plastic surgeon can improve on nature a bit, fix some of the effects of time and make your day-to-day life a little happier because you smile more when you look in the mirror. But youthful perfection is not something we are capable of producing and someone needs to see that Hollywood gets the memo.

Permalink to Breast Augmentation Revisions – Downsizing

Breast Augmentation Revisions – Downsizing

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on September 20, 2010 |in Body, Breast |tagged , , , , |Leave a comment

heidi-montag-too-large-breast-implantsIn the last several weeks I have performed a number of breast augmentation revisions surgeries. Breast augmentation revision is usually a combination of implanting smaller breast implants and then performing a breast lift. Interestingly enough, each one of these women were seeing me for the same issue. These were all petite women who had breast augmentation performed by another plastic surgeon. All of these breast augmentation cases were done with large saline breast implants. They were uncomfortable and felt that they looked too big. I agreed with all of them that they did look too big. And I’ve blogged about Heidi Montag and her choice of breast implants before and of course about Sheyla Hershey and the removal of her “world’s largest breast implants.” So before I go on let me recap my objections to large saline implants in small framed women.

1. The breast implants look disproportionate and make the patient look unbalanced.

2. Large implants in small women make them look fat in their clothes and top-heavy.

3. Large saline breast implants create more fitting of the skin and more wrinkling and rippling.

4. Large saline breast implants cause more dissent of the implant overtime and therefore more sagging.

5. Large saline breast implants because of the thinning of the skin feel like a waterbed.

It is true that some of these changes could happen with large silicone breast implants of equivalent size, however, they are more pronounced with saline breast implants.

To solve this issue and create a more balanced look for each of these women, I removed the larger implants replaced them with an appropriate sized silicone breast implant and then designed the breast lift over this new implant. As I’ve written before, you can make preliminary markings before the surgery but the actual proof is in the operating room. With the new breast implants in place, temporary sutures are placed on the outside of the skin without any incisions and the breast is tailor tacked to the appropriate shape. This process may take several tries until we are able to achieve the ideal shape. At that point, the extra skin is removed and the breast is tightened and lifted.

Breast revisions are never an easy operation but they are very satisfying one for both the patient and the doctor. The difference in comfort, aesthetics, and self-image are amazing. Every single patient that I have converted from saline to silicone implants has commented on how much better they feel. The average breast implant should last 20 to 30 years but if you have a result that you are not happy with, there is no reason to wait that long to change it.

Of course, the best option would have been to choose the right size breast implant from the very beginning. This is why I discuss the downside of choosing breast implants that are too large in the first place and then I don’t have to worry about the patient coming back in because they are unhappy with their results!

Permalink to Kim Kardashian Fesses to Botox but NOT Breast Augmentation

Kim Kardashian Fesses to Botox but NOT Breast Augmentation

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on September 14, 2010 |in Breast, Celebrity Plastic Surgery, Face, Skin |tagged , , , , |2 Comments
kim-kardashian-plastic-surgery

Kim Kardashian says she has only used Botox

Kim Kardashian, of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, admitted to using Botox, in an interview with ABC News show Nightline. However, she says she has not had a nose job or breast augmentation.

“Trust me honey, if I take this bra off you will tell me I need to get them done. I’m totally not against plastic surgery. … I’ve tried Botox before. That’s the only thing that I’ve done.”

Just the way she says that, I tend to believe her and while a great breast augmentation will look very natural, natural, can look natural as well! ;)

However, Kim Kardashian’s sister, Courtney Kardashian says that she has had breast augmentation and seems to be very proud of it!

“I have had breast implants, but it’s so funny ’cause it’s not a secret, I could care less. It’s so funny because the ‘before’ picture that they [In Touch magazine] showed was after I had my boob job, so I’m like, they should have written ‘before Mason’ and ‘after Mason.’ Like my boobs have like tripled since breastfeeding.”

They go on to say that none of the Kardashians have had nose jobs and from looking at pictures on the Internet, even the “before and after” pictures that argue that she has, I tend to believe they haven’t. So much of what you see in those pictures can be explained by lighting and make-up. Kim Kardashian says that she actually did want to get her nose done but decided against it.

“But what’s funny is about my nose, it’s my biggest insecurity. I always want to get my nose done. … I went to a doctor, I had them take the pictures, he showed me what it would look like and it just didn’t– It– I wouldn’t look the same.”

I agree with Kim Kardashian here, if that is her natural nose, she does not need anything done to perfect it. If anything, there is more risk in changing it and it not looking as nice or as individual as it does naturally. Perfection doesn’t have to be generic, people all look different for a reason, plastic surgery is not about trying to make every face look perfectly the same, it is about enhancing what you do have or fixing issues that bother you. In Kim’s case, I would keep that nose, it looks great on her.

Permalink to World's Largest Breast Implants Removed

World's Largest Breast Implants Removed

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on September 9, 2010 |in Body, Breast, Celebrity Plastic Surgery |tagged , , , , , , |2 Comments

Sheyla Hershey‘s famous “world’s largest breast implants” have been removed due to persistent infections that threatened her life, according to the Houston Press Blogger Richard Connelly.

Sheyla Hershey's Largest Breast Implants

Sheyla Hershey's largest Breast implants in the world

According to her official Website, Sheyla Hershey’s breast implants made her a size M (whatever that is), and she was awarded the Brazilian equivalent of the Guinness Book of World’s Records for largest breast implants after her most recent breast augmentation.

In the United States, plastic surgeons are only allowed to place implants up to 800 cc and for her to achieve this size, I’m guessing she was fitted with 4 implants of perhaps 800 cc each? Sheyla Hershey was originally from Brazil and flew back home where the laws are less strict so she could have this breast augmentation done. Since she is only 5’2 she would appear quite lopsided, as the attached picture illustrates.

I’ve blogged before where I discussed Heidi Montag’s breast implants,  about all the reasons why you don’t want to select breast implants that are too big for your body. In the case of Sheyla Hershey, it is even more an indication of likely mental illness than a misdirected attempt at having an attractive figure. Breasts this size are dangerous, painful and will have to eventually be removed 100% of the time, leaving the patient permanently disfigured.

NineMSN reported on the story:

“We’ve already taken her to surgery twice,” said the surgeon in charge of the breast removal, Dr Ron Bucek.

“We needed to open the area up to allow it to drain because we can’t leave an infection in a contained zone.”

According to reporting by the Herald Sun in Australia, many attempts were made to save her from having to remove four implants, TWO in each breast!

“But after the operation, Hershey became seriously ill and has since been closely monitored by a cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Ron Bucek, and an infectious disease expert, Dr. Shazia Gill.

Before yesterday’s surgery to remove the implants, Bucek performed two other operations to help drain the infected areas, and a special vacuum had been suctioning the infection from Hershey’s body 24 hours a day for months.

“It’s the only thing that has saved my life, to be honest,” Hershey said of the device, though she added that it was “annoying” and “heavy.”

My Fox Houston gave the most detailed report:

“None of the bacteria have cultured out. We had to start her on a third antibiotic, because it wasn’t resolving as rapidly as we wanted to see, so she’s on three antibiotics, and she was on an anti-fungal medication during this time as well,” says Dr. Gill.

Because of the severity of the infections, doctors have been closely monitoring Hershey twice a week.

“I look at white blood cell count, I look at electrolytes and inflammation and right now her drug level. She’s on one antibiotic if her levels get too high she can damage her hearing as well as kidneys, she is on very strong antibiotics,” explains Dr. Gill.

Even with all of this medical intervention, Hershey’s body hasn’t been able to ward off the infection. It has been progressively getting worse.

“What’s happening, the skin is opening because the implants, the two on each side, are beginning to open that area up”, says Dr. Bucek. Hershey’s doctors are confident that she will restore her health by removing all four implants.

Dr. Gill showed Sheyla’s CT scan to FOX 26 to demonstrate how the two implants are stacked up on each side. She says there is a lot of inflammation and thickening of the skin.”

Sheyla-Hershey-worlds-biggest-breastsIt amazes me that there are doctors ANYWHERE in the world who would butcher an obviously disturbed young woman. Now she’s had to undergo what is essentially a double mastectomy at age 28 because along with the removal of all 4 implants, she also lost most of her breast tissue and her skin is going to be in terrible shape. I can’t imagine any number of surgeries that will allow her to have normal, attractive looking breasts now.

On the TresSugar blog, “Gigglesugar” asked in her poll:

“Silicone Breast Implants: How Big Is Too Big?

When plastic surgeons tell you they won’t operate on you. (Look around — do those folks say no much?)”

And actually, yes, most plastic surgeons that I know, myself included, regularly say no to all kinds of requests. The reasons range from unrealistic expectations, “can you make me look like “insert hot celebrity of the moment,” to physical limitations and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). As plastic surgeons, we are in the business of improving lives in realistic terms through enhancing aesthetic beauty, not in creating caricatures of human perfection.

Please weigh in below, I look forward to your comments!

Permalink to Breast Implants, Complications, Capsular Contracture and Singulair

Breast Implants, Complications, Capsular Contracture and Singulair

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on August 23, 2010 |in Body, Breast |tagged , , , , |Leave a comment

Breast augmentation, capsular contracture and Singulair were the subject of a recent article in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal that cites a study that shows that Singulair improves capsular contracture in women with breast implants. 19 patients with breast implants were treated. 17 patients presented with capsular contracture from a variety of breast operations. Two patients who had a history of recurrent capsular contracture were given the medication prophylactically. 11% of the patients became worse 16% of patients had no change 26% improved 37% completely improved and 11% were prevented fromgetting capsular contracture. The study showed that Singulair improves capsular contracture in women with breast implants. It appeared to have better results in milder contracture versus more severe contracture. Singulars well-tolerated with minimal side effects.

This corresponds with what I’ve been doing for the last several years. However now there is a published study that shows that Singulair works. This doesn’t make it work any better but it does further legitimize the off-label use.

As mentioned before, many different things can cause contracture after breast implants. Factors like bacterial contamination and hematoma. These can prolong the inflammatory response. A colleague and friend of mine, Dr.Schlesinger, discovered that a drug called Accolate, which is an anti-inflammatory asthma drug, worked in improving capsular contracture and published this. However it was discovered later on that Accolate had a very small incidents of extremely severe complications including hepatitis liver failure and death. This led to the abandonment of the use of Accolate despite the fact that it worked very well. Cingular is a similar type of drug. It is what is called a leukotriene inhibitor. These are factors that are thought to be responsible for capsular contracture.

This particular study on women with breast implants confirms what I have personally noted over the last several years. Cingular can help reverse capsular contracture when it is caught early and just starting. It can also help prevent recurrence. However, if someone comes in with established capsular contracture or extremely firm contracture it has little effect. The repair of very firm contracture is still a surgical procedure

Capsular contracture still continues to be an annoying and expensive problem in plastic surgery. By using techniques like the no touch Keller Funnel while placing breast implants during breast augmentation, see my previous blog about the Keller Funnel, IV antibiotics and antibiotic irrigation weekendreduce the incidence of contracture. However it is good to know that Singulair has been shown to be effective. In my own practice I combine it with cold laser to make it even more effective and see about 4 out of 5 people respond to the combination.

Permalink to Breast Augmentation Takes Mad Skills

Breast Augmentation Takes Mad Skills

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on August 11, 2010 |in Body |tagged , , , , , , , , |Leave a comment

Breast augmentation surgery is beginning to pop up in the strangest places!  This includes your ear/nose/throat doctors, family doctors, general surgeons, emergency room doctors, and… just about everybody else who has an MD after his or her name.  Lots of doctors are trying their hand at the procedure as a way of supplementing their bottom line.  And why not?  Constantly in demand, breast augmentation is the number one cosmetic procedure.

There’s even a $7,000 entry-level course being taught for anyone with an M.D. degree to learn how to perform breast augmentation. At the end of this weekend course, someone with only modest surgical skills could learn how to balloon up the breast tissue as you would for liposuction, and do a very limited pocket under the breast and over the muscle for a large incision in the breast fold and then put an implant in and sew it up.

What does surgical judgment, experience and aesthetic judgment count for?  By the time I had started my cosmetic breast practice, I had performed hundreds of a much more difficult procedure: breast reconstruction. This gave me a great deal of experience with the sub muscular pocket and the beginnings of the concept of the muscle brassiere. In addition, with breast reconstruction, you are usually trying to match and adjust the opposite side.

So is judgment and experience important?  Just this last week, among the other cases cited were breast cases: bilateral and augmentation, unilateral augmentation, and then a mastopexy bilateral Salt removal and replacement bilateral implant removal incised exchange.

Just as an outline of the process of breast augmentation and lift:

  1. Preoperative marking
  2. General anesthesia
  3. Incisions
  4. Making the sub muscular pocket with muscle support
  5. Placement of a sizer to expand the pocket to fit the breast implant
  6. Sit the patient up for visual assessment for shape and volume
  7. Make necessary adjustments to the size
  8. Temporary sutur breast lift
  9. Sit up for assessment
  10. Remove sutures
  11. Second temporary breast lift
  12. Sit patient up for assessment
  13. 3rd Temporary breast lift
  14. Set up okay just markings
  15. Remove skin
  16. Suture closures
  17. Set up for final check of finished lift and augmentation to make sure it is aesthetically correct.

These steps were for a complicated major breast lift and augmentation with asymmetry.  There are many different surgical steps with a lot of decisions to be made at every step. The reason you can’t just throw some markings and then cut on the dotted line is for every change in volume, there are changes in dimension according to the skin tension. This is different according to every person.

There’s a lot more to cosmetic breast augmentation, breast lifts and breast surgery than just putting a little bag under the skin. Cosmetic breast surgery has a steep learning curve that takes years to master.  This is especially true if one is performing symmetry surgery or revision surgery, which is complicated three-dimensional surgery.  It is definitely not for the gynecologist with time on his hands who has just taken a weekend course.

Permalink to Breast Augmentation Using The Keller Funnel

Breast Augmentation Using The Keller Funnel

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on August 4, 2010 |in Body, Breast |tagged , , , , , |1 Comment

Breast augmentation surgery is a safe and effective solution for women who want fuller and larger breasts but one of the biggest problems with breast augmentation has always been the risk of capsular contracture. It has always been a concern with breast augmentation and even now varies from 15 to 30% in some areas. In my practice I have been able to keep it below 5% with a combination of laser and or drug therapy. However, the lower the percentage of contracture after breast augmentation the better. The suspected culprit associated with capsular contracture appears to be bacterial contamination. Despite all our best efforts at sterility with gowns, gloves, masks, sterile prepping solution, and various types of antibiotic irrigation, occasionally there can still be some contamination. A “no-touch” technique that allows you to insert the breast implants with an “introductory device” that is sterile and has been been used for years. The plastic introduction sleeves were clumsy to use and not many plastic surgeons use them. For several years I used an introduction device from Europe that looked a little bit like a cannon with a hollow tube and a plunger to push the implants through. Unfortunately it only worked for smaller size implants and one size did not fit all so I gave up on it.

Now there is a very clever funnel invented by Dr. Keller called the Keller Funnel which accomplishes several purposes with something that looks like it belongs on the Food Network’s TV show Ace of Cakes!

First of all, it allows introduction of the implant with a true no touch technique the implant can be dropped into the funnel and then gently squeezed through like decorating the top of the cake. The surgeon doesn’t touch it and it doesn’t touch the patient’s skin or breast tissue while it is being introduced in the pocket. This eliminates the main source of potential capsular contracture which is residual bacteria on the skin or in the breast tissue of the patient

Secondly, this way of introduction puts less stress on the implant so that is less likely to break during introduction or later due to the stress placed while putting it in

And lastly, this method allows for smaller incisions and faster introduction minimizing scar tissue and lessening the time that the patient is under anesthesia

I am very pleased to now be using the new Keller Funnel that allows us to improve the quality of breast augmentation. At Advanced Concepts in Plastic Surgery we continue to select the best of new technology. The Keller Funnel is an example of this by making breast augmentation better, safer, and minimizing future complications.

Permalink to Megan Fox Plastic Surgery Mysteries

Megan Fox Plastic Surgery Mysteries

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on June 30, 2010 |in Body, Breast, Face, Skin |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment

Megan Fox Plastic Surgery Controversy

This time it’s Megan Fox - another, “does she or doesn’t she? Has she or hasn’t she?”  Unlike Heidi Montag’s obvious cosmetic surgeries, Megan Fox has a more refined look.  Megan Fox is a beautiful young woman by anyone’s standards – you don’t have to be a Transformers fan to enjoy that!  But, has she had some “refining”?  The beauty of good plastic surgery is that it is subtle, and it often begs the question, “Did she or didn’t she?”

As a plastic surgeon here in Sacramento, I get questions all the time as to whether I think this starlet or that celebrity has had cosmetic work done. One thing I often say is that pretty much everyone in that line of work has or will have something done to improve their appearance. Because Megan Fox has been in the news a lot lately, combined with the fact that she is one of the most beautiful starlets in Hollywood, I get asked about her a lot! If you look at pictures of Megan Fox on the Internet, you can come to several conclusions fairly quickly.  In my medical opinion, I believe I can spot a few procedures she’s undergone.  The important thing is that if she has undergone these procedures, they were performed very well so kudos to her doctor!

1. Megan Fox most definitely has had breast augmentation with breast implants. That’s fairly obvious even to a non-plastic surgeon, but her enhancement matches the rest of her figure, and it is not over the top literally like Heidi Montag’s breast augmentation.  It enhances her body without distracting from her other features.

2. She has also probably had two rhinoplasties.  The first rhinoplasty looks to be slightly unsuccessful.  There is an inverted V look on her upper nose in several photos that were taken after the bump was removed from her nose. This inverted V comes from the bones not coming together after being fractured. This was corrected the second time around, and further refinement appears to have been done on her nose, especially the tip.

3. Megan Fox likely has regular  Botox injections in her forehead. Even young people have some expression lines, but her forehead is incredibly clear without even a hint of a line. By using Botox at her age, she will avoid lines appearing in the future. She also seems to have had some shaping with advanced Botox techniques to raise a lateral and give her an exotic Angelina Jolie -type look.

4. Megan Fox also appears to have had a very good lip augmentation. Unlike many lip augmentations, Megan Fox’s lips are not over-the-top.  Her lips are definitely fuller, but it still looks relatively natural.

5. There has also been some suggestion of cheek implants, but unless they are very small, she just appears to have gotten older and a little more defined with some weight loss.

So what does this all mean?  It means that plastic surgery has something for everybody: for a middle-aged woman who wants to take in her neck a bit, or a young woman who wants a flatter stomach after having babies… or an aspiring superstar just shy of perfection. Were the changes reasonable?  I think she managed to fine tune her already attractive features and she did so without going way overboard like Heidi Montag. Is she more beautiful?  You can judge for yourself. But generally speaking a straight nose, fuller lips, a curved brow, and fuller breasts are often considered to be more attractive by our culture’s current standards of feminine beauty.

Permalink to Heidi Montag Lessons

Heidi Montag Lessons

by Andrew Kaczynski, MD|on May 23, 2010 |in Body, Breast, Face, Skin |tagged , , , , , , |7 Comments
Heidi Montag Breast Augmentation

Heidi Montag's Breasts Are Too Big!

Some stories just won’t go away. The Heidi Montag saga seemed like just another fifteen minutes of fame for a desperate starlet. And it makes for a great story: D-list celebrity trying to get an edge with an extreme makeover that will catapult her to stardom… or not.

But now, after the initial stories cataloging her surgeries mini brow lift, nose revision, facial and buttock fat grafts, breast implant revision, ear pinning, neck liposuction, the stories continue. She’s in pain. She’s happy. She’s not happy. She wants bigger implants. She’s going outside the U.S. for implants she can’t buy in the U.S., and the stories just continue on and on, probably fed by her publicist.

Since Heidi Montag and her drama are not going away anytime soon, what can we all learn from this modern-day tale of transformation that will help us in our thinking about plastic surgery?

If you are considering plastic surgery, it is important to be realistic about what you are considering and why.  Number one, if you don’t want to set yourself up for disappointment the only reason you should have plastic surgery is for yourself.  No one should be considering plastic surgery because someone else is telling you to.  Plastic surgery should not be undertaken to get or keep a husband or boyfriend, nor to get a specific job. The procedure, and your new image, should be its own reward. It should give you a positive self-image and give you more confidence. To expect secondary gain is setting yourself up for disappointment. The exception to this rule may be a situation where someone is looking prematurely old and seeks facial surgery for better competitiveness in the job market. Heidi Montag is not prematurely old.

Less is more–rule one: I don’t know exactly how long Heidi’s ten procedures took, but I try to limit my procedures to less than six hours. The medical standard for safe elective surgery is less than six hours. This means that after six hours the risk of medical complications rises. It is also more difficult to recover when you can’t get in a comfortable position because of the pain resulting from your multiple procedures. Performing fewer procedures in two operations makes for two shorter, safer operations with quicker recovery time, as opposed to one long one with a much longer and more uncomfortable recovery.

Less is more–rule two: As you age you should only have the minimum amount of work done to correct the problems. There is no such thing as prophylactic facelifts, although some people claim to do them. I’m okay with the chin and nose changes. But the brow lift and fat grafts actually made her look older boring here and harsher. Nothing can replace the freshness of youth and once it’s gone it’s gone.

Less is more—rule three: And important thing to remember about breast augmentation is that breasts can be too big! The only kind of movie Heidi Montag’s new breasts will get her into is the kind with three X’s, rather than snagging Meghan Fox’s roll in Transformers 3! I’ve put in large implants, even the maximum size, 800cc, but these are cases where the woman could handle them because of her height and the size of her chest. If Heidi wants to go bigger than her current 700cc implants, in order to really see a difference she would need to go to 1000cc which is way too much for anyone, much less a thin woman who is 5’2.

The downside of really big implants: Bigger scars to put them in for silicone implants. Putting in 1000cc  saline implants would be a nightmare. They would come down to her knees in no time.

What goes up must come down. Implants that large would have minimal muscle support. There is no breast lift that would lift them up for any significant length of time. She will have to downsize in order to have a successful breast lift.

Implants that big would make her skin tissues paper thin over time. Wrinkles and ripples would be visible.

Implants that large would actually pull down on her shoulders and neck. They would likely cause severe back pain. Most women who naturally have breasts that size eventually come in for breast reduction.

Just because a surgery can be done, doesn’t necessarily mean it should be done. She’s not yet in the ranks of plastic surgery monsters but if she keeps this up, there is little doubt she will be listed on one of many scary plastic surgery Websites.  Good plastic surgery is designed to makes people look like themselves and doesn’t make you look like a different species. Is she on her way? Only time will tell.

Page 1 of 212

RSS Beauty Pyramid on Facebook

  • Love the Mirror Again! http://conta.cc/shkiPa December 21, 2011
    Love the Mirror Again! http://conta.cc/shkiPaLove the Mirror Again! Solutions for the Face & Neckevents.r20.constantcontact.comAs the new year begins, you may be wondering what new facial rejuvenation technologies are available to turn back time. Join Dr. Andrew Kaczynski and Dolce Vita Day Spa's registered nurse, Danielle Ward as well as other Muse […]

Do you have questions or need more information? Please contact us!

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Your Phone Number

Subject

Your Message

captcha

Enter the text string above and hit send.

Location Info

  • Andrew Kaczynski, MD

  • Advanced Concepts in Plastic Surgery
  • 77 Cadillac Drive
  • Sacramento, CA, 95825

    • or

  • 9719 Village Center Drive, Suite 110
  • Granite Bay, CA 95746
  • (916) 925-5522