Queen Latifah on her Breast Reduction

The latest issue of People magazine has an interview with Queen Latifah, where she discusses her breast reduction surgery in 2003:

What were you before? "An E or an F cup. I was pretty big. Now I'm like a DD. I wanted to be a triple. They took one D too many! So that was hard to deal with. And there's scarring and stitches."

I find it unusual that a breast reduction patient asks to be a DDD after surgery. Most of them ask me to be a C or even a B, which often doesn't proportionally match the rest of the body. Health insurance will often pay for this surgery, but most patients need to have documented pain with removal of over a pound off each breast to be approved. Women who have less than a DD or DDD cup size usually don't get insurance coverage.

I think Queen Latifah's breasts look good. They seem to match her body. She does probably have scars which extend around her areolae, vertically down to her breast crease, and horizontally under her breast. Most scars fade considerably with time, and often end up as a faint line.

Photo credit: prphotos.com

Thanks for reading.

Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.

Hot Topics in Plastic Surgery

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. My wife and I spent the weekend in Baltimore, where I attended part of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. I presented a talk on "Lunchtime" facelift surgery at the "Hot Topics" seminar, which covers new and emerging trends in plastic surgery. Some of the other interesting topics included:

1. Mesotherapy and Injection Lipolysis - separating the hype (a lot) from the science (pretty little). Most physicians agreed that practitioners who are performing these treatments on patients were basically conducting their own human experimentation, since these substances are not standardized nor are they approved by the FDA for this purpose. More on this later.
2. Smart Lipo - no scientific evidence was presented that it actually VISIBLY tightened up skin, in contrast to some misleading advertising. I prefer VASER LipoSelection.
3. Stem cell advances - the wave of the future. The Distant future.
4. Fat grafting to the breast - very controversial, as it may create calcifications which can mimic breast cancer on mammograms. Often used in breast cancer reconstruction, though, after the breast tissue is removed via a mastectomy.
5. Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Therapy for postoperative pain - by Ivivi Technologies - has some promise. I used the Actipatch in the past and didn't notice any change. However, Ivivi is a different product and a different company, so there can definitely be some merit here. A friend of mine, Dr. Rob Oliver, has some good information about it. Check Plastic Surgery 101 for more info.
6. "Lunchtime" Facelifts - This trend often involves misleading advertising and deceptive marketing tactics. In contrast to what many of these companies will tell you, the procedures are not innovative or new, and in fact have been around for decades. Most of these types of "mini-surgeries" have been long abandoned by reputable plastic surgeons since they just don't work very well. A mini facelift has mini results.
7. GFX - Radiofrequency waves which ablate nerves, thereby reducing wrinkles. Nicknamed "the permanent Botox," this treatment has potential to do what Botox does, but permanently. Not FDA approved yet.

These are just a few of the many very interesting 'hot' topics in plastic surgery today. Thanks to renowned plastic surgeons Dr. Joe Gryskiewicz, Dr. Bill Adams, and Dr. V. Leroy Young for inviting me to be a presenter.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Britney's Lips Still Look Overdone

It's been several days since Britney Spears appears to have had her lips augmented. They are still puffy, with obliteration of the cupid's bow of the upper lip. Her lips are also out of proportion, looking unnatural. This type of swelling is unlikely to be caused by collagen, since it usually creates less initial puffiness than Restylane, a more likely culprit.

US Weekly has a nice article on Britney's lips in this week's issue.

Somebody help her.

For more on lip augmentation and celebrities, visit cityrag.com

Photo credit: dlisted.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Marie Osmond : A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Plastic?

Marie Osmond is making news lately for fainting on live TV last night during Dancing with the Stars. She made waves a few years ago sporting what appeared to be a browlift. In the second photo you can see that her brow is excessively elevated, a possible consequence of a recently performed browlift. It appears to have settled down quite a bit over time, and looks pretty good now. Some of my endoscopic browlift patients look a bit over-elevated in the initial postoperative period, but never to the extent that we saw with Marie Osmond. It's possible that her surgeon may have released some of the fixation to her browlift (allowing it to drop) after the public backlash against her appearance.

I hope her health is fine after her abrupt face plant on TV last night. I don't watch the show regularly, but have always been partial to Jane Seymour. She looks fantastic! Not an ounce of Botox on her beautiful face! She looks almost as good as she did in that great classic movie filmed here in Michigan, Somewhere in Time.

Photo credit: francesfarmersrevenge.com by way of AwfulPlasticSurgery.com?, prphotos.com

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Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

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Georgio Armani = Sun Damage Galore

Calling Obagi! Dr. Disaia's blog has a post on the sun damage which is evident in Georgio Armani's face. The dark skin and age spots can be nearly completely reversed by a strong course of the Obagi Condition and Enhance Program. This is the only skin care line that I've seen to effectively reverse damage as bad as his without chemical peels or laser resurfacing. It takes some time (months) and usually creates some skin reaction (like dryness and flaking) but it does seem to do the trick. With skin like his, I would anticipate a good chance of skin cancers in the future which could have some devastating consequences. Click here to see that!

Stay out of the sun everybody! (Or at least use good sunblock)

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

This Season on Dr. 90210

I have really been enjoying this season's Dr. 90210. It's been nice seeing my friend Dr. Gary Motykie get a good deal of airtime, and for some reason I find Dr. Will Kirby fun to watch. Maybe it's because he does such simple things (Botox, lip injections, chemical peels, laser tattoo removal) that I am astounded the show is spending so much time on procedures so basic and less interesting (at least to me).
This past week's episode left me in stitches (sorry about the pun) with Dr. Robert Rey and his family's terrifying camping trip. If you catch any episode this year, see this one or the one where Dr. Rey goes back to Brazil to meet his dad. You'll see that there is much more to the good doctor than you've seen on TV so far.
Overall, I think this season may be the best one since the first season 3 years ago. It only seems to be missing one thing...hmmm....me! jk

To view a clip of my appearance on the first season of Dr. 90210, click here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Chuck Hagel - Politician Most in Need of Plastic Surgery

I recently had a magazine ask me which male celebrities are most 'in need' of plastic surgery but haven't had anything done. Lots of politicians came to mind, including Bill Clinton (lower eyelid bags), John Kerry (oops, he already had Botox), and John McCain (saggy neckline). It seems that politicians don't appear to get as much plastic surgery as most other famous people (with the possible exception of Nancy Pelosi).
The person who always struck me as being a great candidate for plastic surgery is Senator Chuck Hagel, he with the hound dog eyes. Everytime I see him on Meet the Press or the Evening News, I can't help but think how much more awake and alert he would look with an upper and lower blepharoplasty. Heck, his upper eyelids are so droopy his congressional health insurance plan would probably cover his upper blepharoplasty anyways!

Upper blepharoplasty is one of the only aesthetic plastic surgeries that can, at times, be covered by health insurance. If your eyelids are so droopy that you have problems seeing due to the hanging skin, you may be a candidate for an insurance upper blepharoplasty. I quite often refer potential patients to an optometrist for evaluation first, as the visual field testing they perform is key to determining benefits. I expect someday the insurance companies will find a way to get out of paying for this surgery.

Photo credit: View Images.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.: