Dr. Anthony Youn

Hollywood Plastic Surgery Requests and Proceedures

Plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn makes regular appearances in In Touch and Life & Style, and is featured on E! Television’s Dr. 90210. Here's what the doctor had to say about Hollywood under the knife.

An interesting study by the International Society of Plastic Surgeons asked which celebrities had the most commonly asked for features: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Ashlee Simpson (post-rhinoplasty nose) and Beyoncè or Jennifer Lopez (derriere), Pam Anderson, Halle Berry B-cup, and Scarlett Johansson (breasts).

I think the public would be shocked to know how widespread plastic surgery is becoming. People don’t realize how many of their neighbours are having work done, and when you consider Hollywood, it grows exponentially.

Plastic surgery is partly to blame, but fashion magazines are too. There probably isn’t a single magazine on the newsstand with an attractive celebrity whose blemishes or cellulite hasn’t been airbrushed.

Hollywood's Airbrushed Celebrity Photos

People don’t realize the work that goes on behind-the-scenes to make some of these people look flawless. In reality, they are far from it. I’ve seen celebrities up close and personal, without much makeup and dressed like a person who’s not on the red carpet, and they have wrinkles too. Celebrities are regular people, and like regular people, they age.

Doctors must not give a patient’s medical information to the media in a press release - it's illegal. On my blog, I comment on celebrities, but make no mistake about it, I have not treated a single celebrity that I have blogged about.

A lot of the doctors who pioneer procedures work in Hollywood – they’re the ones doing the work that has to stand up to the lens of a high definition camera. If we can do work that can stand up to that kind of scrutiny, we’re doing a good job.

Not all plastic surgery television shows present our field in a realistic light. At worst, they can make the field look like it's full of crooks (Nip/Tuck) and at best, they can give patients an unrealistic view of what is an ideal plastic surgery result (The Swan).

Patients need to realize that television is entertainment, and the programs are written by television writers, not doctors. Patients can learn the real truth about plastic surgery from a face-to-face consultation with a plastic surgeon. Plastic Surgery Checklist: Accreditation and Consultation

Plastic surgery is not for everybody and a plastic surgeon should never encourage anybody to have a procedure that they don’t want to have done. There are some people who obviously take it too far, and there are some cases where plastic surgery will not necessarily improve how a person looks.

With shorter scars and the less-invasive procedures that we are pioneering, it’s an exciting time for plastic surgery. We are achieving better results with less downtime, less invasive surgeries and less discomfort.

On the flip side, there are a lot of people who claim to be plastic surgeons, who are not. They will market face-lifts without surgery, tummy tucks without a scalpel, liposuction with a laser. Plastic surgery is going to continue to grow, but so are the number of predators.

Patients should know if their plastic surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is the only plastic surgery board-certification that is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the gold standard of physician certification. There are even emergency room doctors who masquerade as plastic surgeons to make extra cash.

Check with the American Board of Plastic Surgery then meet the doctor – talk with them, sit down with them, look at their pictures and get a feeling for what they’re like. The amount of time they spend with you in a consultation is going to be directly proportional to the amount of time they spend doing your surgery, taking care of you, or if you developed a problem.