Chapter One
Is Oprah an Unintentional Used-car Salesman?
The “Real-Reality” of Cosmetic Surgery
All too often people look for the magic pill or the magic cream. They want space-age laser treatment to make them look young again. This is a natural feeling. Who wouldn’t want this? Other patients might want a breast lift, asking for incisions only in the armpit. “I saw it on the internet,” they might say. Maybe they saw it in a book or a magazine. What do you mean, “It’s not done that way.” What about the facelift? I’ve heard about the puppet-string facelift, and the one-day face-lift. I want to get rid of 20 years of sun damage and aging, with a 20 minute procedure. Also, I want instantaneous recovery, please. With all the hype seen in the media, many people have extremely unrealistic expectations. Because of television, the Internet, and news media, many people have a very poor understanding of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic procedures. People have a poor understanding of the recovery process following operations. People have a poor understanding of the options available to them. This is partly caused by misinformation published in the media about cosmetic surgery. People have unrealistic expectations about the benefits, recovery, and risks associated with cosmetic operations. But it does not have to be this way. With the proper knowledge and proper education it is easy to learn and understand almost everything related to cosmetic surgery.
Cosmetic surgery and cosmetic procedures can be fantastic. The results from surgery can be phenomenal. Marvelous changes can help women reverse the aging process and look much younger. Other procedures can help them look thinner or more attractive. Cosmetic and plastic surgery is very safe and tremendously successful for most women. But we must remember: this is not TV. This is not the movies. This is reality. The “Real-Reality.” Plastic surgeons cannot do everything that people wish for. There are limitations. What can be done, and what can’t be done must be understood. By discussing and teaching concepts, education, and key features, I will help people considering cosmetic surgery learn the truth. Education is critical and central to understanding the complete story or “Real-Reality” of cosmetic surgery. The education and the concepts we must learn are really not complex. Some doctors might want you to believe that they are too difficult to understand. They are not. The average person can easily learn the facts about cosmetic surgery. This book will help provide you with the critical information. This book will help you understand cosmetic surgery and procedures. It will help you learn realistic options, realistic results and realistic risks. It’s actually not hard, but easy. If we focus on education, explanations, and concepts we learn to see through false advertising and sales pitches. This book will filter through misinformation, commonly seen on the Internet, magazines, and television. It will instead focus on basic and easy concepts. By doing this we can learn the “Real-Reality” of cosmetic surgery.
Why “Real-Reality?” We already have reality TV shows. This includes Survivor, Extreme Makeover, I Want a Famous Face, and other television programs. We call this reality TV, but when was the last time you were stranded on a desert island with 20 strangers. Reality TV has focused extensively on cosmetic surgery procedures, but is this reality? Or is this a weird version of reality. “Real-Reality” is the honest truth. The “Real-Reality” of cosmetic surgery is seeing past the used-car “sales pitch” and the false advertising. The “Real-Reality” is being able to identify the doctor who just wants to make a buck. It is identifying the new cream or cosmetic procedure that does not work the way described. The “Real-Reality” helps a person identify the new procedure that seems to be “too good to be true.” It helps you see past the “smoke and mirrors” so commonly seen in advertising. The “Real-Reality” of cosmetic surgery focuses on realistic expectations, realistic results, and realistic risks. The good news is that the “Real-Reality” of cosmetic surgery is fantastic and upbeat. When magazines, advertising and TV shows present the latest cosmetic surgery procedure, it often sounds too good to be true. The “Real-Reality” is it probably doesn’t work that way. It probably is “too good to be true.” The latest “scientific discovery” and the “newest” cosmetic procedure often have limitations not properly described in the media. They typically don’t work in the manner presented. It is important to understand that cosmetic surgery and cosmetic procedures can make fantastic changes for lots of people. The results can be phenomenal. However, we don’t want to be misled by the person who wants to make money off of our misunderstanding. By learning the “Real-Reality” of cosmetic surgery, we understand what works and what does not work. In this way we can have a better understanding of the truth.
Chapter 2
Board Certification
Everybody wants a highly trained, skilled, and competent surgeon. Most people want these qualities in their plastic surgeon and expect board certification. But did you know that “board certification” can essentially be bought instead of earned? Take a weekend course, pay a little money, and now you are “certified.” Of course, this is not the board certification most people expect from their doctors. A family physician or gynecologist might want to do a little liposuction to generate some cash; they sign up for Liposuction 101. Courses like this exist. It is hard to believe. After the weekend course, doctors claim being “trained”, a “specialist” or “certified.” These doctors might even claim in their advertisements to be the best surgeons or to do the “true” cosmetic surgery. Does this sound scary? It should, and it absolutely commonly happens in all communities. Doctors can also sign up for a weekend course in eye-tucks, called Blepharoplasty 101. This is not the type of training patients demand; one might consider this outright dangerous. Most people expect a real or true board certified plastic surgeon. What does this mean? Is my doctor the real thing or a “look-alike?” There is false and misleading advertising in abundance in our magazines, newspapers, and the media. Physicians’ own advertisements are often purposely misleading, especially if they don’t have the best qualifications. When it comes to the very credentials of our doctors we need the truth about training, qualifications, and expertise. It’s really very easy to understand the facts, once they are presented clearly and honestly, as is going to be done now.
Contents
Chapter 1
Is Oprah an Unintentional Used-car Salesman?
Chapter 2
Board Certification
Chapter 3
Facial Rejuvenation
Chapter 4
Breast Enlargement
Chapter 5
Liposuction
Chapter 6
Tummy-tuck
Chapter 7
Rhinoplasty
Chapter 8
Thigh and Buttocks Lifts
Chapter 9
Breast Lift and Breast Reduction
Chapter 10
Lasers
Chapter 11
The Trouble Triad
Chapter 12
The Day of Surgery
Chapter 13
Postoperative Instructions
Chapter 14
Cosmetic Surgery Nursing
Chapter 15
Anesthesia for Cosmetic Surgery
Chapter 16
The “Real-Reality” of Cosmetic Skin Care
Chapter 17
Finance