"Beauty Recovery Room": A Series of Photos by Ji Yeo

A few months ago, I came across this series of photographs taken by Korean photographer Ji Yeo.  She depicts images of women taken immediately after cosmetic surgery.  (WARNING: The images are graphic and contain nudity).  The series makes public what is usually a very private period in a patient’s plastic surgery journey.  Ji Yeo’s purpose was to make a statement about what she believes is South Korea’s unhealthy obsession with cosmetic surgery.  The photos generated some media buzz, including an interesting discussion by David Rosenberg from Slate.

I hesitated to write about this on the blog, because it highlights a part of what we do that can be scary for patients to see.  Ultimately, I decided that the photos show a very real part of surgery, and shouldn’t be discounted just because they are unpleasant.  There is a recovery period after any surgery that is uncomfortable and unattractive.  Glossing over that fact doesn’t make it untrue.  I think that American media has gone too far in trivializing plastic surgery.  Shows like the now-defunct “Swan” and “Dr. 90210” make plastic surgery seem like just another beauty treatment.  Patients watch these quick and easy TV transformations and sometimes develop unrealistic expectations about recovery and results.  “Beauty Recovery Room” does the opposite by broadcasting some of the least glamorous moments of plastic surgery.

That said, I think the photographer took dramatic license in showing all the women looking sullen, eyes downcast, appearing melancholy or even regretful.  This is particularly interesting given Ji’s comment in David Rosenberg’s Slate article:

 Although she was surprised how devoid of fear many of the women were about going under the knife, she was equally shocked to see how pleased they were immediately after the surgeries. “During the photo shoots, even though they were in extreme pain, I could feel their excitement, the excitement of hopes realized,” she said. ‘They seemed not to have the fears that I had; in fact, most of them were planning other surgeries in the near future.’’

This sentiment doesn’t come across in the photos, which tilt towards the somber.  Of course, art is not journalism- it wasn’t her purpose to give a balanced perspective of an issue.  Her purpose was to make a social commentary in a visually interesting way.  In that, she succeeded.  However, I think her quote from the article gives a more complete description of the reality of cosmetic surgery.  There are moments in a patient’s recovery that feel the way these photos look.  But recovery is temporary.  The moments get further apart, the pain fades away, and patients’ lives return to normal, hopefully a little better than when they started the journey.

I enjoyed this series for its unusual subject matter.  The discussion of society’s obsession with beauty and the resultant billion dollar industry is another topic for another day.  Until then, I hope you find the photos as thought-provoking as I did.

Reverse retouching: Making anorexia look healthy?

Image courtesy of africa/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As a female plastic surgeon who spends a lot of time thinking about beauty, I was disheartened to see this article in the Huffington Post titled “You’d Be Shocked at What These Fashion Editors are Editing Out of their Photos.”  The article was a commentary sourced from a piece written by former Cosmopolitan editor, Leah Hardy, in the Daily Mail.  The revelation is that fashion editors have been “reverse retouching” anorexic-thin models to create healthy images for the covers of magazines.  But as Leah Hardy points out, only the cringe-worthy protruding bones and sallow skin are airbrushed out, while the petite ankles, tiny waists, and gamine limbs are left in place.  The result is an impossibly skinny, but beautifully healthy woman.  This kind of woman does not, and never has, existed.  Both articles lambast reverse retouching and assign it the same blame as typical retouching for creating impossible standards of beauty.

From my perspective, impossible standards of beauty sometimes translate to unrealistic expectations from plastic surgery.  Women come to plastic surgeons for the chance to feel better about themselves, usually armed with a mental image that they hold up as the ideal.  But when the ideal image is a reverse retouched stick-figure with perky breasts and a healthy glow, the goal is not attainable.  To be fair, most patients are very reasonable about what can be achieved with plastic surgery, but the continuous barrage of digitally perfected images has a negative effect on even the most rational patient’s self-esteem.

What do you think?  Is there any justification for making models look healthier? Or is it just as damaging as making them skinnier?

"My Breast Reconstruction Journey" with breast cancer survivor Bonnie Tarone

Today on the blog, I’d like to introduce you to one of our inspirational patients, breast cancer survivor Bonnie Tarone.  Bonnie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and underwent chemotherapy, mastectomy, and reconstruction with a tissue expander and implant.  She shared her breast reconstruction journey with us in this video.  Thank you, Bonnie, your attitude and resilience are remarkable!

Let's Talk Lashes!

One of my absolute favorite developments in beauty products in the last few years is the eyelash enhancer, Latisse. Like many of you, my girlfriends and I have tried every kind of false eyelash. There’s the store-bought kind that leaves glue residue on your fingers, clothes, and everything else except your eyelashes. There’s the strand-by-strand salon-applied kind that works great, but costs a fortune in money and time. And, of course, there are hundreds of brands of mascara, all of which work to varying degrees. To be honest, these are all reasonable options, but in my opinion, Latisse beats them all. For anyone who doesn’t know, Latisse (also known as bimatroprost ophthalmic solution 0.03%) is a product that you apply just above your upper lashline once a day, and it increases the growth of your natural eyelashes in a few months. It makes them come in thicker and longer, sometimes so much so that you have to trim them! The company says it takes 16 weeks to see the full results, but most of my patients say they see a big difference in about 6-8 weeks. As soon as you stop using the product, your lashes will gradually return to normal in about a month or two. Some of my patients like to start Latisse a few months before a big event like a charity function or a wedding, and then stop after it’s over. Of course, some of them never stop once they see how well it works!

Want to learn more or try it out? The best thing to do is come in for a visit to get all your questions answered. 301.881.7770

Jennifer's Breast Reduction Story

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Several years ago, I evaluated a woman named Jennifer for breast reduction surgery. She was 19 years old at the time, which a lot of people would say is too young for elective surgery. However, as we talked, it became clear that she was exactly the kind of patient who would benefit most from a breast reduction. I’d like to share her story with you (minus her real name and identifying details of course).

Jennifer was 9 years old when her breasts began to develop. She had to wear a bra before any of her friends, which she hated. In middle school, kids teased her about her body, which set the tone for the negative body image that followed her into adulthood. She couldn’t find clothes that fit her in the stores where her friends shopped. That made her feel like an outcast. As she got older, her breasts continued to develop, and she started getting grooves in her shoulders from her bra straps. She had to wear two sports bras to exercise, and she always tried to hide her body in baggy clothes. Anything form-fitting made her feel self-conscious, or worse, made her feel like she looked promiscuous. Her breast size was keeping her from embracing the world around her.

She decided to have breast reduction surgery at age 19. It sounds young, but by the time she was 19, she had already been dealing with the consequences of her large breasts for 10 years. When we talked, she was very clear that she didn’t want to be flat-chested, she just wanted breasts that matched the rest of her body.

She had her breast reduction shortly after we met. Some of the effects were immediate. As early as the next day, her shoulders and upper back hurt less. Some of the effects took longer. She started losing weight after she discovered how much easier it was to exercise without large breasts. Over time, she developed a better relationship with her body, which improved her self-esteem.

My point in telling Jennifer’s story is to illustrate the enormous impact that body image can have on a person’s sense of well-being. If her story sounds familiar to you, don’t be surprised. According the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 42,000 women underwent breast reduction surgery in 2012. If you’re one of the thousands of women living with too-large breasts, I hope you’ll consider having an evaluation to talk about your options. Not everyone is a good candidate for surgery, but everyone deserves the opportunity to find out.

Same blog, new address!

Hello everyone, welcome to my new blog!  Over the next few weeks, I will be migrating my old blog over to this new site.  There will be new content too, so don't worry if you've already read the posts at www.plasticsurgerynow.com/cosmetic-surgery-blog/ .   I'll still be blogging about all things plastic surgery- information about surgical procedures, non-surgical cosmetic treatments, new products, plastic surgery in the news, and other interesting tidbits that come my way.  If you have a suggestion for something plastic surgical that you would like to hear about on the blog, tweet me @anitakulkarnimd and I'll be sure to include it! Thanks for reading, hope to see you back here soon!

Anita Kulkarni MD