Womens Health, Fitness, Weight Loss, Beauty and More

Plastic Surgery Secrets of the Stars

When stars step onto the red carpet, they talk about who designed their fabulous gowns, suits, jewelry and shoes.

But they’re highly unlikely to mention the people who may have had the biggest hand in creating their picture-perfect looks–their plastic surgeons, cosmetic dermatologists and dentists.

With the recent wrapping of the Golden Globes, Grammy’s and Oscars, it’s busy season for California’s cosmetic doctors. Their offices have been full in recent weeks with big-name actors and actresses willing to spend thousands to get rid of that new wrinkle, touch up their décolletage or just look 10 to 15 years younger.

In Pictures: Plastic Surgery Secrets of the Stars

“It may be good for a character to look a certain way, but when it comes to, say, going to a premiere for a movie, you want to look your best,” says Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Nikolov,who frequently treats working actresses. He, like most of the physicians quoted in this piece, would not divulge clients’ names. “On the red carpet, you’re supposed to look glamorous.”

Can You Keep A Secret?

Most celebrities will deny they’ve had work done, but their doctors know the truth–and have the secret back entrances in their offices to prove it.

“They’re very paranoid,” says Dr. Renato Calabria, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. Calabria, who says his celebrity clients sometimes have a hard time saying hello to him in public, pioneered the new one-stitch face lift. For about $5,000, the procedure lifts loose facial skin and anchors it via one stitch under the hairline on each side of the face. The effect is more subtle than full face lifts and popular among clients in their late 30s, Calabria says. Recovery time is around four days, perfect for the kind of person who doesn’t want to stay out of the limelight for too long.

Actresses who’ve already hit 40 but don’t want to look it have been turning to Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, a plastic surgeon at the Beverly Hills Body practice. He uses the Volumetric Face Lift, which makes the face look young again by treating it like a deflated balloon. After taking fat via a needle from a patient’s abdomen, he inserts it under the eyes, in the cheeks or between the nose and mouth to sculpt full features. Ellenbogen sometimes also tightens the skin via small incisions around the ears. The procedure’s starting price is $15,000. Ellenbogen recommends that people who are photographed for a living schedule the procedure four to six weeks in advance of an event.

Faster Fixes

While some stars will plan major nips and tucks such as liposuction months in advance, most go for easy touch-ups like injections of fillers, which can give the skin a full, younger appearance, and which don’t cause a lot of tell-tale swelling or bruising.

“In general, the non-invasive or [minimally] invasive procedure market has expanded rapidly,” says Dr. Roxanne Guy, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “It started with the Botox boom, and it’s just built upon that.”

Today, Botox, which costs about $250 per treatment area, isn’t used just for zapping deep forehead wrinkles, according to Nikolov. It also works to prevent stains around the underarms by stopping the glands from producing sweat. About eight to 10 injections of Botox in the area can do the trick.

“When you’re on the red carpet,” he says, “you look great, and maybe you’re a little nervous–no matter what, the last thing you want is to get perspiration on your gown.”

To prepare for their close-ups, some stars turn to cosmetic dentists for power bleaching, says Miami-based cosmetic dentist Jorge Blanco. Patients pay $500 to $1,000 for the procedure, which is done two and a half weeks in advance of an event. Blanco applies whitening gel to the teeth, then sits the patient in front of a light that promotes absorption for about an hour. Sensitivity may be a problem for a day afterward. Some dentists send people home with teeth-whitening trays and solution so they can control color all the way up to an event.

On The Mend

For stars trying to speed their skin’s recovery after a chemical peel or microdermabrasion, there’s Dermacia MD’s Lycogel, a triple silica gel treatment that heals while acting as a concealer. It sells for $78 per half ounce and is available at plastic surgeons’ and dermatologists’ offices. Product developer Barry Knapp says the key to Lycogel is its ability to increase the skin’s oxygen intake, unlike most makeup.

“If you have a chemical peel, you’re basically electing to have a second-degree burn,” says Knapp, president of Dermacia MD. “You need something to heal it; you need the cells to repopulate very quickly. Patients are not interested in having two months out of their life taken.”

The product also benefits skin that’s healthy, according to Knapp, who says Lycogel is used on the sets of Desperate Housewives and American Idol.

Of course, the desire to look good in front of all those cameras isn’t singular to actors and actresses. Calabria says he’s also had producers, directors, public relations people and even journalists come to him in recent weeks seeking a refreshed look.

After all, who doesn’t want to look camera-ready?

“The main thing people look for is something that will make them look spectacular, but at the same time not stand out too much,” says Blanco. “It has to be subtle.”

Right Plastic Surgeon?

The death of rap star Kanye West’s mother, Donda—who died just one day after receiving plastic surgery—serves as an important reminder about the dangers inherent in cosmetic procedures. But, even more, the tragedy has sparked a much-needed conversation about how to find the best physician for the job—a task that is, much to the chagrin of the consumer, both confusing and time-consuming. 

First off, prospective patients should seek out a doctor who is both trained and experienced. Experience alone doesn’t equal ability, according to Dr. Peter B. Fodor, the former president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and a plastic surgeon based in Los Angeles. “The surgeon could, theoretically, have the experience by doing the wrong thing a thousand times,” he says. Also important: You want a doctor with training and experience in the specific procedure in question. This sounds simple enough: If a patient wants a face-lift, they should seek out a doctor who excels in performing face-lifts. Right?

But in an ultra-competitive profession where every doctor is trying to sell their skills, the real question becomes: How can a patient tell if their physician is really the expert that they claim to be? Here, Dr. Fodor urges: “You must make sure that your doctor is board-certified.” The trouble is, dear consumer, all board certifications are not equal.

“Many people falsely state that they are board-certified in plastic surgery,” the physician warns. “There are as many as 100 bogus—completely fake—boards, and these boards require nothing close to the requirements that one has to fulfill in order to be certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.”

To stress this point, Fodor paints a common scenario in the world of plastic surgery: A patient walks into a doctor’s office. They see a “beautiful diploma” on the wall. “That diploma reads ‘Certified in the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery,’” says Fodor. Everything, including the wording on the diploma, looks legitimate.

But in this instance, the framed, stamped and signed certificate is really just a useless slip of fancy paper from a mail-order diploma mill, Fodor says. But how does one know? Simple. Genuine board-certified doctors are credentialed by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, according to Fodor; if you are a potential patient, check that your surgeon’s diploma contains these exact words in this exact order.  

Merely searching on the Internet for your doctor’s credentials is not enough, continues Fodor: “Unfortunately, some of these physicians will state on the Internet that they are board certified when they are not.” Beyond studying the doctor’s diploma, prospective patients should also turn to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at www.plasticsurgery.org to ensure that their physician is really board-certified.

The next step in selecting a physician, says Fodor, is to establish that your potential doctor focuses on the cosmetic aspects of plastic surgery. Doctors who are board-certified in plastic surgery can specialize in either cosmetic or reconstructive surgery.

In this case, the second credential worth checking for is a certification from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “This society has additional membership requirements—in addition to being board-certified—which focus on specific interests and on training and ability,” says Fodor.

In simple terms: If your physician belongs to the ASAPS, they are guaranteed to be board-certified specialists in the field of cosmetic surgery. And again, exact wording matters, so read the doctor’s credentials closely and don’t hesitate to call the ASAPS to verify your physician’s credentials (1-888-272.7711 or www.surgery.org). 

After establishing that your doctor has the proper certifications, training and experience, the next question to ask is: Does my physician work in an accredited facility? Only facilities accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities are guaranteed to be “equipped with the proper staff and equipment to handle all emergencies related to the possible complication of surgery, including cardiac arrest,” says Dr. Rod J. Rohrich, chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “You have a much higher chance of a having a safe and good outcome [if you undergo a cosmetic surgical procedure] in an accredited facility.” 

To verify that a facility is accredited, says Rohrich, check with the ASPS “Members of the ASPS must operate in an accredited facility,” he says.

It seems that in the world of plastic surgery, at least for now, a smart consumer is a skeptical one.