Red Carpet Prep

For all of the award shows - MTV Video Music Awards, Golden Globes, Emmys, Oscars, People's Choice, and others - the Red Carpet is a show of its own. And that means celebrities get serious about looking their best for the Red Carpet. Here is a list of the most popular celebrity secrets.

Diuretics/laxatives/limited caloric intake/ assorted rapid weight loss diets: Short-term, the old standbys.

Helpful clothing appliances: Push-up bras, etc. The legendary Howard Hughes a pioneer; developed a special bra for actress Jane Russell for the movie "The Outlaw" (1943). Controversy as to whether or not she actually wore such in the movie.

Body wraps: They are designed to improve the texture and appearance of the skin by helping to rid the body of excess fluids. They supposedly benefit the body by contouring, losing inches and tightening the skin. This procedure is risky for the celebrity who wants to stay out all night. Body wraps have a Cinderella effect; the results are temporary and the body begins to expand after several hours.

Rubber-band face "Lifts": Venerable Hollywood contraption. Best when hair is long and covers ears and cheeks. Hidden barrette-like anchor fixes to hair close to scalp. Rubber bands affixed to the barrette and then to scotch tape adhesed to skin at strategic positions, e.g. just behind and under jaw, at temples to "lift" the face and neck mimicking the effect of a surgical face and neck lift.

Fillers Restylane, Juvederm , Sculptra to plump lips, fill marionette lines, soften cheek hollows. Best done several weeks prior to allow for spontaneous reduction in injection-induced swelling and/or bruising.

Botox injections to forehead wrinkles and between the eyebrow frown lines. Trade off is a less-emotional face. Like "fillers", best done several weeks prior to appearances to allow for full effect to emerge.

Botox injected into arm-pits to prevent sweating.

Certain prescription meds, e.g propanolol (medication used to reduce blood pressure and slow heart rate) to prevent facial sweating and reduce "jitters".

Original formula Preparation H (still available in Canada) to temporarily "erase" crow's feet.

Foot Injections of collagen, Restylane, Juvederm into soles of feet, "padding" to help prevent pain from prolonged walking on 4" high or stiletto heels.

Oxygen facials. Of questionable value, but favored by celebs. Harmless. Purported to nourish and "plump-up skin" to give an airbrush effect. Rumored that Madonna owns her machine and has an oxygen facial everyday.

Dermatology office treatments: Micro-dermabrasion (mild medical sandblasting) to soften skin and develop luster. Minor laser-like treatments to remove visible red spots and other superficial skin discolorations. Best done weeks prior to allow proper healing.

Finally, why do Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists load up on WD-40? To keep the hinges of their office back doors from squeaking as the high-profile folks slither in and out for their treatments and preps!



Related Topics:

• Why Do We Keep Falling for Fad Diets?
• A New Age of Celebrity Worship

Technorati Tags: cosmetic surgery, Hollywood, red carpet, award shows

New Hope for Unhappy Nose Job Patients

Office Injections Save Patients a Second (Or Third) Trip to The Operating Room and Thousands Of Dollars

I've unfortunately noticed that there is an increased number of patients coming to my practice needing "touch-up" cosmetic nasal surgery. Their original surgery, performed by other surgeons, was unsatisfactory. Nearly 20 percent of patients consulting with me have had poor work done elsewhere. In a future post, I will discuss the "why" of this problem and how you can avoid being a dissatisfied patient.

These patients are unhappy because, typically, the nose was "overdone" with grooves, moguls, depressions. Too much bone and cartilage was taken out. That's why these patients complain that "my previous rhinoplasty makes my nose appear too-pinched and too-scooped." Fortunately, for some patients unhappy with their result, and even unhappier with the prospect of more surgery, now there is a better option.

Surprisingly, few patients know about a highly predictable and reliable non-surgical alternative: filler injections. I was recently consulting with a patient who was unhappy with her original rhinoplasty, followed by multiple other surgeries to correct the damage done at the first session. She came to the consultation resigned to having another complex operation. When I informed her about the benefits filler injections, she became overwhelmed with emotion and began to cry. She was so thrilled I could fix the appearance of her nose, without yet, another surgery.

I favor such filler injections when appropriate. Droplets of liquid silicone, deposited just under the nasal skin with a short, ultra-fine needle, work magic to correct nasal irregularities. Typically, patients are only offered expensive, complex operations, usually with somewhat unpredictable bone and/or cartilage tissue grafts.

Cosmetic surgery re-do's require additional time off from work, another trip to the operating room, some discomfort and more money. Yes, there are some situations whereby surgery cannot be avoided, such as when breathing is still blocked. But, doesn't it make more sense, whenever possible, to permanently correct an imperfection - more handily - by a series of office injections, with no down time, very little pain, back-to-work immediately with no swelling or bruising?

Silicone-gel breast implants, with FDA approval are back and popular. The liquid form of silicone is FDA-approved for use inside the eye, a pretty delicate and critical area. So, we nasal surgeons feel comfortable and safe using it, off-label, for droplet placement under the nose skin. The total amount needed to do the job is less than 1/5 of a teaspoon. Silicone, a great man-made material - in its solid form - is used for FDA-approved artificial joints and heart valves. And, nearly everyone has had exposure to the liquid form; hypodermic needles to draw blood or give injections are coated with it for ease of puncturing the skin.

Incidentally, lest there be any confusion, liquid silicone as a filling injection is permanent. Other fillers that are sometimes used for the same purposes, such as collagen, Restylane and Juvederm are not permanent. They may last up to six months but ultimately will dissolve away and need to be repeated.

To Demonstrate the Final Result, There's Even a "Demo"

For patients who are reluctant, unsure, or just curious, I have devised a clever and practical "Salt-water Demo." I demonstrate to the patient, mirror-in-hand, the predicted result by injecting sterile saline (salt-water). This "test-drive" allows immediate visualization of how the permanent injections will correct the dents and defects. The saline filler dissipates within an hour. We take before and after digital photos, which we can e-mail to the patient, to show the family for their input.



Related:

• WebMD Video: Titanium Nose
• Top 5 Skin Treatments for Women

Technorati Tags: cosmetic surgery, rhinoplasty