Tuck ‘n’ Stitch

YourNewBodyBlog.com welcomes two eminent Beverly Hills plastic surgeons, Dr. Stuart Linder and Dr. Robert Kotler.

On this site, Dr. Kotler is the “FaceDocBlogger” because his work as a surgeon is devoted to plastic surgery of the face and neck. Meanwhile, Dr. Linder is our “BodyDocBlogger” because his plastic surgery practice is limited to only plastic surgery procedures of the lower body.

Doctors Linder and Kotler are exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com and appear here most weeks as the ultimate plastic surgery insiders with unique takes on the news, trends and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

This Week:

Top 10 Plastic Surgery Procedures to Avoid

Because plastic surgery is a payment in advance business involving hardly any insurance forms — or the staff to process the paperwork — many practitioners offer some quick procedures that are advertised as “lunch time” and billed as “almost as good as traditional cosmetic plastic surgery.” Well, don’t believe it, Tuck ‘n’ Stitch have carefully looked at the matter and note the top 10 procedures they recommend skipping….or even considering. (Read our companion piece, Overblown Ads and Misleading Promises)

(Stockxchange.com photo)

BodyDocBlogger: There are some odd ones out there! One is a dome-like, plastic suction device worn over the breasts for long periods of time. It purports to produce breast enlargement through suction. I advise people who inquire about it to save their money and invest in enhancement surgery if they are not satisfied with their breast size.

FaceDocBlogger: Here’s my pet no-no. Many patients ask about the so-called “lunch time face lift” that can be done in an hour. I’ve seen the results and they are uniformly not good. The tissues under the skin are brought up only slightly, a little excess skin is taken off and the incisions closed. And that’s it. The lunch time lift does not last and does nothing to address loose skin under the chin and on the neck. Moreover, it can produce more facial scarring. My opinion? It’s a waste of time and money.

BodyDocBlogger: Many people are reading about fat transfer to the breasts to increase size. But I don’t recommend it. Sure, it’s the patient’s own fat but the transplanted fat can die and calcify, making it hard for doctors to read radiology films that spot breast cancer or tumors. And before we surgeons think about improved appearance, we have to think about what’s in the patient’s best interests.

FaceDocBlogger: Right you are, doctor. Also high on anybody’s list of forgettable procedures is injecting silicone into the lips. Patients should also stay away from any permanent facial filler for the lips. Why? Those materials can’t be taken out if the results are bad and cause, say, a sagging lip or some other undesirable outcome. If you want plumped lips, stick with Juvederm and Restylane. Sure, they dissolve in six months to a year, but that is far better than injecting something that can’t be taken out.

BodyDocBlogger: Here’s another. I’m frequently asked about implants used to create a buttocks lift. I advise people to stay away from them because a lot of weight is place on the human rear end. Patients too often end up with dead tissue, fat and seromas, a tumor-like building up of fluids. Plus, the incidents of complications like infection are too high. No implant does well in a place where there is a lot of bodily movement.

FaceDocBlogger: Also at the top of my “least impressive procedure” list are the so-called “thread lifts.” Instead of removing excess tissue and skin, this procedure relies on threading fishing-line like strings with hooks and barbs under the skin. That only tightens the skin by pulling. Such quickies have already started to fade in popularity because of unequal skin pulls, skin reactions and a short lived effect.

BodyDocBlogger: If you’ve read about mesotherapy and lipodissolve, forget about them. For one, no fat is actually sucked out. For another, whatever chemicals used are hard on the body. I’ve operated on a few patients who have one or the other injected and I’ve found the concoctions cause internal layers of tissues to turn hard and lumpy and result in scarring.

FaceDocBlogger: Doctor, let me go back to movement and implants: the little sacks inflated with saline that are surgically implanted inside the lips are also not a good idea. Again, it’s a question of movement. Even if you’re the silent type, there is some risk of reaction to the implant due to movement. Moreover, the insertion has to be nearly 100 percent perfect so that the results look natural and symmetrical.

BodyDocBlogger: Here’s a slam dunk: cosmetic leg lengthening. To gain a few inches of height, some traditionally short ethnic groups will suffer the breaking of both legs and then endure stretching devices with metal hardware fastened to their legs to extend them over a few months. If the pain and inconvenience is not too much, the price alone — at a high of $120,000 — should drive most short people away.

FaceDocBlogger: Doctor, I can think of one final thing. Stay away from any procedure done by untrained, inexperienced hands. Of course, the challenge for the layperson is to figure out exactly who is, and is not, trained.

Body DocBlogger: They can do that by checking the doctor’s training and credentials. Just go to the American Board of Medical Specialties and click on the box on the left hand box that says: “Is Your Doctor Certified?” Fill the doctor’s name into the search box and see if he or she has had top training. After that, consider revisiting our blog about super-specialists.

Have a question for FaceDocBlogger or BodyDocBlogger? Let us know and we’ll do our best to have it answered. Feel free to leave your comments below!

*The opinions shared by FaceDocBlogger and/or BodyDocBlogger are their own personal professional viewpoints and in no way should be taken in place of an actual consultation with a licensed medical physician. The opinions of Tuck ‘n’ Stitch are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions/feelings of YourNewBodyBlog.com.