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“I can conquer the world now,” Frances Baker has said. She is one of two women who recently won a makeover contest sponsored by the Orange County Register. “I truly feel like it’s my time for the good,” she said. For both women, the makeovers, including eight weeks of fitness boot camp and visits to a dentist, ophthalmologist and a cosmetic surgeon, were a symbolic beginning to a fresh start. The full body makeover wasn’t just physically transformative; it also gave the women newfound confidence. Laura Kennedy, the other contest winner, is a cancer survivor, mother and recent divorcee. Her experience in fitness boot camp opened her eyes to what she was capable of achieving, and the chemical peels she received from a Newport Beach plastic surgeon helped reverse aging in her face, with Kennedy commenting that “it had to have taken seven years off.” Since her makeover, Kennedy has reported that she has started dating again and is considering pursuing a master’s degree.

This renewed confidence and refreshed outlook on life is not atypical for men and women who receive extensive makeovers. The effect is particularly pronounced in women who have undergone hardship or sacrifice and are ready to begin a new chapter in their lives. Dr. Amy Bandy, a board certified Newport Beach plastic surgeon and reconstructive breast surgery specialist who offers several procedures including liposuction, sees the understated power of cosmetic transformation every day. For breast cancer survivors, feeling feminine and physically whole is an integral part of recovering from the emotional trauma that women face after losing their hair during chemotherapy or their breasts due to mastectomies. Breast reconstruction surgery, which may incorporate breast implants, can help cancer survivors reclaim their femininity and confidence in their bodies. Likewise, women whose bodies have undergone drastic changes due to childbirth, nursing and aging often choose to undergo a “Mommy Makeover” which can help reverse many of those changes and feel more like themselves.

The stories of Frances Baker and Laura Kennedy stand as proof that makeovers can help men and women transform themselves, inside and out.

For many years, doctors have offered their expert medical services to less fortunate areas throughout the world. Whether they are associated with the Doctors Without Borders organization, or do so on their own account, medical specialists from all over the United States are lending a helping hand where needed.

Numerous physicians and surgeons visit disaster-stricken areas in order to aid those in need of medical attention. Oftentimes, these are countries where there are not enough resources to assist the several men, women, and children who are injured. Many times, both visiting and local doctors are only given the bare minimum in equipment and staff, making it difficult for some patients to be seen right away.

However, the dedicated medical professionals go well beyond the norm to make sure that all affected individuals are seen and treated. Those who suffer from burns or disfiguring injuries can benefit from the assistance of a plastic surgeon. By receiving skin grafts and undergoing other plastic surgery procedures, patients may avoid living with life-long reminders of the incident.

Surgeons Help in Haiti

After a terrible earthquake devastated Haiti in January, several doctors and other medical staff headed out to help. One of these specialists was Paul Vanek, M.D., F.A.C.S. of Mentor, Ohio; Dr. Vanek is double board certified and has been practice for more than 10 years. Upon hearing of the lack of medical assistance being provided to those injured in the earthquake, Dr. Vanek cleared his schedule and left for Haiti. His experience and training allowed him to help several victims who may have otherwise never been treated. In particular, many were amputee patients who required immediate attention. Due to his efforts in Haiti, the Ohio surgeon was appointed as the Keynote Speaker at the United Way of Lake County conference in April.

Dr. Vanek specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, including facelift surgery, breast augmentation, breast implants and liposuction surgery. Patients who seek to enhance their facial or body contour may visit Dr. Vanek to learn more regarding their options with plastic surgery.

Despite the fact that her recent 10 procedures in 1 day plastic surgery spree nearly killed her, Heidi Montag, the 23-year-old reality TV star told “Access Hollywood” that she is open to having more.

“I almost died after my procedure,” Montag said. “I had too much Demerol like Michael Jackson did and my breathing was five breaths per minute which is like almost dead. [I was] in an aftercare center, there were nurses that were supposed to be tending to me at all times.”

“So thank God, Charles, one of my security guys used to be an EMT, and he was timing my breath on his watch and he called the nurses,” she added. “They had to put oxygen on my face and called my plastic surgeon to come in for an emergency. So, it was a very traumatic experience for me.”

Montag began having plastic surgery in 2007. Her first bevy of procedures included breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and collagen lip injections.

In November of 2009, she had her second breast enlargement to a DDD, brow lift, Botox in forehead, liposuction on waist, hips and thighs, nose job revised, fat injections into her cheeks and lips, chin reduction, neck liposuction, buttock augmentation and had her ears pinned back. Montag also claims she is willing to take the risk in order to have even larger breasts.

“I actually want [size] H for ‘Heidi’,” the MTV star recently told the entertainment show, “Extra.”

Though Montag has stated that she is not addicted to cosmetic surgery, most psychologists and plastic surgeons would suggest otherwise.

“…Fundamentally, when somebody goes on for many, many, many procedures, and starts at a young age, they’re trying to change something about themselves, they want to become a new person…The bottom line is they want to in some way change who they are because they’re not happy with it at the core,” said Debbie Then, a California-based psychologist who specializes in women and appearance.

Patients interested in the effectiveness and risks of having multiple procedures can contact plastic surgeons such as Houston breast augmentation surgeon, Dr. Michael Eisseman, who offer specialized consultations for multiple-procedure patients. It is important for patients to remember that numerous factors, such as age, body type and health history are crucial in determining if a prospective patient is even eligible for multiple plastic surgery procedures.

Since the surgeries, Montag is now starting to experience diminishing pain as well as regaining most of the movement in her face.

“I’m starting to move my face more and more,” she said. “[But,] I feel very plastic … especially when I first came out, it was so hard for me even to smile and it’s still hard for me to chew sometimes. But it’s feeling more and more natural everyday because the swelling is going down.”

“I do love it and I appreciate it and I appreciate the science behind it,” she explained. “We [are] blessed to even have this surgery that we have. We’re so advanced. If Cleopatra were alive now, I’m sure she’d have triple D’s … there’s always been a struggle between pain and beauty. I feel like since the beginning of time.”

For now, however, Montag is content with her recent breast implants surgery and hopes to show them in Playboy, having previously posed for the magazine’s September 2009 cover.

“I’m beyond ready to do it again,” she said.

One of the constant thoughts running through the mind of a then 17-year-old gal (who will be referred to as T.T.) of Fullerton, California was:

“Eeek! I Don’t Have a Neck!”

Looks are very important to most people, especially while in their teens. T.T. did well in high school, so when her parents asked for clues about graduation gifts, she knew exactly what to suggest: “Plastic surgery for my nose and neck!”

Right about that same time, T.T. saw a television program featuring Jason Diamond, M.D., a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. She noticed Dr. Diamond seemed to have a lot of young patients, many who were in their teens. (Read more about teens and plastic surgery.)

T.T.’s appearance was important to her. She wanted to look good just before starting college, and even got into a bit of local modeling (after meeting some other young people in publishing). 

“But because I had this nose-and-no-chin-problem, I had to make sure I was holding my head in exactly the right position during photo shoots,” T.T. said.

Every day when she put on her makeup, she did some extra work on and around her nose which had a noticeable bump just under the bridge. She usally applied makeup that was a little darker on that area, so that it was less visible.

Just after high school graduation, she made an appointment to see Dr. Diamond, who is often seen on Dr. 90210. Many teens who want plastic surgery often call him for an initial consultation; Dr. Diamond is board certified in head and neck surgery, as well as facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Just after T.T. turned 18, knowing that her parents were behind her all the way, both emotionally and financially, she made an appointment with Dr. Diamond and decided to go through with the nose and neck surgery.

(T.T. before surgery and after surgery)

“Dr. Diamond could also see that my profile needed a little help because of a receding chin,” T.T. says. “So he added a little something to my chin to create a better facial profile.”

The surgery went well although T.T. does not react well to pain-killing medications (“They make me too woozy and nauseous.”), so she experienced a little post-op discomfort. But after a month and a half, she was recovering nicely and returning to her usual, customary activities and looking forward to more modeling on the side.

“I found the surgery made me more confident,” T.T. says. “I’m far more approachable to other people and more willing to go up to strangers to start a conversation.”

“After the surgery healed, I noticed that people reacted to me a little differently. Nobody came right out and said anything about my surgically rejuvenated profile though, probably because they did not want to embarrass me or hurt my feelings.”

She loves what the chin implant does because Dr. Diamond did a little liposuction to remove some of the fat in her neck.

“Now, it doesn’t look like my chin is connected to my neck,” she says.

Currently, she’s very happy with her new appearance, although modeling is now a sometimes thing and most of her energy goes into finishing her degree at Fullerton College.

“Modeling is great, but you can only get by on your looks for so long,” she says.