Tuck ‘n’ Stitch

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

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

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

(iynmeyer photo)

This Week: Plastic Surgery Unsatisfying? Top 5 Remedies

Tip 1: Don’t get Angry

BodyDocBlogger: The first thing not to do is sulk, write contentious e-mail, or be angry. Even in the most expert of hands, plastic surgery does not always go perfectly. As we surgeons say, the only surgeon who has no complications is the surgeon who never operates!

FaceDocBlogger: That’s right, doctor. And don’t confuse an unexpected complication with an imperfect surgical result. Although the occurrence is unlikely, any surgery is open to possible infections, scarring, or poor healing. There’s no reason to be angry with the surgeon because unexpected complications are not the fault of your surgeon.

Tip 2: Ask for Some Time with your Surgeon

BodyDocBlogger: Nationwide, about 15 percent of plastic surgeries require some form of touch-up, additional work, or even a revision. If you have selected a boardcertified plastic surgeon, he or she has probably seen your case before and knows exactly what to do.

FaceDocBlogger: Moreover, the competent surgeon will stick with the problem until it’s rectified. Not only did he or she take an oath to do so, your surgery represents a walking advertisement, so it’s in the doctor’s best interests for you to be satisfied.

Tip 3: Look at Your Before Pictures Again

BodyDocBlogger: Due to typical swelling and bruising and a healing process that can take weeks, patients sometimes forget what they looked like before surgery. So take another look at your before photos and compare them with your present state. In the case of the average liposuction, you should be willing to wait three or four months to let the procedure settle before you consider a revision.

FaceDocBlogger: A rhinoplasty can take up to a year to fully heal. After all, the third party in your surgery is Mother Nature. And she just might take her time letting your body heal for your surgical enhancement to shine through. So sometimes, a little more time for healing will solve the complaint, disappointment, or any real or perceived unsatisfactory results.

Tip 4: Consider Minor Touch-Ups

BodyDocBlogger: Being dissatisfied with your surgery is not the end of the world. Quite often, a minor touch-up or a series of small procedures may correct the problem quite well. In a breast augmentation, for instance, it is not a major undertaking to inject a little more volume into one breast implant if the patient’s bust line does not look quite symmetrical.

FaceDocBlogger: Certainly. The most important thing is that patient and doctor meet, be totally honest with each other about what can — and can’t — be done and be mutually respectful. In the case of a rhinoplasty, for instance, some minor divots in the nose can be filled in the surgeon’s office with Juvederm or Restylane. The business details of the touch-up — that is, who pays for what — should be found in your pre-surgical agreement.

Tip 5: Consider a Second, or even a Third, Opinion

BodyDocBlogger: Caring physicians always have the patient’s best interests at heart. So if you and your doctor can’t agree on exactly what should be done next, ask for a second opinion from a highly-qualified physician who specializes in the same procedure.

FaceDocBlogger: For instance, suppose a rhinoplasty patient is not happy and wants a smaller nose. However, the surgeon says he can’t really make the nose any smaller — and still be safe. Nonetheless, the patient insists.

BodyDocBlogger: That would be the perfect time for some fresh thinking in the form of a second opinion. Some plastic surgeons will even suggest that at the beginning of the discussion.

FaceDocBlogger: That’s right doctor. Sometimes, a new idea crops up and just as often, the physician giving the second opinion tells the patient, “You know what? Your doctor is correct. It would not be safe to make your nose smaller.”

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.

On YourNewBodyBlog, Dr. Kotler is known as “FaceDocBlogger” because he devotes his practice exclusively to cosmetic plastic surgery of the face and neck. Dr. Linder, our “BodyDocBlogger,” has a practice dedicated to plastic surgery procedures of the body.

Exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com, Doctors Linder and Kotler frequently appear as ultimate plastic surgery insiders with unique views and information about the untold side of plastic surgery.

This Week: Lives Changed for the Better by Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is transformation. Why? It goes far beyond mere ego or a medical search for the fountain of youth. A plastic surgeon can change lives by providing patients with a rejuvenated look by enhancing a disliked body feature that has somehow held a person back, made him or her shy, self-conscious, or reluctant to take a confident step forward in life, love, or career.

(Edward Bock photo)

Virtually all plastic surgery patients say they feel a renewed sense of self-confidence and pride in their appearance after plastic surgery. But what those patients often do with that confidence can be a stellar moment that changes their lives; typically changing the lives of the people that orbit them as well.

BodyDocBlogger (Dr. Linder): Older movies always showed a post-op plastic surgery patient looking completely different than his pre-surgical self. But what we surgeons usually do is mitigate one or two disliked features that have somehow been holding a person back.

FaceDocBlogger (Dr. Kotler): It seems like every one of the 4,000-odd rhinoplasty patients I’ve seen went to some length to try and disguise an unattractive nose. For women, growing hair longer and letting it hang down in their faces is common.

BodyDocBlogger: When it comes to women who need a so-called “mommy makeover” — usually a tummy tuck and a breast lift — the disguising item is usually baggy clothing like men’s shirts and big sweaters.

FaceDocBlogger: After a surgical rejuvenation, the person’s energy and thoughts are usually channeled elsewhere. For instance, a 53-year-old computer sales professional came here to surgically repair his baggy lower eyelids and drooping upper eyelids. Later, he wrote that he no longer looked sleepy and tired but, and I quote: “a more vigorous and energetic version of myself.”

BodyDocBlogger: What happened then with all that vigor and energy?

FaceDocBlogger: Actually, he had been in the doldrums and jobless for half a year and under-employed for two years before that. But, buoyed by the extra confidence he felt in his new, refreshed appearance, he redoubled his search and landed the highest paying computer sales job he ever had.

BodyDocBlogger: Many actresses — Demi Moore, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, and others — take a giant leap forward in their careers after a breast augmentation. It’s not only because the actresses look better, but because they feel better and sexier and project that confidence. Sophia Loren once summed it up well. She said “Sex appeal is 50 percent what you’ve got and 50 percent what you think you’ve got.”

FaceDocBlogger: Any other patients like that?

BodyDocBlogger: I recall a very successful businessman in his late 30s with a wife and four children at home. He had always dreamed of becoming a professional golfer. So by selling his businesses, he raised enough to support himself and his family for two years while going through golf school. He lost about 70 pounds in the process but had a large amount of hanging skin on his waist that affected his golf swing and putt. So he had plastic surgery to remove the excess skin through body shaping. That allowed him to play better and enter the pro ranks, fulfilling his life-long dream.

FaceDocBlogger: That’s amazing, doctor. Haven’t you enhanced quite a few Playboy models?

BodyDocBlogger: I recall one young woman interviewing at Playboy for a centerfold spread. She already had breast implants but they were too far apart, positioned incorrectly and did not look natural. So she was turned down. Later, she came to me looking for a breast revision and a more natural-looking bust line, which I happily provided. End of story? She was later selected “Playmate of the Month” and brought the magazine with her story to my office.

FaceDocBlogger: As you know, one of the hottest trends in cosmetic plastic surgery right now is facial plastic surgery so people will look more eager, energetic, refreshed, and be able to do the work for which they were hired or the jobs they want to land.

Want to respond to what the FaceDocBlogger or BodyDocBlogger have to say? Feel free to leave your comments below!

Tuck n Stitch

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

With a practice exclusively devoted to cosmetic plastic surgery of the face and neck, Dr. Kotler is known as the “FaceDocBlogger.” Dr. Linder, who is known here as the “BodyDocBlogger,” specializes in plastic surgery procedures of the body.

Exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com, Doctors Kotler and Linder are reputable plastic surgery insiders with unique takes on the news, trends and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

This Week: Negotiate Fees with Your Plastic Surgeon!

At a time when families are more concerned than ever about budgets, spending and costs, it comes as good news for many that you may be able to get a discount on the cost of a plastic surgery procedure you’ve had in the back of your mind.

But you have to play your cards right and be willing to have surgery during the surgeons’ slower times of the year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuck ‘N’ Stitch

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

Here, Dr. Kotler is known as “FaceDocBlogger” because his practice is exclusively devoted to cosmetic plastic surgery of the face and neck. Dr. Linder, who is known as “BodyDocBlogger,” has a practice that only performs plastic surgery procedures of the body.

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

This Week: Hollywood’s Awful Plastic Surgery

We’ve all seen the strange features on the faces of Hollywood celebrities: huge, overblown lips, badly-mangled noses that do not flatter faces, breast augmentations that look like grapefruit halves stuck to a chest, and other cosmetic surgery gone wrong.

Given the ability to pay for the best of anything and living cheek-by-jowl to — if not in the middle of — Beverly Hills (the world Mecca of excellent plastic surgery), it seems odd that wealthy celebrities such as Faye Dunaway, Meg Ryan, Kenny Rogers, and Bruce Jenner would endure bad plastic surgery.

According to Dr. Kotler, most men do not like their eyebrows
placed too high during a facelift like Kenny Rogers, pictured above,
who has said he’s not pleased with his facelift.
(Photo by AFF/USA)

Read the rest of this entry »

Tuck ‘N’ Stitch

YourNewBodyBlog.com welcomes two board certified Beverly Hills surgeons, Dr. Stuart Linder and Dr. Robert Kotler.

As the “FaceDocBlogger,” Dr. Kotler’s practice is exclusively devoted to cosmetic plastic surgery of the face and neck. Dr. Linder, the “BodyDocBlogger” specializes in plastic surgery procedures of the body.

You’ll find Doctors Linder and Kotler exclusively on YourNewBodyBlog.com as the ultimate plastic surgery insiders who have unique views and, often, the untold story behind the story. They are also sharp on trends, news and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

This Week: Anesthesia — Not So Bad, After All!

If you read a lot of blogs or posts about cosmetic plastic surgery, you’ll find that many patients fear going under anesthesia. Decades ago, it was more difficult to recover from general anesthesia that put you completely to sleep while the doctor operated. Side effects used to include nausea, headache and a foggy mind lasting longer than a basic hangover. The risks were greater.

But even today, some misinformed people think they stand a good chance of never coming out of anesthesia. However, times have changed, according to Doctors Linder and Kotler, and anesthesia isn’t at all like it used to be. It’s better and safer.

An intubated patient receiving general anesthesia.
A tube is used to deliver the anesthetic directly to the lungs.
The patient’s face is surgically marked
in places where facial fat grafts will be placed.
(Photo, courtesy of Brent Moelleken, M.D.)

BodyDocBlogger (Dr. Linder): The world of anesthesia took a giant leap in 1985, Dr. Kotler. Know what happened?

FaceDocBlogger (Dr. Kotler): I know what you are getting at because I attended a medical convention that year and my eyes popped out at what I saw being demonstrated by the anesthesia equipment companies.

BodyDocBlogger: Right. A lot of technology born for the safety of space program astronauts was released to the civilian medical market. So we surgeons got compact, micro-circuitry monitors that show the most important vital sign readings that an anesthesiologist needs to best monitor the health of the patient undergoing surgery.

FaceDocBlogger: Those readings would be — in additional to pulse and blood pressure — the percentage of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the patient’s bloodstream which is important data that we always longed for in the past.

BodyDocBlogger: These nifty machines, not much larger than a desktop computer, were portable and thus could be used during surgery and then accompany the patient to the recovery room.

FaceDocBlogger: And what a boon it has been! General anesthesia is now very safe, with many plastic surgery patients staying under for as long as seven or eight hours, with very little risk. One form of lighter anesthesia — local anesthesia with intravenous sedation — allows the patient to be pain-free and remember nothing. Yet, they can sit up, answer questions and cooperate with the surgeon. It’s ideal for upper eyelids and brow lifting where the surgeon must be certain of brow position and symmetry.

BodyDocBlogger: I don’t have the luxury of I.V. sedation in body procedures. I often explain anesthesia to my patients as being very much like an airplane ride. The gentle take-off is when the anesthesia is smoothly introduced via an intubation tube, like in the above photo; the smooth flight is when I am doing the procedure and the gentle landing is equal to when the intubation tube is easily removed.

FaceDocBlogger: Don’t forget to mention the flight’s pilot, doctor. For our patients, at the controls is a board-certified doctor-anesthesiologist. An anesthesiologist is an internal medicine specialist who limits his practice to the operating room. Our patients are comforted knowing there are two MDs at their side.

BodyDocBlogger: I use an anesthesiologist because my patients must lie completely still, like statues, while I’m working. During a breast augmentation, for example, I’m only an inch above the lungs. While using a liposuction wand, I require complete stillness of the patient because a slight shift of body could cause the wand to poke into a bowel. My rule is: no general anesthesia, no surgery.

FaceDocBlogger: Also, realize that plastic surgeons are working on the skin and layers just beneath. These layers are very shallow. We don’t enter the major body cavities, such as the abdomen or chest, as a general surgeon does. So cosmetic plastic surgery patients need not be as deeply under anesthesia but just enough to not move and have no awareness. I myself was put under a general anesthesia about a year ago and woke with no after-effects or hang over. I felt great four hours later and went hiking the next morning.

BodyDocBlogger: Doctor, you’re saying the process is very safe and there’s nothing to fear?

FaceDocBlogger: Let’s put it this way: You are safer in an operating room of an accredited outpatient surgery center, in the hands of a doctor-anesthesiologist, than you are in your car — driving on a freeway — getting to that surgery center.

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!

Tuck n Stitch

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

Here, Dr. Kotler is known as “FaceDocBlogger” because his practice is exclusively devoted to cosmetic plastic surgery of the face and neck. Dr. Linder, who is known as “BodyDocBlogger” has a practice that only performs plastic surgery procedures of the body.

Exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com, Doctors Linder and Kotler appear often as the ultimate plastic surgery insiders with unique perspectives regarding the news, trends, and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

Overblown Ads and Misleading Promises

We’ve all seen the advertising – Perfect French in 20 Days! Flawless Abs While You Sleep! Lose 10 Pounds Every Week!

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step Right Up! (aqndresr Photo)

Overblown promises also exist in the world of cosmetic and plastic surgery; and unfortunately, those promises play to people’s unrealistic desires about what rejuvenation surgery can do.

The BodyDocBlogger and FaceDocBlogger discuss a few such misleading ads, like “lunch hour facelifts,” which can lead you down the garden path in search of reliable, lasting rejuvenation surgery.

BodyDocBlogger (Dr. Linder): We plastic surgeons often speak about “unrealistic expectations.” An example? Even if you have an I.Q. of 300, you’re not going to learn perfect French in 20 days!

FaceDocBlogger (Dr. Kotler): What we mean by realistic expectations is that a skilled plastic surgeon can make a 45-year-old look like the best possible version of herself –but not like she looked at 20. Or, like another person, say a famous movie or rock star. Likewise, there is no fabulous and long-lasting cheap “quickie” lunch-time procedure. Quality plastic surgery is not done in a snap.

BodyDocBlogger: Surely, doctor, you are referring to unhappy patients who have bit on the ads hyping “lunchtime” or “one-hour face lifts?”

FaceDocBlogger: You hit the nail on the head, doctor. A good rule of thumb is, “Short operation, short procedure lifespan.” Another aggressively advertised quick-fix are facial “Thread Lifts.” Yes, the patient is in the doctor’s office for less than an hour and, yes, the recovery time is short. But, the unbending rule is: minimal efforts yield minimal results.

BodyDocBlogger: In my world, I see many patients after some splashy advertising has convinced them to have a procedure using a heating or a radio frequency device that “melts” fat under the skin. But most of what I see are unhappy patients, some of whom have burns and need skin grafts, due to injuries from these new gizmos.

FaceDocBlogger: Doctor, what type of results, if any, do you see with the widely advertised lipodissolve or mesotherapy shots that propose to remove fat from the body?

BodyDocBlogger: A patient would be better off trying to speak perfect French in three weeks! Some have ended those supposed weight loss procedures with skin ulcers and skin atrophy. And usually, the only thing lightened is the patient’s wallet. What really works, day in, day out, is tumescent liposuction.
Doctor, going back to the “lunch-time face lift.” What else do you see wrong with it?

FaceDocBlogger: The surgeon only lifts a small amount of skin and tissue from its foundation. But the surgeon can’t reach down from a short incision near the ears to repair sagging neck tissues. Of course, a plastic surgeon can still perform a proper “short scar” face lift, but the procedure may take longer than an hour and the patient’s recovery time will be longer.

BodyDocBlogger: Sometimes, there is just no point for shortcuts when we have proven, reliable, safe methods already at our fingertips.

FaceDocBlogger: That’s right, doctor. For instance, the thread lift fallacy is that threads or strings will lift and support the weight of the skin, fat, and muscles at a higher position. But it doesn’t happen. Tissue weight, gravity and skin elasticity overcome the thread’s traction. And, sometimes, the barb on the end of the thread can poke right through the skin. Also, there are two sides to a face. Any difference in “pull” or longevity and the whole face looks unbalanced.

BodyDocBlogger: From what I’ve seen, the supposed “quick” Thermage and Titan devices just don’t produce satisfactory, long-term results. Most patients are disappointed.

FaceDocBlogger: Bottom line? A little skepticism for new cosmetic plastic surgery procedure is healthy. While most new devices are FDA- approved as not harmful, nobody really knows what is going to happen until the device or procedure has been used on thousands of patients.

Have a burning question for FaceDocBlogger or BodyDocBlogger? Please leave your comments below!

Tuck ‘n’ Stitch

YourNewBodyBlog.com features two eminent Beverly Hills plastic surgeons, Stuart Linder, M.D. and Robert Kotler, M.D.

Here, Dr. Kotler is known as “FaceDocBlogger” because he devotes his practice exclusively to cosmetic plastic surgery of the head and neck. Dr. Linder prefers to be known as “BodyDocBlogger” because his practice focuses on plastic surgery procedures of the body.

Doctors Linder and Kotler are exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com and frequently appear as plastic surgery insiders on news, trends and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

Physical Exams Before Plastic Surgery

Many patients arrive for a plastic surgery consultation, fill out their medical histories and then find they must see a second or third doctor for additional testing before the operation. Some are puzzled about why the extra appointments and expense are necessary, and why the patient can’t have the tests done in the plastic surgeon’s office.

After the untimely death of Donda West — who reportedly did have a pre-existing condition — lawmakers in many states are considering legislation that would require medical clearance before a person could undergo a plastic surgery procedure.

Doctors Kotler and Linder explain why extra medical testing can be necessary.

FaceDocBlogger (Dr. Kotler): I think we have enough laws. I’d rather see legislatures do something more useful — like balance their massive budgets! Conscientious cosmetic surgeons don’t need a legislature to tell them what good medical practice is.

BodyDocBlogger (Dr. Linder): That’s right, doctor. Plastic surgeons are physicians first and duty bound to do whatever is in the best interests of the patient. And if that means cancelling a surgery due to an added risk, then we cancel without hesitation. Good medical ethics and practice actually obviate the need for such clearance laws.

FaceDocBlogger: Doctor, you’re as right as rain. Probably the most common condition we see is high blood pressure, followed by type II diabetes and people on anti-depressives, tranquilizers and sleeping pills, along with some cases of asthma. Of course, none of that means you can not have plastic surgery. It just means we are required to check and make sure your medications are working.

BodyDocBlogger: My rule is: patients over 40 must bring me a total medical clearance, including chest X-ray, a pregnancy test, an HIV test and an electrocardiogram done by a board-certified internist I know and trust. Because I deal with plastic surgery of the body, where incisions are much larger, we can’t operate on diabetics. Sugar balances are just too tricky in type I diabetics.

FaceDocBlogger: Some have asked why the plastic surgeon doesn’t do the tests in his or her own office and save time. The short answer: in an era of specialization the internist is best able to do those tests. Otherwise, it would be like a patient going to an internist and asking for nasal surgery!

BodyDocBlogger: Not only that, doctor. We need to know about the other things a patient is taking, from aspirin to herbs to homeopathics to Vitamin E.

FaceDocBlogger: The anesthesiologist also needs to know if there is anything in the patient’s system that will react badly with a general or local anesthesia. We also need a test to show if you have a problem with excess bleeding.

BodyDocBlogger: The more information we have, the better. Some of the worst O.R. tragedies have happened because the patient has not revealed to the physician everything he or she is taking. There can be no secrets between the doctor and the patient.

FaceDocBlogger: Then, perhaps seven to 10 days before the plastic surgery procedure, we ask the patient to stop taking as many compounds — like Vitamin E and aspirin — as possible. The less, the better for surgery.

BodyDocBlogger: And the medical checks do not have to be a financial hardship! These physicals are often covered by your health insurance, although the cosmetic plastic surgery is almost always on the patient’s nickel.

FaceDocBlogger: Actually, there’s one supplement you don’t have to ask about. You can tell the patient is taking it just by talking to them. Know which one it is, doctor?

BodyDocBlogger: I sure do! Garlic!

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!

Here, Dr. Kotler is known as “FaceDocBlogger” because he devotes his practice exclusively to cosmetic plastic surgery of the head and neck. Dr. Linder prefers to be known as “BodyDocBlogger” because his practice focuses on plastic surgery procedures of the body.

Priscilla Presley still – even while appearing on Dancing with the Stars – suffers the after effects of bogus injections into her face by an unqualified “doctor” who has now been deported. Doctors Linder and Kotler explain legitimate plastic surgery uses for liquid silicone and how the whole painful episode could have been avoided.

(Photo Credit: www.famousplastic.com )

BodyDocBlogger (Linder): Where do you think Priscilla Presley first went wrong, Dr. Kotler?

FaceDocBlogger (Kotler): For starters, she took up with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll at age 14!

BodyDocBlogger: It seems to me a red warning flag would have gone up because the doctor who “treated” Priscilla Presley carried his medical supplies in a shopping bag!

FaceDocBlogger: Another large warning flag should go up when somebody touts a procedure or substance only he can offer.

BodyDocBlogger: Sure, anybody can obtain automotive liquid silicone but it takes real chops to go around injecting the stuff into people!

FaceDocBlogger: Plus, the “doctor” who had no U.S. medical license “treated” his patients in a bedroom or at parties. We’ve seen Priscilla Presley around town and she looked fine. She did not need any more facial enhancements at all in my professional opinion.

BodyDocBlogger: But you know how celebrities can be, doctor. They pick up on the latest fad and then try to convince a plastic surgeon they need the procedure. Do you use any liquid silicone, Dr. Kotler?

FaceDocBlogger: I certainly do, doctor. But the only liquid silicone I use are small drops to fill in imperfections on the nose. Do you have any uses for liquid silicone in body procedures, Dr. Linder?

BodyDocBlogger: My god, no! In fact, I’ve done incredibly complicated and bloody operations to remove liquid silicone that has been injected into breasts. I do not believe anything — including the patient’s own fat — should be injected into the breasts.

FaceDocBlogger: People ask me what Priscilla Presley could have done differently. I reply that anybody interested in rejuvenation surgery should devote as much time to studying the procedure — and the surgeon who performs it — as they would reading about a new car they plan to buy.

BodyDocBlogger: Sure, just look on the doctor’s Web site for board certification in plastic surgery or board certification in otolaryngology. Look at all of his or her before and after pictures. Even ask if you can call a former patient to see how that procedure went. And then do that with at least three such surgeons.

FaceDocBlogger: And be aware the surgeon just may turn you away. You have to be healthy enough to have a plastic surgery procedure.

BodyDocBlogger: And that often means having medical tests, checks and other clearances before even discussing the surgery. But we’ll talk more about that next time.

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!