Top 10 Cosmetic Surgery Lawsuits

Taking Botox to court is something akin to suing Santa Claus. Almost everybody likes Botox as much as Santa, so how would you get a jury to vote against either one? Only time will tell….about Botox, that is.

Three months before Christmas, Santa is certainly on safe ground.

So nobody is suing Santa. Yet, anyhow. But in January, all bets are off!

Given the number of lawyers looking for something to do, the Momma-put-a-lump-of-coal-in-my-Xmas-stocking class action lawsuit is just around the corner.


(Pamela Moore photo)

Patrick Hudson, M.D., a plastic surgeon in New Mexico, located some insider statistics that show which plastic surgery procedures are most likely to lead to the court house.

Here are the top ten litigated procedures, along with the percentages of actions the procedure draws. More.

1. Nose surgery……………………..22 %
2. Breast reduction………………….17 %
3. Eyelid surgery……………………16%
4. Breast enlargement……………….13%
5. Face lift…………………………… 9%
6. Various………………………… 7%
7. Breast reconstruction…………..… 6%
8. Tummy tuck……………………… 5%
9. Liposuction……………………….. 3%
10. Facial resurfacing………………. …2%

Nose surgery heads the list because it’s the most difficult plastic surgery procedure to learn and perform. More.

Breast reduction involves removing a lot of tissue; however, eyelid surgery is a surprise because it is supposed to be one of the easier procedures to perform. Breast enlargement made its way onto the list because it’s very popular, with 329,000 patients undergoing the procedure in 2007, the most recent year for which statistics exist. A tummy tuck involves a long incision across the abdomen so insurance companies should be thankful the percentage is relatively low. Ditto breast reconstruction.

Hint: If, for some reason, you aren’t satisfied with the outcome of your plastic surgery, two eminent Beverly Hills cosmetic plastic surgeons, Drs. Robert Kotler and Stuart Linder, tell the top five constructive things to do if your procedure does not go well.

Read their blog, Top 5 Remedies for Unsatisfying Plastic Surgery.

Plastic Surgery is a Star in Burn after Reading

Plastic surgery is often in the movies in Korea; in fact, rejuvenation surgery is a constant theme. (Read our blog about one Korean plastic surgery flick.)

Now, plastic surgery drives the wacky plot of the current highest grossing U.S. movie, Burn After Reading.


John Malkovich stars in Joel and Ethan Cohen’s dark spy comedy, BURN AFTER READING, a Focus Features release. (Photo credit: Focus Features)

The movie starts as Linda, an aging gym instructor (played by Frances McDormand) sees a plastic surgeon and finds her basic rejuvenation is going to require four, “major” procedures. (READ: equal to the annual gross national product of the Isle of Man, the Kingdom of Yap and the Isle of Dogs.)

She decides on a combined breast lift and breast augmentation; liposuction, and a face lift, including rhinoplasty.

Linda’s gym sidekick and fitness instructor, Chad, who is played by Brad Pitt, is a charming but totally self-possessed dolt and all-round airhead.

Because the movie is set in Washington, D.C., a former C.I.A. operative, Osborne, (played by John Malkovich,) has penned a tell-all book about the morons who run the nation’s spy agency. But Osborne loses the book -- written on a CD -- at the gym, aptly named Hardbodies.

Costs of Plastic Surgery

The action then gets a kick in the pants when Linda lays her hands on the tell-all book and assumes it’s real, classified intelligence worth the GNP of several large nations. She and Chad then concoct a dopey scheme to blackmail the author, collect a mountain of cash and pony up for the costs of plastic surgery.

The rest of the movie is a riot of confused identities, deadly pratfalls, mistaken shootings, bedroom intrigues and a handful of bodies that need hiding, along with some stark raving madness, aptly performed by George Clooney who plays Harry, a U.S. Marshal who repeats about 20 times daily that he never fired his gun in 20 years on the job.

Before and After Plastic Surgery Pictures

The movie ends with a C.I.A. big-wig trying to figure out how it all happened, where to hide the bodies, how much payoff cash to allow, and what, if anything, the agency is supposed to have learned from the zaniness.

You’re probably wondering how Linda looks in her before and after plastic surgery pictures. But we are sworn never to give away the endings!

Plastic Surgery and the Dating Scene

Some of the “Milestone” events for getting plastic surgery are often for:

*Weddings



If the happy couple is lucky, the pictures will be handed down for generations. (The other 50 percent will eventually cut their despicable ex out of the wedding photos and go on from there.)

So everybody -- especially the mother of the bride -- wants to look sharp. (Here’s a website that follows wedding participants who spring for a pre-nuptial nip or tuck: Lovegevity.)

*Reunions



Suddenly, it’s 25 years later and your old classmates are taking turns telling you how great you look. The 1978 class babe (or stud) is staring at you, wondering how did I ever let her (or him) get away? Considering the dog the high school babe is currently with, you can bet your bottom dollar the former flame is kicking her-or-himself. And you? Lots of cosmetic plastic surgery. Priceless! Read more about plastic surgery and reunions.



*Returning to Dating

(Or, Finding the Sweaty T-shirt that Trips your Trigger!)

So, after many decades, you’ve freed yourself from the old ball and chain. Plus, the kids are off to college and the nest is empty. (Except between jobs and bad marriages, of course.)

Next big step: You’ve signed up with an online dating service and are looking for Mr. or Ms. Right, the person you should really be with. But you also find a big Gulp! stuck in your throat. You’re nervous about your heretofore ignored appearance so you visit a plastic surgeon.

For guys, it’s usually getting the love handles taken off, maybe a little gynecomastia surgery, perhaps an eyelid lift. New-to-dating women usually ask about a tummy tuck, other breast procedures and a face lift.

However, a new dating service thinks perhaps you can skip the knife altogether. Instead, they want you to sniff your new love interest and find the smell pleasant. Even if no soap and shower has been applied! More.

ScientificMatch.com takes a dab of your DNA and, uses a process with a tongue twisting name, “Major Histocompatibility Complex.” The technology then finds a match whose scent is pleasing to you. Of course, the other likes and dislikes are included in your profile which excludes people with scents like yours.

It’s based on real science.

In one famous study, women preferred the smell of T-shirts from men whose genes were most different from their own. Really! In exact, proper scientific language, it’s known as the “Sweaty T-shirt Experiment.” Read more.



All you do for the DNA test is rub the inside of your cheek with a cotton swab.

(Sorry, gals, nothing can be done about the smell of the gene that causes football watching all weekend. And, guys, researchers are still working on locating that mysterious female shopping gene which appears to be connected to the shoe-buying gene.)



Declares Eric Holzle, ScientificMatch.com founder: “DNA matching is the chemistry of our service while values matching is the heart.

“When you share chemistry with someone, you’ll love their natural body fragrance,” he says. “They’ll smell sexier than other people.”

And, hey, don’t sweat it if you sign up. First dates do not require wearing on old T-shirt

What are your best first date stories?

Top Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Plastic Surgeon

1. I’m 45; Make me Look I did at 20.

A plastic surgeon can turn the clock back a little but
can’t reset your appearance to two decades ago. Read more.

2. Write me a ‘Script for Some Extra Pain Killers

Basically, don’t ask a plastic surgeon to break the law. Sure, you can have a prescription for a few pain killers, sleep aids or tranquilizers in connection with a surgery, but don’t try to cop a major score. More.

3. Make me Look like Angelina Jolie (Brad Pitt, etc. etc.)

One of the ways a plastic surgeon has of knowing you know the meaning of “realistic expectations” in plastic surgery is to exclude those who want to look like celebrities. The whole idea is to make the best possible version of you.

4. I want a Face Lift because (my wife divorced me; my husband is seeing his secretary; my dog died) and want to feel better.

Plastic surgeons are trained to screen out people who want the surgery for the wrong reasons. So having surgery when you are going through a divorce or some other deeply troubling event is usually out. More.

5. Why Do You Charge So Much for only Two incisions?

If you are in the office of a plastic surgeon who is board certified in plastic surgery, otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) or facial plastic surgery, it requires anywhere from four to seven years of extra training after he or she receives the M.D. degree. Not everybody has the smarts, coordination and determination to get there. More.

6. I Want Liposuction because I don’t like Working Out.

Actually, you’ll have the best results if you can get off the coach, watch what you eat and work out. Your surgeon may even tell you to go home and lose weight before he’ll give you liposuction, which is not a method of weight control. More.

7. I Want to Get off the Table Immediately Afterwards

If you want an invasive procedure, you must show the surgeon you have time to take care of yourself and let your body heal after surgery. More.

8. I Sued My Last Plastic Surgeon!

Among people for whom rejuvenation surgery is probably not right are some with an odd condition (body dysmorphic disorder) in which no amount of plastic surgery is enough. And no results are ever good enough. So they file ungrounded lawsuits. More.

9. Help Me Fudge a Health Insurance Report, Doc

See #2. Besides, almost all plastic surgery is paid up front.
Very few procedures are covered by insurance. More.

10. Don’t Bother checking my Blood Pressure (Glucose level; EKG reading, etc.etc.)

No way around it: you gotta be healthy enough for plastic surgery. Want to wind up like Donda West? If you have a chronic health condition like high blood pressure, diabetes or heart woes, the only way your plastic surgeon can go forward is to check your medical tests. Read more about why your plastic surgeon does not do the health checks him-or-herself.