Rhinoplasty On The Rise Internationally

Facial surgery is among the most popular procedures performed in the United States, especially in Beverly Hills; however, there has been a recent increase in nose surgery in Mansour, a suburb in Iraq. Dr. Abbas al-Sihn has reportedly seen his patient rate jump 50 percent in the past year, and has performed approximately 1,400 nasal procedures in recent years. Along with nose surgery, Dr. Sihn performs other facial procedures, including corrective surgery for individuals who have congenital deformities or war injuries.

Due to decreased violence in the area and low cost of the procedure, Dr. Sihn’s clinic is filled with many interested candidates every day. In addition, the summer season is likely to see an even further increase in patients as students are on vacation and will have the necessary time for recovery post-surgery. Many of the female patients who undergo rhinoplasty surgery do so in order to achieve a more attractive facial appearance, which they believe will lead to marriage at an earlier age than most. Others opt for nose surgery in order to look like the women they see in movies and magazines. Rhinoplasty has often helped women feel prettier and more confident in their facial appearance.

Many international patients will also seek doctors in outside countries. Beverly Hills rhinoplasty surgeon Dr. Jason B. Diamond is one of the most sought-after facial plastic surgeons attracting patients from all over the world. This increased interest in cosmetic surgery and medical tourism has influenced the overall demand for surgeons worldwide.

Nose Job Complication? Use Honey!

One of the possible complications of a rhinoplasty is a case of sinusitis. But there’s a, uh, sweet cure for it -- honey. Now, plastic surgeons must figure out the best way to spread the stuff inside your schnoz. (Read more about nose job complications.)


(Photo credit: sxc.hu/nkzs)

What’s more, honey in medicine is nothing new -- it has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians as a natural anti-microbial dressing. Read more.

Back in present time, Canadian researchers, lead by Dr. Joseph G. Marsan at the University of Ottawa, used honey in the lab on the bacteria that cause sinusitis. The problem has always been that super-powerful germs hide inside the nose under a thick covering known as biofilms, which can’t be penetrated by “even the most power anti-microbials,” according to Dr. Marsan.

Plastic Surgery Procedures

Two certain types of honey, Manuka honey from New Zealand and Sidr honey from Yemen, are powerful enough to zap through the biofilm and kill the bacteria. (Read the whole report.)

So will plastic surgery procedures have fewer complications?

The next step: do you sniff, spread, inject, swallow, or hold the honey under your tongue to get it inside your snout? Don’t know yet. Hey, no worries, they’re working on it!

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 Stops Bullies in their Tracks!

When I was in grade school, no self-respecting kid would tolerate a bully, the weakest, whiniest and most puny kids not withstanding.

We weren’t tough guys; it’s just that any boy over the age of oh, 18 months, would get far worse when his dad found out his kid had succumbed to bullies and forked over his lunch money, baseball cap, pocket knife, the family IRA or whatever.

The standing rule was: face up to bullies and fight back, even if there were dozens trying to shake you down.

I think the Father’s Instruction Book had a chapter about one punch on a bully’s nose stopping the lot of them. The one exception about fighting back: if you were in an iron lung, wheelchair or in traction, your punching ability was somewhat restricted, making it understood you might miss the bully’s nose. But you had to fight back. According to The Father’s Instruction Book, there was no shame in fighting back and losing.

But in reality, I never did come across a bully who was put off by one -- or even one dozen -- punches in the nose. I think they became bullies in the first place because they were born without pain receptors. So logic for nine-year-old bullies was simple: “Hey, we can’t feel pain. Let’s just pick on people! So what if they hit us back?”


Your lunch money or your life!
(iynmeyer photo)

However, all of that was before plastic surgery stopped the assaults. In England, a new way of dealing with the problem is by rejuvenating the body parts bullies like to taunt other youngsters about.

Some British surgeons are giving children and teens surgical rejuvenation so that bullies won’t be picking on odd-looking features or making punch-deserving jokes about large noses or ears or small breasts. (Read more.)

(Disclaimer: kids’ lunch money may still be up for grabs, even after plastic surgery!)

Rhinoplasty

*Mr. Douglas McGeorge, head of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS,) recently revealed he had reshaped the nose of one youngster and supplied breast implants for others to stop teasing and bullying. For instance, one younger teen was picked on and bullied at three separate schools, because of an unattractive nose. Her parents were about ready to go “case-o” -- British slang for “going bonkers” -- before hitting on the idea of ponying up 3,500 Pounds (that’s $6121.50 U.S. dollars) for
rhinoplasty. Her parents say the problem was solved.

Breast Implants

Because some bullied teens are still growing, the thoughtful doc has put in expandable breast implants, which help to gradually expand the bosom. (Read about how expandable breast implants work.) Additionally, a nine-year-old in Scotland begged his parents for surgery to rid his face of a mole because school bullies called him “Moley” and beat him up after school because of his appearance. (More about mole removal.)

But the trend is not news. Back in 2006, it was reported that Britain’s National Health Service was springing for cosmetic plastic surgery for bullied youngsters in Scotland. (More.)

What do you think? Will plastic surgery stop U.S. bullies? Or, should we concentrate on pain receptor transplants for bullies?

*In the British Isles, M.D.’s are known as “Mr.”

Plastic Surgery for Pooches

Yearly, some appearance-challenged canine is named top dog in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. (Read more.)

Gus, a Chinese Crested, won for 2008 even though he has had a rough row to hoe in life. He has lost one leg to disease, one eye in a cat fight, a handful of teeth due to chewing on countless bones, and a furry coat due to heredity; after all, he is a hairless Chinese crested dog. Gus was simply born to be as ugly as a mud fence.

Nonetheless, his owners think Gus, pictured below, is precious.


Gus relaxing at home
(iStock photo)

2007’s winner was even more revolting. Also a Chinese Crested, Elwood, pictured below, won that year, perhaps because he is even more crested and has even less hair than Gus. You have to admit that when it comes to looks, Elwood is also just a real dog.


Elwood, 2007’s Top Ugly Dog
(Canada News Photo)

A Plastic Surgeon for Dogs

Anyhow, there’s somebody we would like Gus and Elwood to meet -- Brazilian doctor Vet Elgado Brito, a big proponent of pet plastic surgery.

To the Brazilian way of thinking, if you make people beautiful, hey, why not make their “animal companions” beautiful, too? Works for me! (As long as the creature is house broken; there’s no way that beauty alone makes up for, well, you’ve got the picture by now.)

Botox and Breast Augmentations

Dr. Brito has used Botox to straighten inverted doggy eyelashes so that Fido’s eyeball is not irritated. Among other cosmetic surgery, the South America doc has even performed canine breast augmentation by tightening mammillae of female dogs before beauty contests so that the dogs could take part in the type of contests in which good looks -- and not vile features -- are judged. (Read more about Dr. Brito.)


The owners of this Sharpei wanted Botox
to remove the dog’s wrinkles
but could not afford 1,500 vials of Botox.
(iStock.xchng photo)

But if you look closely enough, others are making unsightly animals more attractive, too.

Rhinoplasty and Eyelid lifts

The Animal Medical Center of Southern California requires a medical reason for cosmetic treatments on animals; nonetheless, the work often results in an eyelift, facelift, rhinoplasty or abdominoplasty, a procedure we Homo Sapiens fondly call a “tummy tuck.” However, liposuction is out, partly because dogs don’t mind being fat.

If your “animal companion” is a Pug, Bulldog or a Boston terrier, breeds in which breathing problems are common, the mutt may be eligible for rhinoplasty. Sharpeis and Chows often have a congenital defect that make their eyelids roll inwards, causing the eye winkers to rub the eye, perhaps resulting in scratches. The solution? A canine style eyelid lift.

Lip Augmentation

And there is the heart-warming case of Feznick, a 75-pound gray kangaroo who lives at a farm for Hollywood animal actors. Feznick was bitten on the face by his neighbor, a wolf and fellow actor when he, Feznick, poked his snout into the next cage. That left the ‘Roo with a snarling lip and totally unsuitable for his close-ups. So, back in 2006, a vet named Dr. Wolff (really!) repaired Feznick’s lip with a little cosmetic surgery described much like the human procedure, “except with a lot more hair.” (Read more.)


This Kangaroo isn’t Feznick (we could not afford
his picture!) but another Kangaroo who is available
for movies and commercials. (His day job is being an
attraction at a petting zoo.)

Top Ten Tough Questions before Plastic Surgery

adamci photo

Before any cosmetic plastic surgery procedure, make sure you are in the hands of a capable surgeon. To be positive your surgeon knows his or her stuff, here are ten tough questions to ask.

1. Doctor, do you do this procedure regularly?

If you want rhinoplasty, (nose surgery) choose a surgeon who does it two or three times weekly. Super specialists save time, money and discomfort in the long run.

2. Is your board certification in the specialty in which you now practice?

Get straight answers. If your surgeon is board certified in gynecology but offers to lift your eyelids or your forehead, don’t you have things backwards?

3. Doctor, do you have any health problems that may interfere with your proficiency in doing the procedure?

If the doctor has a hook on his left arm where a hand used to be, you might want to think about having surgery there. Likewise, if the doctor is using Braille to read, maybe shop around a little.

4. What is your rate of positive outcomes and safety record, doctor? How did you handle your last complication?

Watch for an honest answer. No plastic surgery procedure turns out perfectly each and every time. In rhinoplasty, about five percent of operations go south even in the best of hands for reasons that have nothing to do with the doctor’s skill.

5. Will I be involved in marking the surgical site?

A plastic or cosmetic surgeon marks your body or face with surgical ink before the procedure. It shows him or her where to operate once you are prone and covered. Ask to go over the markings while you’re awake and alert.



6. After the procedure, ask: Did anything unexpected happen during the operation, doctor?

Ninety nine times out of 100 everything goes smoothly --
provided you’ve done your homework and selected a capable,
trained surgeon. (Read more on how to select a qualified plastic surgeon in the first place.)

7. Anything different about my post-op care?

You may need to baby yourself a little more afterwards because every patient is different. Some are good to go sooner; others should take it easy a few more days.

8. Did anything happen that could complicate my recovery?

A trained, experienced plastic surgeon will have a good idea when those bruises and swelling, if any, will go away and when you can go back to work and start exercising again.

9. Anything special I need to know in case of bleeding or other post-op complications?

10. When am I supposed to see you next, doctor?

Most surgeons want to take a quick look at your surgical site(s) and general health the very next day. After that, you’ll usually get another follow-up visit soon to remove bandages or stitches. Depending on the procedure, your after pictures could be taken two months after surgery.

What tough question would you ask a plastic surgeon? Before and after the operation?

Top 10 Reasons Women Undergo Rejuvenation Surgery:

1. Smooth Facial Wrinkles.
Botox did the job over four million times in 2006.

2. Remove Unwanted Hair.
Lasers took it off for 887,000 people. More

3. Increase Breast Size.
329,396 women opted for breast augmentation. More think silicone implants rule!

4. Suction fat from the stomach, butt, hips, and thighs.
302,000 people had liposuction in 2006 to reduce problems fatty spots that just will not go away.

5. Remove a bump from the nose.
307,302 people had nose surgery during ’06. Some removed a bump.

6. Fix a Crooked Nose.
Others straightened the schnozzola. Yet others corrected impaired breathing, narrowed the nostrils or fixed a botched rhinoplasty.

7. Remove bags from around the eyes.
233,000 people in 2006 removed the bags under the eyes or nipped drooping eyelids. Some did both.

8. Remove extra skin from the stomach area.
Thanks to the growing acceptance of “Mommy makeovers,” 146,240 tummy tuck cases were done. It’s a big surgery. More.

9. Plump up lips.
At least 25,626 people fattened up their kissers. The trend is growing as more facial injectables are approved for the lips. Lip implants are also available.

10. Improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin.

Isn’t payback a bear? People who spent too much time in the sun include:

• 69,300 dermabrasion patients


• 1,063,423 chemical peel cases


• 816,774 microdermabrasions

(SOURCE: American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Figures represent both men and women. Statistics for 2007 will be released sometimes around March, 2008.)