Heidi Montag Had Her Back Scooped?

I've been asked by several media outlets what Heidi Montag meant by having her 'back scooped.' While the media outlets are swirling around what type of unusual new plastic surgery this might be, I have a pretty disappointing but accurate definition: liposuction of the back of her hips.

This area, also known as the love handle, can be very effectively liposuctioned, creating a 'scoop' or concave effect. It's one of my favorite areas to liposuction since it can create such a nice contour that most women (and men) really like. Plus, the risk of unevenness in this area is pretty low, especially compared to the abdomen, which can get lumpy very quickly (just ask Tara Reid).

Yes, I scoop backs all the time. Sorry, Heidi, you're not special in this regard.

For a great MSNBC article on "back scooping", click here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

FDA Warns Spas Against Fat-Melting Claims of Lipodissolve

Is Lipodissolve or mesotherapy safe? The FDA has recently issued a warning to six medical spas for making false or misleading statements that their fat melting injections are safe and effective, despite the fact that they've never been appropriately studied or approved by the FDA for this purpose. According to the US News and World Report:

Lipodissolve involves injecting small amounts of soy lecithin and bile salt directly into problem areas on the hips, waist, thighs, and buttocks, which supposedly melts away fat. The injections became wildly popular three years ago with spas opening up around the country and with doctors in every specialty—from pediatricians to dermatologists —taking weekend seminars to learn the procedure before opening fat-dissolving clinics.

Fat melting injections became popular a few years ago, but have since lost a lot of their hype. To date, no wide-scale scientific study has validated its safety or effectiveness, although some smaller case studies have shown some effectiveness with the injection of certain drugs to melt fat. The problem is that the majority of physicians who perform these fat-melting injections have the drugs made in a compounding pharmacy to whatever concoction they believe might work. There is no standardization, like in most other medications we take. In my area (metro Detroit) I don't know of a single reputable plastic surgeon who performs these treatments. Most of the doctors who perform these treatments are what I consider 'fringe' practitioners. I have seen patients who have lost fat from mesotherapy, however, so I do believe there is some validity to these treatments. They just need to be standardized and studied to make sure they are safe, effective, and at least somewhat predictable.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Heidi Montag Can't Jog?

In a recent interview with Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Montag has admitted that she can't jog due to the size of her breasts, since they are now an "E" or "F" size. She also revealed that her surgery was recorded for possible airing on a future reality show.

To Heidi: So, you can't jog?

Duh! Your implants are huge! Most insurances require 500 grams for a breast reduction to improve back and neck pain. Your implants are 700 cc, almost the biggest size they make. Of course you can't jog!

Why do we still care about her?

Photo credit: huffingtonpost.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

A Plastic Surgeon on Michael Jackson, Dr. Conrad Murray, and Regulatory Reform

There is a very interesting article in the Huffington Post written by a board-certified plastic surgeon who shared a surgical suite with the late Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon. In it, he explains his thoughts on why Michael may have died (which appear to be refuted by the autopsy findings) and the responsibility that physicians and the lack of true health care reform share in contributing to his unfortunate death. While you may or may not agree with some of his opinions, it's definitely an interesting read. You can check it out here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Raquel Welch - No Plastic Surgery?

Raquel Welch was recently on the Oprah show making some pretty amazing claims. She denied going under the plastic surgeon's knife and instead attributed her youthful appearance to Yoga, a perfect diet, and three hours of makeup in the morning.

What do you think? I think she's a liar.

My opinion:
Her forehead hardly moves, likely frozen by a good amount of Botox or Dysport. Her brows are nicely elevated, possibly from a browlift. She shows none of the excess skin and puffiness of a 69 year old woman. I believe she's also undergone an upper and lower blepharoplasty. Her cheeks and lips are full, likely from a filler like fat grafting. Her neckline is way too sharp for a person her age who hasn't had a facelift. Finally, her nose looks overly chiseled, likely from at least one reduction rhinoplasty. If her looks are solely due to Yoga, diet, and makeup, then I'm one of Tiger Woods' mistresses.

Photo / story credit: twominutenews.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Thank you and The End - APRIL FOOLS

I've been writing this blog for nearly four years now, and have had a blast doing it. I truly appreciate the thousands and thousands of readers who have left comments and regularly read my ramblings. Unfortunately, I've been threatened with a lawsuit from Carrot Top who took offense at my opinion on his appearance. For that reason (and others) I've decided to end my blog.

Starting today.

April 1st.

Gotcha :) (Yes, this was an April Fools Joke. You didn't think you'd get rid of me this easily, did you?)

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:

Who's Getting Breast Implants? And the Portrait 3D by Axis Three

Last night I was featured in a segment on the local NBC affiliate Channel 4 WDIV in a segment titled Who's Getting Breast Implants? In the segment we meet a patient of mine and you can even see how we've been using the Portrait 3D by Axis Three to help the patients decide what size breast implant to use. To view the streaming video, click here.

Thanks to Sarah Mayberry and Dr. Frank McGeorge for a great segment.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.: