Considering Plastic Surgery? A Few Simple Rules

By Guest Blogger Dr. Ariel Rad

More and more, we see celebrities tweaking their appearances in hopes of maintaining some semblance of youth. Some have had good work, while others, (Michael and Latoya Jackson, to name a few), have not. If you, a friend, or a loved one are considering plastic surgery, there are a few simple rules to follow to help you get the result you dream about and to avoid a nightmare.

First: Do your homework! Before buying a car, you research the safety, reliability, and value of different cars, right? The same thing applies to choosing a surgeon.  Make sure he or she is safe by checking credentials: certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is vital. It means that your surgeon meets the most rigorous safety standards possible. It’s been proven that board certified surgeons have significantly fewer complications – witness Kanye West’s mother’s surgeon was not certified. Even some celebrity plastic surgeons such as Dr. Rey on Dr. 90210 have not achieved this mark of excellence.

Second: Practice makes perfect! Find out if your surgeon does a lot of the specific procedures you’re interested in. Whether it’s a nose job or a facelift, if the surgeon can show you at least 20 photos of good before/after results, then he or she is probably skilled in the procedure. You have a very discerning eye – liking what you see is a good sign.

Third: A picture is worth 100,000 words! Let’s say you go to the hair salon and want some subtle blonde highlights. If you walk out with neon blue hair, then you either asked for blue hair, or your stylist didn’t understand what you wanted. Similarly, when describing how you want your nose to look, or what kind of results you want from a facelift, be very specific. Describing what you want is often challenging – so bring in photographs of what you used to look like 20 years ago (if you’re considering facial rejuvenation), or of models whose features you find attractive.  This helps to put you and your surgeon on the same page. Define your likes and dislikes and feel free to use celebrities as examples. Luckily hair grows again, so blue color can be undone; surgery is hard, if not impossible, to undo. Oh, and if you sense your surgeon is not understanding you or is trying to talk you into much more than you’re ready for, move on.

Fourth: Consider the whole face. When considering a nose job (rhinoplasty), it’s not just the nose that’s changing. Rather, changes to the nose have to fit the face. So, even though Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman have attractive noses and faces, simply swapping their noses won’t work because they are attractive on their faces, and only their faces. So, if you look like Halle, don’t bring in a photo of Nicole!

Fifth: Less is more. Don’t go for extreme makeovers – go for the subtle highlights. Pete Burns, Janice Dickinson, and Jocelyn Wildenstein have gone obviously overboard with facial fillers, and Michael and Latoya with their nose jobs. On the other hand, Jennifer Aniston’s face was quite thin in the lower half and this accentuated her nasolabial folds, or “parentheses” folds, around her mouth and masculinized her jawline.  Now, her lower face clearly sports more volume and, although controversial amongst Aniston fans (because she looks quite different from the Jen they all knew and loved), I find that it has softened and balanced her now youthful, heart-shaped face.  Interestingly, Jennifer also had a good rhinoplasty (which she says was for breathing problems) – subtle, elegant, and balanced. Here, less is definitely more!

Dr. Ariel Rad, Assistant Professor and Director of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, is a board certified plastic surgeon. Dr. Rad performs complex microsurgical cancer reconstruction and advanced cosmetic surgery. Dr. Rad was also a world-ranked professional ballroom dancer featured in the hit ABC show, Hopkins.