Plastic Surgery Obsession

I recently came across a very interesting article related to obsession with Plastic surgery. I rarely come across individuals with this obsession but have in the past. the far majority of my patient's are men or woman that are looking for self improvement for there own benefit, not for an individual or society. This is an often discussed topic but plastic surgery obsession is rarely seen. I always ask patients why they are seeking a surgery to improve their appearance if there are not obvious reasons readible visible.
I also perform lots of reconstructive procedures and there is a striking similarity to patients that are going thru the reconstructive process and those that are seeking surgery to improve their appearnce, i.e. cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive patients have had there body changed by a disease process or trauma, cosmetic surgery patient's bodies have been altered by time or pregnancies or weight gains or multiple other causes and wish to restore their previous appearance. Very similar desires in my eyes.

The Fine Line Between Self-Improvement and Obsession

By Chelsea Mize



The term addiction has become applicable to numerous habits and vices these days. Sex addiction, Internet addiction, plastic surgery addiction. But how can you define addiction when applied to a behavior that in moderation is acceptable, even encouraged? As Marcel Daniels, MD, a Long Beach, Calif-based board-certified plastic surgeon, says, “Calling any repetitive behavior an ‘addiction’ has become fashionable. Notice how we suddenly have all these sexual addicts when previously it was merely felt to be an expression of Darwinian behavior.”



Sex, as opposed to, say, heroin, is a normal, healthy practice—in fact, if you’re not having sex, people tend to think there’s something amok. So, when is someone addicted to sex? The same goes for the Internet. The only people not spending many, many hours on the Internet in our society are considered backwards. How much is too much?



This question is particularly apropos when considering plastic surgery. Daniels says, “The subject of addiction in and of itself and with regards to plastic surgery is controversial.”



With celebrities like Heidi Montag, Joan Rivers, Cher, and Jocelyn Wildenstein making headlines by eliminating fine lines and wrinkles (and maybe getting a breast augmentation, some lipo…and some other nips and tucks), it’s easy to believe that Botox and boob jobs have some seriously addictive properties. After all, why else would an already attractive person like Montag go through so much to change herself into some kind of distorted Barbie? Then again, what if Heidi were totally happy with her new self? Would the media and her family be so quick to condemn her surgical alterations if she herself weren’t so clearly dissatisfied? Can you classify a habit as an addiction if it genuinely results in self-improvement?



Take, for instance, someone like Cher. She’s had some plastic surgery, which nobody can deny. But, she still looks pretty darn good for her age, and nobody’s really calling her an addict. Maybe part of what makes Montag "an addict" is that she’s young and she had so many procedures in such a short time. But why does age have an impact on addiction? And for that matter, why does someone who crams all their doses into one day have any more of a problem that somebody who has the same amount of surgery over a span of years?



Shervin Naderi, MD, a Washington, DC-area facial plastic surgeon, suggests, “There is no ‘number’ that signifies a threshold for becoming addicted to plastic surgery. A person who has never had a single procedure but constantly obsesses about his or her face and is constantly on chat rooms and spends an excessive amount of daily time thinking about his or her face is more concerning than the person who has had four successful cosmetic surgeries with nice and natural results.”



With this in mind, it would seem that the psychological concerns associated with plastic surgery are not so much its potential addictiveness, but rather insecurities with body image that go far below the surface. Excessive amounts of plastic surgery might just be a manifestation of a mental disease such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder. In this case, it seems that the procedures themselves have no addictive quality.

Botox Resistance

Some patients claim a resistance to Botox and this is a recent article about how to overcome this resistance
Botox is an effective injection method for diminishing certain undesired facial expressions. For the vast majority of patients, it works very well and will continue to do so with endless repeat treatments. But there is a very small percent of patients who either don’t respond well or find that ongoing treatments become less effective. In many of these cases, the source of the problem is how the Botox was reconstituted, its age, and how it was injected. But this doesn’t apply to all of these ineffective patients; the problem likely lies in their receptiveness to the Botox molecule.

A new medication designed to treat these ineffective Botox patients is now available. Zytaze is a zinc and phytase prescription medication that is used prior to Botox treatment. It was studied in the medical condition of blepharospasm, which is uncontrolled eyelid twitching, and is one of the original FDA-approved uses of Botox from the early 1990s. 

In a series of 44 blepharospasm patients who responded poorly to Botox injections, control of their blepharospasma was difficult to achieve. In these patients, Zytaze was given in oral tablet form 4 days prior to Botox injections. The study shows that 93% of the patients improved the effect of their Botox injections or how long they last. 

No explanation was provided for the mechanism as to why this supplement would be effective or how it works. Furthermore, whether its effectiveness in blepharospasm would translate to the more widespread use for the treatment of undesired facial expressions is unclear. One would assume that it would since it is not only a facial muscle but an associated periocular muscle, as well.

For patients suffering from Botox "fatigue" or resistance, Zytaze oral medication may be worthwhile to try. But don’t think that taking it will make the Botox last longer—unless the patient exhibits less effectiveness than what you had shown previously. 

DYSPORT VS BOTOX

I use both Botox and Dysport in my practice for neuromodulators of problem areas. I have found that both Botox and Dysport have there pluses and minuses. I find dysport works beter for the crows feet area and Botox for the forehead. These are often the findings that are supported by my discussions with other plastic surgeons in the southern louisiana area. I recently cam across an article that supports these findings. Please read and decide for yourself. I invite all my patients to come in and see for themself!!

Dysport Better Than Botox for Crow's Feet

A new study released this week shows Dysport offers a significant efficacy advantage over the well-established Botox Cosmetic for treating crow's feet. The study was presented during a scientific session at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) 2010 Annual Fall Meeting.

Investigators studied 90 subjects, assessing contraction at 30 days following treatment when compared with day zero. The internally controlled, double-blind study found a greater efficacy of action for Dysport over Botox. "Botox has long been considered the gold standard of injectables, so this data showing Dysport's stronger efficacy is compelling," says Corey D. Maas, MD, AAFPRS group vice president for public and regulatory affairs.

The study concluded that Dysport offers a quantifiable and demonstrable advantage in wrinkle shortening and hyperfunctional frown lines compared to Botox Cosmetic in the treatment of crow's feet. Study investigators recommend further studies in additional facial regions to confirm the data.

Downloadable photos, fact sheets, and other supporting materials are available here.