Hell's Kitchen Chef Gordon Ramsay Gets Stuck

Gordon Ramsay has undergone a very popular cosmetic procedure to fill in the trademark lines on his chin.  He says he took the advice of Botox fan Simon Cowell, who advised that, if he wanted to increase his star power stateside, he might want to polish his rugged features.

"Simon Cowell suggested that, now I'm a success in America, I should do something. So I had a filler put under the deep crevices," he told the British weekly Radio Times. "It hurt." He spent around $650 on an off-the-shelf filler like Restylane, which can be injected underneath crevices to plump them up.
(Restylane and Juvederm are hyaluronic acid fillers that help to plump wrinkles and add volume to lips, the laugh lines, and cheeks).  He will apparently need to get the procedure a couple of times a year to keep up the smooth-chin look, according to reports. (Source: New York Post)

Interestingly, his decision to get fillers came a year after his publicist laughed off reports that the quick-tempered chef had any work done. "Gordon would be the first person to take the piss out of anyone that has had surgery," the publicist said at the time.  "My mother said they were smile lines," Ramsay told the magazine this week. "I could deal with that at 21, but not at 42."

Tough-guy Ramsay remarked on how uncomfortable the procedure was, but -- on the pain scale of cosmetic procedures these injections are relatively well-tolerated, with needle sticks causing transient pain. Local anesthetic blocks like the type you get when you visit the dentist and numbing cream applied to the skin can help take the sting out of the needle sticks.



Here you can see me on Inside Edition dishing on soft tissue fillers and what to expect as far as downtime and recovery after they are done!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Donda West Plastic Surgery Law in California

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed the Donda West Law, which requires anyone undergoing plastic surgery in the state to receive a mandatory physical examination first, according to the Los Angeles Times. Hopefully this will set a precedent and other states will follow suit in the name of patient safety.

The bill was written in response to the death in 2007 of Kanye West's mother, Donda, 58, who died of complications related to cosmetic surgery. Dr. West's family reportedly believe that a pre-op physical exam would have uncovered coronary artery disease. West underwent several plastic surgery procedures (breast lift and tummy tuck with liposuction reportedly) without medical clearance, and her coronary disease and postoperative factors are believed to have contributed to her death.

Dr. West's niece, Yolanda Anderson, was one of the primary movers behind the bill, which also requires a mandatory written clearance before surgery. Schwarzenegger vetoed the first pass of the bill in February 2008, then signed it on Monday after it was resubmitted this past February.
"Sometimes patients may think they are well enough for cosmetic surgery, but in reality are not," said Assemblywoman Wilmer Amina Carter, one of the leading sponsors of the bill. "This bill will potentially save lives."

After his infamous run-in with Taylor Swift at the VMAs last month, Kanye West told talk-show host Jay Leno that his mother would have been disappointed in his behavior. West also said that the pain from his mother's death still haunts him and that after two years of nonstop touring, recording and performing.

Who's that girl?

I was looking at some pictures in a magazine recently when I came across this picture. It took me a couple of minutes to register who it was. At first glance I thought, wow that is a pretty woman, and then a second after that it hit me...that's Nicole Kidman! Always a beautiful women in my book. She is just so elegant and her features are so refined but this picture threw me. I do admit I still think she is just lovely even though it is fairly apparent that she has had some filler work done to her beautiful face. Plumper cheeks and much fuller lips and even a little Botox. I have seen some other, not so flattering pictures of her post procedure, that were pretty blatant overuse of products but here someone got it right. She looks fresh-faced and healthy. Based solely on this photo she is a work of art. She looks very much like she did back when she was just starting out as an actress in her mid 20's. Look at these pictures and guess which one is the recent one. You will only be able to tell by the lips but everything else looks as youthful as it ever has. Good job whoever the plastic surgeon was here. It is a fact that as we age our lips become smaller and we loose the plumpness in our face. From my perspective and it could just be mine, I think she looks just great. Finally here is an example of plastic surgery done well. Recapturing a little of her youth while boosting her amazing features in a natural way. Really nicely done. This is how it is supposed to be done and when it is done right it gives us all hope of finding that ever elusive fountain of youth.

Courtney and the Cat Lady

I was once again over at PerezHilton.com.....I swear I do get work done around here....but don't tell Dr. Walden! ;) Anyway, it is never a surprise to see Jocelyn Wildenstein in the press in regards to her interesting choices in plastic surgery. For those of you who are not familiar with Ms. Wildenstein, she is a New York celebrity that is famous for attempting to change her facial features to look more "cat like". It is really amazing when you look at pictures how much she does actually look like a cat! Although I must say.....I saw some pictures of her recently and it appeared that she went under the knife to revise some of her earlier surgeries....but I digress. So, apparently rock star, Courtney Love, recently met Ms. Wildenstein and was shocked by the appearance of her face. She was so taken back that she made a statement that she is off of plastic surgery for good. Courtney is no stranger to plastic surgery and is rumored to have undergone rhinoplasty, face lift, breast augmentation/lift, liposuction, and fillers to her face and lips. The rocker was quoted saying, "I could do with another boob lift, but no way," Court explains. "I don't want to end up looking like her. She looked freaky."

I personally don't think that was the most tactful way to express her feeling on the issue, but I think the sentiment raises a great question.....when is it too much, or is it even possible to do to much? Obviously, plastic surgery is a very personal decision and if you are happy with the end result that is the most important. In the same breath I feel like it is EXTREMELY important to find a board certified plastic surgeon that has good eyes and good hands for that matter. Ask if they have before and after photos of their previous patients, so you have an idea of their work. Make sure you decide on a doctor you trust and that listens.....because in the end you have to spend everyday in your body and you want to love it! That is the whole point after all. :) It is also important to listen to what your surgeon suggests.....this is what they do 24/7 and their medical opinion is essential to getting a great outcome. So, let's keep plastic surgery in the context of enhancing what we have, not making us into something different!

Happy Friday!!!

Beauty in Age

Last night I was watching the latest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm , and if you've been keeping up with the show, you'd know that Larry David(co-creator and producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld) is creating a reunion show with the cast of Seinfeld. Being a huge fan, I couldn't help but notice how Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine Benes) looks so amazing. At the age of 48 and after giving birth to two children, her body still looks fit and her face still looks as beautiful and youthful as ever.Although Dreyfus denies going under the knife, it appears that she may be getting botox injections due to the smoothness of her skin as it appears that she looks younger than when we saw her on Seinfeld. Some rumors say that Julia may have gotten a rhinoplasty and minor facelift, but none are noticeable. Regardless of what she may or may not be doing to keep up her gorgeous appearance, Julia looks fantastic and doesn't rule out the idea of plastic surgery in the future, Julia told one source, " Of course if things start to fall, I may have to do something to pull it all up," says Julia with a laugh. "But seriously, the whole idea scares me. My mom never had it done and she looks fantastic. Hopefully I'll follow in her footsteps. I don't judge anyone who's had plastic surgery, but I don't see it in my future." (Source:find)Julia credits her fabulous body and beautiful appearance to her good genes,steady workout and diet-Keep it up!
(FYI Picture of the April09 Issue of Shape!)

Does beautiful outside make beautiful inside?

There is no doubt what a good plastic surgeon can do. Plastic surgery can truly be a life changing experience for those who have struggled with certain features that were not quite what they would have liked if they could have picked what they wanted. Thanks to the amazing talents of plastic surgeons today almost anything can be made better and help you feel better about your self. This kind of confidence can go a long way. In the case of Heidi Montag one has to ask if outer beauty really translates into inner beauty? In my humble opinion I would have to say no. You are either a beautiful person inside to begin with and tweaking some of what god gave you will only enhance that beauty. Plastic surgery can do a lot of great things but alas it cannot change the person you really are inside. It can give you confidence that will reflect in the way you smile or carry yourself but it will not make you a kinder more compassionate person. These are innate qualities that one is born with so you either have it or you don't. For now we will just have to accept the limitations of what we can achieve through surgery and hope that along with these beautiful changes each person will try to be a better person with the new gifts they have been given.

Plastic Surgery Textbook Goes Online!

With over 10 million people in the United States having had cosmetic procedures in 2008 (an 11.8 billion dollar industry), cosmetic surgery is a booming business in a struggling economy (Statistics source: ASAPS). What better time is there to learn about a fascinating field that often captures the attention of mainstream America and the media alike? Click on the above video to see the news story on the Plastic Surgery Channel.

Introducing Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, edited by Dr. Sherrell J. Aston, Dr. Douglas S. Steinbrech, and Dr. Jennifer Walden, the world’s first single volume comprehensive textbook on contemporary aesthetic plastic surgery. Published and released recently by the esteemed scientific publishing house Elsevier, this textbook brings to the table the masterful expertise needed to achieve breathtaking outcomes for every cosmetic surgery procedure, including the MACS lift, endoscopic mid- and lower face rejuvenation, lid/cheek blending along the tear trough, cohesive gel breast augmentation, lipoabdominoplasty, injectables such as Botox, Radiesse, Restylane, Sculptra, nonsurgical ultrasonic fat reduction, suture suspension threadlifts, and many more.
A “who’s who” of international authorities in plastic surgery explain their signature techniques, giving all the know-how today’s highly trained and skilled plastic surgeon needs to deliver the exceptional results that patients demand. Operative videos on DVD demonstrate these techniques being performed in real time and Expert Consult online access enables one to reference the text, download images, and watch the videos from any computer.
Key Features
• Coverage of hot topics includes MACS lift, endoscopic mid and lower face rejuvenation, lid/cheek blending along the tear trough, the newest rhinoplasty techniques, cohesive gel breast augmentation, fat grafting techniques, details of the latest injectables and fillers, and many other highly sought-after procedures.
• Operative videos - on DVD and online - let you see how leading experts perform more than 50 important techniques, including extended SMAS face lift, traditional inverted-T breast augmentation, and lipoabdominoplasty.
• Nearly 1600 full-color photographs and illustrations demonstrate what to look for and what results you will achieve.
• A consistent, extremely user-friendly organization guides you through history, evaluation, anatomy, technical steps, post-operative care, complications, and pearls and pitfalls for each procedure - giving you all the advice you need to make informed, effective decisions and avoid complications and disappointing results.
• Expert Consult online access allows you to reference the complete contents, perform rapid searches, download the images, and watch the operative videos from any computer.
This important textbook will be referenced for years to come, and updated as new technical information becomes available. Dr. Sherrell Aston, Dr. Doug Steinbrech, and Dr. Jennifer Walden are plastic surgeons in New York, New York specializing in cosmetic plastic surgery. For more information, visit us online at Amazon.com