Just like every year in recent times, 2010 was chock full of plastic surgery news. And, like every year, there was an incredible mix of freaky, frightening and fantastic happenings. Here are just a few to reflect on as the industry heads in to a new year.
The most prevalent plastic surgery news is always on the “freaky” side. The media is ever at the ready to make the most of people going to extremes—especially when celebrities and wannabes are involved. Witness the feeding frenzy in 2010 over reality television star Heidi Montag and her record-setting 10 procedures in one day.
Then there’s Sheyla Hershey, the self-styled “singer, dancer, actress and model,” with a career headed for “majestic proportions.” What ended up enormous were her KKK-sized breasts, and the health threatening staph infection she contracted in 2010 when she decided to have her implants removed. This occasion gave electronic and broadcast media yet another opportunity to showcase Hershey’s majestic proportions.
(Note that the physical and psychological problems people like these almost inevitably face are apparently not as worthy of news coverage as the drama of their actual surgeries.)
But it’s not just celebrities and their cosmetic surgery antics that cause many to shake their heads. Cosmetic procedures on offer across the country seem to be pushing the edges of “freaky” ever further out there. For instance, cosmetic foot surgery strolled onto the scene in a big way last year. Whether doctors who offer it call it a “foot facelift” or “foot-tuck” or some other cute name, with a menu of toe shortening, bunion shaving and fat injections in hand they suggest that patients will be happier with the look of their feet and with their ability to wear sky high heels.
There’s plenty to talk about in the “frightening” category of 2010 plastic surgery too. Perhaps most disturbing is continued news of patients suffering disfigurement and even death at the hands of insufficiently trained cosmetic surgeons. Men and women continue to be enticed by a dizzying array of branded mini-facelifts, with their promise of lower cost and shorter recovery time. Unfortunately by the time some patients discover their doctor was not a facelift expert and their surgery was full of ill-advised short cuts, it’s too late to avoid a poor outcome.
Even worse, as the popularity of liposuction booms, so does the number of inexperienced or even unscrupulous providers who offer the procedure. From Washington to Los Angeles to Florida, patients died last year at the hands of doctors with questionable credentials. It makes one wonder what it will take to bring about stricter regulation of cosmetic surgery in the U.S.
Botox continued to make headlines in 2010. On the “frightening” side, researchers at the University of Calgary reported that long-term Botox use may not be as safe as previously thought. On the “fantastic” side, the neurotoxin won approval in the U.K. to treat migraines, and in the U.S. plastic surgeons are starting to use a one-two punch of Botox and minor surgery to create a migraine solution for some chronic sufferers.
Highly trained, board certified plastic surgeons continued to perform inspirational good works around the globe last year. Through organizations like Interplast and Operation Smile, increasing numbers of plastic surgeons give their time to correct cleft palates and harelips in developing countries. Locally, many perform charity plastic surgery on burn victims and cancer patients and lend their time to community fundraisers.
Perhaps most fantastic in these turbulent times are the advances plastic surgeons are bringing about as they operate on war victims. Talented physicians are learning more about reconstructing inner structures and outward appearances, achieving outstanding results on difficult cases presented by the “war on terror.”
Looking ahead, there are a number of things one might wish for in 2011. Tighter industry regulations obviously need to be considered, but there seems to be no sign of that happening soon. Certainly, there’s no use spending time wishing that the media might get interested in reporting on more important matters than celebrities and their breasts.
But there’s one thing certain to happen in this fledgling year, and it’s something plastic surgery writers can be grateful for—there will be an ongoing supply of material to write about.