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Straight Talk About Liposuction

With all the hype about "brand-name" liposuction, some people are fooled into thinking that there is something very special and exclusive about procedures with techno-sounding names like "VASER" lipo. Here's the skinny on the different types of lipo.

More About Liposuction

Plastic Surgery Blog with Natalie Kita

Interview with Dr. Will Kirby from Dr 90210

Wednesday January 14, 2009
I must admit I am not immune to getting a little excited when I get to interview someone who is on TV. In addition to being known as one of the dreamiest stars of the E! network's hit show, Dr. 90210, board certified dermatologist Dr. Will Kirby is a regular on television's health, wellness, and beauty circuit. He is a well known and leading authority on laser tattoo removal, and the medical director of Los Angeles-based Dr. TATTOFF, a thriving laser tattoo removal practice and medical spa where he also performs other cosmetic procedures such as lip augmentation and the liquid face lift.

I was recently delighted to have the opportunity to pick Dr. Kirby's brain about laser tattoo removal, and he even provided me with some great laser tattoo removal before & after photos.

Here are the fruits of our conversation:

Answers to Your Questions About Laser Tattoo Removal: Q & A With Dr. Will Kirby

Demi Moore: Plastic Surgery or Fountain of Youth?

Monday January 12, 2009
Is Demi Moore serious? The 45 year old actress has denied rampant rumors that she has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on plastic surgery. After seeing her red carpet pictures from this year's Golden Globes, I am scratching my head. To be fair, she doesn't actually look like she's had any work done. She simply looks beautiful, young, and fresh. However, her face does seem remarkably well filled out when you consider how thin her body is. And she doesn't look anywhere close to 45 years old.

Could it be that her reported raw food diet and rigorous exercise routine is responsible for the fact that she looks at least 10-15 years younger than her age? Or is it being married to much-younger-man Ashton Kutcher that maintains that youthful glow? Or could it be that her plastic surgeon is just that good?

Demi's face doesn't exhibit any of the tell-tale signs of a face lift (i.e., that wind-swept look, pulled mouth, wrinkles in places where they don't make sense), yet her skin is so smooth and her cheeks so plump. Could dermal fillers and Botox be the reason?

Of course, anyone who saw the widely panned "Striptease" (and I'm not admitting anything) would probably have to assume there was some sort of breast augmentation. But isn't that pretty much Hollywood actress standard-issue at this point?

I can't say with any certainty that Demi has gone under the knife (or even the needle)...but I can say that if she has, her surgeon possesses both talent and good judgment. No overly-augmented "duck lips" for this beauty...and for that, Demi, we all thank you.

Lisa Rinna's Plastic Surgery Regrets

Thursday January 8, 2009
Actress Lisa Rinna recently admitted (in an interview for momlogic.com) to having had her cheeks plumped up with Juvederm, a popular dermal filler. Although the star has had Botox injections and says she's happy with the results, she is not so happy about her recent Juvederm experience. She feels that she "overdid it", and no longer looks like herself, even going so far as to say she thinks she looked "like a freak" after the procedure. I personally think she's being a little hard on herself about the way she looks, but I'll admit her cheeks do appear a little overstuffed in recent photos.

Rinna appears in the article to be very forthcoming about her experience with cosmetic procedures. However, I noticed the article mentions nothing about her famously full pouty lips... Could it be that her pucker is all natural? I guess I had always assumed there had been some sort of lip augmentation there...maybe I was wrong...maybe not.

So what do you think? Are Lisa Rinna's lips "enhanced"? Join the discussion on our plastic surgery forum.

See Lip Augmentation Before & After Photos

Hypnox - A Hypnotic Alternative to Botox?

Tuesday January 6, 2009
You're getting very sleepy...Your eyelids are getting heavier with every breath...

Now that you're under my spell... Would you believe me if I told you that you could erase your frown lines permanently without surgery or injections? Well, that is the claim of Hypnox, a 25-minute self-hypnosis audio recording that proclaims itself as an all-natural alternative to Botox.

Botox works by weakening the nerve impulses that tell targeted facial muscles to contract. The desired result is more relaxed muscles that are unable to produce the very facial expressions that lead to frown lines and crows feet. The idea behind Hypnox is that by listening to the recording repeatedly over time, your mind will retrain your facial muscles not to frown, thereby producing a Botox-like effect.

So, what do you think? My natural tendency is to be highly skeptical of anything that promises surgical results without surgery (or in this case, Botox results without Botox). But I must admit the idea is intriguing, and I would love to hear from anyone who has used this product. I want to know your results, good or bad. Even if you haven't tried it, I still want to know whether or not you think something like this could be effective.

For now, as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still way out on this one. However, if you happen to be one of those rare people who is immune to Botox, then maybe you could add Hypnox to your list of Botox alternatives.

If you've tried Hypnox, or any of the other "all-natural" methods that claim to be able to re-train your facial muscles, please join the discussion on our plastic surgery forum.

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