310.277.3223Contrary to what many believe, some plastic surgeons do indeed wring their hands and wail aloud when they observe ruinous outcomes; particularly when the unfortunate victims are broadcast live and globally around the world. Such was the case last evening when the 86th annual Academy Awards were televised from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. That does not excuse publicly cruel comments such as those uttered by Ellen DeGeneres regarding Liza Minnelli, even though I sympathize with Ellen’s
shock and awe at what she saw.
What is going on? What are doctors doing to these women? Why do we care?
When I saw Kim Novak standing next to the very youthful Matthew McConaughey, I saw nothing resembling a mature version of the stunningly gorgeous actress we know and love. The two-generational difference between them should have been a statement of the natural order of things, the appreciation of those gone before, and her beauty could have easily retained that magic. What the camera showed us, however, was nothing recognizable either by appearance or action. The blogs and tweets and reviews all defend the brilliant actress but bemoan her loss of familiarity; she doesn’t look like herself, her face doesn’t move naturally. What have we done to her? Or, stated differently, why did they do this to themselves?
In my opinion, this is an example of fillers or fat grafting gone wrong – volume replacement of the face grotesquely overdone with total disregard of aesthetics. In a later essay, I will discuss what could and should have been done: Natural Fat Transfer, Microfat Filling and Nanostem Serum.
Perhaps we may indeed blame Hollywood for its shameless emphasis on youth, and the resulting pressure on aging actresses to remain perfect at all costs, but this implies no responsibility on the part of the physicians who participate in this butchery in the first place.
