Confessions of a Plastic Surgeon

Breast lifts, liposuction and Botox. Celebrity Plastic Surgeon Dr. Gilbert Lee shares some secrets of the cosmetic surgery industry

Over 10.2 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in the US in 2008, says the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. As it turns out, even in a down economy, looks are still a priority for many.

We caught up with Dr. Gilbert Lee, who owns Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa in the US, and who also stars in Oxygen's new American reality series - Oxygen's Addicted to Beauty. He tells us, yes, he's been hit on by patients. 'I usually blush and pretend it didn't happen,' he adds. And, yes, he'll tell a patient if he or she has gone too far with their treatments. Read on...

Who comes in to see you?

The typical person I see is a mum who no longer likes the way she looks either in face, body or breast. She is frustrated by failed attempts to regain her youthful appearance and quite frankly hates to look in the mirror or step on a scale. In a few hours we can restore the shape, contour and skin texture of her former self. Her aging clock is reset back a number of years and her reflection in the mirror looks like the person she remembers.

Do you tell women if they're overdoing it?

When someone has gone too far, or I don't feel that I can improve upon their situation, I decline to treat them. It's a hard thing to do, but [it's] the right thing to do.

What's everyone getting done these days? Any major fads in beauty treatments?

People are still hot and heavy for Botox and injectable fillers. The newest fillers are Artefill, which is permanent and costs about twice what a regular filler costs but lasts forever.

The other long term filler is a bioactivator called Sculptra. I use this when performing the liquid facelift. Injections with Sculptra stimulate your body to grow its own collagen and fill the hollow areas of your face. The effects last for years. Love this! I've used it for years.

Fractional lasers are also a big fad right now. They allow for nice resurfacing of the skin with little down time. I am a big fan of this myself.

Have you performed any out-of-the-ordinary procedures lately?

A couple weeks ago I did a tummy tuck on a patient and removed a 41 pound specimen from her tummy. Once in a while I will have an I- or J-cup patient in for a breast reduction. I also see a number of women requesting labiaplasties. It's really gratifying to return these women with anatomic anomalies back to a normal appearance and lifestyle. They really appreciate the improvements.

When it comes to women and plastic surgery and beauty treatments, do you think they really need them?

A cardiac surgeon once told me that health care in America is the right of all citizens, but beauty treatments are a necessity! And, he is absolutely correct. I doubt you can find a single woman in America that isn't concerned to some degree with their appearance.

For example, 98 percent of women above the age of 30 colour or treat their hair. Now we have the technology and resources to help all of these women with their physical appearances. If they want entry-level beauty help, there are some great topical creams and skin care lines. For those interested, we have injectibles and lasers. For women requiring more anatomical corrections, the plastic surgical treatments are required. In the competitive world we live in, beauty treatments are a necessity.

Can you tell us about a plastic surgery horror story?

I see a lot of patients for revisionary work. The worst cases I've seen are from patients going to non-plastic surgeons for their aesthetic surgery, or those going to Mexico for cheap plastic surgery. Recently, I had a patient who went to an internist (posing as a plastic surgeon) for laser liposuction. Her arms looked like there were shark bites taken out of them.

Another patient saw an ENT [ear, nose and throat doctor] for a breast augmentation and laser liposuction of the abdomen. The breast incisions were falling apart and there was a massive hole burned in the abdomen.

These procedures are portrayed on TV as insignificant procedures. However, they are all serious procedures that require expertise and a constant vigilance for patient safety. This is often lost when non-plastic surgeons try to enter this lucrative field without the many years of training required to do the job correctly and safely. I was able to fix the first patient and am still working on fixing the second one. It will require a number of stages to correct her deformities.