Nip This Tuck That

Donda West law took effect in California and requires medical clearance be obtained within 30 days of having plastic and cosmetic surgery. Read entire article here.

This was a tragic case and I’m all for anything that ensures patient safety. The real question here, is not just whether or not a patient is healthy enough to undergo plastic and cosmetic surgery but how much surgery is too much. This subject has come up again recently when it was rumored that a certain reality star had undergone quite a bit of plastic surgery all in one sitting. How much is to much surgery at one time? In my opinion a healthy, young (under 55) patient without a significant history of disease, having three hours of surgery seems reasonable and anything over 5 hours should be considered in two separate operation times and days. With a history of heart, kidney, liver or other significant disease, the patient may not be able to have any elective plastic and cosmetic surgery of any kind or may have severe time limits placed by their treating medical doctor.

I believe that it’s impossible to legislate common sense and that ultimately it remains up to each individual patient to select a plastic and cosmetic surgeon that has common sense about how much surgery should be done and what can be achieved. We, as plastic and cosmetic surgeons should not be afraid to turn patients away for any reason and just say NO.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
“What’s Your Number..the palmer code.”

Let’s take a break from our “Fantasy Hollywood Makeovers” to have a brief discussion on how you can find one of the world’s best (top) plastic and cosmetic surgeons.

First, is the realization that there is a difference between surgeons based on several factors:

1. The years experience in performing each specific plastic and cosmetic surgery treament and procedure like Botox, Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, Perlane, Rhinoplasty, Face Lifts, Eyelid Surgery, Cheek Implants, Chin Implants, Lip Augmentation(enhancement), Breast Implants (Augmentation), Thigh Lifts, Buttock Lifts and Tummy Tucks. Each treatment and procedure is different and so are the skill sets associated with performing them.

2. The level of training received during Surgical residency and subsequent Fellowship training programs. Some of these surgical residencies are heavily weighted in non aesthetic plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures and while that may contribute to the overall training of the plastic and cosmetic surgeon these do not give the surgeon experience performing those particular plastic surgery procedures. In other words, you don’t obtain experience doing face Lift from performing back, hand or burn surgeries. This is not to knock anyone’s training but to explain to laypeople what, I believe, are the simple basic facts about surgical training. Fellowships are intense additional surgical training programs, some of which concentrate on plastic and cosmetic surgery. These vary from program to program individual participating surgeon as far as the actual number of plastic surgeries performed.

3. Aesthetic Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery is unique, in my opinion, because it’s a branch of medicine that deals exclusively with beauty and how to make people look more attractive. It is by definition what we do. Because of this, I believe that aesthetic plastic and cosmetic surgeons must possess astute aesthetic judgement in all aspects of their work…from the initial analysis of the patient through any planned treatment or surgery designed to improve that patient’s appearance. Sadly, this is not typically included in our surgical training and was up to each individual surgeon to possess or not. Learn the secrets in my new book “What’s Your Number…the palmer code.”

Here’s a Four Step Guide that may help you decide “How To Choose Your Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon.”

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
“What’s Your Number..the palmer code.”

Fantasy Makeover of Hollywood’s Biggest Stars.

Vanity Fair’s New Cover “New Hollywood” has ruffled some feathers for the lack of ethnic diversity. There are plenty of beautiful young starlets of hispanic, african american, asian and other ethnic backgrounds that could be included. But, in our fantasy world what would we do to make these starlets perfect?

New Hollywood

Photo Credit: Vanity Fair

Abbie Cornish:

1. Eyebrows are a bit low…perhaps a little Botox to raise them.
2. The nasal bridge is a bit wide and could be softened with a Rhinoplasty
3. The upper lip is a bit thin and could be filled out with Restylane or Juvederm.
“Face Number” now: 96 After Fantasy Makeover: a perfect 100

Kristen Stewart:

1. The cheeks are flat and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
2. Eyebrows are low and could be raised with Botox Injections or a Browlift.
3. The lips are a bit thin and could be plumped up using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm or a lip implant of Alloderm.
“Face Number” now: 83 After Fantasy Makeover: 95

Carey Mulligan:

1. The cheeks are flat with nasolabial folds and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
2. The nose is a bit wide and flat and could be refined with a Rhinoplasty.
3. The lips are a bit thin and could be plumped up using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm or a lip implant of Alloderm.
“Face Number” now: 80 After Fantasy Makeover: 94

Amanda Seyfried:

1. The eyebrows are low and could be raised using Botox Injections.
2. The cheeks are flat with nasolabial folds and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
“Face Number” now: 86 After Fantasy Makeover: 98.

Rebecca Hall:

1. The eyebrows are low and could be raised using Botox Injections.
2. The cheeks are flat with nasolabial folds and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
“Face Number” now: 89 After Fantasy Makeover: 97.

Mia Wasikowska:

1. The cheeks are flat and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
2. Eyebrows are low and could be raised with Botox Injections or a Browlift.
3. The lips are a bit thin and could be plumped up using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm or a lip implant of Alloderm.
4. The nasal tip is wide and could be softened and refined with a Rhinoplasty.
“Face Number” now: 83 After Fantasy Makeover: 98.

Anna Kendrick:

1. The left cheeks is flat with nasolabial fold and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
2. Eyebrows are low and could be raised with Botox Injections or a Browlift.
3. The lips are thin and could be plumped up using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm or a lip implant of Alloderm.
4. The nose is long and wide with a wide tip and could be softened and refined with a Rhinoplasty.
“Face Number” now: 80 After Fantasy Makeover: 96.

Emma Stone:

1. The left cheek is flat with nasolabial fold and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
2. Eyebrows are low and could be raised with Botox Injections or a Browlift.
3. The lips are a bit thin and could be plumped up using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm or a lip implant of Alloderm.
4. The nasal tip is wide and could be softened and refined with a Rhinoplasty.
“Face Number” now: 85 After Fantasy Makeover: 98.

Evan Rachel Wood

1. The cheeks are flat and could be filled out using Cheek Implants or fillers like Radiesse or Perlane.
2. Eyebrows are low and could be raised with Botox Injections or a Browlift.
3. The lips are a bit thin and could be plumped up using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm or a lip implant of Alloderm.
4. The nasal tip is wide and could be softened and refined with a Rhinoplasty.

“Face Number” now: 91 After Fantasy Makeover: a perfect 100.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code

***Disclaimer: This information is provided for entertainment and educational purposes only and is not intended to imply the above mentioned person(s) has, had, or will ever have any type of plastic surgery treatment or procedure or any affiliation with Dr Francis Palmer.

Hollywood Stars Beauty Fantasy by Dr Francis Palmer

Photo Credit: Steve Granitz Wireimage

Grammy’s 2010 Taylor Swift: Taylor looks beautiful in this blue dress but what if we had a magic wand and could change her appearance to make it a perfect face, what would we consider doing?
1. The eyebrows are low, so perhaps some Botox to the eyebrows or a Brow Lift.

2. The left cheek is a bit more flat than the right so a little soft tissue filler to shape and contour the cheek using either Radiesse

3. The upper lip is thin compared to the lower lip, so perhaps either a soft tissue filler to the lip borders using Restylane or Juvederm or a semi-permanent lip implant like Alloderm that seems to last about 7 years.

4. The nose is a little thick and a Rhinoplasty (nose job) could thin and refine both the nasal bridge and tip.

This is, of course fantasy, and a make believe exercise but still fun and exciting to imagine. So what’s her “Face Number” now: 86 Fantasy Makeover Face Number: 99 with 100 being perfect.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

***Disclaimer: This information is provided for entertainment and educational purposes only and is not intended to imply the above mentioned person has had, or will ever have any type of plastic surgery treatment or procedure or any affiliation with Dr Francis Palmer.

Plastic Surgery from Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and Hollywood has been in the international news lately and frankly, some have been questioning if enough is enough.
I have been writing for years that plastic and cosmetic surgery is all about the individual and can’t be clumped together in a global discussion without loosing all meaning. Take a closer look at plastic and cosmetic surgery treatments like Botox, Radiesse and Perlane or procedures like Face Lifts, Eyelid Surgery, Rhinoplasty, Cheek Implants, Chin Implants and Breast Implants just to name a few.

1. Each patient seeking any of these treatments or procedures is an individual with individual wants, needs and expectations.

2. Every patient will start from a different aesthetic point…“Number“…or you can think of it as a level of attractiveness that makes them unique.

3. Plastic and Cosmetic surgeons use different variations of treatments and surgical procedures to accomplish the desired aesthetic results and even when they would do things exactly alike (I believe this to be highly improbable if not close to impossible) their level of skill, training and experience will still vary and thus effect the ultimate outcome.

Given all these variables, I do not believe that you can look at any one celebrity or “pseudo-star” and judge plastic and cosmetic surgery as an industry or movement. Nothing more than a frank discussion of that particular patient, that particular outcome and that particular surgeon would be accurate. In my 20 years as a Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon I have seen wonderful results and I have turned many patients away for their unrealistic expectations or aesthetic requests. I feel that it is the ultimate duty of each and every patient to learn what is required for them to make an educated decision about their appearance and how to effectively improve it when and if they so desire. Do not let any plastic and cosmetic surgeon do a procedure or treatment on you that you do not understand and agree with the planned aesthetic goal. Not aesthetically astute? Learn more about “Your Number”.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

We have mentioned Radiesse and Perlane as two soft tissue fillers that we use to shape the Cheeks, Chin, Jaw line and face. Here’s an article on the subject.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

Continuing with our theme of Beverly Hills as a destination for plastic and cosmetic surgery medical tourism, we are now proud to offer IChat, for our Mac clients, with an internet consultation. Our Beverly Hills office has offered telephone consults with e-mai (drfpalmer1@aol.com) evaluation of photos to discuss my findings and recommendations. We find this service a valuable way to communicate with our out of town, out of state and international clientele. You can have a consultation from the comfort of your home or office thus saving the time and expense for your trip to have the surgery. Now we have added IChat as a more personal way of communication during your plastic and cosmetic surgery consultation for Face Lift, Brow Lift, Eyelid Surgery, Breast/Cheek/Chin/Lip Implants, Rhinoplasty, Otoplasty, Tummy Tuck, Liposuction, Botox, Radiesse, Perlane or Juvederm.

Steps for your IChat consult with us:

1. e-mail us at drfpalmer1@aol.com that you are interested in a telephone or IChat consultation and include jpeg photos of the areas you wish to discuss. If your initial e-mail does not include photos or if we believe that other views are required, you will be informed of the type of photos that we require for your evaluation.

2. Schedule a day and time for your phone consultation or your IChat. This can be done via e-mail or by telephone 310-652-9583 (monday through friday 9-5 PST.

3. Send us your AIM account name so we can add you to our buddy list in order to initiate the IChat.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

Traveling to Beverly Hills for your plastic and cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures is quite common. Los Angeles, of which Beverly Hills is a part, has long been a tourist destination because of the balmy weather and proximity to Hollywood’s stars and celebrities. But on any given week, you can find patients at our clinic from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, London, Barcelona, Soel, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Moscow, India or China. This week, our patients have traveled to Beverly Hills from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and from across the US for their Face Lifts (Celebrity Lifts), Rhinoplasty, Eyelid Surgery, Browlifts, Cheek Implants, Chin Implants, Breast Implants for Breast Augmentation, Lip Augmentation, Botox, Perlane and Radiesse Injections.

This is commonplace for us as we have had this type of geographical diversity to our clientele for many years…in part due to my dual practice in London from 1994 through 2000. Although I no longer travel to London for work, our practice was established, over those years, as international in nature and our office adapted to accommodate and communicate with people who were traveling over great distances. I adopted a method where our out of town and country patients could e-mail us photos (drfpalmer1@aol.com) for evaluation coupled with a scheduled telephone discussion of my review and recommendations…which is basically a telephone consult with me after I reviewed their photos. This allowed patients to speak with me without traveling here for their consultation thereby allowing them to save that travel time for their actual surgery. This has worked out very well for the past 15 years.

We realize that traveling here to Beverly Hills is less convenient than having your procedure in your own city or country but in these cases, you come here for the experience, training and level of quality that is Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. Beverly Hills has always been synonymous with the very best, the top quality plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures because that’s what our clients demand from us. This past week alone, I am revising plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures that these patients have had in their respective cities and countries because for one of numerous reasons they did not achieve the desired aesthetic results. As a result, they have come to us seeking revision and refinement surgery to become more attractive. I realized that for us it’s commonplace but for those of you contemplating the travel, it may seem somewhat daunting and so I decided to speak to those of you who may find yourself in that position.

First and foremost I think it’s important for you to remember that the only uncertainty in all of this is your travel to our office in Beverly Hills. Although plastic and cosmetic surgery is serious business, it is what we do day in and day out and have for 20 years, so once you do arrive here, for us It’s no different than if you lived right here in Los Angeles. At that point, we take over and do what we do. From our accredited operating room to the after care facility, post surgical follow up appointments, post surgical medications and instructions…everything is planned out for you so you can breathe easy. When it’s time for you to fly back home, you will be ready and happy that you made the journey.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book

What constitutes the best plastic and cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures from the top plastic and cosmetic surgeons in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Southern California and United States?

Consistently great aesthetic results!

The Best Face Lifts: The best Face Lifts leave the face appearing naturally youthful and attractive without being over-pulled or looking tight. The best surgeons at the top of their game must have an impeccable grasp of the aesthetics of beauty as outlined in my new book: “What’s Your Number…the palmer code.” The best face Lifts make womens faces appear more feminine and mens faces more ruggedly handsome. The specific version of facelift performed is far less important than the adherence to these aesthetic guidelines. Our “Celebrity Lift” is a perfect example of just such a Facelift.

The Best Rhinoplasty (nasal surgery, nose jobs): Probably the most misunderstood, yet most popular, of all plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures, Rhinoplasty should adhere to a strict set of goals in order to get inspired aesthetic results. The best Rhinoplasties should make the nose appear soft and refined without making it look “done” or “operated.” The nasal bridge height and width should be proportional to the width and thickness of the nasal tip allowing womens noses to be more delicate than mens. It should be understood that no one’s face is made beautiful by making the nose beautiful. The nose has a supporting role in facial beauty and once it is made sleek and refined, the face’s top beauty features are allowed to show: cheeks, eye area and lips. Of course, if these features are not ideally shaped, the face will appear less attractive despite a perfectly performed Rhinoplasty.

Next time, we’ll discuss Eyelid Surgery, Cheek and Chin Implants as well as the best Breast Implants and Breast Augmentation.

Dr Francis Palmer
Beverly Hills Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery
What’s Your Number…the palmer code book