surgery

DIY Plastic Surgery: This Is Not A Hoax.

Paul Michael — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:58:55 +0000

I do a lot of research on the Internet for information about home-made solutions to everyday problems. In fact, I'll be posting one soon that covers recipes for home-made car wax, air freshener and even glue. But on my travels, I discovered a horrifying fact - in these tough economic times, people out there are taking medical matters into their own hands. DIY plastic surgery is on the rise.

Around two years ago, a reliable English paper called Metro reported the outbreak of DIY plastic surgery. The obsession with celebrity culture, and media pressure that make everyone feel bad if they don't look amazing, was leading people to take matters into their own hands. It did not go well.

"In the worst case, a man gave himself a nose job with a chisel and replaced the cartilage he removed with a chicken bone," according to consultant psychiatrist Dr David Veale. "Others have cut their stomachs in DIY tummy tucks, and used glue to try to pin back their ears."

Ouch! It seems more like a story that would appear in the National Enquirer, but unfortunately it's true. That was two years ago, and sadly, things have not improved. A lack of self-confidence and a rise in BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) continues to make people long for the plastic surgeon's knife. And with people suffering from a lack of money and no access to credit, they are becoming desperate. DIY plastic surgery, as horrific as it sounds, continues to gather momentum.

In late 2008, news broke of Hang Mioku, a Korean woman who became so obsessed with plastic surgery that she injected COOKING OIL into her own face.

Her face became so grotesquely large that she was called "standing fan" by children in her neighbourhood - due to her large face and small body. And it would seem that even Hang can now see the damage she has done; she now says that she would simply like her original face back.

Last month, WCCO's Esme Murphy told the story of a woman who injected herself with silicone to save money on plastic surgery.

"I really thought that I was getting a bargain and I really didn't do my homework like I should have," said the woman who did not want to be identified. Her lips and left cheek are disfigured from silicone she self-injected. She was trying to make her upper lip fuller and fill acne scars. A year and a half ago, another doctor had given her silicone injections. That treatment went well but it wasn't cheap. It was $2700 for a series of three treatment. So she turned to the Internet and found a site advertising silicone for $10."

As you can see, the results are awful. She will be disfigured for life unless she pays for a certified plastic surgeon to try and reverse the results.

"Initially I thought I did a good job," said the unfortunate mom from the Twin Cities. However, within a day her lips and cheek were disfigured. "Its very frightening, its very embarrassing having to be in public," she said.

There is even a Technorati page devoted to DIY Plastic Surgery gone wrong, which you can check out yourself here.

And now, which may be even worse, more "legitimate" ways to do the treatment yourself are reaching the market.

For $129 and up, you can buy a hand-held personal laser to remove blotches and smooth out wrinkles. And the REJUVAWAND costs $159 and uses two infra-red wavelengths of laser energy to promises to give similar results to the more expensive Botox and microdermabrasion treatments. Does it work? Doctors say it's too weak a laser to do any damage, but in effect you're wasting a lot of money on an almost useless product.

You can also buy a DIY chemical peel. Dr Denese's Triple AHA/BHA at-home fizzing facial peel promises the same results as a beauty salon treatment at a fraction of the cost. But is it ever a good idea to put these kinds of chemicals on your skin with no medical supervision?

Perhaps the most harmless DIY solution I found was the CoCo "nose job" device, which will give you Cleopatra's Nose! To be honest, it just looks like a strong clothes peg.

"CoCo - Beautiful New Look of Nose is available at discerning stores in Japan, Korea and Taiwan from only $7.50. Why spend more on expensive plastic surgery and fancy doctors when you can just 'do it yourself'?"

With the average rhinoplasty procedure costing roughly $5000, what do you think the chances are that a $7.50 product could do the same job? Exactly.

Look, I'm no doctor, but I would like to summarize by saying please, please don't take the frugal option on this and attempt to do it yourself. There is no substitute for medical training and your body is too important to mess with by yourself. There are very few shortcuts to a better body, but plastic surgery is one of them...and it comes with a hefty price. Be prepared to pay it, or you may end paying significantly more to reverse your own home-made medical mistakes. Or worse, pay for it for the rest of your life with horrible disfigurements, bad health and chronic pain.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

I'm Fleeing The Country For Healthcare!

Amy B. Scher — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:08:53 +0000

It’s all the buzz lately as healthcare costs rise, and especially after Michael Moore’s SICKO caught the attention of the masses. Those of us not living in places where everyone seems to get a free ride on the healthcare wagon are up in arms. Yet, we don’t seem to hear enough from those who take the leap and leave their home country in search of less expensive (and often higher quality) care. So, how can we know if it’s worth the trip? I’m going to India to find out. There are a million questions spinning around about this subject and I want to hear from WB readers. Maybe together we can bring light to this important issue. Please post questions on this thread and let me see if I can dig up some answers for all of us.

The term “medical tourism” equals big business. It was originally connected to boob jobs and face lifts in faraway lands. Now, it’s not so. People are leaving the country for major medical procedures such as cardiac surgery and organ transplants, which are depending on the country, often 5 to 10 times lower than the cost in the states. A bone marrow transplant that could cost approximately $250,000 in the U.S. is about $26,000 in India. Some countries are offended by the coined term of “medical tourism” because of its negative connotation. It’s regularly associated with people setting off to vacation-type destinations for cosmetic surgery at upscale spa-like facilities. These countries want credit for being just as technologically advanced in medicine as we are – and in many cases, even more so.

After navigating the medical maze all across the United States for years, I’m getting on a plane and going to New Delhi, India Dec. 9th for treatment that’s not legal here – embryonic stem cell therapy. After developing severe neuropathy (nerve damage in my limbs) at the age of 25, I began a journey that I could have never imagined would lead me nearly 8,000 miles from home. Earlier this year, I discovered that the neuropathy, along with a host of other serious health problems, was due to an undiagnosed case of Lyme Disease and other infections transferred from the tick that bit me. I do believe long-term antibiotic therapy is helping to control the Lyme bacteria. Unfortunately, my immune system, nerves and tissue have all been compromised over this time period. This is an ongoing battle for me - one that has amazing financial consequences as my health insurance denies claims and prescriptions left and right. I believe embryonic stem cells will help to restore my body. To me, it’s priceless to be able to receive this type of treatment because it’s a chance at a healthy life I don’t have the opportunity for here. In addition, maybe it will put an end to or at least curb future medical costs by helping my body heal instead of masking its problems. Even if the treatment was available in the U.S., I’m confident the cost would be astronomical and not covered by insurance.

Some are adamant there is high risk associated with leaving the country for medical care, but I’m not worried. I’ve suffered long enough, researched and utilized western medicine (which I’m thankful to have) - but now it’s time to step outside of the box. The average cost for procedures and care in India are about 1/5 what they are in the west; it’s one of the biggest pharmaceutical distributors to over 180 countries; and clinical outcomes for surgeries and treatment are par with the world’s best centers. To me, not following this road would pose the biggest risk of all – possibly at the cost of my future health.

If you want to follow my India trip, you can do so at www.HealthcareHacks.com over the next two months. But, I'll be back on WB to report what the quality, cost and attitude of healthcare is in a country that’s third-world by most standards, but ironically can offer more than available in many flourishing countries.

This article is from Amy B. Scher of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

My dog's facelift

Andrea Karim — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:43:31 +0000

I just spent $1200 on a facelift for my dog.

Before you go telling me that I should be put down, let me explain that it wasn't elective surgery. My dog is a Pekingese, and say what you will, I don't think that there's much you can do to make a Pekingese look "good". I mean, I love their ugly little mugs the way they are.

But my dog kept getting these infections above his nose. His nose was pretty much indented into his face, so a profile was a complete inverse of what you'd expect from a profile - his nose being the innermost point on his face.

Pekes tend to be a tad on the snotty side. Not so much in temperament (they're not often smart enough to be downright snooty) but in terms of mucus production. My dog, Yong Yong, is no exception. Anytime he breathes, he moves moisture all over the place. He sneezes when he is happy, sad, excited, disgusted, or really really put out. The result is that his wet little doggie nose keeps his face moist at all time - a great recipe for infection.

After the sixth visit to the vet for an emergency supply of antibiotics, anti-bacterial wipes, anti-fungal creams, and some sort of doggie steroid to reduce inflammation, the vet put her foot down and said that I HAD to get Yong Yong's facial fold removed.

I had heard of Pekingese getting facial surgery before, the most famous example being Danny, the prize-winning Peke whose surgery caused something akin to a scandal among dog show freaks everywhere. Danny's face surgery was akin to my dog's - something to help him breathe a little better.

These days, surgery is quite advanced. Think that lasers are just for people? Think again. I've got a $300 laser fee to prove it. In fact, the actual procedure of removing the fold of skin above Yong Yong's nose was only $300 - the other $900 comes from "fees" - lab tech fee, O.R. fee, laser use fee. A fee for having anesthesia. That kind of thing. My dog's surgeon had told me that a non-specialist could perform the surgery for less, but I kind of figured that since it was my dog's FACE, I would go with the expert.

I know it's a sign of terrible yuppiehood that I am not the kind to make my dog into a rug or something. But you don't know this dog. He's hilarious. Obedient, no. Smart, definitely not. Loyal? Far from it. Yong Yong consistently tries to leave with any pretty girl that walks by my house (and has done so since he was a puppy). But he's sweet, in a simple way, and loves kids. When he runs, he looks like he's trying to fly, with his tail down for the sake of aerodynamics and his front legs flapping wildly out to the sides. He tries to beat up on his brother and gets his tail handed to him.

I find it hard to imagine life without Yong Yong. And I felt guilty watching him paw at his face, trying to scratch each painful infection.

Of course, now that I have him back from the vet, I feel even worse. He's hopped up on pain meds, but whenever he's awake, he gazes at me with the saddest, "How could you do this to me?" expression. The lampshade over his head (to keep him from scratching his stitches) keeps making him run into things, which means that I have to try to keep from laughing out loud at him. His face is swollen and bloody, shaved bare and marred by small stitches. His eyes are watery and accusing. He already sort of looked like ET's furry cousin - now with the satellite dish around his neck, the transformation is complete.

But I know that, in time, this will have been a worthwhile investment in his health. If we can get through a few good years in which we're not having to clean his face on an hourly basis, I will be satisfied with this experience. I'm sure Yong Yong will never forgive me, but he's hoping he learns to forget.

By the way, if any youngsters are reading this and wondering what a good profession might be, I'd like to recommend veterinary surgery.

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: