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(2006 Paris, France)
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Who I Am...
My name is Marianne Guarena, and I am the CEO of Enhancement Media, an Internet-based cosmetic surgery information and support network.  Our primary goal is to assist patients in their quest for information on plastic surgery and to help them with every aspect of their aesthetic journey.

I reside in sunny Southern California, where getting plastic surgery is as common as getting a half-caff, non-fat Venti caramel Macchiato in the drive-thru. Fortunately my interests bring me all over the world so I often have the opportunity to escape L.A. and obtain many views--as well as change my own.  I always remain open-minded as life and technology continually evolve.  I believe that adaptation is the secret of success and happiness.

I am one of those people that pipe up with "Did you know..." a lot.  My interests are, obviously plastic surgery, but also psychology, anatomy, biology and virology.  I am practically obsessed with the dynamics of the human body.  The human body is an extraordinary machine.  I am in absolute awe by its most primal mechanics and complex thought processes.  Everything about the human body amazes me--from birth to death.  The many stages that our chemical structure goes through are boundless, especially the mind. 

Personality and general psychological composition astounds me.  What one person sees as a strength or pleasure may truly be another's greatest fear and I am fascinated by this.  The mind is so limitless that I sincerely believe we will never, ever  fully learn its capability or recreate its true functionality.

My Personality
I have pretty typical Gemini traits. Constantly evolving, adventurous, inquisitive and tenacious.  I live life as though I may die tomorrow and have no regret other than that I couldn't live longer.  Sometimes, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the complexities of life and the possibility of missing out on anything I was meant to do.  I am always willing to learn new things and am very open to trying just about anything that I find interesting.  I just want to be able to learn and experience everything that I can before I check out.  No matter how much one knows or thinks they know, there is ALWAYS more to learn about everything.  You will never hear me say that I am an expert in anything.  I believe one can be well-versed in subjects but defining oneself as an expert, in my opinion, is incredibly ostentatious.  

(2006 Bagan, Myanmar)

I am the type of person who finds true contentment and a true sense of worth in helping others.  I do go out of my way to do things for those who need assistance, whether they admit it or not.  I do hold doors for strangers, help find lost dogs (and cats!), stop for those who may need help, and let those who have less items go in front of me at the grocery store. I am a firm believer in adopting animals, I do help my neighbors, I respect people who deserve it, I am hugely patriotic, and I am fiercely loyal.  I believe in politeness and courtesy and believe that if you wouldn't do something in front of your loved ones, you wouldn't do it if they were not present.   However, I don't take any grief from anyone.  Not anymore.  I tend to take up for the little guy even when I am the smallest person in the room.  And that little fact can get me into trouble sometimes.  Life is too short.

As far as my beliefs and what I am firmly involved in...I make regular donations and/or volunteer my time to such organizations as Save The Children, SAFE (Stuffed Animals For Emergencies, I run the California Chapter), SafeNest (which assists victims of domestic violence in Las Vegas), The Child Cancer Foundation, The Children's Miracle Network, and the National Marrow Donor Program.  I am a huge advocate of bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation and am currently on the bone marrow donor registry.  I also donate my platelets every month if I am able.  I urge everyone to do what they can to help leukemia and lymphoma patients win their battles.  We are blessed with the gift of health, let's help others with a gift of life.  I like to think of it as plastic surgery patients giving back.  Please visit my Bone Marrow Donor Support Network for more information.

If you care: Enneagram Type 8;  MBTI (Jung-Myers Briggs Type): INFJ 

My Most Fulfilling Accomplishment 
I had the opportunity to build an elementary school (grades 1 - 7) in Asia for 140 children who needed a proper place to pursue an education.  A lot of the children who do attend school in many under-developed countries must share a single classroom with other children who are in separate grades.  The children usually sit on a dirt, or wooden, floor with straw mats, and have very little one-on-one teacher time.  Plus, not all areas are fortunate to have even this little by way of education.  Clearly, most do not have the opportunities which many of us take for granted. 

In June of 2006 I met a very generous, and modest man who personally raises money for and builds schools.  He completely oversees the buying of the materials and the locals, mostly the families of school-aged children, build the structures themselves.  This way all of the proceeds go directly into the building of each school and none is pocketed nor trickles into unrelated 'projects'.  My school took about 3-4 months to build and was completed in early 2007--the inauguration was spectacular!  I have never been so humbled in my life, it was the most amazing experience I have ever been graced with. If I could, I would build schools full-time but it takes a lot of money, and with that I have to work for it.  All children deserve an education and I will do my part to change even just a few lives if I can.

How I Got Into This Career...

DSC00792.JPG (122349 bytes)
(photo: Photoshoot; Self Magazine)

I began college with a plan.  I was to first get my AA in Administration of Justice, ending with a degree in Criminal Justice, minoring in Abnormal Psychology.   I had this crazy idea in my young head I would one day be like Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs.  I remember when I first started college I was told that I would change my major many times.  I never believed a word of it until it happened to me.  At 18 the world was not as I originally thought it would be nor did it change by the time I got on the local police department.  My initial introduction to the world of law enforcement started when I got a job dispatching for the city police which included not only law enforcement, but fire & rescue and 911 calls as well.  I really loved it so very much.  I know it sounds silly, but my biggest obstacle was actually my shyness.  I felt uncomfortable speaking over the radio to everyone.  I have a soft voice and to be heard I had to get over it.  Trying to break in and being accepted, or taken seriously, was difficult at first, especially in a predominately male field.  But it was very challenging. Everyone one who knows me knows I love a challenge!

I later attended and graduated from the auxiliary police academy (at that time, my police dept. didn't allow women on the street full time but they did allow us to take the reserve course).  I loved dispatching, but I had a plan!  I truly was gung ho and thought I'd change the world; I really wanted to make a difference and put away ' bad guys.'  But, I later felt that the department I worked for really held women back at the time and opportunities never manifested no matter how hard I worked, whined or demanded equal treatment.

After a few short years I realized that I was one person who wouldn't 'make a difference' in law enforcement.  I also realized that there was a lot of politics involved in my area as well as that particular career in general and found that being in law enforcement was not something I was interested in anymore.  Long story short, I resigned.  I later attempted to get on dispatch in another, bigger city and didn't get the job.  NO hard feelings, I took it as an omen.  The end of law enforcement for me.  You live, you learn.  I don't regret it one bit.  I wouldn't be here today had I a wonderful experience.
Discovering Plastic Surgery
 Several years later while wandering through various careers and states trying to find out where my puzzle piece fit, I wound up in California.  About nine months later (1998), I decided to have breast augmentation surgery, rhinoplasty (1998) and eventually lip augmentation (1999).  I had begun amassing a good amount of information and research materials during my preliminary days before surgery.  During my healing times and off-time, I taught myself to handcode HTML and other languages (yes, people actually handcoded back then).  I began to document my stories for an online journal and well, a little AOL hometown web page (the black and pink days!) became numerous websites of patient education material.  I began spending even more hours online, researching and chatting with other plastic surgery patients, supporting them through their own recoveries, trying to find answers to their questions and so forth.  I woke up one day and realized I had better start making a living with it because it was taking up 12 to 15 hours a day of my time and a lot of my savings.  I started getting invited to appear on talk shows and magazine articles, so flying back from New York after the John Stossel show, my ex-partner and I discussed the situation and Enhancement Media was born.  

Yes They're Fake! was our flagship website, and out of necessity eventually grew into 25 separate plastic surgery websites designed to cater to the individual communities of patients seeking like-minded individuals.  Due to a partnership dissolution, 19 of our patient education websites were sold in July of 2006.  However, YTF and my cosmetic surgery recovery store are both still owned and run exclusively by myself.

You may have noticed the frank nature of Yes They're Fake website.  This is because we, as patients, need a place to unite and discuss the reality of aesthetic options and their risks and myths.  Our visitors are real people, looking for real answers from real patients who will tell them like it is, one way or the other.  Yes, I do take plastic surgery very seriously, but I just don't find the need for the site to be snobby and without personality.  That's just not me.  I become friends with a lot of people I meet through my websites and I like it that way.  Everyone who comes here to learn is very important to me and their happiness is imperative.  If I can do anything to help educate or just point the way, I will do my best. 

If you want your info candy-coated or biased, good luck!  Because you're going to need it.  I am not some "overly-opinionated know it all" (I have been called that on several occasions), but I am a realist.  If you find that you do not like it the YTF! attitude, the Internet's a big place and I am sure you will find your niche.  I do wish you well in your surgical endeavors.

First, My Before Photos
People are always interested in what I looked like before I had any surgery at all.  I honestly think that my nose made a huge difference but another big difference is in the way I now apply my make-up, and groom my eyebrows and hair.  I do not feel that I had drastic surgical changes, other than my breasts (which I have temporarily explanted until this fall) and nose.  I have reversed a few procedures such as my breasts and lips, as well as will be getting my threads removed.

Surgical Procedures I've had:

Mini Procedures I've had:

  • Botox to Glabella

  • Botox to Crow's Feet and Outer Brows

  • Collagen Injections

  • Cosmetic Dental: Throughout 1999-2001, some additional bleaching and filing in 2003 (ongoing).

  • Laser Tattoo Removal: began August 11, 1999.  I shall resume treatment soon.

  • Microdermabrasion: (1999) I find that a homemade microdermabrasion cream or .1% tretinoin (Retin A) does the same thing for way cheaper, and Retin A is more effective.

  • Obagi NuDerm Skincare & Rejuvenation - with Retin-A Micro: March 29, 2001-November 2, 2001. It made a big difference in my skin

  • Perlane & Perlane 2  (temporary filler, although I had a lump in one lip from it that lasted several months)

  • Perlane AND collagen overlay for a special event (temporary)

  • Thermage (Thermacool Radio-frequency treatment) Also called Thermalift to brows, temples and under eyes. Don't recommend.

  • Collagen Philtral & Cupid's Bow Sculpting (temporary, but loved it!)

  • Feather Lift to Cheek (APTOS Threads) - January 26, 2004 (Contour Lift is better, but wait for resorbable barbed sutures)

  • Radiance (Radiesse) to Lips - May 5, 2004 (I had severe lumping though. I don't recommend at all for the lips)

  • Micropigmentation to brows and upper and lower eyelash enhancement June 2004 (I recommend using a stencil or transfer sheet to draw on before tattooing.  DO NOT DO FREEHAND cosmetic tattooing for eyebrows.  Mine are asymmetrical because of it.  That whole nonsense about 'they should be sisters, not twins' is for technicians who screw up and need an excuse.

  • Sculptra to under eyes (and Radiance lump removal from lip) - November 11, 2004

  • Sculptra to under eyes, nasolabials and cheeks - February 9, 2005

  • Radiance lump removal 'completion' - February 22, 2005

  • Restylane under eyes - August 30, 2006

  • ScanLite (full-face), 1 cc Restylane to lips and a touch to nasolabials, Botox - December 12, 2006 (OUCH, and no results for the ScanLite)

  • Invisalign Removable Braces (2006- 2008)

  • Next: Breast Augmentation (AGAIN) and Tooth Bonding to further tweak my chompers in the fall of 2008

A Few Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Are you having anymore surgery?
A. Never say never.  I am sure now that I have had the surgeries I wanted, upkeep will be necessary as the years go by.   Plus, I am re-implanting this fall.

Q. Do you have Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? 
A. NO. I do not have an image disorder.  People can improve their appearance and mind without needing therapy.  However, I definitely wouldn't have had as much had I not been in this business.  I do a lot of television and other media for plastic surgery and feel that I must keep up my appearance more than I would have otherwise.  Not to mention some minor procedures I have simply had just to gain first hand knowledge to tell others about it and let them know what to expect.  I know that sounds crazy but, they weren't really invasive.  I only do really invasive things because I want to, not out of peer pressure.

Q. Why did you start getting plastic surgery at such a young age?
A. I believe in prevention and maintenance instead of waiting until you are bad off and need an overhaul.  I look at it this way, you don't drive your car into the ground and then once it breaks down you fix it.  You take care of it so it takes care of you.  If you maintain your appearance and take care of yourself will look and feel far better for far longer.  Besides, I started off with procedures to improve what I had, didn't have anything age related until 30 (Botox) and age-related surgery (brow lift) at 32 and from now on the procedures will be to maintain what I have.

Q. How can you afford this?
A. Just like you, I have to work for my money.  However, for my first 2 procedures I had a settlement from a near death accident (motorcycle accident) after a two year stint in physical therapy I said I DESERVE this!  And so I spent the money on boobs and a nose!  The lips were a Valentine's Day gift. I also quit smoking right before my breast augmentation and the money I save on that alone was enough to cover anything else for years to come.  I have remained a nonsmoker since 1998!   It is honestly THE best thing I have ever done for myself.  I also work about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.  Also, I have had discounted procedures (and some no charge) because I agreed to be filmed on television while having the procedures. And of course, I skimp in some areas so I can spend in others; people sacrifice some things so they can have others.  If there is a will, there is a way my friends!  I do have a "gear" addiction though (skydiving, BASE, riding, you name it)--I have issues about it.  I mean just how many pairs of 5.11 tactical pants and Under Armor duffle bags does one person really need?? 

Hobbies & Interests

My hobbies include skydiving, flying my wingsuit, BASE jumping, riding motorcycles (sport bikes), street luging, scuba diving, snowboarding, snowblading, sailing, horseback riding, fencing, trying to get better at surfing, road trips, fishing, camping, traveling, golf, piano, and painting in oils. 

I enjoy attending the ballet, Broadway musicals, the opera, the orchestra, and general performing arts.  I also thoroughly enjoy art galleries, museums, and antiquing. 

Videos:
 Earth B.A.S.E. Jump Video in Switzerland
Flying A Wingsuit With My Friends 
Streetluging With Some Friends
Streetluging POV Camera

Personal Photos

  • Paris - June of 2006  

  • Ballooning in France - August 2006  

  • Fencing in the South of France - July 2006: 1 | 2  August 2006: 3 | 4  

  • On my CBR 600RR  1 | 2

  • Sailing a J80 racing boat - December 2006 1 | 2 | 3  

  • At Mahout camp with Kahm-Moon (learning to drive elephants) in Thailand - March 2007 1 | 2 | 3

  • With one of the baby elephants in a camp in Thailand - March 2007

  • With an even younger baby elephant - same camp.  This orphaned baby was SO sweet. 

  • Incognito in Cambodia (Angkor Wat, Cambodia) - March 2007

  • Exhausted in Cambodia, climbing around Angkor Wat, Cambodia - March 2007

  • Getting Tattooed by Arjan Noo Kanphai outside Bangkok in February 2007 1 | 2 | 3 The left shoulder is very common place to get a Sak Yant tattoo.  Arjan Noo is a master tattooist in Thailand who still uses only the traditional hand method.  I was very fortunate to have him accept me as a recipient of the Sak Yant.  Yes, he is the one who tattooed Angelina Jolie, but her tattoo is a different Yantra than my own.  The day I got mine, there were several Thai men who were getting tattooed with a Sak Yant as well however I do not know what theirs represented.  My own is for protection from death and injury, as well as for good luck and inner peace/happiness. 

  • Skydiving (freeflying or flying my wingsuit)  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 This is probably one of my favorite things to do, other than riding my motorcycle.  A day where I've done both, is a great day indeed.

  • Jumping from a hot air balloon 1 | 2

  • B.A.S.E. Jumping 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

  • Street Luging 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  • Riding horses across Mongolia 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

  • SCUBA diving 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Send me a postcard! Marianne Guarena  3565 S. Las Vegas Blvd. #709, Las Vegas, NV  89109

 

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This page was last updated: 08/15/2008