BOOBAPALOOZA! South Lake Tahoe '01 Photos Are Up!
I am happy to announce that the majority of the photos are up on the Boobapalooza page! Marlo and I also included an account of what happened and what we did. We of course are still waiting for Francesca's story and photos as SOMEONE is always late ;). Actually she is getting married soon, so we'll cut her some slack - THIS TIME.
BOOBAPALOOZA - South Lake Tahoe - March 23-25, 2001
Updated Rhinoplasty Photos - I Am Getting A Revision
Please take a look at my personal rhinoplasty journal to see updated photos of my rhinoplasty results. I know many of you think that I should not get a revision but the truth is you really can't tell the discrepancies in photos. The most important thing is that I want to change it and make myself happy, right? :) I will let you all know how it goes and hopefully will be able to document the whole episode.
! Yes They're Fake ! - Cosmetic Surgery & Product Report - My Rhinoplasty Journal (With Photos)
ACK!! I Need A Lift! Update Breast Augmentation Photos
I should have listened to my surgeon and got the lift, but it wasn't really only that -- it was my repeated hormonal fluctuations, weight gains and incorrect support for the last three years. Not only that, I lost breast tissue as is normal and since my right breast was originally larger to begin with, it was less filled. Now I am sagging more on that side without that extra "fill". The breast envelope is still larger on the right as you will notice in the photos. All in due time, I guess. I have no time right now to undergo surgery. I am not devastated, I didn't even know it was like that until I took the updated photos.
! Yes They're Fake ! My Breast Augmentation Journal (With Photos)
Obagi Nu-Derm System
As many of you know, I started the Obagi NuDerm 6 week treatment regimen for my acne damage, hyperpigmentations and fine lines or general roughness on March 29. I am happy to announce that I have seen much improvement! I have posted my nasty, red and
peely, no-eyebrowed face on the web so you can see the improvements. I do update the journal daily.
! Yes They're Fake ! - My Obagi NuDerm-Retin A Journal (With Photos)
"The Master Cleanse"
I know you guys are going to think I am absolutely nuts. But I am currently doing what is referred to as a "cleanse." Which translates into no food for 10 days minimum -- living only on a concoction of spring water, organic
grade B maple syrup, organic lemons and cayenne. Before you say "eeew" Read my journal :) I have lost significant water weight which my body has major problems letting go of. I have lost fat and my kidneys are no longer hurting nor are my joints. If anyone is interested visit:
! Yes They're Fake ! - 10 Days To A Healthier, Leaner, Detoxified Body
I Apologize For Any Site "Bugs"
I am aware of them and am dealing with a twitchy program. Obviously I am staying up late if (it is 4:55 am) and I should be finished by tomorrow evening, hopefully. So any missing graphics or dead links will be rectified ASAP. I apologize profusely.
:)M
Liquid Silicone Makes News Headlines - Again.
I'd like you to see a top news headline from 2 days ago. I find it important to know, although the actual chances of it happening are unknown. I still think one should read it. Many of us discussed these articles on the Yes They're Fake Cosmetic Surgery Forum where you can see our comments if you wish it. I understand this is a controversial subject, but the truth of the matter is, in the United States, liquid Silicone injections are illegal.
Lasers, Silicone Can Be An Explosive Mix
By Anne Harding
NEW YORK, Apr 18 (Reuters Health) - Resurfacing the skin with a carbon dioxide laser is a popular way to erase wrinkles. But this anti-aging treatment could be hazardous for people who have had silicone injections, according to Philadelphia researchers. Silicone injections for "filling in" wrinkles became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The injections produced scarring in many patients, and are now illegal in many US states. Collagen and other Food and Drug Administration-approved "fillers" have largely replaced injected silicone. In 1986, a plastic surgeon reported that "an incandescent flash of yellow-orange flame" burst forth from a patient's breast when he was using a laser to remove silicone deposits from her ruptured breast implant. To investigate whether this "silicone flash" is a threat today to patients with silicone deposits in their skin, Dr. Warren Zager and colleagues from Jefferson Medical College conducted a series of experiments. They observed what happened when they exposed tiny droplets of silicone fluid to carbon dioxide lasers, and also tested skin samples that had been injected with silicone. They found the "silicone flash" does indeed occur, and it has the potential to burn and scar the skin. They published their findings in the April issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery. People who have had silicone injections should not have carbon dioxide laser skin resurfacing, the researchers advise. Instead, they recommend, silicone deposits should be removed surgically. "This is accurate. It's important, but it's probably not a large issue," Dr. Brian Kinney, a Los Angeles plastic surgeon and clinical assistant professor of plastic surgery at the University of Southern California, told Reuters Health. "It is probably not a huge problem with actual live patients." Kinney notes that the original "silicone flash" occurred when a doctor was removing a ruptured silicone implant with a laser, which is not a normal practice. Instead, the remnants would usually be removed with a scalpel, he explained. Also, Kinney notes, the Philadelphia researchers' studies were done with fresh droplets of liquid silicone. Silicone injection material that has been in a patient's body for decades, he explained, would be solid, like "caulk," and would not produce the same effect when exposed to a laser.
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But exposing silicone-injected skin to a laser could indeed be dangerous, he adds, because silicone injections produce scarring and altered blood flow. Plus, the laser itself can burn the skin and increase blood flow. For this reason, Kinney said, a person who has had a silicone injection and is considering laser resurfacing treatment should inform his or her doctor about the injection. Using a laser on skin over a silicone breast implant could also be hazardous, he noted. Laser skin resurfacing itself is not risk-free, study co-author Dr. David Reiter told Reuters Health. "There can be prolonged redness and irritation of the skin, scarring, pigment changes, and other rarer local effects."
SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery 2001;127:418-421.
Also on injectable silicone...
Silicone Injections Can Be Risky Business
By KATHRYN WINIARSKI Staff Writer
Doctors are warning people seeking cheap cosmetic upgrades to stay away
from illegal, back-alley injections. The liquid silicone injections,
which aren't approved by the FDA, can be a severe health risk. A
53-year-old Florida woman died last month shortly after getting a
silicone injection in her left buttock and hip. Florida detectives
Wednesday arrested Greenville resident Mark Hawkins, who was charged
with third-degree murder, manslaughter and unlicensed practice of health
care. She's not the only one who has fallen prey to this procedure in
recent months. Dr. Ram Kalus, a Columbia plastic surgeon, said one of
his patients (--) an exotic dancer (--) was lured into getting silicone
breast injections to boost business. The injected silicone hardened, and
Kalus had to remove all of the breast tissue beneath the woman's breast
skin. He inserted implants. "Unfortunately, these criminals are out
there just waiting for the next victim," said Kalus, who warns
patients to steer clear of the injections even if the price seems right.
Liquid silicone injections are not approved by the FDA for buttock
enhancement, breast enlargement, wrinkle-reduction or any other cosmetic
uses.
"Absolutely don't do it. It's
fraught with disaster," adds Dr. Gregory Sexton of Capital Plastic
Surgery in Columbia. "You don't want to inject free silicone into
anybody, period." The silicone itself is not what is dangerous,
experts say. The problems occur when silicone shifts within the body or
enters the bloodstream.
Loose silicone forms internal lumps and
scars in the body. And if it is wrongly injected into a vein, the
complications can be deadly. Blood carries the silicone to the heart and
lungs, which appears to be the case with the Florida woman.
"It would be like a big blood clot
to the lungs [pseudo-pulmonary thromboemboli]," Sexton said.
"If you block the blood supply to the lungs, you can't get that
exchange of oxygen, and you die." Cosmetic enhancements are
mainstream today. Implants can enlarge the breasts, cheek bones and
calves, and injections of collagen and other substances can create
fuller lips and erase wrinkles. About 50,000 plastic surgeons operate in
the United States. Although licensed doctors are permitted legally to
use products for purposes not intended on the label, doctors do not
perform cosmetic silicone injections, said Dr. Daniel Morello, president
of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. So why would
consumers patronize untrained entrepreneurs? Cosmetic surgery is
erroneously viewed as less risky than other medical procedures,
according to Morello. Some customers shop for the best surgery price as
they would for a new car, with little regard for quality. "It is
real surgery. It has real risks," Morello said. Injections are not
the only silicone-related procedure to raise safety questions. For
years, silicone-filled implants were among the most popular breast
augmentations. Then women began experiencing health problems. Thousands
sued manufacturers like Dow Corning, blaming leaky implants for
immune-system diseases. A stream of studies concluded the implants did
not cause these diseases. Still, doctors today use saline-filled
implants almost exclusively. "Ninety-five percent of the implants I
put in are saline," Sexton said. "Most women are scared of
silicone." Silicone is an extremely versatile substance used in
products ranging from hair defrizzers to tire rubber. But it is prepared
differently depending upon its intended use. Medical-grade silicone, for
example, is sterile. Such silicone would be used to treat certain
retinal detachments in the eye, one of the few approved uses for
silicone injections. Industrial-grade silicone is not sterile. It is
used to coat automotive parts and for other purposes. That type of
silicone is easily accessible for illegal injections, said Morello, a
plastic surgeon in White Plains, N.Y. "You can buy a little can of
silicone in the hardware store," he said. "It has lots of
contaminants." In the 1950s, women who wanted breast enlargements
got them with liquid silicone injections, according to the American
Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. That ended when some patients
reported extreme complications and had to have their breasts removed.
Others experienced internal scarring and hardening of the breasts. The
best advice from [board certified] doctors is to make sure your
physician is board-certified in plastic surgery before getting any
cosmetic procedure. Then ask around. Word of mouth recommendations are
often the best guarantee your doctor will do a good, safe job.
"Any free injection of silicone is for the most part considered
malpractice," Kalus said. "It's absolutely horrific, the
complications we've seen." Hawkins, 36, who injected the Florida
woman, is fighting extradition to Florida.
As Always...
Please Send In Your Photos For The Gallery
Or ask your friends to do the same. We are very empty and are trying to
get a good-sized gallery going to help others out. You all keep writing
in and asking for more photos but I can't provide photos if no one wants
to send them in! This site works better with your help.
Cosmetic Surgery Correspondence
I am currently working on getting a panel of my fellow
comrades-in-beauty together. I have already directed some of my readers'
concerns and questions to those who are more qualified to answer them.
Some of you have asked questions regarding procedures I have not had
myself and I have put you in touch with someone who has. I have a few
friends online that have had these particular procedures performed on
them and they are more than happy to share their experiences and answer
your questions. If you are currently thinking of having a procedure done
and want the advice of and "talk" (E-mail or chat) with a REAL
patient who isn't biased by the dollar, so to speak, E-mail me and let
me know - I will 'hook you up'! If any of you are interested in being on
this Correspondence Panel, regardless of your satisfaction with your
cosmetic surgery, Email me your information regarding the surgeries you
have had and I'll post you as a volunteer. Thanks!
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