This article sets out as an information guide on what you must know about Cosmetic Surgery before considering undergoing one. Cosmetic plastic surgery is an elective surgical procedure which ixs performed especially in the more developed countries where people are more affluent and want to look better.
People undergoing Cosmetic Surgery increased by leaps and bounds in recent years very often encouraged by very extensive medical breakthroughs and less expensive surgical procedures.
Cosmetic Surgery is one of the most progressive in the fields of medical research. This is partly due to the widespread acceptance among women and increasingly also men who want to look better than what they are at whatever age they are in. To go under a cosmetic surgeon's knife is no longer a taboo like it used to be in the past.
Today's modern society's pressures to look young, slim and healthy are driving more and more people to opt for cosmetic surgeries to achieve their aesthetic looks.
Although pictures can help when you are discussing your goals and expectations with your cosmetic surgeon, you should be realistic about it. The beautiful models whose faces and bodies you see in magazines and advertisements were usually born with what you see. They were already good looking in the first place and their faces are usually made to look even better with cosmetic touch ups. Their body shapes are naturally acquired because good genes, proper diet and regular exercise. Most of them have never undergone any cosmetic surgeries with only some exceptions. Therefore, you cannot reasonably expect to look very alike the supermodel or the movie star that you fancy.
However, using a picture of your favorite model as a starting point can give your surgeon some idea of the look of which you would like to own. Only after examining you can your cosmetic surgeon determine whether your aspirations are reasonably achievable.
A very important question you should ask yourself when you are thinking of undergoing a Cosmetic Surgery is, "Am I considering Cosmetic Surgery for myself or to please someone else?" It is critically important for a potential plastic surgery patient to understand that the decision to opt for the surgery should not be done just to please someone else. Yes, not even to please your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend or anyone else, but the decision is made for yourself.
If your reasons for considering a Cosmetic Surgery are that "My boyfriend would be more attracted to me if my breasts were bigger," or "I will get better chances of getting dates if my nose is a little higher," then you should not be considering cosmetic plastic surgery because these are the thoughts of a person who is insecure with low self-esteem.
It is certainly erroneous to believe that the world will change after the surgery. What if you do not get that date that you were hoping for? Will your self confidence crash? There are some research findings that indicate many Cosmetic Surgery patients suffer emotional scars and some are even prone to being suicidal, but that is for another article.
Then again, the personal changes made to your face and body after the surgery can certainly boost your self confidence and self esteem. For example, someone who has completed a successful breast enlargement surgery very often find herself standing up straighter and walking with more confidence in her gait.
Do go for a detailed consultation with your cosmetic surgeon to find out what information you must know the surgery you are hoping to do or even consult a psychiatrist for information if you think that the reason that you want to try cosmetic plastic surgery is due to low self esteem.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Cosmetic Surgery Information Guide
Cosmetic Surgery Facts
There used to be a time when cosmetic surgery was the snooty prerogative of celebs who would frequently be photographed after a "holiday" looking all dewy and refreshed, much to our awe and amazement! Back then, those who could afford surgery strictly adopted a "don't kiss and tell policy" when questions were raised about their newly relaxed appearance. With increased media exposure, however, more and more people are displaying interest in nip and tuck procedures purely for aesthetic purposes. As a result, cosmetic surgery has found a place in the public domain.
Although people are a lot more up-front about cosmetic surgery than they used to be, the fact is that going under the scalpel is not for everyone. While TV shows might sing its praises, and gush about how a little tweaking here and there can send your self-esteem sky rocketing, it isn't quite that simple.
Do You Need Cosmetic surgery?
To answer this question it's important to understand the nature of the term. Cosmetic surgery helps you alter physical features or parts of your body that function perfectly well, but might still make you unhappy. Contrary to popular perception, those who seek out cosmetic surgery aren't usually people who are chronically dissatisfied or unhappy with their appearance. On the contrary, most people who choose to alter their appearance are basically happy and well-adjusted.
This is where the question of "need" comes in. If you're chronically depressed enhanced breasts or perfectly arched brows aren't going to bring about any changes in your state of mind. In fact, if done for the wrong reasons, cosmetic surgery can be a dangerous tool for your self image. For the most part, those who seek out cosmetic procedures are people who are reasonably happy with their appearance but wish they could have something (usually a minor aspect) about their physical appearance altered so they'll look and feel better.
What Cosmetic surgery Can Do for You
Although your cosmetic surgeon can give you a realistic picture of your physical appearance post surgery, he or she can't and shouldn't guarantee any change in your psychological well being. If chosen judiciously, however, cosmetic surgery can bring about positive emotional changes. Research conducted on patients after cosmetic surgery reveals that most patients indicated increased self-confidence, and an enhanced quality in their personal and social lives. This isn't hard to understand. When you look better you feel better. This enhanced self-perception has a positive effect on your relationships.
Making Cosmetic surgery Work for You
Now that you've made the decision to have cosmetic surgery it's necessary to mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for the surgery. Expect enhancement of your present looks, not movie star perfection. The less realistic your expectations, the more you set yourself up for disappointment when the bandages come off. Your surgeon should be able to give you a fair picture of what the end results might be.
Don't expect a miraculous makeover of your entire life. In other words, cosmetic surgery isn't a magic wand that can set right a troubled marriage or end loneliness. If you expect your newly enhanced looks to correct other personal issues you might have, that's not going to happen. In fact, if you've just been through a traumatic experience such as a death in the family, have recently gotten divorced, or lost a job, you should probably postpone any plans for cosmetic surgery. The surgery will only compound these life stresses and increase the possibility of heightened expectations.
Also, understand that cosmetic surgery is a medical procedure and as such there is always an element of risk attached. Complications can occur.
At the end of the day, cosmetic surgery can be a powerful way to realize your physical potential, which in turn can lead to beneficial effects in your personal, social, and professional lives. If you do your research, ask questions and are realistic in your expectations, there's no reason why cosmetic surgery won't enhance the quality of your life as it has for so many others.
The Beverly Hills Face Lift Surgery Procedure
Have you ever wanted to have a Beverly Hills face lift surgery done? Have you ever seen a movie star who is 60 years old strolling down the red carpet but looks like she is 40 and wondered how? If you have had these questions before, than you have probably thought about having a face lift.
A Beverly Hills face lift can be a way to get rid of some nagging wrinkles or some sagging skin that you may not like as much as you used to. However, have you ever researched what actually happened during and after the surgery ? Perfectly removing twenty years of aging from one's face does not happen by magic. Such a procedure can be very intricate and requires a lot of expertise and some artistic talent as well. However, with the right doctor and the right procedure, you can achieve what you would consider to be the perfect face lift.
The face lift procedure is actually an out-patient procedure most of the time. While this does not mean you will not have any post-effects from surgery , it does mean that you do not have to take two months off of work in order to have the surgery done. Usually it takes about ten days to fourteen days for you to recover fully and be back to work. Until that time, your doctor will do a few things to ease the pain caused by the surgery . During the procedure the doctor will in most cases use a general anesthetic and then also use a local anesthetic in the procedure in order to prevent most of the pain. In fact, most of the time patients do not suffer much pain at all because the local anesthetic used is generally a long acting anesthetic.
After your surgery , you will most often be able to go home, or to a specialized overnight facility. Sometimes when you go home the doctor will send you with a private duty nurse to help you as well. After you are home, and for the next two weeks, the long-acting local anesthetic will minimize the pain and will help with the swelling that occurs.
As you can tell from the procedure, it is very important that you have a very good doctor perform your Beverly Hills face lift surgery . Talk with the doctor beforehand to see what kind of procedure they follow, which kind of anesthetic they use and if you have any choices and what kind of post-surgical care you can expect. If possible, speak with past patients and find out what it was like for them and what suggestions they have for you. Often times, doctors will have patients testimonials that you can read that will help you get a better idea of what to expect in the procedure. I would also suggest to look at before and after pictures, and not just the before and after pictures that you find on the doctor's website. They will invariably put up only successful procedures on the site which may or may not be the best representation of the doctor's work. You want to see as many pictures as possible.
Asking these questions and getting to know your doctor will help you understand the procedure for a Beverly Hills face lift surgery . Just make sure that you are comfortable with the doctor and the procedure before you make your decision, as a face lift can be very hard to undo afterward if you don't like it.
Tips on Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Photo Viewing
Your plastic surgeon's
before-and-after photos can reveal much about both your surgeon's ability as well as information about the procedure you are about to undergo. Most often, it is these plastic Surgery photo viewing that will help you decide whether or not you want the procedure.
Always Ask for Photos
You do not want to go into a potentially risky procedure without fully knowing what you are about to get into. A plastic Surgery photo viewing session is one of the best ways for you to get a glimpse of a surgeon's sense of professionalism and skills and how you might just look like after surgery.
Don't settle for just one plastic Surgery photo. Ask your surgeon to present a gallery and explain to you which plastic Surgery photo is most likely reflective of your condition and goals. You might also want to log on to websites and scour the net for numerous other photos. This will help you compare your surgeon's work with that of others.
Assess Photo Quality
Good plastic surgeons will always have more than one set of photos to show. Badly done photographs may be a sign that you may not have a very dedicated and meticulous surgeon. Make sure that you are viewing a high resolution plastic Surgery photo gallery. Pictures however that appear too perfect are something to be wary of. Cosmetic plastic Surgery cannot produce perfect results and you should be on your guard if all the pictures present fabulous looking models.
Look for Signs of Editing and Manipulation
Of course reputable and accredited surgeons do no more than cover a patient's identity during minor plastic Surgery photo editing. None of the surgical details are masked. It is still a good idea however to have a discriminating eye. You might end up in the hands of the rare surgeon con artist who might resort to plastic Surgery photo editing.
Aside from editing, you should also check plastic Surgery photo galleries for inconsistencies in lighting or angles. Before photo editing software was invented, clever photographers used lighting and angles to change the look of the same object. Some surgeons may not have intentionally employed such a practice. Real lighting difficulties may truly have resulted in a picture that looks better than the actual result. Simply ask your doctor about what you see if you notice differences in lighting or angle in before and after pictures.
Do Not Rely On Pictures
Don't rely on photos alone to make your decision. You might be able to make a more informed decision if you requested for a computer assisted display of what you would look like after the procedure. You should also consider looking for real people you know such as friends and family and assess for yourself how much they have improved in their appearance.
Your doctor's skill, accreditation and certification should also be a factor in deciding. Researching about a doctor's qualifications is the best way to ensure safety.
Trina Rowde
Is clinic plastic Surgery right for you? Read more on how a plastic Surgery photo can help you decide.
What Is Special About Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery has become a common procedure with many of us who want to change some of our features in order to appear better. However, getting the right plastic surgeon to perform the procedure is what will ensure the success of the surgery with the minimum risks. Here is why Beverly Hillsplastic surgery clinics are considered to be some of the best in the world and how you too can become a patient of one. The fact that the Beverly Hillsplastic surgery clinics are situated in the heart of Hollywood where not only the celebrities live but also some of the richest people in America. This is the clientele that the Beverly Hillsplastic surgery clinics are used to on a daily basis and the fact that they demand the best plastic surgeons in the world in order to ensure they are provided with the best procedures with the minimum side effects or risks makes these clinics the best in the world.
When You Demand the Best You Pay For It Too
The Beverly Hillsplastic surgery clinics are known to have the best plastic surgeons in the world but they are also known to be extremely expensive. However, when you want a procedure to be done without a flaw and with the minimum of risks involved then, you will invariable pat of it whether it is in Beverly Hills or anywhere else in the world and besides when it comes you one’s appearance and health, money usually means nothing if they cannot rectify or improve it. So you are sure to get the best treatment possible.
Finding and Booking A Beverly Hillsplastic surgery Clinic
There are a number of Beverly Hillsplastic surgery clinics and in order to find the most suitable one for you it will require some research that can usually be done online. It is recommended to get your procedure done by a specialist in the field you are interested as they will be easier to find and yet again you will be ensured of precision and results due to the vast experience in the domain. Once you have found the plastic surgeon of choice and have checked all his credentials, recommendations and references try and book in as much in advance as possible because even though these clinics are expensive they are also almost always fully booked, at times with even a year or so in advance.
Getting Atlanta Plastic Surgery
There are many reasons that you might think about getting plastic surgery. The industry has been booming for many years because many people feel that their lives are just too short to live looking in a way that they would rather not. Atlanta plastic surgery offices have much to offer for people who are looking for a way to change their looks for the better. There are many reasons that someone might want to visit an Atlanta plastic surgery office. For once, some people have conditions which change the way that their face or bodies looks, and wish to have surgery in order to change how they look. Other reasons some people choose to visit an Atlanta plastic surgery office is that they have been injured, whether in an accident or in another way, and this injury has changed the way that they look. At an Atlanta plastic surgery office, you can find help for both of these reasons, and you will be able to help plan with a doctor the way that you will look from that time on.
Many Reasons
However, there are also other reasons that you might want to visit an Atlanta plastic surgery. For one, you might have decided that you just don’t like the way that you look, no matter how you might look. You might feel that you want to change something about your appearance, no matter what that something might be. If this is the case, there are many things that an Atlanta plastic surgery office can provide for you.
No matter what the reasons are that you choose to get plastic surgery, you should know that this is indeed something that is going to change the way that you look for the rest of your life. Before you get plastic surgery, you should think carefully about the way you look now and be sure that you are doing the surgery for the right reasons. Because it is surgery, you are going to be actually going through a medical procedure, and you might want to think carefully about what the outcome of this procedure is going to be. Be sure that you know that this is for you before you begin with an Atlanta plastic surgery specialist. Also make sure that you are visiting a place in Atlanta that has been licensed by the medical boards so that you know you are getting the best service and care.
American Board of Plastic Surgery Inc. Assures the Standard of Competence of Its Plastic Surgeons
The whole process of certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery has been designed to assure the public that the plastic surgeon has completed an approved educational program as well as an evaluation that also includes examination processes that assesses the knowledge , skills as well as experience requisite to providing high quality patient care in that particular specialty. The umbrella organization for twenty-four approved specialty certifying boards is The American Board of Medical Specialists, and in order to be certified as a specialist by one of the twenty-four recognized boards, the physician need to compete specified requirements. The American Board of Plastic Surgery Inc. has been around since 1937 and is organized around various interest groups involved in Plastic Surgery , and it became a subsidiary of the American Board of Surgery in May 1938, and three years later obtained the status of a major specialty board.
Main Purposes
The main purposes of the American Board of Plastic Surgery is to establish requirements for the qualification of applicants, conduct examinations of approved candidates, issue certificates to those who meet the Board’s requirements and to do and engage in any and all lawful activities incidental to these purposes. Choosing to get Plastic Surgery performed by an American Board of Plastic Surgery Inc. plastic surgeon will assure patients that they are being treated by a doctor that is a graduate from an accredited medical school and one who has finished a minimum of five years of extra training as a resident surgeon. The concerned plastic surgeon must have undergone at least three years of residency in an accredited general surgery program as well as at least two years of residency in Plastic Surgery .
For a plastic surgeon to get accredited with the American Board of Plastic Surgery Inc.’s program the doctor should also have completed successfully comprehensive oral and written exams and the whole process of certification is a voluntary process that can be taken, if so desired. The American Board of Plastic Surgery certification is one of twenty-four specialty boards recognized and spans the entire spectrum of the Plastic Surgery specialty. The American Board of Plastic Surgery Diplomate is one who has fulfilled all the requirements and is setting out to promote safe, efficacious, and ethical Plastic Surgery through adhering to the highest standards with regard to examination, and all other aspects of Plastic Surgery .
Plastic Surgery Before and After Pictures: View With A Critical Eye
Most cosmetic surgery candidates have browsed the internet or medical publications for before and after pictures of the procedure they wish to undergo. These photos are an important and highly useful tool for potential patients.
They can reveal a plastic surgeon's aesthetic preferences, experience, skill level, artistic eye, and quality of work. Although the before and after photos are an integral part of choosing your cosmetic surgeon, it is important to study the photos with a Critical Eye .
One of the first things to assess when consulting with potential plastic surgeons is how easily they produce a portfolio of their work and how they react when you ask them for photos. If they balk, make excuses, or act insulted that you asked for pictures, its not a good sign.
A cosmetic surgeon who is confident in his skills will readily offer you many photos and take the time to go over them with you. A good surgeon will go over individual cases and point out similarities that may mirror your personal situation.
He or she should specifically point out what was done to achieve the end results, how your own case figures in relation to others previously performed, and offer answers to any questions you may have.
If a cosmetic surgeon only offers you a few photos, ask if there are any more. If not, why not? Five examples is not enough to base a decision off of - you should be given upwards of a dozen. Some surgeons may have small portfolios because they're very choosy about which pictures they want to show to potential clients.
A confident plastic surgeon will show you not only the occasional shocking metamorphosis that can be achieved, but the results of the average patient and more difficult cases where the outcome may not be as dramatic.
When browsing the photos, take special note of the lighting, makeup, and expression of the clients. If the before pictures have drab backgrounds, poor lighting, no makeup, and the client is frowning, followed by a colorful and happy after photo, it should cast doubts on the surgeon's skills.
Both the before and after should have been taken in the plastic surgeon's office, in front of the same, plain colored background. If it is a facial cosmetic surgery , the hair should be clipped back from the face. Remember to take into account any makeup the client may or may not be wearing, as this can make a great difference in her appearance.
Try to focus on the specific area that concerns you. The target area should look natural, fitting each individual. If everyone is the photos appears exceptionally beautiful, you should also be weary. To make an informed decision, the photos should represent a wide range of patients.
The best before and after photos will make you feel confident in the cosmetic surgeon's abilities. If you find yourself agreeing with the aesthetic choices the surgeon made on different people in the after photos, then he might be a good match for you. Be sure to use other criteria to base your decision on, as photos alone are not enough.
Abigail Aaronson
Considering cosmetic surgery to enhance your appearance? Consult a Houston plastic surgeon to learn which procedures are best suited to your body type. View online videos and photo galleries at http://www.basu plastic surgery.com/.
Sane Plastic Surgery For Men - Statistics And A Few Tips
It's probably no secret that men in increasing numbers are undergoing elective plastic surgery. Cosmetic plastic surgery is a growth industry, and men are becoming a significant factor in that increase. Just as an example, the American Academy of Facial and plastic surgery reports that as of March 2007 there was an "astonishing" 91% increase in men receiving non-surgical facial plastic surgery since 2000. Botox injections are the most sought after non-surgical procedure among men.
Liposuction was performed on over 53,000 men followed by over 45,000 rhinoplasty (nose) procedures and 33,000 eyelid surgeries. About 13% of all plastic surgery patients are men according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Given this trend, there would seem to be a need to introduce some sanity into the plastic and Cosmetic surgery picture for men in the light of the all too frequent, obsessive quest for the knife among women reported incessantly in the media.
Here are a few tips concerning plastic surgery which are specifically applicable to the males of our species.
The Face
1. Facelifts have a tendency to produce a feminizing effect in men. However, there are several less drastic procedures that actually can yield better results, namely chin liposuction, forehead lifts and neck lifts. Since male temperments seem to be less patient with the time frame required for recovery from plastic surgery, these smaller procedures are better accepted.
2. Chemical peels, of course, are non-invasive and can eliminate fine lines and blotches, which often make men, as well as women, look older than their years.
Liposuction
1. Try as one might, in many cases no amount of intense gym work on abs or love handles will rid the body of unwanted fat deposits. Liposuction can easily dispense with these imperfections. Not only that, liposuction can work beautifully in removing fatty breast tissue, helping to sculpt the abs to a profile not seen since the patient was a strapping youth.
2. Best results are obtained from liposuction when men discipline themselves to continue working out regularly. This minimizes the chances of reappearance of localized fat deposits. Avoidance of alcohol for at least three to five weeks following surgery is also highly recommended, and there is no better time to stop smoking. Smoking can hinder the desired outcome in any Cosmetic surgery procedure.
Implants
1. Pectoral and calf implants can present problems. Among other things, they have a tendency over time to migrate.
2. Again, the preferable route is liposuction around these areas to allow pectoral and calf musculature to appear to be more distinct.
Overall, men, unlike women, seek less involved plastic surgery yielding an improved masculine look with less time spent recovering. So in terms of their bodies, temperament and objectives, men are quite different from women in the way they approach plastic surgery. The long and the short of it is that masculinity must be preserved at all costs.
from:articlesbase
What is Safe Plastic Surgery?
The popularity of plastic surgery in Los Angeles is increasing. As a plastic surgeon, I am frequently asked by my patients whether plastic surgery is 100 % safe.
No plastic surgeon or any other type of surgeon can guarantee 100% safety. Many things that we do in life carry a possible risk of complications. For example, there is a risk of injury when driving cars, flying on airplanes, skiing etc. However, there are effective ways to minimize the risk of plastic surgery complications.
First of all, it is important to know that your plastic surgeon is a true plastic surgeon. Not every surgeon who performs plastic surgery completed a plastic surgery residency. Your plastic surgeon should perform the procedure you desire on at least a weekly basis. You surgeon should be willing to show you before and after plastic surgery pictures of his patients. The more plastic surgery pictures you can see the better. You should have an opportunity to talk to other patients of your surgeon.
Where you surgeon performs plastic surgery is a very important safety factor. Of course, having surgery in a hospital provides the safest possible environment. For this reason, I perform most of my surgeries at the hospital where my office is located. In addition, many of our plastic surgery patients have an opportunity to spend the night after surgery in the hospital. This is a particularly good option for patient who live further away or undergo combined surgical procedures. These patients typically stay in a private room where they are cared for by experience nurses. The next day I visit my patients in their room before they are discharged home. Many Los angeles plastic surgeons perform surgery at surgical centers. Surgical centers that have proper state or national accreditation also provide safe environment to perform outpatient plastic surgery.
It is important to assure that patients do not have any serious medical conditions prior to undergoing plastic surgery. In my practice, any patient who is over 45 years of age or has medical problems will need to be evaluated by a primary care physician or a cardiologist prior to surgery. My goal is to provide every patient with a plastic surgery procedure that is effective and safe.
Bloodless Spine Surgery: Pictures & Explanations
Section 1 covers common spinal conditions such as cervical, thoracic and lumbar herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and scoliosis. Each problem is explained and illustrated. The classical symptoms, standard signs, traditional and non-traditional treatments along with surgical interventions are explained. Preventative techniques are described. Section 2 shows the medical evaluations and strategies necessary for safe spinal surgery. Basic medical, vascular, cardiac, hematological, pre-operative bloodless and pre-operative bloodless assessments for Jehovah's witnesses are covered. Section 3 takes the patient to spinal surgery. The concepts of radial arterial catheter, foley catheter, central access catheter, swan-ganz catheter, regional anesthesia, hypotensive anesthesia, fluroscopic evaluation, intraoperative neuromonitoring, pre-operative decisions, four-poster table, bovie and bipolar coagulator, Aquamantis coagulator, harmonic scalpel, high intensity headlights, futuristic surgical suite and innovative bloodless instruments along with techniques of surgery are illustrated and explained in language for the general public. Section 4 shows patient case reports displaying standard spinal decompression, complex spinal reconstruction, spinal fusion in Jehovah's witnesses and spinal fusion in patients with hemophilia along with kyphoplasty performed in an osteoporotic older patient. Section 5 is a thorough bloodless terminology dictionary which includes factors such as acute normovolemic hemodilution, allogenic blood and risk factors, anemia, anesthesiology, autologous self-salvage, auto-transfusion, blood safety data, cost of blood transfusion, factors used in transfusion, epinephrine, erythropoietin, fibrin sealants, gelatin and various dietary supplementations such as vitamins B12 and C necessary to augment iron storage.
Did Kim Kardashian Have Plastic Surgery? (Pictures)
o, that's not the latest Madame Tussauds wax figure, it's Kim Kardashian looking very plastic-y this week at NYC Fashion Week. Did she have plastic surgery or Botox or is it just a ton of makeup? What do you think? Leave a comment below!
Here's Kim Monday Feb. 16 at the Tracy Reese show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week:
- Click here for tons more sexy Kim Kardashian pics -
- Booty Battle: Kim Kardashian vs. Beyonce Knowles -
Here's Kim the day before at the Y-3 Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 Fashion Show:
What do you think of Kim's look lately? Leave a comment below!
update on Braden - before and after surgery pictures
Linda wrote to me to ask that I share some new pictures of Braden. As she said, when she was researching Braden’s strabismus surgery, she scoured the web for pre and post surgery pictures. (She wrote in August about their journey to finding the right eye doctor for Braden).
Braden shortly before his surgery
Braden, post surgery
Braden, post surgery - look at those straight eyes!
Artist’s Life: Cut, Nip and Tuck
You may remember that the body, the return of beauty and fashion as art were big themes batted around in the 1990s. They all reconverge with a clinical vengeance in a group show called “I Am Art: An Expression of the Visual & Artistic Process of Plastic Surgery” at Apexart, a nonprofit space in TriBeCa.
Nose jobs, before and after: images at “I Am Art: An Expression of the Visual & Artistic Process of Plastic Surgery.”
The curator is a plastic surgeon, Anthony C. Berlet, who has training as an architect, experience as a medical illustrator and a busy practice in northern New Jersey. Along with his own work he has selected that of three colleagues: Antonino Cassisi, an Italian specialist in pediatric plastic surgery; Michael Cohen, a partner in the Cosmetic Surgery Center of Maryland and a breast surgery specialist who also paints, sculptures and collects art; and Scott Spiro, another New Jerseyite, with a particular interest in body contouring, a sideline in painting and drawing, and a membership in the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
How is their art, which is also their surgery, best described? The human body is their medium, the operating room their studio. The tools of their craft include multifarious cutting, clamping, probing and sewing devices, as well as digital and laser technologies. Most of the work that results is a living art. It can be seen walking among us in the form of revamped and — this is, of course, the point — improved faces and figures.
For purposes of a gallery display, however, we get photographs and videos of those bodies, often seen before, during and after surgery, in the process of being patched and stitched, augmented or reduced, subtly adjusted or utterly transformed.
The idea of anatomical alteration as art is not new. Some non-Western cultures have long practiced scarring, binding, piercing and stretching parts of the anatomy in the interest of status or beauty. In the contemporary West there is a significant tradition of body art. The French feminist artist Orlan has been submitting herself to craniofacial reshapings for years in a blend of performance and sculpture meant to question dominant standards of beauty.
Dr. Berlet, no doubt sensitive to Western associations of cosmetic surgery with decadence, vanity and conspicuous consumption, is careful to distinguish, in an exhibition brochure, which kinds of procedures qualify as art and which do not.
The basic face-lift, for example, is a rote operation “that can be taught to almost anyone.” Pull, lift, stitch; end of story. Not art. Creativity begins with other, more option-rich manipulations. With rhinoplasty — nose jobs — you are on aesthetic ground. Each nose is unique, so decisions about shaping it must be imaginative, though always guided by a fundamental form-follows-function principle: i.e., the patient should be able to breathe through the nose when the work is finished.
Other procedures involving different and larger parts of the anatomy, and requiring masses of skin and tissue to be moved from here to there and blood supplies to be rerouted, can be formally even more complex. And the ramifications of every move must be considered: as in all art, there is a fine line separating doing too little, just enough and too much. Ethical, philosophical and psychological inquiries are ever present.
Who defines the terms “too little,” “just enough” and “too much”? Who defines beauty, perfection, the ideal? To what degree is perfection another version of distortion? The examination of culturally based and gender-based valuations was central to certain artists of the 1990s, who would have noted as significant that all four artists in the Apexart show are male, while almost all the models or patients in the photographs are female.
And what about hierarchical ranking within the aesthetics of plastic surgery? Are certain types of heroic, skill-intensive surgery — the repair of severe birth defects, say — high art? And are more fashion-oriented procedures like breast lifts, tummy tucks, mommy makeovers and liposuction low art, or possibly not-art?
Personally, I have no problem with accepting the work in “I Am Art” as art. A thing of beauty is a joy, whether forever or for a day, and if a doctor-artist can turn you into one, that’s art to me. And if he can rescue a body from serious ruin and a soul from despair, God bless him; he’s as good as Michelangelo. Does he cater to the rich and charge too much? Check out all the drecky Picassos still selling for huge prices at auction. Do all those nose jobs look pretty much alike? Check out paintings in Chelsea galleries these days.
The big problem with the Apexart show, as least for certain sensitive types, is looking at some of it. Dr. Cohen’s pictures of breast enhancement are as agreeable as lingerie advertisements, but his colleagues deliver some pretty strong stuff. Many artists do their work in private and give you only a final, polished product, leaving the scraps, scrapings and splots on the studio floor. Here you get the whole schmeer — the blood, the guts, the slice, the equivalent of Counter-Reformation paintings of martyrdoms, but with real bodies.
The show gives you some warning as to what you’re in for. The following words appear in tiny type far down on the back of the brochure: “This exhibition contains content that may not be suitable for all viewing audiences. Please use your discretion.”
Heed that advice. And if your discretion says, “Go,” then brace yourself, keep your mind open and respect what you see. After all, given the frailties of the flesh, the vanities of age and the possibilities of accident, you too may end up as art someday.
“I Am Art: An Expression of the Visual & Artistic Process of Plastic Surgery” remains on view through May 9 at Apexart, 291 Church Street, TriBeCa;
(212)...
, apexart.org
Sunday, March 29, 2009
three weeks until surgery
Surgery Pictures
Many of you already know my "interesting" stories from the day of my surgery, so I will try not to repeat them all here. I am not even sure "interesting" though is quite the word for them! :) Hmmmm. :)
First off, let me just say that my surgeon did an excellent job and I am healing well! Grateful for that! And since having my gallbladder out, I no longer have the horrible sharp pains in my stomach from the gallstones!
All that said though, I was not at all prepared for how painful surgery was going to be! I remember waking up in the recovery room and half-deliriously saying to the nurse, "Why did I do this surgery?" Wow......"ouch" is certainly not adequate enough! It was at least good to be reminded of how necessary it was though when she said, "Hey, I saw your gallbladder when it came out and it definitely needed to go!"
The day-of was horrible..... surgery was a couple hours late, I woke up from it so nauseous that they ran out of the different options they could do for me to make me feel better, they wouldn't let Doug come and see me in the recovery room (so I had do be in there for hours before I eventually got to see him), I had to wait forever for them to get a room ready for me and transport me, and they tried to take my water away from me when I finally got up to my room for the night (although Doug and Becky hid it for me....Hehehe.)
We got to the hospital that morning at 8:30 am and I didn't get to see my hubby until 7:00 pm! He was so precious though because he kept calling the recovery room asking the nurse when he would be able to see me. After them holding me captive for several hours, he was about to come break the doors down and rescue his hurting little princess! :) I was so worked up when I finally did get to see him that the first thing I said to him was, "Honey, I need you to spend the night with me!" We had already decided ahead of time that he wouldn't do that because he has had major problems with his back for months now and it would be way too painful for him. But guess what? My caring hubby stayed the night with me in a little cot alongside my bed!
As Doug spent something like 10 hours in the hospital waiting for me, he had wonderful friends encourage him! Our good friend Dave Schmitt came and ate with him and then joined him in a walk around the hospital. Then our good friend Beck came and waited with him until they could both see me. And he also had several family members and friends that called to check on how we were both doing.
When they wheeled me into my room that night, I not only saw Doug's awesome face, but my good friend Becky's! She brought me some beautiful Gerber Daisies (which happen to be my most favorite type of flower), and two things she knows I just love: Junior Mints and Twizzlers! :) She also brought Doug some Cherry Bites! :) At one point, she called our kingdom group (they meet on Thursday nights) and I got to hear them all tell me hi, they missed me, etc. It was great!
Yes, I will admit that I was absolutely crazy to go to church last Sunday when I had just had my surgery on Thursday. All I will say is that I definitely regretted it. :)
So how am I doing now? Much better! I still am in pain (hurts to move, walk, etc) but the pain gets a little less each day. My stomach is definitely still swollen (I have felt like I am pregnant because of it), but the swelling has definitely decreased. Last night when I was at my friend Becky's birthday party, my walking was a little faster and looked a little less waddling-like, I was standing straighter, and could actually sit in an upright chair!
We have so appreciated the visits, the food, the cards, etc!
Here are some pictures......sorry about the quality, but they were taken on the cell phone.
Pre-surgery
Doug on his cot
Post Surgery
My Gerber Daisies
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Duchscherer set for elbow surgery
Justin Duchscherer will have arthroscopic elbow surgery next week, likely causing the Oakland Athletics' two-time All-Star to miss at least the first month of the season.
Manager Bob Geren announced the surgery Friday, but he said the team has not yet determined when or where Duchscherer will have the operation. He also said the team won't know how long Duchscherer will be out until after the surgery.
Typically, a pitcher would miss at least six weeks with an arthroscopic procedure on his elbow.
"Anytime you lose a guy it's disappointing, especially when the player is a possible No. 1 guy," Geren said.
The 31-year-old Duchscherer had been bothered by a sore elbow almost the entire spring. Last week he had two encouraging bullpen sessions, but when he tried to pitch in a minor league game on Thursday, he had to leave in the first inning because of elbow pain.
An All-Star in 2005 and 2008, Duchscherer was 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA. He missed the end of the season with a hip injury, his second stint on the disabled list.
Without Duchscherer, Dallas Braden likely will start on opening night.
A-ROD WON'T SEE TEAM: Alex Rodriguez's rehabilitation from right hip surgery will keep him from returning to the Yankees' spring training complex until after the team heads to New York to play two exhibition games.
Rodriguez has been rehabbing in Vail, Colo., where he had surgery on March 9. Rodriguez is working out in a pool, doing a range of motion drills and lifting weights.
"He'll be back after we're gone," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "All is going good."
Rodriguez is expected to be out until May.
DICE-K THROWS: Daisuke Matsuzaka had his first bullpen session of the spring with the Boston Red Sox after being named the MVP of the World baseball Classic.
Matsuzaka struggled with his control in the 54-pitch session ahead of his first Grapefruit League game of the season Monday against the Braves in Orlando.
Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell said Matsuzaka's wildness was understandable considering all the traveling he has done.
"I think, all things considered, it was kind of what we had expected, worldwide travel, west coast travel, getting in late the other night, still adjusting to the east coast," Farrell said. "So, he had a chance to throw all his pitches ... in his bullpen session. So, he'll go Monday and we'll look to be in that 70- to 75-pitch range."
TABATA DIDN'T KNOW: Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jose Tabata said Friday his much older wife lied to him about being pregnant with his child before she was accused of abducting a 2-month-old baby girl, who has since been returned to her parents.
Tabata, speaking publicly for the first time since his wife's arrest earlier this week, also said 43-year-old Amalia Tabata Pereira never told him she was incarcerated for more than two years in an arson case years before they met.
According to Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, Tabata's wife showed off pictures of an infant and told the player that the baby was his, only to have Tabata learn hours after seeing the baby that the girl had been taken from her parents in Plant City, Fla., about 60 miles from Bradenton, where the Pirates train.
Pereira, arrested after the baby was handed over to authorities at a Bradenton shopping center on Tuesday, was taken Wednesday to the Hillsborough County Jail and is being held on $750,000 bond on an abduction charge.
from: newsobserver.com
Why Oh why must it all be from scratch?
First before I go any further.... Do you people see.... Really Can you see? What crazy freaks I deal with on a daily basis..... Someone please.. Anyone... Please come save me! 
A Crazy Week & a Surgery Date
Finally! A date fer surgery. Now let the worrying commence!
It's April 13th, by the way, and I'll also be participating in an experimental drug trial as well. Turns out my surgeon is the CHIEF of Cardiac Surgery at Vanderbilt, so I'm feeling pretty confident. :o) Perhaps he'll be worth the wait..... We asked him what he thought was the cause of my mitral valve going bad, and he said that he couldn't say for certain but it was NOT because I am so fat like Studmuffin has been thinking (although the doc acknowledged [and so do I] that I do need to lose a whole lotta weight); it is probably just degenerative valve disease that may have some kind of genetic component. The doc said the proper name of it twice, but I didn't catch it. It began with an M..... I have to say that I was *happy* to find out that I didn't cause this to happen by my ginormity (and therefore cannot be blamed for it by said Studmuffin).
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Something fun: And Here's link to a whole bunch of really cute bunny pictures!
BUNNIES HERE
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Today, Homeschool Kid had to have a frenulectomy...I won't go into it all, but he's feeling sore and on mushy foods for a few days. The Doc was running late so it took all daggone day and I had other stuff to do......On top of that, neither our regular insurance nor our secondary dental insurance would pay anything AT ALL for this procedure, which made me wonder again: why do we give them our money? Is it all just a giant Ponzi scheme? :::sigh::: It has been an expensive day.
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Something fun
More bunnies: this time it's video of SHOW JUMPING BUNNIES (I kid you not)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c
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The
- No 'S' thing
is going well. Studmuffin & I both have lost weight and it is rather easy. But he's an engineer and so loves to do charts and graphs (that boy sho' does know his way around Excel), and he's been giving me grief that I wasn't coming up to snuff with my pound-a-week goal on his charts that he sends me via email (especially before we found out that it isn't my overweight that's cause the heart trouble). It was buggin' me that he was buggin' me - especially last weekend when he several things to say about it.
- No , this isn't his chart...I just thought this was a funny graph....
That chart didn't look quite right to me, so I put in the data I had: the day we started No 'S'ing, the couple of times a week I've been weighing myself and made my own little chart in Word....
HA! HA! HA! His chart was WRONG!!!!
Y'all would be so proud of me: Tuesday night we were working on some other numbers (yes, we're such nerds....) and I showed him my data and my chart and asked if perhaps he might've put something in wrong? He was in denial for a little bit and accused me of "cherry-picking" the data; I said that I certainly could be wrong, but would he please check it maybe tomorrow?
He sent me a new chart the next day...and it was fixed! And GUESS WHAT?! I'm doing rather BETTER than my weekly goal. Since he wasn't here, I did my little happy dance of truth and justice. Always check the facts, y'all. Always. Even if somebody else minored in Math in college, you still gotta check the facts.
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Something fun:
- The coolest dirty car windows
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I didn't get to go out knitting at all this week (well, except in waiting rooms at doctors' offices) and I miss my knitting buddies. I'ma have to miss them for at least a month after the "Grand Opening" so I don't want to miss them before the event.
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Something fun:
If yer a Star Wars fan at all - click HERE
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There's all kinds of other stuff that happened, but I still gotta practice some more music before bed. Hopefully I'll post some actual KNITTING on Sunday. Won't that be different? :)
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Something fun: And here's an
- origami Yoda
you can make.
There's lots of really cool origami
- at this site too
.Chernobyl Today: A Creepy Story told in Pictures
In the zone of alienation in northern Ukraine, Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. Its population had been around 50,000 prior to the accident. Today, the only residents are deer and wolves along with a solitary guard.
Prypiat used to be proud for being home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers.
But something happened on 26 April 1986…
It took three days before all permanent residents of Chernobyl and the Zone of alienation were evacuated due to unsafe levels of radioactivity.
Let the story be told by these magical pictures taken ~20 years later after the accident.
All the texts put in the quotation-marks are mostly the quotations of comments made by the authors of the photos.
(Image credits:Pedro Moura Pinheiro via:villageofjoy.com)
“The sign on the road to Pripyat, the town where the workers of the nuclear plant lived.”
Sara’s Ecstatic with the Results of her Breast Augmentation
26 year old Sara (user name: HottMama) realized at a young age that she was very underdeveloped for girls her age. As she got older, she eventually settled down and had a family, giving birth to two children. She was very distraught at the lack of volume seen in her breasts after breastfeeding her infants. She had already been considering a breast augmentation for a considerable amount of time, but finally decided to take the appropriate steps to undergo this procedure. She discussed this with her husband, and upon deciding to undergo a breast augmentation, began doing as much research as possible. After talking to friends, family, and going on for consultations, she finally had her surgery done on December 1, 2008 by Dr. Andre De Greef. She strongly benefited from using Make Me Heal’s Breast Augmentation Message Board for guidance.
Sara’s advice for anyone having plastic surgery:
“Do as much research as you can, ask a million and one questions. Read every sticky on makemeheal.com and take your time deciding. It’s a lot of money to fork out for something you ‘might’ want to do.”
Please join us below for an interview with Sara:
Make Me Heal: When did you first have the idea to have your procedure(s)?
Sara: When I was 16 and very underdeveloped.
Make Me Heal: What were your motivations (physical, emotional, social, etc.) behind your decision to have the procedure(s)?
Sara: Having successfully breastfeeding my two children and the lack of volume my breasts had afterwards.
Make Me Heal: How long did it take you to make a decision and was it an easy or difficult one to make?
Sara: Very easy because of the length of time spent on researching it since I was 16.
Make Me Heal: Did your family, friends, and any other people in your close circle give you support, opposition, or did you make this decision without considering them?
Sara: I made the decision with my husband, no one else.
Make Me Heal: How did you research the procedure and come to decide on this particular procedure?
Sara: I asked a friend at work about hers, she let me touch and squeeze them. I googled everything I could possibly think of about breast augmentation.
Make Me Heal: Please discuss if you used any of Make Me Heal’s resources such as the message boards, pictures library, doctor directory and doctor reviews, and any recovery and preparation products that you used.
Sara: I actually found the site about a week before my surgery date, but the site has an abundance of information on it!
Make Me Heal: How did you come to choose your doctor?
Sara: I had one consultation with the PS that did my surgery. He did my friends breasts from work and if I look half as good as she, I would be happy!
Make Me Heal: Please discuss if you have any role in deciding the type of technique used for your surgery by the doctor, incision placements, implant brand, anesthesia type, etc.
Sara: I told him to work his magic on me and he sure did!!!!
Make Me Heal: How did you prepare for the surgery?
Sara: I didn’t prepare for the surgery physically but mentally. I did research on types of pain relief can be used, what type of tape to use for hypertrophic scars (which I suffer from).
Make Me Heal: How were you feeling the night before the surgery and on the moments before the surgery itself?
Sara: The night before I was content, I cleaned the house, made lunchs for the kids. That morning I wasn’t too nervous, more excited…..I was going to wake up with boobs!!!!!!
Make Me Heal: How was the recovery process? Please discuss what side effects you experienced? What were the worse parts of the recovery? Did anyone help you during the recovery?
Sara: My husband, Chris, did soooo much for me the first week after surgery. Heat and cold compresses worked wonders for me!
Make Me Heal: Please discuss the pain or discomfort you experienced during the recovery?
Sara: The three days after surgery were the worst for pain, I couldn’t get up using just my abdominal muscles because of the pain but it wasn’t unbareable. I still have ‘morning boob’ 29 days after surgery but it gets better day by day.
Make Me Heal: How well prepared were you for the recovery from physical, emotional, and mental respects?
Sara: I prepared for the worst……I read the horror stories. You think your recovery is going to be that bad and then when it comes time…it isn’t!
Make Me Heal: What are your top recovery tips to other patients?
Sara: Take a good 2 weeks off work…..even if you feel great after 4 days…take your time! Have someone there with your 24/7 for the first week. Don’t do anything besides pamper yourself during this time. You just went through a huge life changing surgery!!
Make Me Heal: How long did you take off from work? What did you tell your co-workers about taking this time off? Did anyone notice your cosmetic procedures at work and what did you tell them if they asked about it?
Sara: I took 3 weeks off. I was scheduled to go back 9 days after surgery but didn’t feel ready. I told one woman about my surgery, noone else. So far noone has noticed, that I know of. I’m not sure what I would say if they asked me about it.
Make Me Heal: How happy are you with the results?
Sara: I am estatic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Make Me Heal: How has your makeover impacted your life from personal, social, career, and other respects?
Sara: I am more confident. I can wear those cute teddy’s that I couldn’t before. I feel sexier in pictures, talking to my husband…everything.
Make Me Heal: Would you have done anything differently if you had the chance?
Sara: I would keep a total secret from everyone besides family….and get them to swear that they wouldn’t tell (although sometimes that doesn’t happen!)
Make Me Heal: What is your final word of advice to other people considering the procedure(s) you had?
Sara: Do as much research as you can, ask a million and one questions. Read every sticky on makemeheal.com and take your time deciding. It’s a lot of money to fork out for something you ‘might’ want to do.
Make Me Heal: Was Make Me Heal beneficial to you along your journey?
Sara: All the women on the BA forum are wonderful and willing to answer any questions and show you pictures when asked.
from:www.makemeheal.com
Sunday, March 22, 2009
For LSU, it's all about Ty's toe
Today in our story, underdog fans everywhere – particularly those of the Duke footprint – hope No. 1 seed North Carolina stubs its proverbial toe in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon against No. 8 seed LSU in a 4:45 p.m. game at Greensboro Coliseum.
Perhaps the most famous toe in the history of Carolina sports would not cooperate with reporters on Friday.
Cameras circled North Carolina star point guard Ty Lawson’s injured right big toe Friday afternoon in the Tar Heels’ locker room as trainers feverishly worked on the big digit. The toe had no comment.
Slowly, a trainer unwrapped the bandages like in that vintage, “Eye of the Beholder” Twilight Zone episode in which the character played by Baton Rouge area native Donna Douglas (Ellie May from the Beverly Hillbillies) has undergone a medical procedure to make her face normal.
Ty’s toe is not as beautiful as Douglas’ visage, though it looked pretty normal. But cosmetics are not the issue here. It’s how the toe feels, and Lawson has not played on it since the regular season finale against Duke on March 8.
“I don’t know,” Lawson said while on the trainer’s table. “I still haven’t been on it. It’s not swollen anymore. It’s just stiff. I’m just going to go out there and see how it feels.”
Lawson was scheduled to practice on it Friday afternoon, then be checked for swelling at 11:30 last night with the ultimate test being in today’s pre-game.
“OK, uh, I don’t know,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said with a smile as he opened a press conference Friday. “He has to get through without any swelling and see how he feels (Saturday). So, it will be a game-time decision more than likely.”
This was day 15 of Ty’s Toe. There have been routine toe updates by the various papers' websites in the area. Reportedly, the Research Triangle is busy working on it.
Lawson aggravated the toe during a practice before that Duke game when he ran into the goal support. X-rays showed the toe was previously broken, then healed and then was aggravated in that practice, but Lawson does not remember breaking it. And the story thickens. Lawson also had a somewhat mysterious ankle injury last season that made him miss six conference games. Could it be Lawson?
The toe was shot up so Lawson could play in that Duke game, and he scored 13 points with nine assists in 36 minutes of a 79-71 win. But Lawson, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year averaging 16 points and nearly seven assists a game, was not himself. His game, and thus North Carolina’s game, is based on his cheetah-like speed with all 10 in-shoe starters firing, and he was missing a claw.
Then, when the shot wore off, the big toe grew so swollen it looked like a paw. More shots were ruled out, and Lawson was held out of the ACC Tournament, where the Heels lost to Florida State in the second round.
Lawson tried to practice on it before the NCAA Tournament, but he really couldn’t do much. So he was held out of North Carolina’s 101-58 win Thursday over No. 16 seed Radford, which the Heels could have beat with toes tied behind their back.
Replacement point guard Bobby Frasor is only adequate.
LSU is not Duke, but it is surely not Radford either. Four-time All-American forward Tyler Hansbrough may score 30 today and guard Wayne Ellington may get 20 for North Carolina, but the Heels may need Ty’s toe to kick LSU out of the dance.
“I’ve been a college coach 31 years, and I’ve never had a player that can accelerate at that speed,” Williams said of Lawson. “He can turn it from 0 to whatever as fast as anybody I’ve seen. He can run past people dribbling it when they’re running. He puts tremendous pressure on a defense to make sure they get back.”
That's when he's healthy. Remove the toe of a leader, and the rest will fall?
Or as Bill Murray’s John Winger said in Stripes, “An army without a leader is like a foot without a big toe.”
Sunday, February 8, 2009
How To Get a Sex Change
There are different levels of change when it comes to the transgendered. For those who identify with the other gender and want to change their sex, there does not have to be surgery. For this article, the steps help you get a sex change, before you decide whether to go under the knife or not.
1. Make the decision. The choice to change your sex and gender is a tough one. You might face rejection from all sides - your family, friends, coworkers and lovers. You need to consider how the decision will impact your life then make the choice and move on with it.
2. Change your exterior persona. An essential part of a sex change is the outward appearance. Change your wardrobe and hair to fit your new gender role. If you are changing to the female sex, then you will need to take the additional steps of hair removal and makeup. Once you have the wardrobe and style change you might need to practice walking, posture and attitude to suit your new gender assignment.
3. Educate yourself. Learn about the sex change and transgender community by educating yourself. Get in touch with the community, join a support group and learn about gender reassignment. Talking with others who have been where you are will help you make the change and help you decide if you want to take the sex change to the next level and have sex reassignment surgery.
4. Accept your choice and how it impacts your life. Now that you have made the choice and started to get educated about what it means to the rest of your life, it is time for acceptance. By now you should be experiencing at least some reaction from those closest to you. From this you will hopefully begin to either accept your choice or at least decide how you will help them with the transition.
5. Integrate the change into your life. For a full sex change you cannot be another gender part of the time. The change will eventually need to become part of your life and be integrated into all facets of life. This means that if you took the earlier steps only in your private life or without your family, this step moves your change into those parts of life you avoided earlier. Prepare your employer for the change and let your family know you will be a new gender at the next holiday.
6. Live the life. To be sure that the sex change is for you, you should live the life. Spend at minimum six months living a full life with your gender change. For this period of adjusting to your new life, you should avoid making any other major changes including career or family changes to allow your time to process. You should also avoid starting a new love relationship during this period.
7. Decide if you want to make the change permanent. After making the change and living the life, you can now decide whether you want to have sexual reassignment surgery to make the sex change permanent.
Sex changes are traumatic even without sex reassignment surgery. Follow these steps to begin a sex change
Sex change surgery
Definition
Also known as sex reassignment surgery, sex change surgery is a procedure that changes genital organs from one gender to another.
Purpose
There are two reasons to alter the genital organs from one sex to another.
- Newborns with intersex deformities must early on be assigned one sex or the other. These deformities represent intermediate stages between the primordial female genitals and the change into male caused by male hormone stimulation.
- Both men and women occasionally believe they are physically a different sex than they are mentally and emotionally. This dissonance is so profound they are willing to be surgically altered.
In both cases, technical considerations favor successful conversion to a female rather than a male. Newborns with ambiguous organs will almost always be assigned to the female sex, unless the penis is at least an inch long. Whatever their chromosomes, they are much more likely to be socially well adjusted as females, even if they cannot have children.
Precautions
Sexual identity is probably the most profound characteristic humans have. Assigning it must take place immediately after birth, both for the child's and the parents' comfort. Changing sexual identity may be the most significant change one can experience. It therefore should be done with every care and caution. By the time most adults come to surgery, they have lived for many years with dissonant identity. The average in one study was 29 years. Nevertheless, even then they may not be fully aware of the implications of becoming the other sex.
Description
Converting male to female anatomy requires removal of the penis, reshaping genital tissue to appear more female, and constructing a vagina. A vagina can be successfully formed from a skin graft or an isolated loop of intestine. Following the surgery, female hormones (estrogen) will reshape the body's contours and grow satisfactory breasts.
Female to male surgery has achieved lesser success, due to the difficulty of building a functioning penis from the much smaller clitoral tissue available in the female genitals. Penis construction is not attempted less than a year after the preliminary surgery to remove the female organs. One study in Singapore found that a third of the patients would not undergo the surgery again. Nevertheless, they were all pleased with the change of sex. Besides the genital organs, the breasts need to be surgically altered for a more male appearance. This can be done quite successfully.
Orgasm, or at least "a reasonable degree of erogenous sensitivity," can be experienced by patients after surgery.
Preparation
In-depth psychological counseling should precede and follow these procedures.
Aftercare
Social support, particularly from the family, is important for readjustment as a member of the opposite sex. If patients were socially or emotionally unstable before the operation, over 30, or had an unsuitable body build for the new sex, they tend to do poorly. In no case studied did the procedure diminish their ability to work.
Risks
All surgery runs the risk of infection, bleeding, and a need to return for repairs. This surgery is irreversible, so the patient must have no doubts about the results.
The most common complication of the male to female surgery is narrowing of the new vagina.
Key Terms
- Chromosomes
- The carriers of genes, which determine sex and characteristics.
For Your Information
Books
- Hensle, Terry W., and William A. Kennedy. "Surgical Management of Intersexuality." In Campbell's Urology, ed. Patrick C. Walsh, et al. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1998.
- Jordan, Gerald H. "Surgery of the Penis and Urethra." In Campbell's Urology, ed. Patrick C. Walsh, et al. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1998.
- Eldh, J., A. Berg, and M. Gustafsson. "Long-term Follow Up After Sex Reassignment Surgery." Scandinavian Journal of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery & Hand Surgery 31 (Mar. 1997): 39-45.
- Hage, J. J., and P. J. van Kesteren. "Chest-wall Contouring in Female-to-male Transsexuals: Basic Considerations and Review of the Literature." Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery 96 (Aug. 1995): 386-391.
- Hage, J. J., and R. B. Karim. "Sensate Pedicled Neoclitoroplasty for Male Transsexuals: Amsterdam Experience in the First 60 Patients." Annals of Plastic Surgery 36 (June 1996): 621-624.
- Huang, T. T. "Twenty Years of Experience in Managing Gender Dysphoric Patients: I. Surgical Management of Male Transsexuals." Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery 96 (Sept. 1995): 921-930, 931-934.
- Karim, R. B., J. J. Hage, and J. W. Mulder. "Neovaginoplasty in Male Transsexuals: Review of Surgical Techniques and Recommendations Regarding Eligibility." Annals of Plastic Surgery 37 (Dec. 1996): 669-675.
- Siemssen, P. A., and S. H. Matzen. "Neovaginal Construction in Vaginal Aplasia and Sex-Reassignment Surgery." Scandinavian Journal of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery & Hand Surgery 31 (Mar. 1997): 47-50.
- Tsoi, W. F., et al. "Follow-up Study of Female Transsexuals." Annals of the Academy of Medicine (24 Sept. 1995): 664-667.
Source: Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Published December, 2002 by the Gale Group
The Essay Author is J. Ricker Polsdorfer MD.
http://www.lifesteps.com/gm/Atoz/hc/hcindex.jsp
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