Some Beauty is More than Skin Deep

"Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone" wrote author and quipster par excellence Dorothy Parker way back when. While even the very best plastic surgeons sometimes have to cope with being perceived as shallow people in a shallow business, the fact of the matter is that some of what we do is about much more than vanity, and it's anything but ugly.

Just today, we were reminded of how often top plastic surgeons perform the kinds of surgery that most of us would consider far from elective, even though they might technically be cosmetic procedures. Don't get us wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with facelifts, breast augmentation, or any of the kinds of work we do that improve patient's confidence and, more often than you might think, their overall health and happiness.

Still, it warms our heart to read about outstanding board certified plastic surgeons, not to mention a number of nurses and anesthesiologists, who went to work on unpaid on a Saturday a week or so out in Florida in order to perform free cosmetic procedures on 11 needy children. As reported in yesterday's Miami Herald, the procedures at Baptist Children's Hospital included work on deformities in ears, cleft lips, and skin grafts -- the not so glamorous type of plastic surgery that you almost never read about in the celebrity gossip columns.

The important point is that that this kind of work goes on all the time with plastic surgeons. Helping poor children lead normal, healthy, and happy lives might not be as interesting as an actress's most recent procedure, but it really is beautiful -- the kind of beautiful that goes clean to the bone. 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/15/3453355/baptist-medical-staff-donate-free.html#storylink=cpy

Cosmetic Surgery Show in South Korea Brings Excitement and a Bit of Controversy

Here in the U.S., we are lucky to have some of the best plastic surgeons in the world, as well as a culture that has made substantial advances in embracing cosmetic surgery and the healthy self-esteem boost in can bring. Medical professionals like the board certified plastic surgeons at We Know Beauty have done a lot to open minds to the positive life changes that can be brought about by the surgery, and it appears our love affair with cosmetic surgery may be spreading across the globe.

Two years ago, a South Korean show made headlines for inviting women who were unhappy with their looks to undergo surgical procedures to alter their physical appearance and increase their self-esteem. While the show has drawn record ratings, it has also lead to controversy about the show's positive portrayal of plastic surgery.

We are encouraged though, to see the show's production team challenging accusations that the series encourages women to undergo dangerous cosmetic surgery. Park Hyun-woo, the show's producer says that the stress from being unattractive is a real issue for contestants. "Just speaking about their physical appearance issues seemed to make them feel better," says Park.

"It's easy to say the standards of beauty are unfair or wrong, but if you haven't been in their shoes and couldn't carry on a normal life because of your looks, you shouldn't judge," says Yang Jae-jin, psychiatrist in the show's production team.

Anxiety or displeasure over one's aesthetic features is increasingly common in South Korea, and we find it extremely gratifying to see a top plastic surgeon team assisting South Koreans in achieving their beauty goals. At We Know Beauty, we understand that aesthetic beauty is a gift that all should be able to enjoy in their lives, and we hope people continue to open their minds to the incredible opportunities it offers.

Leave Gary Cooper Alone!

If you are used to reading celebrity journalism, you no doubt are familiar with the type of story in which the topic is whether or not a given celebrity has had plastic surgery or not. Did he/she really have it? Was the work done well? Which of the world's best plastic surgeons performed it? Is the celebrity overdoing it? Did he or she really need it in the first place?

Lest anyone think any of this is even slightly new, we stumbled across an item recently that showed us, when it comes to journalism and celebrity's privacy, the more things change, the more they stay the same. We recently stumbled across a post by Los Angeles Times blogger Larry Harnisch. The subject: the front page picture and news story from the long defunct Los Angeles Mirror newspaper from May 1, 1958. The topic was, yes, a very big star's plastic surgery. In this case it was legendary movie star Gary Cooper, of such classics as "High Noon," "Sergeant York," and "Mr. Deeds Comes to Town," whose face had been worked on by one of Hollywood's top plastic surgeons. It was, perhaps, more shocking to some people as Cooper was a Hollywood "man's man" second only to John Wayne when it came to his public image, and it was hard to imagine Will Kane, Alvin York, or Longfellow Deeds having work performed. What the public didn't realize was that the real Gary Cooper was a bit more of a sophisticate than most of his characters.

We suppose curiosity about these matters is only human but, when it comes right down to it, is it really anyone's business? And does anyone really have a reason to criticize an actor for doing it in the first place? After all, the reason actors turn to the finest board certified plastic surgeons they can possibly find is not just that they'd like to look good (who wouldn't?). Looking good is  also part of their job, especially if they want to delay the inevitable shift from leading man to character actor.

In the case of Mr. Cooper -- "Coop" to his friends -- he had been (fictitiously) romancing the very young and even younger looking Audrey Hepburn the year before in Billy Wilder's "Love in the Afternoon" and the nearly 30 year age difference between the stars was a topic of some discussion. You can criticize the casting of a much older man in a movie romance with a 20-something actress, but can you really blame Gary Cooper for wanting to look as not-old as possible while doing so? Especially when his older pictures were constantly playing on television, reminding people how splendidly handsome he was in his youth when he was romancing more appropriately aged actresses"?

Yet people had strong opinions, voiced repeatedly, on this matter then, and they keep doing it now. We suppose it's kind of fun to have strong opinions on this, but we'll never understand the people who seem offended by the whole idea of cosmetic procedures and keep saying so, over and over and very loudly. Ultimately, is a plastic surgery really anyone's business other than the doctor and the (consenting adult) patient?

Fair-Skinned Folks Should Embrace their Skin Tone This Summer

In recent years, beauty trends have dictated that a healthy tan is the height of gorgeous skin. However, for our fair-skinned friends, this can lead to attempts to fake a tan with less-than gorgeous results. At We Know Beauty, we believe in the importance of embracing our own unique beauty, which is why we encourage the Nordic-skinned among us to play up the beauty of pale skin instead of hiding it. 

At We Know Beauty, we wear our reputation as the best plastic surgeons in Southern California with pride. Our board certified plastic surgeons bring their top notch skills and experience to a broad variety of patients with different needs and cosmetic goals. However, we also recognize there are plenty of ways to make the most of our aesthetic beauty that don't necessitate our top plastic surgeons.

In the summer months, it is important for those with pale skin to keep their skin protected, but with the the proper sunscreen, pale skin doesn't necessarily have to be kept hidden all summer long. A good quality, moisturizing sunscreen can leave pale skin with a velvety, luscious texture that the olive-skinned folks may find themselves admiring.

By adding  a bit of blush to your cheeks, you can do without bronzers that all too often mask the healthy coloring of pale skin. Furthermore, an eye shadow with a subtle shimmer can reflect light and draw attention to your eye color. With these tips, the fair skinned will be looking stunning all summer long by embracing their natural beauty.

Cosmetics Aren't Food, or Are They?

It doesn't matter whether or not you're one of the best plastic surgeons in town or just the proverbial Joe Schmoe, beauty remains a very subjective business. That's why we're not completely surprised to see more and more cosmetics coming down the pike that seek to blur the distinction between the subjectivity of beauty with the matters of taste relating to the food world.

We're not only talking about the cosmetics that are made with such food products as avocados, coconuts, grapefruit, and the like, but ones that are marketed to people with dietary restrictions, either medically or ethically self-imposed. We were interested to see this morning a New York Times story about a new line of gluten free cosmetics. Even though some of us are board certified plastic surgeons we had to admit that we thought celiac disease was strictly related to food intake, but apparently cosmetics with gluten can be a problem for people suffering with this condition as well. Of course, as has proven the case with food, we know a number of people who are not suffering from this very real condition will nevertheless be attracted to it. While, as far as we can tell, there is absolutely no benefit to avoiding gluten for people who do not have celiac disease, if it makes people feel better to do so, who are we to tell them not to?

The New York Times also brought up another interesting trend. While products marketed as cruelty-free have been a beauty staple for some time, a company named -- both amusingly and honestly, we're sure -- Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is both cruelty-free and completely vegan.  That means, we suppose, that not only are no animals harmed in the process of using this company's products but that chickens, cows, and pigs need not apply to the company's HR department. Interestingly, the profile of Obsessive Compulsive founder David Klasfield has the cosmetics tycoon praising the very carniverous flora, the Venus flytrap, as "sort of my spirit animal" and famed autistic savant Temple Grandin, whose work might not be considered vegan friendly. (Her work involves making the farming of animals less cruel, but also more profitable for owners.) Well, it's really all in the eye of the beholder and the mouth of the taster, we suppose.

If you want to increase your beauty quotient, subjective or otherwise, now might be a good time get in touch with the top plastic surgeons of We Know Beauty. It's more than a matter of taste.

How Will You Spend Your Summer Not-Vacation?

Sometimes, it's hard not to miss childhood and summer vacation. As top plastic surgeons, we're lucky to have a few days off in a row, much less the three months long breaks of childhood. Still,we're feeling a bit nostalgic for those days. We say that even though we think it's a little early to be talking about summer.

Really, this whole considering Memorial Day the first weekend of summer thing is more of an east coast phenomenon. In terms of truly warm weather, summer in Southern California doesn't really begin until sometime in mid-July when the "June gloom" finally departs, and it doesn't really end until sometime in October. School vacations out here used to reflect that reality to some degree, but school schedules have changed so that kids out here leave their air-conditioned classrooms in late May or early June, when it's still relatively cool outside, and head back them at the height of L.A.'s doggiest days in late August and early September. 

Nevertheless, we are thinking about summer. Things do tend to slow down to a certain degree and people do often try to improve their appearance. That means that top board certified plastic surgeons like us at We Know Beauty can actually find ourselves a bit busier than usual. That's obviously okay. Summer is a time for fun but it's also a time for reflection, and whatever kinds of rebirth we can manage. If there's something you've been wanting to work on, really, now is as good as time as any to approach the best plastic surgeons you can find and get started. You know who we'll suggest!

Angelina's Double Mastectomy Involved the Work of Highly Skilled Plastic Surgeons

At We Know Beauty, our reputation as the top plastic surgeons in Southern California comes from our years of incredible success in various cosmetic procedures. Our board certified plastic surgeons are among the best and most experienced around the globe. That's why, when stories relating to plastic surgery make national headlines, we follow them closely whenever possible.

That's why it should come as no surprise that we've been fascinated with the story that broke this week regarding Angelina Jolie's preventative double mastectomy. Once a woman chooses to undergo this procedure, one of her major concerns is almost always the reconstruction surgery needed to reform the breast tissue that has been removed. As was reported by Fox News in an interview with Dr. Richard Winters, vice chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, there are many considerations to take into account for each surgery.

For example, a woman must decide if it will be 'nipple-sparing' or 'skin sparing' surgery, wherein the nipple is left while the breast tissue is removed. "With prophylactic surgery, you virtually always do an immediate reconstruction', says Dr. Winters. "Then, you have to decide on a technique. The first is the reconstruction, which involves an implant. The other type involves only autologous tissue - your own tissue'. Dr. Winters goes on to say patients who receive the procedure face less than a 1% to 2% chance of having serious complication, and less than 5% to 10% chance of having minor complications.

At We Know Beauty, many of the best plastic surgeons on our team are similarly experienced in reconstructive surgery, a field that is related to some of the cosmetic procedures we offer. As this story unfolds, we're happy to see the positive message of preventive and cosmetic surgery to fight the harmful effects of illnesses, and we're proud to offer such amazing and life-changing cosmetic surgeries.