I just want what God gave me! Can botched surgery be undone?

[Guest guest]

Hopefully humans will start seeing the folly of these stupid procedures!'I just want the mouth God gave me': Can botched plastic surgery be "undone"?http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/i-just-want-the-mouth-god-gave-me-can-botched-plastic-surgery-be-undone-789151.html

Love is not the

only one regretting plastic surgery – so many patients are seeking

reversals that the procedure has been given a name:'undo-plasty'

By Luiza Sauma

Sunday, 2 March 2008

Facing facts: Love is said to be considering ?undo-plasty? © Getty Images

What goes up must come down. Although the cliché is not generally

applied to Beckham's assets, rumour has it that last year the

Queen of WAGs allegedly went under the knife – not to make her breasts

bigger or firmer, as is usually the case, but to make them smaller;

closer, indeed, to how nature intended. Then there is Price, aka

Jordan, the poster girl for oversized breast implants. Last December,

she flew to the US to have her 32FFs reduced to a rather more humdrum

32D. Love, meanwhile, has been completely upfront about her

plans to go surgically back in time, so to speak. "I just want the

mouth God gave me," she wrote on her blog. "It was perfectly cute."

There

is nothing new about celebrities treating themselves as works in

progress – their faces are their fortunes, botched or otherwise. But as

plastic surgery increases at an alarming rate among us mere mortals (up

12.2 per cent from 2006 to 2007), surgeons have seen an upsurge in

people going under the knife to repair damage caused by previous

procedures. Somewhere along the line, this trend was dubbed

"undo-plasty", and its prevalence has brought home what a complex and

unpredictable business it is to have a nip and tuck.When

Georgina Graham booked herself in for some plastic surgery, all she

wanted was a confidence boost after an altercation with a burglar had

left a dent in her face. After much thought, she opted for a face-lift

and – to repair the damage – for fat from her stomach to be injected

into her cheek. Unfortunately, things did not go to plan. "The surgeon

injected the fat too high in my face and it sat in a bag under my eye.

I was left with really bad scars," she says. "I was pretty devastated."In

the end, the fifty-something Londoner chose not to have more invasive

surgery ("I didn't want to go through all that again"), but undertook a

course of injections with non-invasive specialist Dr Prager.

"He injected my face with something that dissolved the fat and then

built the area back up." Unfortunately, Graham's scars are there to

stay. And therein lies the truth about "undo-plasty" – there is often

no such thing as "undoing" plastic surgery. There might be room for

improvement, but there is no going back.Plastic surgeon

Karidis believes the rise in "undo-plasties" has been misunderstood.

"Plastic surgery has been on the increase over the past five years, so

statistically you're going to have a higher proportion of people having

problems," he points out. Having said that, Karidis concedes that "some

patients' expectations are well off the radar... It's not an exact

science, and people must realise their limitations." Bristol-based

surgeon Nigel Mercer has experience of this rising demand for repair

work. "From infected breast implants to areas of skin that have died,

in the past month alone we've had three patients admitted who had

surgery done elsewhere for a variety of things," he says. Indeed, in

November, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons

(BAAPS), of which Mercer is president-elect, reported that a third of

plastic surgeons had dealt with "much more" repair work in the past

five years; in the past year alone, 14 per cent had seen nine or more

patients requiring repairs after undergoing cheap overseas surgery.

It's an issue that concerns Mercer. "I saw an advert recently for a

clinic in Tunisia. You've never seen the surgeon, you've never seen the

clinic and you don't know if the nursing staff speak English. You'd

never go for a heart operation in a place like that, so why a

face-lift?"Despite BAAPS' concerns, Jane Wanniaratchy was

pleased with her overseas repair work. The 42-year-old personal trainer

flew to Prague last summer with Europa International to have her breast

implants taken down a notch. Back in 2000, Wanniaratchy had a breast

augmentation in the UK after breast-feeding had taken her cup size from

a C to an A. "There was loads of empty skin," she says. "I just wanted

the surgeon to fill it up, but when I woke up I was a size E. They were

colossal." After seven years of being called "Jane Big Boobs", she

booked herself in for a resize, and has never looked back.Wanniaratchy

admits that she was "a bit naïve" when she had her first operation.

"The surgeon had done a few of my friends, but I wasn't really sure

what I needed, so I just said 'Do what you think is best.' This time, I

stuck to my guns." These days, she dishes out advice to women

considering having breast implants: "It's good to speak to someone who

knows what it actually entails."With so many risks involved, it

does seem, nevertheless, that people are ever-more ready to pay a heavy

price – financially, emotionally and physically – to improve their

appearance. "Like it or not, we live in a world where appearances are

important," says Karidis. As a result, the most pertinent issue

for the industry to face is not one of ethics, but of standards. "It

could be better regulated, there's no question about that," admits

Karidis. "We need to tighten regulations – for the sake of the public."A plastic surgeon's guide to getting it right1.

Make your own decisions The real expert on your appearance and your

concerns is you. Do not let anyone else talk you into a procedure 2.

Be informed Anyone considering any cosmetic procedure should ensure

that they are fully informed and accept the limitations and risks –no

surgeon or procedure is 100-per-cent risk-free 3. Be comfortable Make sure you feel comfortable with the surgeon and/or clinic you have chosen 4.

Know your surgeon Many practitioners boast impressive sounding

qualifications, but these can have little meaning. BAAPS can help you

find an accredited surgeon in your area5. Get the timing right

Avoid surgery if you have recently experienced major life events, such

as changing jobs, losing a loved one or the break-up of a relationship 6.

Beware of 'free' consultations Avoid booking fees or non-refundable

deposits. No reputable surgeon would normally impose any penalty for

cancellations7.Consider the location Do not travel a long

distance for any surgery unless you are comfortable with follow-up

arrangements and the management of complications which might arise8.

Talk to your GP Your doctor has no interest other than your welfare, so

many GPs will be perfectly happy to independently advise patients 9.

You can always change your mind Everything should be to your

satisfaction and you have the option to cancel right up until the time

you go to sleep for surgery 10. Take your time Undergoing any kind of surgery is a serious commitment, so make sure that the benefits outweigh the risksNigel MercerNigel Mercer is BAAPS' president-elect and a consultant plastic surgeon