Plastic Surgery Confidential by Melanie Berliet
Vanity Fair (02/11/09)
*When I began this project, I was relatively certain that I didn’t need plastic surgery. I also suspected that plastic surgeons might tell me otherwise. To test my hypothesis, I went undercover.
*In total, Dr. Rapaport proposes roughly $33,000 worth of plastic surgery. By this time my self-image is so battered that, had I the money, I sincerely doubt I could refuse.
*I stand and place a palm on Maria’s left breast, then poke it the way a child would a large block of jell-o. It feels not like human flesh, but like a compressed sack of the pink ectoplasm from Ghostbusters II resting behind a thin layer of skin. All the while, Maria gazes at me with a prideful expression. I have to admire her. Perhaps it’s more arrogant to deny one’s vanity than to embrace it.
*I imagine myself on a conveyor belt, alongside Holly Madison, Heidi Montag, and the 400,000 or so women who undergo breast augmentation in an average year. I don’t feel more mature, or more beautiful. I feel silly.
*Dr. Joseph A. Racanelli saunters in and takes his seat. He’s a muscular man with spiky, gelled hair and a degree from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. I can’t say I’m surprised to see him gripping a protein shake in his right hand.
He goes through the standard health questions, then asks, “How can I help you today?”
“I was just hoping to get a professional opinion about my options in terms of plastic surgery.”
The doctor squints and replies, rather emphatically, “The way it works is: you tell me if something specifically bothers you, and I’ll tell you if I can address it. But I’m not here to sell you services or goods, because there may be something that you don’t see that I see.”
“And you won’t share?,” I ask, somewhat startled.
Dr. Racanelli explains that he has an ethical problem with pointing things out, because he’s heard of cases in which patients felt they were talked into a procedure. He continues, “If there’s a specific area of concern, then you and I can discuss it at length … I’m not here to, like, pitch you.”
“Is it a legal problem?,” I ask.
“No. Not a legal problem. It’s just the way I like to do things.”
*“There’s a way to image, and it’s a very successful marketing tool,” he replies. “I do not do it, and the reason is: the only person who knows what your nose is going to look like after surgery is God.” Despite my general discomfort with superfluous references to a higher power, I feel the urge to jump out of my seat and give Dr. Racanelli a standing ovation.
*All three of the doctors I met during my foray into the realm of plastic surgery left a lasting impression on me. Dr. Rapaport unwittingly dismantled my self-esteem, Dr. Heller patched it back up, and Dr. Racanelli reminded me that how I look should be my choice.
Nicole Kidman Says Her Face is 'Completely Natural'
"To be honest, I am completely natural,” Kidman tells Marie Claire magazine. “I have nothing in my face or anything,” she says. “I wear sunscreen, and I don’t smoke. I take care of myself. And I’m very proud to say that.”
COMMENTS
>Well, Botox is made from an all natural bacterial toxin, so I guess she CAN claim that her face is "all natural".
>I will never, NEVER ever understand why these people go out and tell outright lies. It's the worst kind of PR move that these people make.
>Yeah, just fess up. At least we'll still have SOME respect for you for telling the truth. We're not blind, ya know.
>Nicole is full of shit.
Nicole Kidman - Botox Free
Botox injections can give a person what I call the "Botox brow." It is an overarching of the eyebrows that can give a somewhat sinister look.
COMMENT
I think she's had:
blepharoplasty - her eyes look so much more 'awake' compared to when she first started out
rhinoplasty - the tip or her nose is smaller and the bridge is slimmer
cheek implants / fat graft - I'm not sure which, maybe both. But I remember she used to have a hollower face when she was Mrs Cruise. Now she has no nasolabial lines at all.
Lip augmentation - She's been using fillers to plump her lips for some time now as pictures show how her lips fluctuate decently in size over the years. But recently they are humongous! Yuck!
Peelers / Microdermabrasion etc - Where are those freckles?
Botox - Duh!
No doubt she looks fantastic especially during her prime years around 2001 - 2005, during which I think she had most of the major work done. I think the results of all the work is wearing off into something ugly.
p.s. Somebody stop Nicole!!
The 15 Worst Celebrity Plastic Surgery Disasters
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