Archive for January, 2010
What Is Benjamin’s Syndrome? part 1
Date posted: January 30, 2010 by Helen Colen MDAn increasing number of patients that plastic surgeons are seeing for vaginal surgery have something known as Benjamin’s Syndrome. It’s a condition that requires the unusual condition of a penis on a female to be converted to a vagina. Let’s discuss just what Benjamin’s Syndrome is. (more…)
No Comments »Categories: female sexuality
Tags: Benjamin's Syndrome
The Ultimate Guide to Vaginoplasty
Date posted: January 26, 2010 by Helen Colen MDIf you watch TV any at all, you know that a couple of formerly-taboo subjects are now discussed openly, especially on commercials. Both are sex-related: One is the male erection (thanks to Viagra and related ads) and the other is condoms (because of–well, condom ads).
And yet, when we approach a similar intimate subject but this time affecting women, the taboo seems very much still in place. I’m talking about the issue of vaginoplasty: surgical reconstruction on the female sexual organ. When this subject is brought up, there is still lots of snickering. The good news, though, is that this is starting to change, albeit somewhat slowly. More and more people are coming around to the realization that a woman’s sexuality is an important part of her life. And if a surgical procedure helps improve this area of her life, then it is a perfectly valid procedure. Furthermore, people are becoming enlightened about the fact that in many cases, vaginoplasty can be corrective in nature, not simply aesthetic.
No Comments »Categories: Vaginaplasty
Tags: Vaginaplasty, vaginoplasty
The Ultimate Guide to Labiaplasty
Date posted: by contributorToday, the public’s view of plastic surgery has changed drastically. In previous decades, people tended to think that procedures such as face lifts or breast enhancements were either: A) something only the rich did, B) only for those who are extremely vain, or C) weird. Surveys today, though, show that the woman down the street from you is as likely to have had some form of plastic surgery as your favorite Hollywood performer. It’s become an acceptable way for a person to feel better about herself.
And then there’s labiaplasty. It’s the plastic surgery procedure that continues to hide in the closet, hoping nobody notices. But why? There are just as legitimate of reasons for a woman to get a labiaplasty as for any other plastic-surgery procedure. Think of it as a “self-esteem lift.” Or a “life lift.” Let’s take a look at what labiaplasty is, what it accomplishes, and what you can expect if you choose to have this procedure done.
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Tags: Labiaplasty
The Male’s Guide to Labiaplasty Recovery
Date posted: by Helen Colen MDThe title on this article is not a typo; I want to discuss labiaplasty with men. Specifically, the recovery. And more specifically, I want to discuss with you the part you can play in helping your wife or sexual partner have a successful, stress-free recovery following her labiaplasty surgery.
3 Comments »Categories: Labiaplasty, labia surgery
Tags: labia surgery, Labiaplasty
What Benjamin’s Syndrome Isn’t, Pt. 2
Date posted: January 22, 2010 by Helen Colen MDIn my last blog, I discussed what Benjamin’s Syndrome is: a condition in which a person has the sexual organs of the gender opposite of what they are in all other respects. We discussed the fact that often, vaginoplasty is required to give a female born with a penis a vagina instead. (more…)
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Tags: Benjamin's Syndrome
Plastic Surgery By the Numbers
Date posted: January 15, 2010 by Helen Colen MDI was on the Surgery.org website, the other day, which is the official Internet presence of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. While there, I saw some interesting numbers–numbers that gave me great hope regarding Americans’ new, open-minded attitude regarding plastic surgery. The numbers came from a 2009 study entitled “The Consumer Attitudes Survey.” Let’s take a look at some of the numbers and then I’ll explain why I feel so positive about the survey results.
According to the survey, today, 62 percent of American women voice approval of plastic-surgery procedures, while 51 percent of men approve. This is the first time that I can recall when a majority of both genders approve of plastic surgery. The survey also shows that 40 percent of women would at sometime consider cosmetic surgery for themselves, either now or sometime in the future. An admittedly-smaller 18 percent of men say they would consider it (While considerably smaller than the number of women, 18 percent is still a significant number).
When divided by age: 21 percent of Americans 65 and older say they would consider cosmetic surgery at some time; another 21 percent of those from age 55 to 64 say they would; 34 percent of 45 to 54 year olds would consider it; 31 percent of those 35 to 44 would think about it; 37 percent of Americans age 25 to 34 would think about having a procedure done; and 31 percent of the 18 to 24 crowd would.
But the number jumps dramatically when the surveyors asked if people would feel embarrassed about getting plastic surgery. Here, a whopping 73 percent of women said they would feel no embarrassment, and an almost-equal number of men, 69 percent, said they would not be embarrassed.
Another number that is somewhat surprising: 29 percent of whites say they would consider cosmetic surgery, and even though more whites have historically had plastic surgery than non-whites, 31 percent of non-whites say they would consider it.
Now let’s talk about why these numbers encourage me (besides the obvious fact that this is the business I’m in). There was a day when people snickered under their breath when they spoke of someone they knew or saw on TV getting cosmetic surgery. It was as though a person should be embarrassed for trying to look better if she used surgery to do that, even though nobody thinks twice about buying new clothes or getting a new hairstyle to look better. These numbers how that these old closed-minded ways of thinking are disappearing. More people are recognizing that if looking better makes a person enjoy life more, then this is something that should be encouraged, not mocked.
No Comments »Categories: Plastic Surgery
Tags: Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgery Tax Appears Dead
Date posted: January 6, 2010 by Helen Colen MDI’ve discussed here in the past the attempt to charge a tax to those undergoing plastic surgery. This was to be part of the massive healthcare insurance overall that President Obama first proposed and which Congress has been negotiating. Those of us who practice plastic surgery have pointed out many reasons why this idea was simply wrong. (more…)
No Comments »Categories: female sexuality
Tags: Health Care Reform, Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery Tax
Loans for Labiaplasty
Date posted: January 5, 2010 by Helen Colen MDI’ve written often about the financial end of having a labiaplasty or vaginoplasty done. Specifically, I’ve written about how much you can expect to spend, and the frustration that most health-insurance companies will not cover these procedures. Now, let’s discuss one option that is available for you, to help you afford one of these procedures–or indeed, any other plastic-surgery procedure you’d like to have done. I’m talking about the plastic surgery loan.
A loan is an option that’s overlooked by too many people. In many ways, it’s an easier option than using your credit card, in which case you might spend a lot longer paying off the various fees associated with the card. A loan often offers better repayment terms than your Visa or Mastercard is likely to offer.
So who do you go to for your loan? The most obvious option is to go to your local bank, where you will ask to take out a personal loan. If you do this, you’ll be asked to provide your credit score, which will be a large determining factor as to whether they provide the loan. However, if you receive the loan, because banks today are under greater pressure to work with people seeking loans, it’s likely that they’ll work with you to come up with a repayment plan and interest rate that you can handle.
Speaking of banks, as of this writing, Capital One is offering a loan specifically for health care purposes. Many people have reported that they have been approved for plastic-surgery procedures (although I concede I’ve not heard any report specific to labiaplasty or vaginoplasty). Their health-care loans run from $750 to $25,00, so it’s worth a try.
If your credit rating is so bad that you can’t get a bank loan, there are still a couple of other possibilities. One is to speak with someone at your plastic surgeon’s office. While not all do, many of these surgeons’ offices will have financing available right there on the premises, with interest rates somewhere in the area of 10 to 20 percent. If so, then starting the process is as simple as asking for an application when you’re there for your initial consultation.
And then of course, there’s the most “personal” of personal loans: the one you receive from a family member. While you might feel embarrassed asking for a loan for plastic surgery from someone in your family, at least there’s less fear of being sued if you’re a couple months late repaying it.
1 Comment »Categories: Financial Assistance
Tags: Financial Assistance, Labiaplasty, Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgeon Builds the Perfect Wife
Date posted: January 2, 2010 by Helen Colen MDOkay I’ll say it: Plastic surgery-my field-tends to attract its share of strange practitioners. I talk frequently about the latest plastic surgeon to get in trouble with the law. This latest news item is not someone who has done anything illegal. He’s just done something bizarre.
He’s created, through plastic surgery, what he considers the “perfect wife.”
This story comes out of London, but involves German plastic surgeon Reza Vossough. According to Vossough himself, the good Doctor Frankenstein-I mean Vossough-spotted a young dowdy lady and began wooing her. Eventually he decided to marry her. However, he admits he did not marry her because he felt she was the most beautiful girl in the world. No, Vossough says he married her for her potential. He saw in her the potential of becoming beautiful with the right plastic surgery procedures.
Following the wedding, the 48-year-old Dr. Vossough spent more than five years pumping 600 grams of silicone into his bride’s body. In the process, he took her from a size A to size F cup. That’s right: A to F. He also enhanced the lips on his human projected, ironed her forehead and lifted her eyelids. He started his work when the former waitress was 27; she’s now 33 and a model. Other procedures in the transformation process included surgery to firm up her tummy, buttocks and thighs, as well as several Botox injections.
Dr. Vossough was quoted in the British press as saying that he almost felt like God, with his ability to alter nature. He noted that his bride, when he first met her, had numerous “physical deficiencies,” but that he saw the potential to be something much better.
So his wife must have been terribly angry at this appraisal of her pre-operation look, right?
Wrong. She says she agreed with the good doctor and that she’s now thrilled with how she looks, even though it cost £18,000 to get her in that state.
Oh and incidentally, Vossough says he was never in love with his wife before the plastic surgery. Only afterward did he fall in love with her.
I’m happy for this couple; I really am. But-I’m also absolutely flabbergasted. I’m amazed at a woman who would marry this guy in the first place, who plainly says he’s not in love with her as is, but only in love with her potential. And I also want to say that this is an extreme exception. It is almost always a bad idea to get plastic surgery if you think this is the key to go from an unhappy life to a happy one. But then, I suppose it was the doctor who was mostly the one unhappy with her appearance. So I guess the third lesson is that it’s a bad idea to let your plastic surgeon talk you into plastic surgery on the promise of a wedding cake and honeymoon.
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Tags: Plastic Surgery