Cosmetic Procedures for Regular People

Long gone are the days when time with a plastic surgeon was only for extremists like Joan Rivers, Jane Fonda, Kenny Rogers and Heidi Montag. Yes, there are still folks out there trying desperately to shave off 40 years, but for the most part – regular folks are heading in for simple procedures like Botox injections, and facial peels to simply wash away a few wrinkles. Some are ridding their lives of annoying extra skin with tummy tucks and breast reductions as well. 27-year-old men and 68-year-old women visit plastic surgeons on a regular basis as they’re becoming a tool “regular people” are using to just keep up on things they can’t through hard exercise and wise eating habits.

I paid a visit to Gainesville, Florida based Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. John Tyrone, who has a wildly successful practice to find out what really works, what doesn’t, what’s popular, what’s pricey and what to avoid. We both agreed that most folks would NEVER want to look like those freaky faces on “The Real Housewives”, but oddly … some folks do! You’ll be shocked why.

***This article shows vivid before and after photos of breast surgeries, tummy tucks and more. If you are not 18 years of age and/or do not have interest in seeing these photos, please discontinue reading. We don’t normally show nudity on Fitzness.com, but we felt these pictures were relevant for educational purposes.

Fractional CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing: In the past, skin resurfacing left patients with burns, pink skin (basically leaving you look barbecued for a week) and hypo-pigmentation, but this new process leaves close to zero side-effects. Today, Fractional CO2 laser skin resurfacing can have a skin tightening effect, removes skin damage, can help tighten “crepey” skin around the eyes and even skin tone. WebMD says “The natural aging process, combined with exposure to sun and pollution, destroys collagen — the main protein of connective tissue that keeps skin plump and line-free. Laser resurfacing uses beamlets of energy light to bore tiny holes in the skin, which works to put the body’s natural collagen production on fast-forward. Here’s what’s new: Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing does this in a way that prevents damage to the top layer of skin, offering maximum results with minimal recovery time.”

Downtime: Minimal

Price: Small markets: $3,500 Big cities: $7,000-10,000

***Dr. Tyrone says it’s common for patients to visit him from large cities because his prices are more reasonable and his work is acclaimed. Think about it – just because a surgeon lives and rents an office in New York City, doesn’t mean they’re great at what they do. Lots of elite physicians simply choose a more family friendly life in the suburbs. They can pass down lower costs of rent, etc to you! He says that he likes to keep out-of-towners local for at least a week after significant procedures though, to ensure proper follow ups.

Botox: This procedure is used most commonly used to paralyze tiny muscles, thus removing frown lines, forehead wrinkles and crow’s-feet. A skilled, Board-Certified plastic surgeon with proper training should be able to paralyze the muscles causing you deep wrinkles, yet still allow for reasonable facial expressions. Botox will likely wear off in four to six months.

Downtime: None

Price: $16 per unit. Most foreheads will cost between $250-400

Fillers like Juvederm and Restylane: Instead of pulling your skin tight with a face-lift, fillers add volume to your face by plumping up deep grooves. According to WebMD.com, ‘In even more good news about wrinkle injections, studies conducted by Frank Wang, MD, at the University of Michigan Medical School found that those containing hyaluronic acid (such as Restylane and Juvéderm) led to  “robust collagen production” while also interfering with collagen breakdown.”  This means you’ll get more than just a filling effect, you’ll get an actual increase in collagen production. Take away deep laugh lines, marionette lines (jowls), crows feet, or plump lips with fillers. Dr. Tyrone says that Restylane should last for four months, while Juvederm can last up to a year.

Downtime: None

Price: $600 per syringe

Tummy Tuck: If you’ve either lost a lot of weight or endured the beauties of pregnancy, you may have considered a tummy tuck. Tummy tucks are NOT weight loss surgery. “This procedure is only used to remove excess skin which has not been elastic enough to return to norm, or skin that is covered with stretch marks”. Dr. Tyrone compares deep stretch marks to torn pantyhose – there is nothing you can do to return that skin to normal. You think wrinkles are annoying? Imagine having to tuck a handful of extra belly skin in to your jeans. So frustrating. After delivering two giant babies, my friend Jacki Donaldson underwent a tummy tuck and has this to say about it.

“Sometimes, diet and exercise are not enough to erase the ravages of childbirth. In my case, two monster baby boys (10 pounds, 9 ounces and 10 pounds, 2 ounces) did a number on my middle, and after trying for 5 whole years post-second-kid to get rid of my extra skin, I took the tummy-tuck plunge, which included the repair of an umbilical hernia and the tying up of a separated abdominal muscle. It was one of the best medical moves of my life, and I am reminded of this every time I sit in my car and realize I no longer have a roll of skin flopping over my pants. My tummy-tuck goal was not simply to look and feel fit and trim (although this is a nice perk); it was to feel better. I wanted to feel better in my skin — and now, I do.”

Downtime: Out of work for two weeks, with a month of light duty.

Price: Mini-Tuck $4,900 or $9,000 Full-Tuck $5,900 – $10,000

Breast Augmentation: Breasts are something a decent amount of women want to feel good about. Yes, even regular women – don’t judge! If you believe that bigger higher breasts are for you then there are many options. In fact, Dr. Tyrone says that this is the most popular surgical procedure for his practice on women.

Downtime: Most folks are back to work in 3-5 days, light duty for a month.

Price: $3,845 for saline augmentation, $4,945 for silicone augmentation

Breast Reduction: On the opposite spectrum, those with too-big boobs have great reasons for a “reduction mammaplasty”. Large breasts can be extremely heavy causing legitimate neck, shoulder and back pain. They’re a challenge to fit in to  clothes and can be an overall source of stress. Reductions have become much easier than they were in the past, and the scars are often much smaller as well. You may qualify for an anchor, lollipop or circular incision.

Downtime: Most folks are back to work in 3-5 days, light duty for a month.

Price: $5,600

After grilling Dr. Tyrone on the details of various procedures, I asked him how to avoid looking like one of those freaky faced “Real Housewives” of reality TV. He stressed two simple points. First, sticking with small, simple procedures will give you a youthful glow without making you look weird. A touch of Botox in the forehead is reasonable as is the reduction or lifting of ginormous boobs, but $50,000 worth of plastic surgery in one day is not. You can’t take off 40 years, so don’t even try. Second, many of the faces we find weird are that way intentionally. Believe it or not, in many circles, men and women WANT you to know they had plastic surgery. They feel it’s a symbol of success and prosperity. They purposely go overboard to look wealthy and important. Strange, but true.

Dr. Tyrone couldn’t stress enough, the importance of taking care of our skin and body. If we wear sunblock daily, moisturize, exercise, drink lots of water, avoid cigarettes and too much alcohol … our skin and bodies are more likely to just to what we’d like them to do in the first place. If you’re thrilled with the all-natural you and would never even consider any of these procedures, good for you! But, if you’ve been stressing over a few wrinkles or back pain due to far-too-heavy breasts … hopefully this feature will help steer you in the right direction. Thanks so much to Dr. John Tyrone for sharing his valuable time with all of us. To learn more about Dr.  John Tyrone, visit DrTyrone.com.

Have you had cosmetic procedures done? Are you considering anything in the future? Use the comment section below to tell us all about it!