Strollerderby : cosmetic surgery

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

Kate Tuttle — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:32:00 GMT

It's a common complaint, especially among new moms: things just aren't quite right down there. Childbirth can do a number on your lady parts, both temporarily (as in the immediate postpartum nightmare that is, as a friend called it, Frankenvulva) and, for some, permanently. But who would go to the extreme of a surgical solution? Apparently, hundreds of women would -- and a small but vocal group of women gathered in New York this week to protest such procedures.

According to an article in Time magazine, such surgeries -- which range from reducing the size of labia to "unhooding" the clitoris to "revirginizing" by constructing an artificial hymen -- are gaining in popularity, both in the US and abroad. But some critics wonder whether doctors are preying on women's vulnerabilty and ignorance of just how wide a range of normal there is when it comes to genitalia. And some have even questioned whether these procedures, hyped on shows like Dr. 90210, amount to female genital mutilation as defined (and condemned) by the United Nations.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect is related to the link some have found between women who surgically alter their breasts and mental health. From the Time article:

And if research on another type of female plastic surgery is any indication, that post-op happiness may be short-lived. A 2007 study published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery found that 10 years after women get cosmetic breast implants, a disturbing trend emerges: they are nearly three times as likely to commit suicide as other women. With the even more intimate genital surgery, says Tiefer, the potential long-term consequences are troubling. "[Women] are projecting their anxiety about sexuality onto this one thing: 'If only I could get this fixed, then I would feel confident to be sexual,' " she says. "This is a complicated issue."

Complicated, for sure. But maybe the solution is as simple as a return to the '70s era staple of emerging feminism consciousness: the hand mirror exercise, in which a woman confronts her genitalia, makes peace with it, begins to love it. Because it seems to me the rash of genital surgeries are both symptom and cause of a lack of self-love. And for a new baby, nothing's more important than a mother who loves herself, scars and imperfections included.

Personal Training for Vaginas

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:27:00 GMT

You know feminism has succeeded when the world’s first spa devoted solely to toning vaginal walls opens up in New York City. That’s right, ladies: now you can pamper yourselves with Kegel exercises and cosmetic laser treatments to tighten your vulva skin—because in the words of Dr. Lauri Romanzi, the innovative founder of Phit (Pelvic Health Integrated Techniques), postmenopausal women’s vaginas can become downright “scrotal.” Ew! Scrotums are gross.

Fortunately, for only $150 the charming Dr. Romanzi will give you a personal diagnosis of your pelvic fitness. Then she’ll prescribe a regimen of pelvic exercises that she prefers to call “personal training.” She may even suggest that you buy your very own electrostimulation machine to improve your pelvic muscle tone. (Don’t get too excited: they don’t vibrate.)

You may be surprised to learn that many medical professionals think “pelvic fitness” is nothing but a joke. While pelvic exercises are sometimes prescribed for women with minor urinary incontinence, several gynecologists interviewed for the New York Times story on Phit said there is no medical reason for healthy women to pursue a “pelvic fitness” regimen. As one white-robed naysayer put it, “The common practice in gynecology is we treat where there is a problem."

But Dr. Romanzi takes a more aesthetic view of preventive care. “If you can vote and you have a vagina, you should do these [pelvic exercises],” she said, leaving me to wonder: What the hell does voting have to do with it? I don’t know about yours, but my hoo-hoo could care less about politics. Maybe I should enroll her in a political science class right after her personal training session....

Photo: New York Times

Kid's Guide to Mommy's Plastic Surgery

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:32:00 GMT

It has already been well established that women's bodies post-baby are utterly disgusting stretched out bags of goo. After all, the Mommy Makeover is big business and MILF-ism is where it's at.

Finally someone has written a book to help young children explain Mommy's bandages!

Author Dr. Michael Salzhauer, a board-certified plastic surgeon, wrote the book "My Beautiful Mommy" to help explain Mommy's new flat tummy and prettier nose. Assuming one is on board with teaching kids that women need surgery to be acceptable (because you aren't ok if you're not beautiful like a MILF), imagine the crop of young girls with eating disorders we're creating here. Imagine the straight boys who will be trained to hate any woman who isn't young, firm, and pretty.

Mommy makeovers are increasingly popular (the combination tummy tuck and breast augmentation), and the good doctor saw an increasing number of women coming into his offices children in tow. So writing this book was a service.

How else would one explain Mommy's inability to lift anything or her need to stay in bed, or her self-hatred?

What's next here: “My Very Trim & Pretty Mama” about a mama who throws up to stay thin? Also, what about all the fluffy Daddies out there? Don't they deserve surgery too?

Cosmetic Surgery for Down's Syndrome Baby

Madeline Holler — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:17:00 GMT

This feels wrong to me. But maybe I'm missing something. So, please, tell me why I shouldn't think that these parents of a daughter with Down's syndrome are superficial, unintentionally cruel and deeply, deeply in denial.

The mother and father of 2-year-old Ophelia Kirwan have considered sending their daughter under the knife to fix her appearance, which shows all the characteristic signs of being born with Down's syndrome as Ophelia was. The parents think her facial features will set her apart from her peers and keep her from being "accepted" by society.

No word on the girl's current level of acceptance by her own parents.

Anyway, it's possible this isn't as drastic -- or unexpected -- as it may sound, at least to me. Because Dad is a world renowned plastic surgeon and Mom has been surgically enhanced any number of times herself. Maybe this is how the family connects.

In the blunt terms of the industry, surgery would correct the following problem areas: "eyes slightly wide apart, flat nasal bridge, thin lips, tongue that sticks out, thick neck".

But why change her at all? Will Ophelia even care? Will she fool future bosses? And isn't facial surgery painful?

From the Daily Mail:

Her mother Chelsea said: "It just isn't right that Ophelia and others like her should be judged on how they look - particularly if they are turned down for a good job that they could handle.

In their defense, they aren't scheduling procedures anytime soon. Because how frightening and painful would that be for any kid? (Not to mention unethical.) The father said he'd make the decision if the toddler reached 18 years old and he deemed that she had been unfairly judged.

If the Kirwans go through with it, they wouldn't be the first parents to do so. Another London couple took their 5-year-old daughter with Down's Syndrome in for surgery. The couple debated for a year before their girl got the following alterations:

... her tongue was reduced to stop it protruding. Then, folds of skin were removed from the inner corners of her eyes to take away the "slantiness" characteristic of Down's syndrome. Finally, she had surgery to stop her ears sticking out.

These couples say they are motivated by love. But why does it seem like their motivated by their own vanity and shame?

I'm willing to be wrong on this, so tell me what you think. Am I missing the point? Aren't these kids too young? Do they care? Will this help end prejudice against people with Down's syndrome?

Botox Kills Kids

Kelly Mills — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:40:00 GMT

Yes, it clears up those frown lines for a while, but could there be a darker side of Botox, aside even from the weird face paralysis and all that? In a word, yes. In fact, four children using Botox or a related drug have died, and there have been at least 180 documented cases of serious side effects in kids and adults, including severe difficulty breathing and swallowing, which can lead to a kind of pneumonia. One drug watchdog group wants a more serious FDA warning issued for Botox, as well as providing physicians with guides to give to all patients warning of the problems associated with the drug.

Now the children who died were not concerned with the ravages of time, but were using the drug for an "off-label" use, the treatment of muscle spasticity associated with cerebral palsy. Off-label uses for drugs are not uncommon. However, I have a funny feeling that even if cosmetic-use patients are given detailed information about the cases of side effects and death, it won't deter many of them from going forward with the pursuit of a more youthful look...

Pregnancy Glow Replaces Botox

Madeline Holler — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:30:00 GMT

No judgment here, I'm just reporting the facts. On Botox.

Pregnant women are advised to end Botox treatments and fillers from conception to birth to weaning. But a hiatus from these face-enhancing treatments, for many people, means a face that goes back to its saggy, droopy, wrinkly self. One Hollywood Botox peddler would like to disagree.

He says the weight-gain from pregnancy -- and the woman's radiant glow -- do wonders to maintain the puffed and youthful look of a freshly treated mug.

"Pregnancy adds a natural glow to a woman's skin, and the 'baby weight' gain will make the face fuller -- this extra weight naturally replaces the effects of fillers or Botox in the face by filling in unwanted lines and wrinkles for the duration of the pregnancy."

You may not have a choice, in any case, since physicians are advised not to administer fillers to pregnant women, though there is not actual evidence that Botox harms a fetus. Though someday THAT, like soft cheese and hair dye, might be up for debate.

The good news is newborns can't really see. So there's at least one person who will love you no matter how saggy your face.

Mommy "Nip/Tucks" on the Rise

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:01:00 GMT

According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, post-partum cosmetic surgery is a hot new trend among women who want their pre-kid body back. Moms are even going so far as to schedule tummy tucks and lipo suctions while pregnant so that they can be sure to get on their plastic surgeon's calendar.

Once these women decide that the baby they are having is their last, they seek to eliminate all traces of their baby-carrying days. Over 325,000 tummy tucks, breast augmentations, and breast lifts were performed on women aged 20-39 last year. Plastic surgeons have dubbed these post-baby packages "Mommy Makeovers."

Sociologists say the reason for the up-tick in these surgeries may be because of Hollywood influence, especially the emphasis (and totally misguided lavish praise) placed on actresses who loose weight quickly after pregnancy.

I'm pretty ti-yerd of hearing about how "slim" actresses look just 6 weeks post-partum, and how the priority is not on taking time out to bond and be a mother but on working out so people will still think you're hot. The frenzy surrounding how quickly women can return to their pre-pregnancy weight is sickening. Perhaps these women need to spend some time on this site.

[photo credit: Nip/Tuck]