Did Whitney Houston Undergo Plastic Surgery?

Two weeks before Whitney Houston’s death, it has been reported that the singer has consulted a plastic surgeon to seek facelift surgery to stave off the signs of aging.  But because she failed the routine preoperative examinations, probably due to an underlying medical condition, she was turned down by her doctor.

However, a coroner’s report shows that Houston has scars indicating that she had other cosmetic procedures.  For instance, a small incision line was seen on each of her breast, a telltale sign that she may have breast implants probably combined with breast lift surgery.

The 42-page coroner’s report also indicates that the singer had scars across her abdomen which may be from tummy tuck, a cosmetic surgery that removes the hanging skin and targets the sagging appearance.  Meanwhile, it is very unlikely that it was caused by liposuction because the procedure only uses small incisions, resulting to very small or almost invisible scars that would probably have escaped the eyes of pathologists.

The recent findings are the first evidence showing that the singer, who popularized the song I Will Always Love You, had cosmetic procedures particularly to minimize the signs of aging.  But even before her death, she had been rumored for having liposuction and non-invasive facial rejuvenation treatments to address her wrinkles.

With years of alcohol and drug abuse, Houston also wore dentures, according to the report.  Experts said this is not surprising since habitual use of illegal drugs can destroy the teeth over time because they contain acidic chemicals.

On February 11, Houston, 48, died after drowning in the bathtub inside her Beverly Hilton hotel room.  According to Los Angeles County coroner’s ruling, the singer’s death was caused by “accidental drowning” with the effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. 

Houston Denied for Plastic Surgery 2 Weeks Before Her Death

Two weeks before Whitney Houston was found dead inside a hotel, the singer has been allegedly turned down for plastic surgery after failing in medical examinations, according to a report published by RadarOnline.

Plastic surgeon Marc Mani has been reported to reject Houston from having facelift surgery, a procedure the singer deemed necessary to make her appearance youthful again.  However, the doctor refused to comment citing the federal medical privacy laws.

While the results of the medical examinations were not revealed, it has been reported that Houston’s lungs, liver, and heart were tested.

One source who asked for anonymity said the singer was concerned with her aging face and wanted to undergo a facelift surgery.

Last Saturday, the singer, whose one of the most famous songs were “I Will Always Love You” was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel.  While the cause of death is yet to be determined, preliminary reports showed she had taken sedatives; prescribed medications were also found inside her room including Valium, Lorazepam, and Xanax.

With the rumors of plastic surgery, there are some speculations that the star has medical issues that led Mani to decline performing any elective procedure.

One of the criteria for having cosmetic procedures like facelift is to be physically healthy.  This is important to avoid or at least minimize the risk of complications such as excessive bleeding, delayed healing, gangrene, and infection.

Why Neck Lift Is Often Combined with Facelift Surgery?

Facelift surgery  or rhytidectomy can remove or at least reduce the signs of facial aging.  However, not treating the “turkey” neck can further aggravate the appearance of sagging skin and “bands” and lead to a somewhat imbalance look.

To create balance, certain patients need to have platysmaplasty or more commonly referred to as neck lift surgery to complement their facelift.  With this additional procedure, the tradeoff is longer recovery, more swelling and bruising while healing, and of course higher surgical fees.

But if there is only a mild case of wrinkles, Botox injection is usually enough to treat the problem.  On the other hand, patients aged 50 and above whom often have more visible signs of aging; neck lift surgery can provide them a more permanent result and dramatic improvements.

If the only problem is the loose skin, most plastic surgeons will recommend the skin-only surgery in which they create two small incisions below or behind the ear, allowing them to excise the hanging skin before tightening the remaining part.  Once the reshaping is done, they will close the wounds with tiny sutures.

The advantage of skin-only surgery is the relatively quick recovery although it may not be ideal for older patients who manifest a severe case of muscle laxity.  For this problem, the underlying neck muscles should be manipulated; or in some cases should even involve the removal of weakened muscle along the throat area.

But for the plastic surgeons who will manipulate the weakened neck muscle, they should create another small incision under the chin.

However, some doctors prefer using sutures over manipulating the weakened muscle.  With this technique, a mesh-like device is used to lift and tighten the skin and tissue, thereby addressing the “turkey wattle look.”

Meanwhile, some facelift patients will more likely need liposuction than neck lift, particularly if their problems are neck “bands” which are caused by excess fats.  These often occur after weight loss although some people are just simply have the predisposition to have too much fatty deposits in their neck.

Liposuction can also be conducted to treat the excess fats in the chin and jaw area, which in turn reduces the appearance of jowling.  But if the problem is primarily caused by loose skin rather than by fatty tissues, incision-based facial rejuvenation surgery is still the most viable approach.

But one consideration to make is that liposuction should be only performed on patients with enough skin elasticity so it can retract once the fats are removed.  If not, they will end up with a sagging skin on the treated area.

Joan Rivers and Her Undying Passion for Plastic Surgery

During the premiere of the season two of the reality TV show Joan & Melissa: Joan knows best?, Joan Rivers underwent her 734^th cosmetic procedure.  This is something of a surprise as while everyone knows that she had a passion for plastic surgery, this is the first time she revealed the real number.

During the show, even River’s plastic surgeon Norman Leaf was surprised when she showed up for consultation; this was probably because the TV personality has too much done on her face that it looks as if it was blown by a strong gust of wind.

Despite the overdone appearance, River seems to crave cosmetic plastic surgery as years go by.  Unfortunately, her seemingly unhealthy obsession with the procedure resulted to a windswept appearance and squinty eyes.

Because of too much work done on River’s face, even her daughter Melissa and some of her colleagues beg her to stop having cosmetic procedures.  However, the dissuasion ended when she offered them to pay all their aesthetic treatments.

In a previous interview, the 78-year-old TV personality was quoted saying, “My body is my temple, and my temple needs redecorating.”

Leading cosmetic surgeon Dr. Tarick Smaili, who did not treat Rivers, said that she have had too many procedures, including facelift surgery, that resulted to the unnatural appearance.

“Facelift surgery, because it cannot stop the aging process, still needs some revisions after 10 years or so.  However, repeating the procedure should be carefully done as the skin becomes thinner as people age,” Smaili said.

The cosmetic surgeon said the disadvantage of repeating facelift surgery more than twice is the higher risk of losing the “fundamental” shape of the face, resulting to an unnatural look.

“Also, pulling the skin over and over again can result to the squinty eyes or fish eyes.  That look is very unflattering so plastic surgeons have to be extra careful when doing revisions,” he added.

Smaili said that while the number of facelift surgery performed on a patient should be limited, this is not the case for soft tissue fillers and most injectable treatments designed to remove or minimize the signs of aging.

“Soft tissue fillers like Juvederm and Restylane should be performed every six months to two years, depending on the absorption rate of the body and treated areas.  Botox should also be repeated every couple of months in order to maintain the youthful appearance,” Smaili added.