Dr. Body (Beverly Hills board-certified breast plastic surgeon Stuart Linder, M.D.) and Dr. Face (Beverly Hills board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon Robert Kotler, M.D.) frequently see patients who appear on stage, in film and on television for rejuvenation surgery. For this select group, their faces – and often, their bodies — are literally their fortunes.
But almost every performer wants to project an image of natural beauty and do not want to admit to cosmetic plastic surgery. So the procedures must be done in secret. While Dr. Face has performed hundreds of celebrity face lifts, Dr. Body has done an equal number of breast augmentations on top models.
Currently, word is out among photographers that Paris Hilton wants to correct a sagging eyelid that supposedly resulted from an eyelid lift some years ago. So the camera-carrying throng is especially active in Beverly Hills.
Both surgeons are book authors and frequently appear on educational television programs like Discovery Channel, Dr. 90210, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and many others.
Doctors Face and Body are members in good standing with:
- The American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery.
- American Board of Plastic Surgery
- The American Medical Association
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Dr. Face: Did you notice the swarms of photographers and paparazzi on the sidewalk outside my office?
Dr. Body: I could not miss them! The tabloid photographers are staking out the offices of the most likely plastic surgeons, hoping to catch a picture of some star going or coming. Now, there is a law in California reining in reckless paparazzi. (Read more about reckless photographers trying to get pictures of stars after plastic surgery and other activities.)
Dr. Face: Many people don’t know it, but the tabloids have a literal army of tipsters who do well financially just letting the photographers know what celebrity is going to be where and when. That “army” includes waiters, waitresses, parking lot attendants and even clerks who may work next door to us.
Dr. Body: Sure, they all want to make stars’ cosmetic surgery public knowledge but health professionals are required by law, ethics and good business sense to make sure everything is done quietly. So how do you do it?
Dr. Face: I usually use several layers of concealment. Only a few of us in the office will know about an invented name we use for the celebrity’s paperwork. After that, we refer to him or her by that name because anybody may hear a casual mention of the star and then pass it on to the press. And, so far, knock on wood, our back entrance seems to work for celeb patients going home without being seen after surgery. Also, I know of some plastic surgeons who have separate waiting rooms for celebrities.
Dr. Body: I’ve found that weekends are a good time to perform plastic surgery on celebrities. I’ve also frequently arranged surgery at 4 a.m. while it’s still dark outside and before photographers and their many tipsters are awake, searching for the next big picture.
Dr. Face: It can be kind of crushing at times when you may have struck up a nice relationship with a celebrity but then, when you run into each other away from the office, that person does not speak because his livelihood can depend on not knowing plastic surgeons.
Dr. Body: It was so much simpler back in Hollywood’s golden era; many celebrities before plastic surgery become so common used actual sticky tape to hold back sagging facial tissues for a short while.
Dr. Face: Many stars come in for facial fillers and Botox before special occasions like the Emmy awards or the Oscars. Then, there is only an office visit to worry about and no danger of being seen in public with facial bruising or dressings.
Dr. Body: And it’s not only performers who want cosmetic plastic surgery in secret. We also see producers, directors, TV news anchors and journalists who want a refreshed look – but strictly on the Q.T.
Dr. Face: After plastic surgery — because of bruising, dressings and the other signs of a recent surgery — we also have special nurses. They escort famous face lift patients to an aftercare facility and stay with them for 24 hours, sometimes for several days.
Dr. Body: For the celebrity, is there another trip involved back to your office for the morning after surgery check?
Dr. Face: Many times, it is easier for me to go to the aftercare facility to check on the patient rather than sending him or her out in public again.
Dr. Body: Is there anything in particular you tell your celebrity patients about keeping surgery private and quiet?
Dr. Face: I always tell them not to drive their own cars to my office.
Dr. Body: Why is that?
Dr. Face: Because every paparazzo in Hollywood and Beverly Hills knows the stars’ license plate numbers by heart!
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View some of Dr. Body’s revision breast plastic surgeries.
Look at some of Dr. Face’s rhinoplasty before and after pictures.
