Facial Plastic Surgery should look Natural; not Weird

“Who’s that girl?” That is not what I want my patients to hear. I want them to hear, "wow, you look great. What did you do?"

Hollywood actors often surprise their fans with altered looks. This is part of a disturbing trend: women — and occasionally men — in the public eye who, in the process of “refreshing” or “maintaining” their appearance, go a little too far and erase or minimize the very features that made them famous in the first place. The result? A generic Hollywood look that fails to portray the delicacy and artistry of Plastic Surgery

 Plastic surgeons are always well-intentioned, but sometimes they’re a bit too formulaic in the procedures they use. It’s not so much that it’s overdone, it’s just not personalized. For me, when I am planning my patients' surgery, it’s more important to decide what not to do than what to do. There is an art to looking “well-rested,” and certain areas of the face — in particular the eyes and lips — are identifying areas that must be addressed with discretion, in order to make patients appear younger, not different.  In other words, mess too heavily with these parts, and you just might wind up with an undesired, appearance altering look.

Here’s a look at Zellweger a over the years.

Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger in 2011 and 2014.Photo: From left: Mike Coppola/Getty Images, Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

She’s a beautiful and talented woman, who says she is "happy and in love."  Examining this photo with a surgeon's mindset, I don't believe she had any surgical procedures done on the face. Her brows are slightly lower (no lift performed); nose is shaped the same; lips are less full; cheeks are less full, etc... She has simply aged a few years and lost some weight. Sometimes the media is too quick to judge and perhaps its none of our concern anyway.