01 Sep2013

This Week On Beauty: Korean Smile Surgery, The Wonder Woman Makeover And Mommy Tummy Tucks

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Plastic Surgery News

korean smile surgery This is your weekly dose of the best – and possibly, worst – news on beauty and cosmetic surgery around the globe.

What’s New In Asia? Korean Smile Surgery

The Internet is abuzz this week with a photo of a new plastic surgery trend in Asia that puts a permanent smile on a patient’s face. Just when you think we’ve seen it all, this new trend, called Korean smile surgery, is rapidly becoming popular among men and women in their 20s and 30s. So much so, that even cosmetic surgeons in Seoul are defending the procedure, saying their patients are scarred by negative remarks gained by their naturally unsmiling faces, especially those whose work involve facing customers every day.

Just what is this surgery? According to medical experts, smile surgery, or popularly known as Valentine anguloplasty in the West, involves removing the muscle tissues at the lip’s edge, resulting in “naturally” upturned mouth corners on a deadpan face.

Plastic Surgeon Creates Ideal Wife

A plastic surgeon in Los Angeles created his ideal wife, using what he called as the “Wonder Woman Makeover.” David Matlock met his wife, Veronica, when she went to his clinic in 2007 to get vaginal rejuvenation procedure. It was love at first sight for the 49-year-old doctor, who proposed to Veronica during their first date. Now, 40 pounds lighter and competing as a bodybuilder with Matlock, Veronica says her husband’s obsession with beauty and fitness keeps her inspired to look her best.

What is the Wonder Woman Makeover? For starters, Veronica’s makeover involves liposuction on the chins, arms and legs and a Brazilian butt lift.

Taxpayers Pay For Mom To Get Tummy Tuck

In West Yorkshire, a 27-year-old woman had her £5,000 tummy tuck paid for by the National Health Service. Kelly McManus, a mother of three, told doctors she needed the operation because her post-pregnancy body was stopping her from becoming the next Julia Roberts. What’s more is that McManus believes the operation saved NHS the taxpayers’ money because she will no longer need treatment for depression.

McManus’ case was not the first in NHS history. In January, 23-year-old Josie Cunningham had breast enlargement surgery that cost the NHS a cool 4,800. But now she’s suing the government agency, saying her 36DD breasts have made her the target of online abuse. Cunningham wants her news breasts reduced, of course, also at the taxpayers’ expense.

U.S. Women Risking Lives To Get Illegal Butt Injections

Now, it cannot be stressed enough that patients should be wary of undergoing cosmetic surgery procedures. Authorities said that more women in the United States are putting their lives at risk for getting butt enhancements through black market procedures.

The procedure involves using industrial silicone bought from a home improvement store and injected by people with no medical training in places unsuitable for such procedure. Deaths from the illegal butt injections have been reported in several states, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Nevada and New York, according to Fox News.