Category Beauty

The Nose Knows

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I have never had rhinoplasty or any other form of facial surgery, yet I am asked frequently if I had anything surgically “done” to my face. Apparently if someone is born with a nice nose or other nice facial features, no one wants to believe that Mother Nature was responsible. A couple of people have actually called me a liar when I informed them that a scalpel never touched my face. On a more positive note, I have had a number of patients tell me that they intend to show their rhinoplasty surgeons a photo of me so that they can get a nose like mine via surgery. I find that incredibly flattering.

For those of you who don’t believe that my nose is free of any surgical intervention, look at photos of my face from the time I was very little. Don’t be thrown off by the ample facial fullness I once had, because we lose that over time. I hope this clears up any doubts.

Age 2-1/2

Age 2-1/2

me at 17

me at 17

25 years old here

25 years old here

Age 45

Age 45

Bigger Breasts Are Not Better

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Very-Large-Breasts cropped
There is such a thing as TOO BIG when it comes to breasts that are surgically augmented. In my humble opinion the limit has been reached when each of a woman’s breasts is larger than her face. Some women don’t have a choice and have to deal with what Mother Nature bestowed upon them, but other women actually choose to go under the knife to have excessively large implants surgically installed. I have even heard women say pre-surgery that they were hoping to achieve a cartoonish Jessica Rabbit look with extremely large, round implants. In other words, they wanted their breasts to look fake.

When breasts look like distorted balloons, the natural curved architecture is lost. Another problem with extremely large implants is that men (and women) tend to regard women who have them as cheap, slutty, and lacking in intelligence. I realize that these are gross generalizations, but they are so common that any woman who tries to deny this is a fool. It’s important to be aware of how people may potentially regard you once you have a surgical augmentation, and if you have a problem with society’s impression of very large breasts, you might want to reconsider the size you are getting (if you don’t care, then more power to you!). Every once in a while I will see a beautiful woman with a delicate face and petite body who went overboard with the implants and as a result looks top heavy. For women who compete in the bodybuilding world, large implants can be very distracting, and not in a positive way.

Some augmented breasts may look alluring or eye catching when clothed, but horrifying when uncovered as a result of surgical revisions, scarring, ripples, unevenness, improper nipple position or capsular contracture. Almost every single woman I have talked to who has had extremely large implants (i.e., implants which have created a DDD or larger cup size) has had to have surgical revision. Some women who have had breast augmentation surgery also lose sensation in the nipples and in the breasts, obliterating that area of the body as an erogenous zone. It is also important to consider the anterior load on the chest which results from large implants and how it impacts posture. And forget about finding clothes off the rack that fit an extremely large bust.

The breast area is quite prone to body dysmorphia, which in large part explains why gargantuan breast implants are sometimes requested. Since the breast’s primary function is to provide nutrients to a baby, women and men will often equate a fuller or larger breast with greater fertility and femininity. While it is fine for a woman to desire larger breasts, selecting an extremely large implant size may only reinforce any insecurities about a woman’s sense of self and sexuality.

Living Doll

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Doll faceI love modeling, especially when the project or gig embraces an outside-the-box concept like a superhero, vintage look, dark warrior, or abstract body art. Though there is artistry behind a standard bikini photo shoot, I become very excited when get to serve as a canvas for avant garde makeup and hair, body paint, unusual wardrobe or costume items. In that sense I get to serve as a living doll playing dress-up. On more than one occasion I have been told that I am someone’s muse, which I regard as one of the most flattering compliments a human being can bestow on someone else. It is an immense honor to be the inspiration for a creative person’s endeavors.

Modeling isn’t easy at all. It requires the prep time of sitting in the makeup chair and allowing makeup and hair artistry to take place. If you’re extremely fidgety, or you don’t like people in close proximity to you, applying makeup, directing you to open or close your eyes, turn your head, etc., then you won’t even make it through the first important step of modeling. Sometimes all the tugging and teasing of hair which needs to take place during vintage shoots, or shoots which demand a more elaborate hairstyle, can be downright painful. The image below was taken after sitting in the chair for almost six hours, and the hairstyling alone took two hours. It can make you downright cranky, especially since you can’t drink much water as you are being prepped.

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Then there is wardrobe, which can often be problematic for so many reasons. The most basic wardrobe issue for a model is usually wearing something very thick and heavy on a very hot day, or wearing next to nothing on a cold day. Other issues which may arise include wardrobe or costume items which don’t fit, pieces which are torn or otherwise broken and must be held in place with clamps, pins or tape, heavy props which the model is expected to hold for lengthy periods of time while posed in the desired position, and the list goes on and on. A model may be expected to stand on an unstable surface and strike a pose while trying to balance. Other times a pretzel pose is requested, and not only must the model strike it, she muse hold it until the photographer gets the shot. And the model had better deliver the moods, facial expressions and energy required of her if she wants a flourishing career. Again, it is NOT easy being a model.

I have been out of breath, freezing cold, blazing hot, sticky from paint, dealing with sand in crevices, suffering from muscle cramps, exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated during shoots, but I can without hesitation say that I truly, deeply, love modeling in all its forms. It’s fun for me, and I get to be part of the creative process and bring ideas to fruition, often lovely, at times dark and eerie, but always interesting.

The Mind Of A Competitor

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Oh, to be a competitor in the world of bodybuilding. It is empowering, exhilarating, inspiring, stressful, challenging and at times heartbreaking. A fascinating psychology exists in this world which can best be described by listing some of the quirks competitors have.

Ripped versus “Fat”:

First of all, competitors develop a bizarre love-hate relationship with their bodies in which they marvel at their bodies when they are lean and muscular and in contest shape, but will curse their bodies when they are the slightest bit mushy or fluffy. Competitors live in a world in which the bar is set VERY high. Competitors will see themselves as fat when others see an amazing body and will say so. Competitors will always believe that the more ripped and lean they are, the better they are. While this is a necessary component of contest prep, it plays games with a person’s self-esteem because it is a constant battle to reach or remain at the pinnacle of leanness and muscularity.

2012 North American
Overtraining:

Some competitors will overtrain in an effort to get their bodies dialed in, without considering the inevitable damage they are doing to their bodies. Yes, we are warriors, and yes, it can be a great thing to push through, but with too much training, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. I completely relate to the principle of training constantly for a big contest because I have done it many times. I have endured double training and double cardio sessions which at times had me in the gym for five hours at a time. I have sustained injuries in my foot, ankle, knee, shoulder and forearm and continued my training because a big event was looming around the corner. Was it smart to train through injuries? No, but at the time I couldn’t imagine slowing down or stopping just because of a silly injury. This is the very thing I now scold clients about. No contest is worth hurting yourself!

“A judge told me I suck!”

Another thing that competitors have a habit of doing is worrying about what judges say and taking criticism hard. Competitors need to remember that bodybuilding, to a considerable degree, is a subjective sport, and if you are going to allow a judge to rip you apart and kill your spirit, then you probably shouldn’t be competing at all. The word of one judge is exactly that. Now if you speak to a bunch of judges and people in the sport who know what the ideal for the division you compete in is, and they all tell you the same thing, then you can probably assume that what they are all telling you is constructive criticism which you can then use as a reference when you make adjustments to your training program. That way, you will address certain weaknesses without throwing in the towel.

Money drain:

Bodybuilding is a VERY expensive sport. When you tally up the cost of food, supplements, coaching, competition apparel, spray tanning, accessories, hair styling and makeup application, travel expenses, and entry fees, the financial load can be immense. Competitors will often go broke, scraping up whatever money they have to make the dream of competing happen. This is not a poor man’s sport! That is why I tell competitors to establish a budget and be judicious about which events they want to do and what they can afford to do. I also advise competitors to seek out sponsors to help out with the enormous costs of competing. It is not unusual to see competitors forgo other hobbies and vacations in an effort to gather enough funds to support their competing habit.

Food Porn:

As a competitor who used to dream about food, I completely understand the fantasizing which occurs in competitors when on a contest prep meal plan. Contest prep meals are usually bland as a result of how clean they are, and some meal plans are so restrictive that one may eat only two food items throughout the day, such as chicken and asparagus. It’s only human nature to rebel against this type of meal plan after a while, because it is quite a chore to adhere to it every single day with no treats and no cheats. It is a normal occurrence for competitors to discuss what foods they plan to eat post-contest. What’s also interesting is that some competitors will become so rigid and so fearful of backlash from their coaches that they will only have a quasi-cheat meal post contest, then return to the same rigid eating plan they were on before. Other competitors may go off the deep end, eating everything in sight for days or weeks, only to deal with considerable rebound.

Conclusion:

Those of us who compete are indeed a strange breed. We are disciplined, driven and focused. I am fine with our quirks and accept them as part of the sport.

Why I Will Never Get A Tattoo

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Tiger tattooI love tattoos. Many are so mind boggling and cool that I find myself looking a bit too long or staring outright at a beautiful work of ink. As an artist I have an eye for great art and I appreciate talent whenever I see it. It’s also encouraging to see that the stereotypes surrounding inked skin have faded to a large extent, and that people from all walks of life are going under the needle and getting mini masterpieces permanently placed on their bodies.

However, I have no desire to get a tattoo, and I will most likely go to my grave without any permanent ink etched into my skin. I have a number of reasons why I won’t get a tattoo, but the most important reason why is because I think skin is most beautiful in its unmarked form. I happen to have great skin which heals well and quickly, is soft, has a nice color to it, and is rarely ravaged by pimples or rashes. When I ponder the notion of a tattoo on my skin, it is completely unfathomable. Even when I place temporary tattoos on my skin, I can only stand them for about 24 hours before I am already thinking about removing them.

This leads me to my second reason, which is that the novelty would wear off and I would probably regret any design eventually. I have no need to brand myself or chronicle an event on my body. The most significant memories are etched into my brain and don’t need to reside on my skin. I have met far too many people who have endured painful tattoo removal procedures because they decided to remove ink which, for whatever reason, they no longer wish to have. One of the WORST reasons to get a tattoo is to celebrate a relationship. What if you guys split up? I actually have a close friend who had gotten a matching tattoo with his wife, only to divorce her after a few years and undergo several tattoo do-overs which resulted in an ever expanding mass of ink which my friend hated for the entire duration of the different permutations. Instead of having a 4 centimeter by 5 centimeter tattoo to remove, he now has a 9 centimeter by 11 centimeter mess which he is trying to remove, all because he thought he could fix it by making it into something different.

My third reason for not getting a tattoo is that I have a sneaking suspicion that I have the type of personality which would result in me collecting them, as many tattoo aficionados do. It seems that many tattooees have a potato chip philosophy, namely, “You can’t just have one!” I have no desire to clutter my skin with countless little masterpieces and symbols. I also have no desire to try to figure out how to cover ink when I have to be professional and work as a physician. Let’s face it, despite the fact that tattoos are now well accepted in mainstream society, I am sure that patients would not be comfortable seeing tattoos on their doctors. Thankfully, I do not have to contend with covering up anything other than my private parts when I dress. If I had ink, I might have to worry about wearing long sleeves all the time, which would make me absolutely miserable since I almost always run hot and can’t stand any sleeves most of the time.

I love art of all kinds, and I also love being the canvas for body painting. But what is so great about body painting is that I can wash it all off and return to flawless skin and a fresh canvas after the shoot is over. The permanent nature of tattoos is so unappealing to me that I will not cave in and agree to a tattoo. This in no way means that I have anything against individuals who rock the ink. More power to you. But don’t expect me to have a moment of weakness and decide to do something that goes completely against what I believe in as a physician who subspecializes in cosmetic dermatology. Just let me enjoy looking at the ink on other people while leaving my skin untouched.