For those of you with questions about plastic surgery but who resist the alluring temptation to contact Dr. Jeff directly, I encourage you to peruse my new book, Plastic Surgery Secrets, 2nd Edition, which just rolled off the presses and hit bookstores everywhere last week.  More than 300 contributors from 14 countries have joined forces to produce the newly-minted edition that contains 155 chapters on virtually every aspect of plastic and reconstructive surgery.

I have neither been abducted and transported through a wormhole to another dimension nor have I taken a leave of absence to circumnavigate the globe in a hovercraft.  But I have been quite busy and offer my sincerest regrets for any semblance of a departure from my dutiful role as Dr. Jeff on ChicagoNow.  Allow me to explain.

Dear Dr. Jeff,

i had breast reduction surgery last year.  If you have sex will they grow back again? i really don't want them back; the left one is starting to also feel heavier. i lost a lot of weight; now I'm gaining weight again. i was reduced to a small C cup.  i became sexually active with my last boyfriend. I'm turning 23 this year and i really don't want the DD's back!! 

Preet

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Dear Dr. Jeff, 

I have severe sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine at night to help me breathe.   I also have a very short thick neck with fat below my chin and at the bottom of my neck.  Would any type of cosmetic surgery on my neck/face to remove the extra fat around my neck help with the sleep apnea ?  Or will the procedure just make me look fabulous on the outside, like I told my husband ...

LM

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Dear Dr. Jeff,

What is the recuperation period for liposuction for a 50-year-old woman who is in relatively good shape and who exercises frequently? How long should the process take for liposuction of the stomach region, hips, and flanks?

Thank you.

Feeling Fat

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Dear Dr. Jeff

I lost 85 pounds 4 years ago. I exercise daily and have not been able to lose the stretched skin. I am 48-years-old. What would you suggest to lose the stretched skin around my waist?

Thank you.

CBH

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Dear Dr. Jeff

I have heard that if you have liposuction and you regain the weight that you will gain it in other places.  Is this true?

Erika

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It's hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since Terri Hatcher stammered, "They're real and they're spectacular!" to a curious and dumbfounded Jerry Seinfeld. 

Dear Dr. Jeff,

There's been so much talk in the media over the last several years about separating "conjoined twins".  Can you tell me how this condition differs from "Siamese twins"?

LP

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The fascination with plastic surgery has pervaded the media over the past decade with a multitude of "extreme makeover" and reality shows.  However, this preoccupation with self image and personal transformation is not new.  A myriad of films have focused on one aspect of plastic surgery or another over the years, touching upon concepts that range from breast implant invention to species transformation to body image perception to facial transfer to comedy Mel Brooks style.  The gallery below showcases a dozen or so of the best of these films.

Dear Dr. Jeff,

Bad judgement and good outcomes are generally mutually exclusive barring unpredictable strokes of luck. The surgeon and the patient often share the responsibility, perhaps to greater and lesser extents, when any compromise of an optimal plan is agreed upon.  

Question: What could better than joining Bill Leff, ChicagoNow Radio Host, and Ashley Bond, Miss Illinois USA 2009, in the WGN radio studio on a beautiful Saturday morning to exchange banter?

Dear Dr. Jeff

In an industry dominated by appearances, and plagued by obsession with body image, is it really that surprising that so many starlets and fading stars resort to image-enhancing plastic surgery?  Of course, not!  So, why the big mystery?  More often than not it's the public's insatiable curiosity to determine if someone has had plastic surgery that is of far greater interest than the facts themselves.  Like an itch that just needs to be scratched, it forces speculation, accusation, pontification, and the generation of rumors. As I have not treated any of the stars in this gallery, am not privy to the details of their actual surgical histories, nor could I reveal such details if I were, they are presented for your assessment, scrutiny and entertainment.  You be the judge!

1.  Are you skeletally mature (i.e., done growing)?

Rhinoplasty or any bony or cartilaginous procedure performed prior to the completion of growth can have adverse consequences on subsequent growth and development.

Dear Dr. Jeff

Aesthetic enhancement and rejuvenation are the two main objectives of cosmetic surgery. Improved self-esteem and body image are the goals. Should we perform liposuction on the cherubic newborn and do away with that baby fat or, perhaps, a rhinoplasty (nose job) on a 14-year-old girl so she can enter the dating world with greater confidence? Where do we draw the line?

One would think it wouldn't be necessary to enlist the services of Leonard Nimoy (aka Mr. Spock aka Paris aka "In Search Of ..." host dynamo) to identify a fully trained, board certified, bona fide plastic surgeon - but it might. After all, the specialty is so diverse that it is alluring not only to potential patients who seek a myriad of services for as many diverse reasons, but also to those who would potentially offer such services. So, where does one commence their search?

Derived from the Greek word plastikos, meaning to mold, form, or give shape, the field of plastic surgery encompasses both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.   

Cosmetic surgery is performed to reshape and modify normal structures of the body with the goal of improving the patient's appearance and self-esteem. However, reconstructive surgery is performed on abnormal structures of the body, the result of congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumor or disease. Reconstructive surgery is generally performed to improve function, but may also be done to restore a normal appearance.