Every now and then, some gross guy is rude enough to ask me if my chest is real. And, though they shouldn’t be answered at all, I say, “Yeah, I kept this nose, but got my boobs done!” What jerks there are in this town.
Then I was recently swimming in a friend’s pool while she was out. She arrived home, but said she had to leave again. I noticed she seemed to be waiting around for something. I finally asked what was up, and it turns out she was waiting to see me emerge from the water. Knowing her, I said, “Okay, which of my body parts do you want to check out?” We laughed as she admitted it was my thighs.
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When she saw that, thankfully, I have nothing wrong with mine (knock on wood), she said a line she’s famous for (between her and me) [which is correct by the way--”She and I” is totally incorrect.], “I’m so confused.”
And, many years ago, an older woman friend of mine showed me how her face was falling, and told me it would happen to me, as well, because we had the same shape face. With all this encouragement, I figured that I should visit a plastic surgeon. (Or just get me some new friends!!!)
While all these rude anecdotes are true, I really never thought of seeing a doctor…yet. Though there might come a time, thankfully, it’s not now. (I never even saw one for my nose when I was a teen-ager in Brooklyn and it was de rigueur. Kind-of like in BH nowadays.)
But I have a big interest in stories of people losing a lot of weight, even before I got a tad chubby myself, and I’m a major fan of “Biggest Loser.” I always wondered if the “losers” had extra skin from losing all that weight.
Then, one night, while I was setting my DVR, the channel happened to be on one of those syndicated “entertainment” shows, (and I use the term loosely), and there was Erik, the winner of last season’s BL being checked out for surgery to remove his excess stomach skin! Jackpot for me! I was fascinated by the story. Turns out, the surgeon was Dr. Andre Aboolian, who was a friend of a friend.
So, she set up for me to meet him recently, strictly as a journalist and not a potential patient, (of course!), though if I had picked his brain any more about myself, I think we would have been engaged. (Yet another male who now feels for Mr. X.)
First things first--Dr. A is one of the very few plastic surgeons I’ve ever seen who doesn’t need work himself! He’s adorable! (So much better-looking than the picture of him in this column!) That’s always a good quality in someone who’s going to take a hammer to your face. (Or however it’s done nowadays.) I’ve met plenty of plastic surgeons who look so bad themselves that I wondered how they could be the ones to decide how anyone else should look.
Secondly, I met him before the story broke that he had turned down Kanye West’s mother for surgery, until she took care of some unknown (to us) medical situation. So, I summed him up to be honest, as well. Now, it appears we have anecdotal proof. (More on this later.)
Dr. Aboolian taught me a couple of interesting lessons on looking for the right doctor for the job, which I’ve passed on to my friends who are looking, and now on to you. He said always make sure you see their books of pictures of previous surgeries they’ve performed.
There should be many, current ones (if you can tell), and, most importantly, feature three views: front, side, and three-quarter.
Also, he said hold your hand over the BEFORE pix, and look at just the AFTER, at first. You want the Afters to show non-plastic surgery victims. (My words, not his.) If the person looks like anyone in the Rivers family, run in the other direction! (Again, MY words.)
Only if you like the look of the “new” person, check out the Before so you can do the comparison. I seriously would never have thought of that.
The most enlightening part was seeing all the people who’ve had body work. I really always thought it was just vanity that led patients to surgery. I was totally in shock to see just how many folks really need help in this area to be able to function. I’m so happy that there are doctors who can fix these problems.
Seriously, all of us who complain about a few extra pounds, or maybe a slightly jiggly arm, or a bit of cellulite should thank our lucky stars that we don’t have major issues, as do some people. We should stop judging ourselves by the standard of supermodels.
I left Dr. Aboolian actually feeling better about myself, though my looks weren’t even the issue this time. (Finally, something that wasn’t about ME! How refreshing.) I was very happy to find a doctor who wasn’t pushing unnecessary surgeries, though he could have easily said something like, “I could really fix your nose for you.” (BTW--I hate that word “fix”. Looks can possibly be “changed,” but they don’t need to be “fixed.”)
The only negative of the whole experience was the attitudinal-ness of some of the office staff. It would definitely be helpful for them to lighten up a taste. It’s weird when the busy doctor is more pleasant than the front-desk females. But workers come and go, so I’m not holding that against him.
A short while after I met with him for Beverly Hills People, the tragic death of Donda West occurred. I had read some stories that there was a BH doctor who said he wouldn’t do her surgery until she got other medical clearance. And then I found out it was Dr. Aboolian. I was proud of myself for summing him up right.
I called his PR person to inquire about the situation. This is the statement I received:
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Andre Aboolian, consulted with Donda West in June regarding cosmetic surgery procedures. Two weeks ago, Ms. West contacted the doctor by telephone when she decided that she was ready to move forward with the surgery. At that time, the doctor repeated the necessity to get medical clearance before he would perform any surgical procedures on her. “I always insist on a medical clearance for women over 40. He did not hear from her after that. He went on to say, “Plastic surgery itself is not dangerous, but patients must always take the necessary precautions to insure positive results. No surgery should be taken lightly. I am terribly sorry about the passing of Dondra West – she was a very sweet woman.”
Dr. Andre Aboolian 120 S. Spaulding Dr. BH 310-888-8862
www.andreaboolian.com |
