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CNN Live Today

Plastic Surgery Offers Personal Options

Aired May 08, 2002 - 10:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A finer face, a better body. A lot of people have flaws that they would like to fix, and these days, procedures like face lifts, tummy tucks and liposuction are becoming increasingly popular. But what are you risking with these quick fix surgeries?

We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" again this week to find out. Let's have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to have you hold this up underneath here just for additional lighting.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are few things that make us quite as self conscious as visiting a plastic surgeon.

(on camera): So, you are going to narrow the nose and bring it up a little bit, is that what...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to narrow it and bring up the tip, a little bit of bulbous-ness on the tip.

GUPTA (voice-over): See what I mean?

(on camera): Bulbous-ness?

(voice-over): A plastic surgeon sometimes does his or her job by cutting things out. Whether it's rhinoplasty to fix a bulbous nose, tucks to remove extra skin, or even lipoplasty to suck out fat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys are realizing they can come in with sort of a fullness in their chest area, fullness in their tummy, and just have liposuction. They'll be off of work for four days, maybe seven days.

GUPTA: Other times, they move stuff around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to raise one of your brows just slightly.

GUPTA: Or even add new parts, like a chin implant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we are going to bring your chin out just a little bit.

GUPTA: Or breast implants, which are regaining public confidence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They feel like, if they want a breast augmentation, they can come and get it, they can get it safely. They can get the result that they expect to get, that their friend got, and they'll be happy.

GUPTA: Although the wallet may not be quite as happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total cost on a brow and a nose and a chin might be $8,000 to $10,000, counting the doctor's fee and also the operating room.

GUPTA (on camera): How about something like this gentleman here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, liposuction of the chest and of the tummy, that's probably around 6,000.

GUPTA (voice-over): No operation is completely free of risk. And, although it's extremely rare, a few patients have died during plastic surgery. Patients are warned ahead of time of the dangers, and computer simulations that predict the outcome of surgery help patients decide if the reward is worth the risk -- and the expense.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now I'm going to print these out for you, so you can take a copy home with you.

GUPTA (on camera): Show everyone my bulbous nose?

(voice-over): Personally, I think I'll choose to keep my nose like it is.

(on camera): I never knew that I had a bulbous nose before I came here today, but I'm OK with that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a little bulbous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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