I Want a Famous Face – What the Experts Have To Say

By Ashley Van Leuven

Published on February 05, 2008

Over the past two months, we've been exploring the world of celebrity plastic surgery.  Though our stance on the issue may have been amusing and our "celebrity plastic surgery creations" hideous, the phenomenon is very real-some people, just like you and me, are undergoing plastic surgery not to feel better about themselves, but to look more like their favorite celebrities.

It's a trend that was highlighted most recently in the MTV show I Want a Famous Face. Participants would go under the knife in hopes of looking more like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, or any number of other famous celebrity facades.  The surgeries were extensive and painful, and the results fell (far) short of "perfection": not one contestant actually looked like their fave superstar.

So what do the experts have to say?  To be sure, there are some who would agree to undertake the monumental task of turning an ordinary face into a purported mirror image of a Hollywood starlet or hunk. 

But then there are some like Dr. Kamran Khoobehi, a board certified plastic surgeon near New Orleans, Louisiana.  He takes a much healthier stance on the matter, and has some ideas that patients and surgeons alike might want to consider.

Hollywood ≠ Perfection

So you've made a decision to alter your appearance.  That's great!  Each year millions of people go under the knife and emerge with heightened self-esteem and renewed confidence.  These people are prime examples of what plastic surgery is meant to do - make you a better version of you.

But what if you decide you want plastic surgery, and you want to look like (insert your favorite male or female celebrity here).  Now I'm not a medical professional, but I'd be willing to guess that desiring another person's features enough to actually pay to have them is a sign that a person might have some underlying, unresolved emotional and psychological issues.   

The issue does not lie in wanting to look like someone else; the issue lies deeper.  You can see how this might present a dilemma for surgeons like Dr. Khoobehi, whose ultimate goal is not only a beautiful result, but a healthy and happy patient. 

When asked if patients come into his office seeking celebrity plastic surgery makeovers, Dr. Khoobehi says that "they don't want to look like celebrities... I believe that Hollywood has gone a little bit overboard."

Just Say No

It's no secret that Hollywood has shaped, and even defined, our ideal of the perfect male and female figures. But does that mean that ordinary people seeking a little aesthetic improvement should rely on Tinsel Town to tell them what is and isn't beautiful?

"Having a successful practice puts you in a position to say ‘no' to the patient." And that is exactly what Dr. Khoobehi does.  Patients who come into his practice with unrealistic expectations and magazine clippings of their favorite celebrities don't need plastic surgery; they need a different kind of help.

Patients may have an idea of what they want. They may have a hunch of what the results of their procedure will look like.  But in the end, it is up to professionals like Dr. Khoobehi to accept patients, and to coach them through the process of a healthy makeover. 

Despite numerous attempts to uncover the fountain of youth through the newest healthy fad or latest injectable treatment, Hollywood should not be used as a guide for plastic surgery makeovers.

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