PLASTIC SURGERY SECRETS OF THE STARS

By Allison Van Dusen

When the stars step on to the red carpet, they'll talk about who designed their fabulous gowns, suits, jewelry and shoes, but they're highly unlikely to mention the people who may have had the biggest hand in creating their picture-perfect looks - their plastic surgeons, cosmetic dermatologists and dentists.

With the recent wrapping of the Golden Globes and the Oscars, it's been a busy season for California's cosmetic doctors. Their offices have been full in recent weeks with big-name actors and actresses willing to spend thousands to get rid of that new wrinkle, touch up their décolletage or just look 10 to 15 years younger.

"It may be good for a character to look a certain way, but when it comes to, say, going to a premiere for a movie, you want to look your best," says Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Nikolov, who frequently treats working actresses. He, like most of the physicians quoted in this piece, would not divulge clients' names. "On the red carpet, you're supposed to look glamorous."

Most celebrities will deny they've had work done, but their doctors know the truth, and have the secret back entrances in their offices to prove it.

"They're very paranoid," says Dr. Renato Calabria, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who says his celebrity clients sometimes have a hard time saying hello to him in public, pioneered the new One Stitch Facelift. The procedure lifts loose facial skin and anchors it via one stitch under the hairline on each side of the face. “The effect is more subtle than a full facelift and popular among clients in their late 30s”, Calabria says. Recovery time is around four days, perfect for the kind of person who doesn't want to stay out of the limelight for too long.

Actresses who've already hit 40, but don't want to look it, have been turning to Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, a plastic surgeon at the Beverly Hills Body practice. He uses the Volumetric Face Lift, which makes the face look young again by treating it like a deflated balloon. After taking fat via a needle from a patient's abdomen, he inserts it under the eyes, in the cheeks or between the nose and mouth to sculpt full features.

Ellenbogen sometimes also tightens the skin via small incisions around the ears. She recommends that people who are photographed for a living, schedule the procedure four to six weeks in advance of an event.

While some stars will plan major nips and tucks such as liposuction months in advance, most go for easy touch-ups like injections of fillers, which can give the skin a full, younger appearance, and which don't cause a lot of tell-tale swelling or bruising.

"In general, the non-invasive or minimally invasive procedure market has expanded rapidly," says Dr. Roxanne Guy, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "It started with the Botox boom, and it's just built upon from that."

Today, Botox isn't used just for zapping deep forehead wrinkles, according to Nikolov. It also works to prevent stains around the underarms by stopping the glands from producing sweat. About eight to 10 injections of Botox in the area can do the trick.

"When you're on the red carpet," he says, "you look great, and maybe you're a little nervous - no matter what, the last thing you want is to get perspiration on your gown."

To prepare for their close-ups, some stars turn to cosmetic dentists for Power Bleaching, says Miami-based cosmetic dentist Jorge Blanco, which is done two and a half weeks in advance of an event. Blanco applies whitening gel to the teeth, then sits the patient in front of a light that promotes absorption for about an hour. Sensitivity may be a problem for a day afterward. Some dentists send people home with teeth-whitening trays and solution, so they can control color all the way up to an event.

Of course, the desire to look good in front of all those cameras isn't singular to actors and actresses. Calabria says he's also had producers, directors, public relations people and even journalists come to him in recent weeks seeking a refreshed look.

"The main thing people look for is something that will make them look spectacular, but at the same time not stand out too much," says Blanco. "It has to be subtle."