Xander Ford, Arci Muñoz: When is plastic surgery enough?

MANILA, Philippines — In light of the controversies surrounding Xander Ford and Arci Muñoz's transformations, a plastic surgeon who claims to have operated on two out of three beauty titlists in the Philippines, explains the pros and cons of having a plastic surgery.

Dr. James Joaquino, plastic and reconstruction specialist at Centuria Medical in Makati City, told Philstar.com in a recent interview that Filipino celebrities and beauty queens need nose jobs and other surgical "enhancements" to be able to compete globally.

"Pano naman makakalaban ang mga Pinoy sa mga Latina na ang gaganda sa picture kasi antatangos ng ilong at ang gaganda ng hubog ng katawan? Who does not want to be enhanced if it's applicable?" he pointed out.

He divulged that the public usually cannot figure out which celebrity went under the knife because not only are doctors are so good in hiding scars; every clinic has top secret passages for high-profile stars so they cannot be seen going to the doctor.

"Nose lift is our bread and butter," the doctor confided. "Second is body contouring because as a person gets older, the face and the skin sags, so we replace the sagging parts with your own fat."

May it be to be more confident and competitive, like Xander Ford, or to fix an injury, like in Arci's case, Dr. Joaquino gave pointers before going under the knife.

What you should remember about plastic surgery:

1. Is it safe? 

"Safety must be the number one concern," said Dr. Joaquino. "Do not be fooled by a beautiful and elegant clinic. Do not be afraid to ask questions and research on the doctor's credentials before you let him do anything on you." 

2. What you can do in Photoshop, you cannot do through surgery.

The doctor said that do not expect your new look to be similar to what you envision on your computer or to your celebrity peg, because good plastic surgeons base one's look on precise, mathematical calculations and proportions.

3. Always ask for a second or third opinion. Be a smart patient!

Criteria of a good plastic surgery:

1. It should not affect the function of a body part.

If it is a nose lift like Arci's, it should not hinder first, one's breathing.

"Some nose jobs made the nostrils so small that the patient cannot anymore pick his nose or breathe. That shouldn't be the case," said Dr. Joaquino.

2. The patient's lifestyle should not change. 

If your doctor tells you your nose or operated body part is "bawal masagi" or should not be moved, then the operation must have not been good because an ideal surgery is "not life restricting," said the surgeon.

According to Joaquino, scarring or keloids appear on the nose job, like that in Arci's case, when the patient smiles or uses the mouth a lot, which should not be the case.

A good operation, said the doctor, should make the person beautiful but also not stop him from doing sports and other activities.

"What's the use of a new nose if lahat bawal?" Dr. Joaquino stressed.

3. Plastic surgery should correct the problem first and not create a new one.

The adage "second time's the charm" does not apply to plastic surgery, said Joaquino.

"Usually, the first operation always gives the best result," he said. Thus, he does not recommend doing another nose job on top of the first one.

4. The new nose or body part should be coherent with the rest of the body.

"What is the use of a nice nose if it does not fit the rest of the face?" the doctor pointed out. 

He also vetoed boob jobs that are so big in proportion to the body.

5. The surgery must be easily reversible. 

If something goes wrong, the doctor must be able to "undo" the operated part, said Dr. Joaquino.

Can you do plastic surgery on different body parts in one go?

In line with reports of a business woman that recently died during a multiple cosmetic procedure, Dr. Joaquino said he cannot precisely pinpoint what went wrong because he also operates on multiple body parts in one day.

According to him, it is possible to do nose lift, boob enhancement, and other procedures in one day - it just depends on the patient's health and fitness.

A doctor, said Joaquino, must however be able to make a correct assessment of the patient's health first before subjecting the patient to multiple treatments.

Does plastic surgery cause addiction?

When a person goes under the knife, does he crave for more?

According to Dr. Joaquino, cosmetic procedures "do not cause addiction" but are "habit-forming."

"We get patients from happy patients," he said, explaining that patients return not because they are addicted to the morphine or the procedures, but because they were happy with the previous results.

"Something causes addiction when it causes someone to experience withdrawal syndrome," he clarified.

He admitted, however, that a lot of doctors impose their aesthetics on the patient - "the doctor is happy but the patient is not."

Hence, for those thinking of plastic surgery as an option, he reminded them that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholdee" - that is - before thinking about how your doctor or social media would accept your kind of beauty, you should first be happy with yourself.