Plastic Surgery of the Soap Stars

[SFK]

Interesting, thanks for the info. I've seen some pictures of horrible laser incidents and to look at it it seemed like they'd be to some degree burn victims for life. I based my opinion on botched facelifts on some of the great revision work I've seen, and with time people begin to sag back into their old selves. I hope she didn't notices that my friend and I were kind of staring, but we were in Starbucks once in a pretty affluent suburb of Manhattan and there was a lady who'd obviously had a SEVERE wind tunnel lift once upon a time. She'd aged since her procedure and there was a lot of excess skin in her face/jowls but her neck looked like it was cinched in the back with a bulldog clip and her face kind of drooped and draped on either side from mouth to ear like a valance above curtains. Her temple hairline was way back. It made me sad but it looked like there was hope!

[DaytimeFan]

And the thing is, the wind tunnel used to be the standard of good work. The point was to look pulled.

My how times have changed.

[Sylph]

So, DaytimeFan, being in UK for the moment — and this is off-topickish — how did you find the general clothing style there compared to the US? Much worse?

[DaytimeFan]

It's actually quite comparable to how people look in terms of skin and it's care.

Those who care look marvelous, modern and chic, especially in London. The skin looks lovely and the clothes are great.

Those who don't care look dreadful. Absolutely trashy and hideous.

The difference between the US and UK is that I would argue in the US people care more. In the UK, they let themselves go a lot easier.

[Sylph]

And how well are you acquainted with the Celebrity Dermatologists & Plastic Surgeons Scene in the UK?

[DaytimeFan]

Relatively well. But there are fewer in the UK. Most people go to the same people.

[teplin]

"Susan Seaforth Hayes has very clearly had a facelift, eye work, capped teeth, Botox, lasers and slathers on the makeup and wears multiple wigs. She's also heavier, not fat, but heavier, which softens her face."

I vividly remember a '90s-era SOD article in which the reporter made a point of mentioning that SSH had not had any plastic surgery (she even looked for scars). Things have obviously changed since then. I still think SSH is an absolutely gorgeous 60-something woman ... though now I wonder what she'd look like without the makeup. Bill looks fantastic for 84, too ... and he certainly seems abnormally spry for that age!

[Jonathan]

DaytimeFan: Oprah Winfrey. (She had a walk-on on All My Children so I'm allowed to ask it in this thread. ) Black don't crack, so I say no.

[SFK]

Nah, I don't think she's done anything other than use good skincare products and have an excellent makeup artist. As a matter of fact, there were a couple of episodes about her makeup artist Reggie having cosmetic procedures. Oprah has denied ever having anything done (though she said she likes the idea of Thermage, and she'd have her hanging tricep flaps removed if it didn't leave such a scar) but she said she'd foot the bill and let Reggie be the guinea pig. Oprah had a well-known New York socialite/dermatologist (what a combo), Dr. Lisa Airan work on Reggie's face. She did some botox and fillers on him.

[SFK]

Speaking of "black don't crack", DaytimeFan's friend in his head Wendy Williams is a proponent of "black DO crack" and she regularly has botox (haven't taken a really good look at her lately, but in recent seasons the lines in Oprah's brow have been very apparent). She's also had a tummy tuck and some big ol' titties stuffed in "under the muscle" as she likes to point out. But yeah Wendy, black may crack but being lighter skinned and having had a habit for the Columbian nose candy did you no favors either. AwwwRIIIGHT??

[DaytimeFan]

First off, Lisa Airan is a lovely lady.

Second, Oprah's very likely done light chemical peels for years. I say this because it only takes a few glances of 80s and 90s and 00's Oprah to see that her skin tone is significantly brighter. The 'ashy' look that a lot of African American skin tones demonstrate is simply dead skin cells that don't exfoliate properly. The same thing happens in lighter skin tones, but it's much less evident since the light skin cells have far less melanin (colour) in them. Oprah's skin doesn't demonstrate that look at all, so it's clear to me that she routinely exfoliates, both at home and with the help of a dermatologist. Light peels are great, they brighten the skin and decrease some fine lines. Deep peels can address deep lines, though those peels have more risks of hypopigmentation (the loss of colour from the skin).

Otherwise, I think Oprah looks very natural. She wears a TON of makeup because it sculpts her face and rids of her of the bags that plague her eyes and streamlines her nose. But otherwise, she demonstrates that African American skin ages superbly.

I love Wendy Williams. She reminds me of Jessica Rabbit, her body is outrageous in all the right places. Wendy's Botox is very complimentary and she has the smooth forehead, without the waxy look, that most people crave. Like Oprah I'm sure she goes in for the odd peel, but her skin looks great for a woman in her 40s who enjoyed the Columbian Marching Powder back in the day (she's been clean for over 10 years).

Wendy's tummy tuck and breast implants were in response to her losing a good deal of weight some years ago. The tummy tuck elimated the loose skin and the implants filled out her sagging chest. I think she looks great. She can carry off the implants because she has the outrageously sexy frame to do it. Nothing looks out of place on her. Having breast implants under the muscle is the way to go, they look far more natural that way and are...natural...to the touch.

I think Wendy would do better with different makeup shades. The dark lips and deep mauves that she likes aren't as flattering as a juicy plum colour would be. Still, Wendy exhibits a glamorous mafia wife vibe. She's fantastic. How you doin?

She's right though, Black CAN crack. Diahann Carroll's had a facelift and eye work to attest to that. But she looks wonderful. Like Wendy, she should go for juicier makeup shades because she can look sort of caked on/dry but she is the epitome of sophistication. She should get a light chemical peel for her neck, she's got lots of little sun spots going on that could be done away with in a half hour of peeling!

[Sylph]

So how can Oprah get rid of the bags? And why hasn't she done so?

And what is different in African(-American) skin so that it ages better? Something in the physiology, genes...?

[DaytimeFan]

The only way Oprah can get rid of the bags is surgery. I suppose she hasn't done it because she doesn't want to go that route.

The reason African American skin ages much better than lighter skins is twofold.

1-The collagen is much thicker overall. That's a double edged sword. On the one hand the skin is thicker and more resilient and has a lot more collagen to burn before it wrinkles and sags. On the other hand, it scars far easier and the scars are, for lack of a better word, uglier because the collagen creates substantial scar tissue.

2-The darker your skin tone the more natural protection you have from the sun. Light Caucasian skin ages the worst because the natural sun protection of melanin is hardly there, just the opposite is true in African American skin. Some doctors argue that African American skin is like SPF 1000, I don't think it's quite that high, but it is certainly far more resistent to burning and wrinkling thanks to the sun.

[SFK]

Yeah, older brown-to-dark-skinned black people usually don't deep line wrinkle like lighter people do, they sag, the underlying fat looks "melted" if that makes sense. Watching my own black relatives age, a lot of them develop spots/small moles and skin tags on the face and neck. The eyes get puffier. But my late grandmother in her sixties would smile and light up the room, her skin was that dewey beautiful and luminous.

It's worth pointing out that a lot of black women who wear makeup wear foundation a few shades lighter than their natural tone, so I would also take that into consideration when analyzing Oprah's look. I don't think she's ever bleached, at least not since her love yourself new agey turn in the early '90s.

But yes indeed DaytimeFan, keloids, spots, and assorted scars are like the bane of black skin. You know, and I'm sure others have noticed that this seems to be the focus of black skincare products, even those Ambi commercials with Tika Sumpter. Acne can be a real bitch for a darker skinned black person, those hyperpigmented acne scars.

[DaytimeFan]

Yes, darker skin tones tend to puff and sag rather than wrinkle. I think it's because, generally, weight gain in later life is more common, likely due to genetics.

I agree, Oprah's never bleached her skin. But her skin is very clear and fabulous, that's routine exfoliation without a doubt in my mind. It isn't about changing the colour, just the tone. I never understand the use of makeup that isn't the skin's natural colour since facial makeup should match the neck. Diahann Carroll does that a lot. Naomi Campbell never does that and she looks so great. Is it because the shades darker tones need aren't available?

Yes, acne is awful if you have dark skin. The best way to handle it is to get acne under control with benzoyl peroxide and then routinely exfoliate with salacylic or glycolic acid to smooth things out. After that, the only thing that truly heals scars (aside from lasers, though those are NOT recommended for dark skin due to scarring issues) is time.