Published: Sept. 8, 2011 Updated: Sept. 9, 2011 3:38 p.m.
Plastic surgery creates human Ninja Turtle
By COLIN STEWART
Bad plastic surgery: High-tech liposuction technique leads to bizarre fatty “six-pack abs” for reality TV celebrity.
ANNALS OF BAD PLASTIC SURGERY
Liposuction is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery, because unwanted bulges of fat are among the most unpopular parts of people’s bodies.
A high-tech form of liposuction does more than just suck out a few pockets of fat that resist attempts to remove them through diet and exercise. It’s called liposculpture, because it sculpts the fat to create new body contours.
Mostly it’s used as a sophisticated form of liposuction, but one patient has taken it to an extreme.
Low-level celebrity Darryn Lyons, 46, a cast member of the British reality TV show “Celebrity Big Brother,” used liposculpture to turn his abdominal fat into the approximate appearance of “six-pack abs.”
“Basically it’s the male version of a boob job,” Lyons said.
He proudly displayed the results on a recent episode of the show, but most people who see them are either amused or repulsed. Headline writers called them “ridiculous abs” and “creepy fat.”
After all, his “six pack” is made of fat, not of muscle.
“This is when abdominal etching (specialty liposuction to make the fat look like a six pack of muscle) goes horribly wrong. Who ever saw a man with a potbelly have a six pack? He looks like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle,” commented plastic surgeon and blogger Dr. Tony Youn of Michigan.
“Not everyone should be a candidate for this surgery. As he gets older and his skin sags, I betcha it’ll turn into a twelve pack or party ball,” Youn said.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer of Miami told MakeMeHeal.com, “He probably should have opted for a little liposuction instead. Often after seeing a trimmer body post-liposuction, patients are motivated to hit the gym more and eat better to maintain and improve their new look.”
Not every liposculpture patient looks like Lyons. Most look much better, as the lower photos in this blog post demonstrate. Those photos come from the website of the company that sells Vaser ultrasound-assisted liposuction equipment used in liposculpture.
But in each case, the patient’s appearance in the “after” photo is achieved by sculpting fat — taking away some of it while leaving some behind to stand in for where muscle appears to be.