‘I’ve used leeches to save a dying nipple’: Plastic surgeon reveals the weirdest tricks of his trade… and the strangest requests he’s ever had
He touches on everything from male bum implants to giant genital warts during the eye-opening discussion
A PLASTIC surgeon with 16 years of experience has spilled the secrets of his trade, after reconstructing and enhancing more than 5,000 faces, breasts and bodies.
Opening up during an AMA (ask me anything) , Dr Tony Youn spoke about using leeches, being threatened by patients, and genital warts the size of cauliflower heads.
In a thread where touching tales contrast with disgusting stories and interesting facts, the Detroit doctor provides an eye-opening account of the diverse world of plastic surgery.
Here’s some of the highlights:
Parent’s trying to book surgery for their kids
Dr Youn wrote: “I once had a parent call me to make an appointment for her son.
“She was Korean and claimed her son wanted Asian eyelid surgery (to make an extra fold to look more Caucasian).
“He was only seven! I told her she had major problems and I would never do that to him!”
Dr Youn said he never operates on anyone under the age of 18, with the exception of teenage girls whose boobs were so big they had crippling back ache.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever experienced?
Dr Youn said: “I’ve used leeches to save nipples that were about to die, I’ve counselled women who had industrial strength silicone injected into them in hotel rooms, I’ve seen maggot infested wounds, I almost got lice from a patient, I’ve seen genital warts the size of cauliflower heads, and have had patients hit on me, ask to set me up with their children (I’m married), threaten to hit me with their car, and ruin my career.”
The plastic surgeon has even nicknamed the leeches Beverly Hill’s bloodsuckers – because of their popularity in the posh part of town.
There was some confusion around how nipples could die, and how the leeches help, so Dr Youn helpfully explained: “Leeches act as a ‘vein’ to drain out the clogged up blood.
“All plastic surgeons have them in their ‘back pocket’ in case all hell breaks loose and the surgery goes down the tubes.
“Thankfully I’ve never had to use them in private practice.”
Men and surgery
In response to the question: “Do guys get ass-plants?” Dr Youn said: “I’ve never heard of a guy getting buttock implants.
“Lots of women do, though. There are complex measurements, believe it or not, and classifications for the shape of butts (heart shaped, square, shelf etc).
“But never heard of a guy wanting it.”
And it’s bad news for ageing bald blokes, too.
Dr Youn said: “Sorry but bald men have a hard time hiding the scars of a facelift.
“I suppose you could wear makeup to cover the scars, but this would get tedious.”
What to do with the leftovers
“There was once a doc in LA who claimed to use his patients’ liposuctioned fat to power his car,” Dr Youn revealed.
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“He called it ‘Biofuel’. The only car I know of that could run on Biofuel was the old AMC Pacer pieces of c***.
“Anyways, his office was raided by the cops and last I heard he fled to South America!”
In response to this particular anecdote, commenter Kasper 12 said: “I am really starting to believe this guy has seen it all.”
Inspired by the stars
“I’ve had a lot of people ask me for wings. Like, turn them into the X-Men character The Angel. And they believe it’s possible.
“The next craziest thing someone asked for was to look like Kim Kardashian.”
Queue hilarious Reddit commenters ask why these particular patients don’t simply drink a can of Red Bull, and "politely sod off".
No nipples
In response to the question: “Do you actually cut nipples off during boob jobs?”
Dr Youn said: “In very rare cases the nipples are removed during surgery and placed back on as a ‘free nipple graft’ where it is a skin graft.
“This occurs in extreme breast reduction surgery where the breasts are so long that they may hover near the waist band area.”
Future of surgery
According to Dr Youn, people are becoming less keen to go under the knife nowadays.
He wrote: “The number of people undergoing nonsurgical procedures (Botox, fillers, lasers, IPL, radiofrequency, chemical peels etc) has exploded.
“This is definitely the future of plastic surgery: looking better without actual surgery!”
Touching tales
Among the jokey questions about how people’s ‘friends’ were considering surgery, there were also some touching stories of how Dr Youn had successfully changed people’s lives.
Tama Chan said: “In 2013 you saved my wife’s life by repairing her face after a dog attack.
“The surgery you did to reconstruct the damage was amazing.
“I’m forever in your debt and will never forget what you did for my wife.”
Candid revelations
Dr Youn wrote: “I know I will get sued someday. It’s the unfortunate nature of medicine nowadays.”
The doc also said he talks one in five people who come in for a consultation out of surgery, and even encourages them to quit smoking as an incentive to be more able afford the procedure.
Dr Youn is a TV personality, beauty expert and the author of In Stitches and The Age Fix.