Change My Face: Surgery

Dr. Newen shows off a patient's before-and-after pictures. "This is the typical kind of upper eyelid surgery. There is absolutely no fold, a lot of empty space between her eyebrow and her eyelashes. I look at this face and my impression is that she's probably not that popular in the looks department," he observes. "You look at her eyes before, and her eyes look sexier after the surgery. They still look totally Asian."

"If you look at all the movie stars, all the singing stars, most of them are attractive. That's why we value beauty because it's pleasant. One of the most satisfying things to see is how happy patients are after their surgery," he says. "I'm very happy that I've chosen this career."

Dr. Phil addresses Dr. Newen. "You think this is all just a question of beauty. It has nothing to do with ethnicity?" he asks.
"Deanna has eyelid folds. I believe, from her perspective, that she didn't have the surgery done," Dr. Newen replies. He turns to Stephanie. "She had the surgery. She still looks Asian. My patients come in and look Asian before the surgery, and they look totally Asian after the surgery."

"You said you wanted to have more of a ‘Western look,'" Dr. Phil points out. "In fact, you said you were ashamed of your eyes."
"Absolutely. That's why I went to the extreme to have surgery done."

Martin agrees. "I think the message you send by getting your eyes widened or getting the flap added is that you're changing to look [Westernized] because you think it looks better," he adds. "You're buying into " and maybe even voting by your actions " to promote this western notion of beauty instead of what you have inside."

"You said, ‘You're in Hollywood. You need to look better'?" Dr. Phil asks Cholet.
She replies, "Yes, she works here, and she's surrounded by a lot of beautiful women. I've seen your wife on the screen and [she has] beautiful features. Chastity, I think it won't hurt if she adds definition."
"All my life, I've been teased. I've had a flat nose. My aunt and my mom especially, they would pinch my nose when I was younger, and say, ‘Hopefully, it will grow a little as you get older,'" Chastity recalls.
"Are you going to get [cosmetic surgery]?" Dr. Phil asks her.
"I'm fine. I'm good with the way I am," she replies.