"It may be good for a character to look a certain way, but when it
comes to, say, going to a premiere for a movie, you want to look your
best," says Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Nikolov, who
frequently treats working actresses. He, like most of the physicians
quoted in this piece, would not divulge clients' names. "On the red
carpet, you're supposed to look glamorous."
Most celebrities will deny they've had work done, but their doctors
know the truth--and have the secret back entrances in their offices
to prove it. "They're very paranoid," says Dr. Renato Calabria, a Beverly
Hills plastic surgeon. Calabria, who says his celebrity clients sometimes
have a hard time saying hello to him in public, pioneered the new one-stitch
face lift.
For about $5,000, the procedure lifts loose facial skin and anchors
it via one stitch under the hairline on each side of the face. The effect
is more subtle than full face lifts and popular among clients in their
late 30s, Calabria says. Recovery time is around four days, perfect
for the kind of person who doesn't want to stay out of the limelight
for too long.