Last night I had the tv on and caught a bit of the Extreme Makeovers, and then they had another segment afterwards called Wedding Extreme Makeovers. Did anybody see it?

Ohmigosh, I'm so emotional right now anyway, but I was just bawling. First of all, these makeovers, if you've never seen them, are complete plastic surgery makeovers that also include any lasik and dental work, and full workouts with a fitness trainer, and the whole process takes about two months. Family, including spouses, and friends cannot see them for average about two months, while they heal, diet, and exercise and return a completely new person with truly NEW faces and bodies -almost freaky. It's absolutely amazing.
What is so incredible to me, too, is that the plastic surgeon, besides his obvious talent, has such an art for being able to create new faces for these people all the while bringing out the essence and spirit of who they are. It's phenomenal.

They decided to choose a couple. So, on their mutual birthdays, they had a party, and he proposed to her, and then a friend announced that they had been chosen to be the Extreme Makeover candidates. This couple had both lost 100 pounds, so had excess skin, etc., plus neither of them were very attractive to begin with. They not only were they given every surgery, plus the lasik and dental, and hard core 2mo workouts, but were given a Cinderella wedding at the Disneyworld in Florida, complete with carriage. What a dream! But, when they 'unveiled' how they looked, it was so unbelievable! And the looks on everyone's faces when they first see them - how can you not cry along with them?

I'm getting all sappy and weepy..

Personally, I find the whole concept disturbing. Our society puts so much value on outward appearances. On the other hand everyone desires to look their best. I find it a moral dilema. We have all seen those with too much surgery, giant boobs or plastic looking faces. M. Jackson being an example of the extreme. I guess I'll stick to what my Grandmother always told me "all things in moderation." Extreme anything is a bad idea.

Whoa sedona-  remember the pain pills make you that way!

It's actaully the grossest show I've seen for a while.

Sedona,

I cry when I watch it too.  There was one where a woman had gone through her whole life with a hair lip and they fixed it and it was just incredible to see her smile.

So what are they gonna do when they have children?
Do they need extreme makeover too?
It is so sad how far people would go to acheive 'the Perfect look'
if they can't accept each other for who they are,what esle is there
left to be loved?

They take people who have had features that have caused them to have low self esteem, or feel they have fewer opportunities in life, etc. and give them the opportunity of a lifetime to have the surgeries, dental work, and workouts.
What I think is so awesome is that the plastic surgeon doesn't make them look like Barbie and Ken, but keeps their essence and just makes them a 'better THEM'. Laser peels on people with acne scars, perfected teeth when they had really bad teeth, etc.

Yes, Michael J. is an example of the extreme - gone WRONG!

Yeah, now if the dang pain pills would just take away the PAIN - instead of making me cry!! Damnit..

No, last nights was really wonderful..

You know IO had a bad injury in college in the 80s

coke and Kaya worked great in that case -but always together

Now I would probably go for demerol  but get them to up the does until you ARE pain free!  They always try to keep it down

Yes, I seen it. It was great, especially the part where the guy with the beautiful eyes got so sentimental about his lady. It's funny how some people knock other people for doing it, but who cares if it makes them happy and more confident. Anyway, aren't we in the "outer-appearances-do-matter" business? Whoever says "no" is lying. Guys don't usually like a lot of makeup, but then why do they pick us when we're all made up and looking hot?  Talk about hypocracy.

Hugs,
Ciara

I saw one of these shows recently. They had a lady you had really bad teeth, because growing up her parents couldn't afford to take her to the dentist. She never smiled. The dentist replaced most of her front teeth, an oral surgeon did some work on her gums and lips to eliminate the buck tooth look. Some new clothes and a couple of other small things, abracadbra, a new lady. Confident looking, and HAPPY. I cried to at the end.

Sorry -but I can tell about 80% of the time when someone has some "work done" and usually it makes pople look like a gargoyle.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but SOON and FOR THE REST OF THIER LIVES!

The old Nebraska Football Coach has obviuosly had a peel or some sort of buffing-  looks like a freak

Ivana Trump- Gargoyle!

Arnold Schwarzenegger -Freaky looking

REMEMBER- It's like a guy with a rug- you always know and you wonder why? Do they know how wierd they look?

And I include boob jobs in this area!

And I for one do not like my ladies to wear much makeup!  Give my SO total shit when she does it!

With a few exceptions, (a lady I dated in College ha a beak clipped -did not look too bad- I fucked when it was still new and she had raccoon eyes) it just draws attention to the area.

We are at base animals - hunters of most others and prey for few.  God or nature (they are one I think) gave us eyes that pick out anomalies- things that seem wrong.  Can't you always tell the painted special effects from the practical ones?  I can even as I watch some of my best friends work that is great.  No matter what unless your doctor is BOTH skilled and lucky- its a big sign that says I have issues with how I look!

I say all this as a very avarage looking guy - even a bit goofy looking.  So I could probably use some help if I was so inclined!

But then I'd look like a freak with low self esteem...

oh, I do already... right...

I've only seen it once but, at least the episode I saw, these were all people whos appearance would charitably be described as unattractive.  I don't see the problem with people with abnormally large features, crooked teeth, acne scars, whatever, getting surgery to look better.  And as long as they are losing the the wieght through proper nutrition and exercise I think it's great.

Is it's easy to dismiss these people if you're not in their shoes.  But on the show I saw it gave these people a new outlook on their life and made them feel good about themselves for the first time in many years.  Yes it would be great if looks didn't matter and people were judged strictly based upon what is on the "inside."  That however, is not the world I have witnessed during my lifetime.

that impacted me about the happiness. Thanks, Some Nerd.

I agree Sedona .... all sad and weepy.

He should just find a woman that already hates him, buy her a house and give her $3k a month for 11 years!

I know some of the guys doing this stuff, and I know some of what they are doing.  Like most things there is more than one side.

I'm not sure, but I think that one of the tv stations had a follow up story on one the recipients of an extreme makeover which had some of the negatives of the final outcome mentioned.

On one side I couldn't agree more that self image improvement can make a tremendous change in a life.  There is a very high correlation between men who committed crime and their, for lack of a better word, ugly looks.  It seems that people who are considered unattractive have a psychological burden from youth which influences their whole life.  No suprize there.  Plastic Surgery has made some difference on inmates who are through with their time behind bars and the path that follows vs inmates who didn't get the treatment.

But some of what is going on with this Extreme Makover IMHO is, for the sake of the show and primetime appeal, done too quickly and with total disregard for the long term welfare of the patient/subject.  And I think there is an important point here.  Each one of these practitioners needs to see these people as patients for whom they are responsible to do their very best.  I don't think that that is the case.  I think that they are viewed as a quick buck and a opportunity for publicity.  I KNOW that some of the work was wrong and will not last but will not comment further here to keep my alias intact.

So in some ways it's a wonderful opportunity, and in others it's a real shame.

Demerol works well for a short course. no more than 3 days. It metabolizes into a toxin which builds up over time and causes psychosis and other problems. Also the oral form doesn't do squat. You have to take 300mg orally to equal the effect of a 75 mg shot. They come in 50mg tabs. So for a couple of doses demerol may work well, but in the recovery perod it is a poor choice. IMO the overall best injectable pain killer is fentanyl. It has a short half life so you see fewer adverse side effects. It also come in patches for pain of a more chronic nature. The best pill form IMO is oxycodone. Oxycontin is the long acting form, abusers crush oxycontin to get the instant effect which is why they o.d. Oxycodone comes in 5mg tabs and is also the narcotic ingredient in combination with things like tylnol and aspirin in med.s like tylox, percocet, and percodan. If they are too strong for you the next step down is hydrocodone which in med.s like vicodin and lortab.
Sorry to lecture but I deal with these med.s everyday at work and often have to deal with peoples misconceptions.

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Michael Jackson to Mickey Mouse.

Cheers!

percocet, which worked well. Then they sent me home with the generic Vicodin (which doesn't do much).

They won't prescribe anything else, yet it would make such a difference for me if they did - I'd sleep better, get rest and actually recuperate, rather than suffer and just 'get by', like I am.

Actually, I'd prefer not to need any meds at all so I can't wait to get to that point, and then do a detox cleanse and fast to get rid of everything.

I've discovered that most (?), many (?) doctors don't go for those "triplicate" signature rx's, so you're left with inadequate drugs like Vidodin.

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I agree with Mothernautre.  Fake anything is a complete turn off.  Sexual appeal is in essence related to procreation.  Each of them needs to find someone with "real looks" to save their childern.

Unfortunately with all the publicity of celebs being adicted to pain killers many MD's underprescribe pain killers. And it just ain't right. Unfortunately there are also many out there who try to get as much narcotic as possible for illegitimate reasons. So in a way you can't blame the doc's for being cautious. Narcotics need to be tapered down relatively gradually and you need a little strength of will to do that. Not like Rush who got them blackmarket did not have the will to taper himself down but instead tapered up.