Every month, we strive to bring you a balanced mix of breaking news (stars getting surgery, for instance, or this buzzworthy cellulite treatment) and advice you can always use, like how to get six-pack abs or rejuvenate your face without filler. Invariably though, there’s an intriguing headline or viral post that doesn’t make its own stand-alone story yet is still worthy of a share.
Which brings us here, to the third installment of This Month in Aesthetics, an ICYMI recap of industry-molding moments that we’d be remiss not to acknowledge—from Britney’s foiled boob job consultation to the Housewives’ latest cosmetic exploits and an FDA warning about the popular skin tightening tool Renuvion.
Britney Spears contemplates a boob job after years of body shaming by her father
Last week, Britney Spears took to Instagram to share her complicated thoughts on plastic surgery with her 40 million followers. In her post, which has since been deleted, the pop icon admitted, “I was thinking about getting a boob job. My boobs are fairly small. I mean with the right bra, it’s fine, but I was curious what a doctor would say!”
When she arrived at the surgeon’s office, however, for what would presumably have been a consultation, “nobody was there to let us in,” she wrote. “I’ve never been back.”
In her lengthy post, Spears talked about her recent weight loss affecting her breast size (“I don’t know where my breasts went”) and revealed that she suffered intense body shaming during her 13-year conservatorship, while under the control of her father, Jamie Spears. “My dad always told me I was fat and being the heavy girl on stage wasn’t fun. It was humiliating!”
Among her myriad ruminations on cosmetic surgery, she wrote, “I will admit, I do play into how I look. I care, but it disgusted me when I went to that doctor’s office, because guys were there getting nose jobs! I’m like WTF. Really it’s too much!”
After laying bare her appearance-related insecurities and seemingly conflicted feelings surrounding plastic surgery, Spears left her fans with this nugget of advice: “Do your own research on these procedures and, as hard as it may be, learn to fucking love yourself!”
FDA warns against use of Renuvion for skin tightening and resurfacing
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning against the use of Renuvion (aka J-Plasma) for aesthetic purposes. The device, which emits cold plasma energy, is commonly used to tighten skin on the face and body. When its energy is applied to the skin’s surface, Renuvion can also be used as a resurfacing tool. Since the device is not FDA cleared for any cosmetic purpose, these are considered off-label uses.
According to the FDA statement, “The Renuvion/J-Plasma device is FDA cleared for general use of cutting, coagulation, and ablation of soft tissue during open and laparoscopic surgical procedures. The use of this device has not been determined to be safe or effective for any specific procedure intended to improve the appearance of the skin.”
The agency has received reports of serious adverse events occurring when Renuvion was used directly on the skin’s surface as well as “potentially life-threatening adverse events when the Renuvion was used under the skin,” as it is during skin tightening procedures.
Among the reported complications, the FDA lists “second- and third- degree burns, infection, change in skin color, scars, nerve damage, significant bleeding, and air or gas accumulation under the skin, in body cavities, and in blood vessels.” In certain cases, the agency adds, “adverse events required treatment in an intensive care unit.”
A number of board-certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists consider Renuvion to be a safe and effective skin tightening tool, and they continue to use it routinely. However, if you’re considering an off-label aesthetics treatment with this device, be sure to ask your physician about the risks involved as well as possible alternative treatments.
Real Housewives talk injectables and mommy makeovers
While the Real Housewives are famous for being unapologetically transparent about their plastic surgeries and noninvasive treatments, there has been some speculation swirling around RHONJ star Jackie Goldschneider, which she recently addressed in an interview with In Touch.
“The only plastic surgery I’ve ever had is on my body. I had the mommy makeover, but I’ve never touched my face,” she says. She goes on to elaborate: “So I injected my lips a little bit. OK. And I get Botox, but I have never done anything else to my face. My nose is my nose. My eyebrows are my eyebrows. I’ve never had a facelift, I don’t do anything.”
Goldschneider has spoken before about her mommy makeover. In 2020, the Bravo star and mom of two sets of twins told celebrity publicist Domenick Nati that she had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation to restore her body following pregnancy and breastfeeding.
“After I had my second set of twins, I had what’s called a diastasis, where my abdominal muscles were, like, torn apart, and it looked like I was six months pregnant all the time,” she explains. “So I had a tummy tuck to repair that and I got boobs put in while I had it, because I did breastfeed all four of my children.”
During this same conversation, she once again alludes to getting injectables, as is routine for so many of her fellow Housewives. Case in point: Cynthia Bailey of the Atlanta franchise posted a selfie earlier this month with New York City plastic surgeon Dr. Sachin Shridharani, confessing to “a little spring tweaking” of her own, which included Botox injections in her forehead and around her eyes plus a little filler in her smile lines.
New acne laser promises lasting results
The FDA cleared a new acne-targeting laser, called AviClear, for the treatment of mild to severe cases of the skin disease. Per a press release from the company, the device was shown in clinical trials to reduce existing acne while mitigating future breakouts, making them “shorter, less intense, and more infrequent” following treatment. Among other reported pluses: the procedure boasts lasting efficacy and doesn’t require numbing cream or other forms of pain control. AviClear is expected to land in doctors’ offices later this year.
