A nip here and a tuck there. Remove this, and enhance that.
Cosmetic and plastic surgery have become the holy grail in the search for youth and beauty.
Perhaps this is why ABC's "Extreme Makeover" has become such a success. Attracting nearly 12 million viewers per episode, the hit show combines cutting-edge procedures in plastic surgery with the addictive elements of reality TV.
This weekend, ABC held an "Extreme Makeover" casting call for the Oklahoma City area Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. at Quail Springs Mall. The event was hosted by KOCO-Channel 5, a network affiliate of ABC.
In addition to the casting call, applicants had the chance to receive free consultations with OU Medical Center's cosmetic surgery team, Kamal Sawan, M.D., and Jayesh Panchal, M.D., M.B.A., dentistry consultants from Smile Solutions in Norman and LASIK eye surgery consultants from TLC Laser Eye Center.
The Surgical Solution
Toni Long, a student from Oklahoma City Community College, drove from Moore on Saturday morning, arriving at Quail Springs Mall around 9:15. She spent the entire afternoon in line, but in the end, it could all be worth it.
"Some people can't afford [plastic surgery] on their own, and it's one of those deals that if you can get them to do it, it would be wonderful," she said.
Long is a non-traditional occupational therapy student who hopes to graduate in May.
"I go to school with all these 21-year-olds that I relate to really well and get along with, but I just look in the mirror and it's not who I see," she said. "I don't feel like that's who I am anymore."
Long said she would just like to feel good on the outside again.
"It's not about vanity," she said. "It's not about anything except for I haven't had a picture taken in the last 10 years that I can even stand to look at."
Long is not alone.
Dr. Panchal, chief of adult and pediatric plastic surgery for OU Health Science Center, said the amount of cosmetic and plastic surgery that has been done over the last decade has significantly increased.
"It has shown that the numbers have doubled and tripled in the last decade for most of the cosmetic surgery procedures," he said.
From 1997 to 2002, there was a 228 percent increase in the number of cosmetic procedures, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
Panchal said the popularity of plastic surgery is greatly dependent on the culture that exists in America.
"People want to try to emulate what's been driven by the culture in America, and that's how the amount of the need for cosmetic surgery has significantly increased in this country," he said.
Tracie Fleeson, a C.N.A. and a stay-at-home mom from Marshall, Okla., said she filled out an application for the show before it came to Oklahoma City but never submitted it. She said when she saw "Extreme Makeover" was coming to Oklahoma City, she decided to go ahead and tryout for a spot on the show.
"I'm just an average person," she said. "I'm just out here to attempt to try to change a little bit about myself. I might feel better about myself that I might go back to school. It would really just uplift my spirits."
Fleeson said she also felt the pressure of image and the need to feel good about one's own looks.
"This world is about looks," she said. "Everybody looks at the way you look, and the way you look is very important. If that goal is easier to get to, it becomes more realistic. You start thinking if they can do it, why can't you?"
While some people look to plastic surgery to solve their problems, Panchal said people often have very high expectations.
The expectation that plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery can completely change a person's life is one of the biggest misconceptions, he said.
"People come in and say, 'well, just make me better. I want a new body.'" he said. "That's something that's very difficult to correct, but if they have something very specific and they know what change they wish to have, I think plastic surgery can definitely fix that."
From time-to-time, Panchal said he sometimes watches "Extreme Makeover".
"Personally, I feel that [the show] demonstrates how plastic surgery can make a difference in a person's life," he said. "I certainly feel that plastic surgery can make a difference in a person's self-confidence and self-esteem and in many ways, change how they do their jobs and how they gain confidence."
No Man's Land
Keith Rowe, a route driver for Pepsi-Cola, drove nearly five hours from Springfield, Mo. to try out for a place on the show.
"We've watched almost every one of [the shows]," Rowe said. "They've done some pretty amazing things on there. I've definitely been surprised about everything they can do."
Rowe said he never really considered plastic surgery before the show, but after watching some of the procedures, he started to consider it.
"It's like whenever you buy a lottery ticket," he said. "When there's a big jackpot, everyone starts thinking what they're going to do with the money. Well, when you start seeing these shows, you start thinking, 'oh, that'd be great if I could get my nose done, or my lips, or a fanny lift or whatever."
However, something Rowe noticed at the event was he was a minority.
"I don't think [plastic surgery] is nearly as big a concern to men as it is to women," he said. "Women are hypercritical of women, and men are hypercritical of women. It's that whole standard-in-society thing."
But Rowe said he definitely thinks there is a growing trend among men who undergo cosmetic and plastic surgery.
"Everyone has their own thoughts on what's wrong with them," he said.
According to ASAPS, females had nearly 6.1 million cosmetic procedures in 2002, 88 percent of the total.
Panchal said he also sees the growing trend with men and plastic surgery.
"They feel they ought to have a good physique, and they need to look better, too," he said. "It's the same situation with what the media drives and what the culture is right now in the country."
Extremely Oklahoman
"Extreme Makeover" has been holding casting calls across the country in different cities, such as New York City, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. So why Oklahoma City?
Leslie Gamble, director of marketing and outreach for OU Physicians, said the reason came as kind of a surprise to her.
"We were told by Channel 5 that the Oklahoma City area has more people that watch the "Extreme Makeover" show than almost any other TV market in the nation," Gamble said. "Oklahoma City is like the third in the nation for the most viewers of the show."
There's a very strong interest in Oklahoma in plastic surgery, she said.
Gamble said the "Extreme Makeover" show is considering using Oklahoma's surgical facilities for the national broadcast. The use of a city's local doctors and surgical technicians would be a first for the show.
"That's still being talked about," she said. "Typically, the 'Extreme Makeover' show does not use local surgeons, but they are considering it this time. We definitely want them to, and we're really hoping they will, but they're not making a decision on that yet."
Gamble said she was told by KOCO that it may be up to six months before the Oklahoma City show is broadcast on ABC.
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