In the News
Get the latest information about Dr. Robert Cooper and the professionals at the Nile Aesthetic Institute.
Dr. Cooper In the News
THE COST OF CELEBRITY
Affording five-star maintenance and repair on a high-profile body will cost you, but the results can last forever - literally.
One person in 1,000 is a celebrity, and that statistic doesn't apply solely to the billboard and cereal box set. It includes local news anchors and meteorologists, reality show standouts, centerfold models, talk show bandleaders, photogenic heirs, high-profile legal darlings, car dealership owners who star in their own commercials, et al. That means there are roughly 270,000 celebrities in the US - they are the key demographic and heavily marketed brand simultaneously, and outside of NBA centers and circus employees, they are the most visible demographic in the country.
Being a celebrity means being seen, trying to be seen and staying in the public's populous crosshairs as long as possible, or until a publishing house buys your autobiography. Unfortunately, the costs of being eye candy can be quite staggering, and with the following treatments and procedures, looking like a million dollars is no longer hyperbole.
BUILDING BEAUTY
According to the latest information provided by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 6.5 million invasive and non-invasive surgical procedures were performed in 2002. Although that number has decreased since 2001, the advent of less invasive procedures (Botox®, chemical peels) and more and more celebrities coming clean about their flabby pasts and firm futures (Pamela Anderson famously got a boob job to undo a boob job; Fox News anchorwoman Greta Van Susteran took her facelift's before-and-after to the cover of People) seem to be turning the tide back to medically-enhanced hotness.
Dr. Robert Cooper has been practicing plastic surgery in Stuart for 20 years, performing on patients from Saudi Arabia to Hong Kong. At the time of our interview, his son in his Harvard interview for plastic surgery residency. Dr. Cooper notes that he turns down 40 percent of his consultations; his reasons vary from celebrity envy to more serious psychological issues.
"There's a wonderful adage in surgery: 'You make your living operating, you make your reputation not operating,'" says Dr. Cooper. "You turn away people who really shouldn't have surgery. One reason is expectations. Putting Michael Douglas into the process and having Brad Pitt come out the other end is not realistic." Another reason Dr. Cooper cites is a potential patient coming in with an agenda - saving a marriage, recovering lost youth. "But if someone comes in with their driver's license and says they look like their mother, book it," says Dr. Cooper. "We can do that; that's a normal person."
The newest concern for doctors over the past two years is patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). "If you're terribly thin and you look in the mirror and say, 'I'm still way too big,' that's body dysmorphic disorder. Or someone with a very thin nose, like some entertainers, something where they're not seeing things correctly." It's estimated that on in six seeking plastic surgery will have BDD, "and they may be a terrific candidate otherwise, but if the surgery doesn't accomplish their goals and is perceived as a failure, that's tragic," says Dr. Cooper.
Plastic surgery has advanced to involve myriad procedures: rhinoplasty, otoplasty (ear surgery), blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), tummy tuck, upper arm tuck, thigh lift, forehead lift and more.
According to the ASPS, Botox is the most popular form of plastic surgery (1.1 million injections in 2002), in part due to the lack of invasive work plus its relative cheapness. At Dr. Cooper's practice, a combination of Botox and microdermabrasion abrasion would cost $400, "whereas you do a brow, eyes and face and you're well in excess of $10,000," he adds.
Dr. Cooper may make his patients look like celebrities, but he doesn't take inspiration from newsstands. "We don't get people [wanting a celebrity look], and if we did, we'd show them the door," he says. "If someone wants a breast augmentation, they may come in with pictures from Playboy or the Internet and say, 'I want one of those and one of those.' That's more legitimate than bringing in a picture of Jennifer Lopez." AVERAGE TOTAL COST: $10,000. 
