Helen Colen, Author at Colen MD Plastic Surgery

The Fad of Plastic-Surgery Addiction

I remember a few years ago, it seemed all the rage to admit to a worldwide audience, usually on a TV talk show, to have all manner of emotional baggage. Oprah admitted to having been sexually abused , Marie Osmond confessed to struggling with depression, and we all remember Hugh Grant apologizing on THE TONIGHT SHOW for his fling with a prostitute. … [Read more...]

Preparing Through Use of a Labiaplasty Notebook

I once knew of a woman who was, frankly, the best-prepared patient I've ever known when she went to see her plastic surgeon for a labiaplasty. Many women meet with their surgeons, not knowing what questions to ask, not even knowing what makes a good surgeon. Others are a bit more prepared, and come in with a list of handwritten questions. Lori, though, went to see her doctor with a notebook she had prepared, … [Read more...]

What I’d Like to See This Decade

Some people debate whether this year is the start of the new decade, or if next year is, but it's easier for me to think of the teens as being all of those years that start with a 1. So to me, 2010 is the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. Therefore, this is a good time for me to discuss some things I would like to see happen this next ten years. And as you might expect, all three of these hopes … [Read more...]

What Is Benjamin’s Syndrome? part 1

An increasing number of patients that plastic surgeons are seeing for vaginal surgery have something known as Benjamin's Syndrome. It's a condition that requires the unusual condition of a penis on a female to be converted to a vagina. Let's discuss just what Benjamin's Syndrome is. … [Read more...]

The Ultimate Guide to Vaginoplasty

If you watch TV any at all, you know that a couple of formerly-taboo subjects are now discussed openly, especially on commercials. Both are sex-related: One is the male erection (thanks to Viagra and related ads) and the other is condoms (because of--well, condom ads). And yet, when we approach a similar intimate subject but this time affecting women, the taboo seems very much still in place. I'm talking about the … [Read more...]

The Ultimate Guide to Labiaplasty

Today, the public's view of plastic surgery has changed drastically. In previous decades, people tended to think that procedures such as face lifts or breast enhancements were either: A) something only the rich did, B) only for those who are extremely vain, or C) weird. Surveys today, though, show that the woman down the street from you is as likely to have had some form of plastic surgery as your favorite Hollywood … [Read more...]

The Male’s Guide to Labiaplasty Recovery

The title on this article is not a typo; I want to discuss labiaplasty with men. Specifically, the recovery. And more specifically, I want to discuss with you the part you can play in helping your wife or sexual partner have a successful, stress-free recovery following her labiaplasty surgery. … [Read more...]

What Benjamin’s Syndrome Isn’t, Pt. 2

In my last blog, I discussed what Benjamin's Syndrome is: a condition in which a person has the sexual organs of the gender opposite of what they are in all other respects. We discussed the fact that often, vaginoplasty is required to give a female born with a penis a vagina instead. … [Read more...]

Plastic Surgery By the Numbers

I was on the Surgery.org website, the other day, which is the official Internet presence of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. While there, I saw some interesting numbers--numbers that gave me great hope regarding Americans' new, open-minded attitude regarding plastic surgery. The numbers came from a 2009 study entitled "The Consumer Attitudes Survey." Let's take a look at some of the numbers and … [Read more...]

Plastic Surgery Tax Appears Dead

I've discussed here in the past the attempt to charge a tax to those undergoing plastic surgery. This was to be part of the massive healthcare insurance overall that President Obama first proposed and which Congress has been negotiating. Those of us who practice plastic surgery have pointed out many reasons why this idea was simply wrong. … [Read more...]