The Reality Behind Digital Nips and Tucks!

Today, tech advancements enable us to do relatively anything, especially when it comes to our looks.  The “did they or didn’t they?” photoshop debate kicked into full gear this past fall with Ralph Lauren’s controversial ad showing model Filippa Hamilton severely digitally altered body fueling the body-image discussion once again in today’s beauty-obsessed culture.  Media is also not impervious to this cultural squabble.  This past summer, SELF magazine was highly criticized for digitally slimming-down an image of Kelly Clarkson on the cover of the magazine.  Countless supermodels and celebrities have been accused of being digitally enhanced in photos to slim their waist, smooth signs of cellulite or add a little extra cleavage.  Although it may seem harmless for stars to under go digital nips and tucks here and there, it’s causing women who idolize these celebs to undergo unrealistic lengths to attain a so-called “perfect body.”

“Many magazines, billboards and advertisements falsely portray cultural icons by ‘doctoring’ images that are viewed by the public,” says Dr. Brian S. Glatt, MD, FACS of Premier Plastic Surgery Center of New Jersey.  ”Women look at these photos and ask their surgeons to make them look “just like them”.  This is usually impossible as the desired body doesn’t even exist!”

Similarly, many plastic surgeons have been utilizing comparable programs during consultations to show their potential or current patients what they can expect to look like post surgery.  However, according to Dr. Glatt, “these programs are not accurate for all procedures and often give patients unrealistic expectations of what their post surgery body will look like.”

Dr. Glatt dishes on the top 5 most photo shopped body parts and informs what it would be like if a woman had a “retouched” body figure in real life.

Top 5 Most Photo Shopped Body Parts

1. Breasts: In photos, it seems as though every supermodel and celebrity has perfect curvature on her chest by the way their assets are accentuated.  “Most of these appearances are a result of a push-up bra, supportive undergarments and digital retouching,” says Dr. Glatt.  “Breast implants are pervasive throughout the modeling profession, and are usually easily spotted as someone “supermodel-thin” does not suddenly develop C-cup breasts.  In addition, implants in very thin women appear more rounded than teardrop shaped and can be pushed up to create a full high cleavage area.”

Credits: GQ Magazine; Maj/Getty

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2. Waist: To make celebs look even thinner than they are in person, many are photo shopped so the sides of their body actually becomes an extra shadow or gets blended in with the background.  “If they really looked like this,” says Dr. Glatt, “their torso would likely not be able to adequately support their shoulders.  Although aggressive liposuction techniques can create a much slimmer waist and take off inches, even liposuction cannot create some of the digitally altered and corset-assisted “cartoon-type” waists which we frequently see in magazines.”

Credits: W Magazine

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3. Skin tone: At times, it almost appears that though A-listers are always in front of a bright light that illuminates their skin and rids all imperfections leaving a glowing skin tone. “Skin surface retouching is the most common and one of the original digital alterations performed routinely.  No one’s skin can be completely perfected without a line, wrinkle, blemish or brown spot.  Almost anyone who has had photographs taken for a big life event (such as a wedding, etc.) knows that even those photos will be “retouched”.  People tend not to consider this when emulating the skin characteristics of those in magazines and ads.”  Dr. Glatt continues, “these photos show completely perfect skin which in real life is impossible to achieve to that extent – which is evidenced when celebrities are captured in real life unre-touched.”

Credits: Complex.com

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4 & 5. Arms/Thighs: Some celeb photos have their extremities slimmed and trimmed so much that they appear to be the size of a toothpick.  There are photos out there where the elbows appear to be the same width of their biceps and their knees seem to be the same width of their thighs.  According to Dr. Glatt, if this were really how their arms and legs looked, “then they would not work right to walk to pick things up!  The trouble with altering the arms and legs in a photo is that it does look so entirely fake.  People get the impression that this look can be achieved with surgery which is typically not possible or safe.”

Credits: Redbook Magazine

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About Dr. Brian Glatt, MD

Brian S. Glatt, MD, FACS is a premier, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon serving the New Jersey and New York Metropolitan Area.  His reputation as a stellar surgeon who takes immense pride in his ability to combine the highest level of technical expertise with exceptional artistic vision and a keen aesthetic sense in order to produce outstanding, yet natural looking results has gained him national acclaim.  Dr. Glatt graduated magna cum laude and with honors from the University of Pennsylvania before receiving his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.