Insurance Companies Looking to Embarrass President Obama
I’m one of the million consumers in California whose health insurance was cancelled over the past few weeks. When I received my cancellation letter, I thought it was just that – a cancellation letter and nothing more. But as I read on, the insurance company clarified that my current policy didn’t meet the minimum requirements […]
Kids Getting Plastic Surgery – It’s Not What You Think!
A recent story out of New York discusses kids turning to plastic surgery after being bullied. The story from the Fox affiliate, which you can read here, is a little misleading. From the title of the article, you’d think that kids are getting the kind of plastic surgery that first comes to mind when you think […]
If you like your health insurance plan, you can keep it!
Who could have imagined back in 2010 that the title above would become a punchline? Even though I’m highlighting the President’s words with a sarcastic undertone, I want to clearly state that I think the Affordable Care Act (should’ve been named the Accessible Care Act because it won’t be more affordable), will be great if it […]
Venezuela Mannequin – Art Imitates Life
“I say that inner beauty does not exist. That’s something that unpretty women invented to justify themselves!” That’s the first comment in the video below, by the director/producer of the Ms. Venezuela pageant in Venezuela. This opening line sets the tone for the story recently published in the NY Times. The story reveals […]
More on Chemical Peels

Sagging facial skin can be treated with a facelift but there are some stubborn deep lines around the eyes and mouth, due to either genetics, sun or smoking, that a surgical procedure can’t fix. For those stubborn lines, I recommend chemical peels. Very fine lines can be treated with a chemical peel by an aesthetician. […]
Price Transparency is a Must: NY Times and New England Journal of Medicine Agree!
If this is NOT your first time visiting this blog, then you know that I sound like a broken record when it comes to the importance of price transparency in healthcare. And if this is your first time visiting the BuildMyBod blog, then welcome to the world of promoting price transparency in healthcare! […]
The Dirty Little Secret of How to Choose the Best Surgeons
Someone finally figured it out! How do you choose the right surgeon for your procedure? Online reviews? Statistical data in which it’s unclear how the data was collected and what variables were used? As you may have gathered from these rhetorical questions, none of these methods are adequate in choosing the right surgeon. But a […]
Smokers Don’t Age Gracefully but There’s Something You Can Do About It (aside from stopping smoking)!
This recent article on Yahoo about the harmful effects of smoking on the face has been cited quite a bit. It highlights a long running study from the Twinsburg, Ohio annual party that brings twins together. A plastic surgeon in Cleveland who runs the study has been taking photos of twins at the annual get-together […]
Let’s Pile on Healthcare.gov…My Two Cents
Many articles have discussed the travails of the new Federal healthcare marketplace, healthcare.gov. You can find them here, here, and here, just to name a few. Essentially they all say that the Federal government was ill-equipped to handle a website of this magnitude. From what I gather, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services […]
Fountain Pens in the Age of the Electronic Health Record
I just took over another plastic surgeon’s practice here in San Francisco. He’s gone now and I’ve found some useful things in the drawers and cabinets. One thing I came across is a large selection of fountain pens. My predecessor was a big fan of fountain pens and they really do have an old-school, old-world […]