Ashley Judd is a very accomplished actress and current star of Missing on ABC. For some reason, the media has decided to attack this beautiful woman and claim she must have had some plastic surgical procedure due to her "puffy face." As a facial plastic surgeon, I know the trend in facial rejuvenation has come back to augmentation of the face to make one appear more youthful. Thus, I see why this can be a hot topic when you see a prominent actress with a puffier than usual face. Unfortunately, the tone of the conversation about Ashley Judd was not supportive, but was instead derisive in nature.
Ashley spoke out about this negative criticism in a recent article. http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/04/10/ashley-judd-puffy-face/
Ashley states she did not have any procedures done, but was actually on steroid medication for a sinus infection. It is very common for patients to retain water and even to gain weight while on steroid medication, which very commonly can show up as a "puffy face."
That being said, this whole situation makes me think: Who are we looking good for? I like to hope that my patients come in for me to help them look the way they feel, young and full of life. These are all personal choices that, in the end, only affect the patient. Why must we pick apart anyone's looks at all? Let's face it, Ashley Judd is a beautiful woman, whether her face is puffy or not. She is also an advocate for women everywhere. We should be supporting her as a female lead on a primetime show, not ridiculing her....
In my practice, many patients do require soft tissue augmentation of the face in order to appear more youthful. Usually, this is a very subtle change that corrects a soft tissue loss or depression. Many products can be used to give this youthful volumization; including Radiesse, Restylane, Juvederm, and the patient's own fat cells. When done correctly, cheeks and eyes are more youthful and brighter. Very commonly, women and men will lose fat in their cheeks and around the eyes making them appear more sunken or increasing the number of lines in the cheeks. Adding volume can make all the difference, without the need for incisions and usually very minimal downtime.
