By Ned Hickson

Today, we will be talking about an important milestone in the field of cosmetic surgery. Why? Because on my desk this morning was a press release with the following headline:

At long Last! Buttocks Enhancement Surgery available in U.S.!

So, as you can see, I really had no choice.

Especially since, as a professional courtesy, one of my fellow journalists had taken the time to write "Urgent!" across the top.

(And, yes--these are the kinds of things that regularly cross my desk.)

As you might expect, buttocks enhancement surgery is just like other cosmetic procedures in that the sole purpose is to improve the physical attributes of a person. This is accomplished by either enlarging or reducing the size of said attribute.

Which can be singular or plural.

And we'll just leave it at that.

In this case, however, we're talking about enlarging the buttocks. While many people, such as myself, prefer to achieve this naturally through a program of rigorous eating and lack of exercise, there are others who don't want to wait for the holidays for a larger rear. For these people there is Dr. Mark Jewell, vice-president of the National Aesthetic Society, which is currently offering this procedure here in the U.S.

The enhancement procedure can take place one of three ways. The first is to inject fat directly into the gluteus muscles, which may SOUND gross, but...

Okay, yeah -- it's actually pretty gross.

The second is to go with plastic implants that are inserted directly behind the gluteus muscles. This technique, according to Dr. Jewell, is supposed to look the most natural.

That is, as long as you don't plan on going swimming.

If you do, the natural buoyancy of the plastic implants will add a whole new meaning to the term "bottoms-up."

The final option is for the surgeon to make an incision directly in the skin surrounding the buttocks, and then stretch it up much like a face lift. The main difference being, of course, that too many of these, and you'll permanently suffer from the world's worst wedgie.

This brings us to our next segment:

Face transplants.

This is exactly what it sounds like -- surgically replacing someone's entire face all at one time. This is obviously a vast improvement over replacing someone's face over the course of many years, which, as you know, was first pioneered by Michael Jackson.

According to a report in Britain's The Daily News, plastic surgeon Peter Butler says he plans to carry out a full-face transplant as early as next April. Butler says the experiment will be performed at London's "Royal Free Hospital"--which is the perfect place since, if something goes wrong, his patient will be royally...

Well -- you know.

As you can see, we have a lot to look forward to when it comes to the future of cosmetic surgery. Yet, I'd suggest against going in for buttocks enhancement surgery and a face transplant all at once.

Unless you're willing to risk finding out that hindsight really is 20/20.

You can write to Ned Hickson at:
nhickson@oregonfast.net
or at
The Siuslaw News at P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439.
.