Don't Let Bad Plastic Surgery Get You Down - The Pete Burns Story

It's a cool summer evening and I'm sitting relaxing after a BBQ with a friend, kickin' back some beers and chatting it up.  He puts on some music and we start Googling some bands and discovering some amazingly talented people have died from overdoses.  Heroin is a REALLY good way to age.

I'm not sure what drove us to the topic, it might've been the Stella, it might've been that we both shared some disdain about the craze of body modification and stretched earlobes, but all of a sudden he blurts "What about Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive?"

Dead or Alive is of course synonymous with the song "You Spin Me Right Round," one of my all-time faves.  The mere mention of it took me back to my college days.

Then I saw it:  what Pete Burns looked like in 1985 and what he looks like 28 years later.  Was I living under a rock?  Or did my friend just have some sort of inside scoop on 80's bands...

Forget about whatever gender change we might have going on.  The quote from my friend that "Pete Burns is now a woman" is not verified.  I'M more interested in what he had done to his face.  And WHY.

Being The Anti-Aging Analyst, I investigate.

Well, it all started with a botched nose job...hence the eye patch back in the 80's, but Pete Burns, the androgynous lead singer from the band "Dead Or Alive" wasn't discouraged from that to continue to alter his appearance to perhaps even greater lengths than Michael Jackson did, but I'll let you decide:

On the left, dreamy-faced Burns in the 80's sporting Boy George eye make-up and an eye patch.  On the right, Burns during the release of his book "Freak Unique."

There's something downright fascinating about someone who would willingly alter their perfectly looking face so drastically.  I mean, there's Kathy Griffin and Joan Rivers who both went under the knife, but this kind of transformation was actually life threatening...it's downright equivalent to the lady who wants to look like a cat.  WHAT is going thru their minds?

Allegedly, Burns was getting lip injections back in the year 2000.  Years later, after going to a plastic surgeon named Dr. Maurizio Viel for polyacrylamide lip injections, something went horribly wrong. His body collapsed, kidney stones, his liver nearly failed - and that's a HUGE deal - and he nearly lost sight in one eye - making that eye patch a little ironic, don't you think? At one point, he blogged he was in critical condition and near death. He underwent 100 operations "to make things "right." 

"Now Daily" reported that Burns said (about the lip ordeal with Dr. Viel): 'It has taken away my life and my career. I saw doctors in London who said the only option was to amputate my lips. I was suicidal.'

REWIND:  Did you say "AMPUTATE your LIPS"?  And "SUICIDAL"?

From his website back in 2009:

…i simply want it annouced i collapsed on wed and was rushed to hospital going in two kidneys failure and rushed for emerngency 5 hours surgery were they found 8 stones in each kidney but were unable to remove them as they were blocking both the kidney. The uretha and bladder. I'm in a very serious conditions on 24 hours intravenous morphine for the pain. Intravenous fluid as i'm so dehytrade and the kidneys cant retain the liquid. I also have diabetes insipidus which is puling water from my lung. Liver heart and brain. I'm criticaly ill and under 24 hours observation and will be in hospital for quite along time.

Burns states in this ABC News interview below that he will not stop injections or plastic surgery - he likes change. 

Wait - WHAT?

You went through all that physical anguish and pain -- albiet, morphine saves the day, but you STILL are not going to stop facial injections and surgeries?  Liver, heart and BRAIN were affected but you are STILL PRO change?  Didn't that say "critically ill.?"  Again might I add "SUICIDAL?"

But, Burns is smarter now - he uses his own tissue for injections and has a better doctor - and admits that THAT Dr. is on speed dial.

Whew - that IS smarter.  Do they still HAVE speed dial? or is that from the 80's? 

His face has surely taken some mincing over the years and he doesn't mince words when it comes to Dr. Maurizio Viel, the plastic surgeon who kept injecting his lips after Burns complained about clumps and other issues.

Burns says unblinkingly, "I wish he would die." 

Watch this video by ABC News where he tells his story.

FLASHBACK: Burns' changing look (and face) over the years...

Love the jeweled studs!

Oh, you SPIN me LIKE A RECORD, Darling. All I know, is that to me, you look like you're lots of fun. And if I could trace your private number, baby, I would, just to see what new face adventures you are up to.

In the ABC Interview, Burns stated people NOTICE him and it doesn't even register with him because they've ALWAYS stared at him. Yes, you had you some charisma. STILL do!   And you got SPUNK. According to Pete and his IMDB page, he felt a need to be different and began experimenting with his hair and looks at age 12. However, he looked so "freakish" that he was endlessly taunted by teachers and peers!

NOTHING seems to stop this guy from doing his THANG.  A SERIOUS non-conformist - who doesn't love that?  And to purposely upset people by telling them his coat is made of gorilla fur?  THAT is just a bonus.

His IMDB page states, "What advice does the confident performer offer to his fans? "Just be yourself. You can make it. You can just be yourself and make it as yourself, and that goes with any field."

If being yourself is constantly wanting to change your outside facial appearance, then who am I to judge?

Sounds like he has character too - "he was very close to his parents and turned down an offer to tour with Madonna in the 80's to be with his mother when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer."

Everybody, PLEASE go to iTunes and download "You Spin Me Round" by Dead or Alive to help finance Pete's creative endeavors. It's a timeless song -- simple, catchy, universal.  Think of all the spirits he lifted with that genius song that still gets play to this day in movies like The Hangover and others I'm too lazy to look up because my computer is too slow.  And his book sounds like it would be a good read.  I'm sure there are GOBS of interesting adventures in there.

If "hissing puss" spewing out of his face doesn't stop him from going under the knife again, watch out, HERE HE COMES...he's gonna have his way...with a NEW face real soon..and hopefully some new music too. 

I don't know what this guy is up to, but clearly he loves doing it and is happy and uber confident with himself.  And that in the end, is BEING himself.  And, in the end, who can blame him for THAT?  To have a near death experience over plastic surgery and still be a fan, is definitely someone who is dedicated and noteworthy....if not brave or insane....Go get 'em, Pete Burns....be yourself.  No-one else can.

Open Up Those Lovin' Arms, 

~ The Anti-Aging Analyst

Did You Search For Your Sunscreen Yet?

In the midst of this sizzlin' summer, I cannot stress enough to check out your sunscreen at the Environmental Working Group's site.  It's a non-biased group that checks out ingredients for hazards.  They are NOT associated with the FDA and will test products and post results.  That simple.

Products with low scores are GOOD, and the score is in a GREEN color for GO.
Products or ingredients that can cause cancer or allergies or what have you get HIGH scores and they show up in RED for STOP.  Couldn't be simpler.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/search.php?

In fact, you can search by product, ingredient or company - makeup, skincare, hair, nails, you name it.

What ISN'T simple is the sheer fact that you can start typing in your everyday products and realize that all of them are eventually going to kill you.

Is ANYTHING 100% SAFE these days?

I started using and LOVING Jason C Effects Pure Natural Anti-Wrinkle Day Lotion SPF 30 Sunscreen.

For me, its lightweight, fresh citrus scent transported me to a warm, sunny summer day.  Not so much a SPECIFIC day like June 21, 1971, but rather an overall feeling of youth and summer when responsibilities were non-existent and your head was just floating in the breeze.

It's so refreshing, I looked forward to putting it on in the A.M. and if I didn't, something in that day was amiss.  As far as it helping with wrinkles, it's a big YES - face felt moisturized, spots cleared up. 

I thought it was a HOME RUN.....until I looked up the product on the Environmental Working Group's website.

The FRAGRANCE I love so much?  That ingredient scores a high hazard for Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Miscellaneous, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive).  

BUMMER!  And the overall product score is 6, or "moderate hazard."  So, it's color is not red, or green - but it's YELLOW...for Caution.

 Here are safety scores for Jason C Effects Pure Natural Anti-Wrinkle Day Lotion SPF 30 Sunscreen.

What really chapps my hide about this is that it's always something.  A company says they use "no harmful chemicals" so you think the product is good for you. Well, I guess not just chemicals are harmful - natural ingredients can be too?  Take Coumarin for example.  The EGW says it's a naturally occurring and synthetically produced scent chemical associated with allergies and contact dermatitis.  It also says it's a known human immune system toxicant or allergen.

Surely it's in this all "natural" Jason product in it's naturally occurring form, right?  Here are the questionable ingredients below highlighted in green, which contributed to this natural product's score of 6, or moderate hazard.

Active Ingredients: Homosalate 7.5 %, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5.0%, Titanium Dioxide 2.0%, Inactive Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol , VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil (1), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (1), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (1), Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (1), Calcium Ascorbate, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Silica , Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol (1), Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone , Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Citral, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Fragrance (Parfum)

It just goes to show you - PLEASE use this search site and INVESTIGATE, INVESTIGATE, INVESTIGATE on your own.  There are over 66,000 products listed and alternatives you can pick that are LOW hazard.

I'm not saying Jason products is TRICKING anyone in any way.  Overall, their line is free of parabens, no oxybenzone which is great and a boatload of flower extracts all occurring at the front of the ingredient list, which is good, because ingredients must be listed with highest ingredients first.  Most of their high hazard ingredients came with a notice that the EWG had "Limited" information, meaning research could still be going on about that ingredient.

I'm just saying even if a product says it's pure, or natural, still look them up on the EGW site and know what's going onto your skin - because it's going directly into your bloodstream.

Jason, we had a good thing going.  I enjoyed you every day for months.  But I don't want even a MODERATE or LOW hazard in my day to day routine - how bout NO HAZARD?

Here's to a Hazard Free Everything and Especially Summer,

~The Anti-Aging Analyst