Losing Count of the Plastic Surgeries
There has always been a great deal of speculation about Michael’s nose; it’s the first of his features referenced when discussing, or even joking about, the extent of his plastic surgery. By the end of 1990, most people had lost count of how many surgeries Michael had undergone on his nose, but some in his camp have figured that it had to be at least ten. For years, plastic surgeons not related to his case have speculated as to whether the nose – which has an elfin quality to it – is made of bone, cartilage or latex. It’s part of the public discourse when speaking of Michael: what is the truth about his nose?
The truth is that the structure of Michael’s nose collapsed years ago, a consequence of extensive trauma from previous surgeries on it. One subsequent operation was to add cartilage into the tip, to support and reshape it. However, that procedure was not completely successful. Therefore, when appearing in public, and often in private, Michael wears a latex appliance, a prosthetic nose-tip, which he camouflages with stage makeup.
Interestingly, when Michael is seen wearing the surgical mask that is so much a part of his image, it’s not always because he is attempting to hide his identity or even avoid germs. Sometimes, it’s simply because he was not inclined to wear the prosthesis. Putting on the appliance is an annoying and frustrating process. It’s his cross to bear on a daily basis, and there are days when he simply can’t bear it… thus, the mask.
In March 2003,
Vanity Fair
reported that, without the prosthesis, Michaels ‘resembles a mummy with two nostril holes.’ This is not true. Without the device, his nose appears flatter, more blunt – not pointed – and he doesn’t really look like… Michael Jackson. Self-conscious about his face, he refuses to be seen without it. If nothing else, the prosthesis must be a painful and daily reminder to Michael of his past choices where plastic surgery is concerned, and the impact they have had on his life.
It has been suggested that Michael is somehow addicted to plastic surgery. ‘People can easily get addicted to plastic surgery, as they can to alcohol, drugs, or food,’ according to Dr Alfred Coodley, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA.
‘Actually, it’s more of an obsession than an addiction,’ Dr Robert Kotler, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who has not treated Michael, observed. ‘I think you have to know when to quit. That’s the greatest message a cosmetic surgeon can bring to his patient. A conscientious surgeon will say to a patient, “Enough is enough.”’
There are several reasons for Michael’s extremely pale skin, especially on his face. First, he used to bleach his skin with different chemicals. Is it possible for a black person to make his skin lighter? ‘Yes,’ said Robert Kotler. ‘You can’t make it white, but you can make it lighter. There are classic bleaching compounds that are commonly found in over-the-counter bleaching creams like Porcelana. Also, there are known bleaching agents, a class of compounds called Hydroquinones, that will make a black person’s skin lighter.’
One employee of Michael’s recalled, ‘He used to rub a cream on his face and neck in the morning and, again, at night. He had all of these little tubes in his makeup kit. I asked him what it was, thinking it was some kind of skin nutrient. He told me it was ‘medicine’. I left it at that. I then noticed that whenever Michael would go out into the sun, he would cover his face with his hand or wear a big hat. He seemed petrified of sunlight, as if he was afraid he would burn.’
According to
The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs
, ‘As the sun’s ability to darken skin is much greater than that of Hydroquinone to lighten it, strict avoidance of sunlight is imperative. Although sunscreens may help, even visible light will cause some darkening. The preferable packaging of Hydroquinone is in small squeeze tubes. The dosage is a thin application of 2 per cent concentration rubbed into affected areas twice daily. Once the desired benefit is achieved, Hydroquinone can be applied as often as needed to maintain de-pigmentation.’ Some have noted that Michael’s fingernails seemed brown and discolored on Martin Bashir’s 2003 documentary about him. One possible reason for this is that Hydroquinone stimulates pigment-producing cells in the nail plate, making them darker rather than lighter.
In the 1980s, he was diagnosed with the skin disease Vitiligo. (Some doctors have speculated that the Vitiligo is not as much hereditary as it is the consequence of damage done by bleaching chemicals over the years. Vitiligo makes the sufferer sensitive to sunlight.)
In the late 1980s, Michael’s dermatologist, Dr Arnold Klein, diagnosed him as having discoid lupus – an auto-immune disease that causes darkening or lightening of the skin – on his scalp.
There are two variations of lupus: discoid, which is skin deep, and systemic, which can be deadly. As a part of the treatment for discoid, Michael’s doctor prescribed the skin lightening creams, Solaquin, Retin A and Benoquin. As a result, Michael was told that, more than ever, he had to avoid all sun exposure – which is one of the reasons he is often seen shielding himself with an umbrellas on sunny days. Also, Michael had to endure the direct injections into his scalp of hydroxy chloroquin – a steroid – in painful, recurring treatments.
Presently, his lupus condition is in remission.
Michael also uses plenty of pancake makeup to even out his skin, which makes him appear even lighter.
In terms of specific plastic surgeries, he will admit to only two nose jobs and the cleft in his chin, but it does not take a cosmetic surgery expert to see that cheek and chin implants and all sorts of other work, including on his eyes and lips, are not beyond the bounds of possibility. Trying to actually detail the work Michael had had done is simply not possible; only he and his surgeons can fully document the extent of it – and it also seems, at least to people who know him well, that he truly doesn’t remember it all.
Some professionals have gone on the record saying they believe Michael suffers from body dysmorphic disorder, a psychological condition of people who are obsessed with their appearance, work on it constantly and have no concept of how they are perceived by others.
Certainly, Michael has not had it easy. In 1995, when he released his composition ‘Childhood’, on
HIStory – Past, Present and Future, Book I
, many people were bored to tears by the notion of him still going on and on about his missing boyhood. However, the song is about more than just his lost youth; it’s a plea for compassion and understanding. If one truly contemplates and reviews the challenges he has faced with his appearance, the fact that Michael Jackson is ever able to muster the self-confidence to make well-scrutinized, public appearances seems almost a miracle.