Seeking fuller lips, a larger derriere and bigger breasts, but unable to afford expensive plastic surgery procedures? 

Many women in the U.S. are increasingly turning to the black market to alter their appearance. With the use of tools such as industrial silicone, which is only available at home improvement stores, many women in several states have died after people without medical training injected their buttocks with the silicone.

In 2009, then Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Donda West Plastic Surgery Law, requiring health checks be conducted prior to all major plastic surgery procedures in the state. 

This was following the death of rapper Kanye West’s mother. It was later determined that her heart attack was spawned by a combination of numerous postoperative complications and pre-existing coronary artery disease. 

Today, women especially peruse Instagram and covet a perfect pout, perky derriere and firm breasts seen on Insta models. Just because you may desire cosmetic surgery does not mean you are physically or mentally fit for it NOW.

Americans spend almost 60 billion dollars annually in pursuit of weight loss with gastric bypass surgery being the most common type of weight-loss surgery; an option that isn’t for everyone. 

Like any major procedure, gastric bypass has significant health risks and side effects. In addition, to be a candidate for the procedure, one must have a BMI (body mass index) of 40 or higher. 

The fact is, a huge percentage of the population are only between 15 to 50 pounds overweight without any other options besides diet and exercise. 

Dr. Stanley Poulos, a San Francisco board certified plastic surgeon is an early adoptor of the nonsurgical balloon weight loss method approved by the FDA in 2016. Following the two-part program, patients lost an average 3.1 times the weight compared with diet and exercise alone.