'Dr. 90210': New Face of Plastic Surgery

April 29, 2007 — -- Plastic surgery used to be a secretive process, but thanks to the rise of reality shows on the subject, such as "Dr. 90210," which follows Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey, people are now accustomed to seeing everyday people get all kinds of cosmetic surgery procedures.

With his flashy suits and big grin, it's hard not to notice Rey. In just three years, he has become one of the most famous plastic surgeons in the United States thanks to "Dr. 90210."

With a viewership of more than 40 million, viewers seem to be charmed by his unorthodox style, his martial arts moves and his struggle to balance work and family life.

Rey said he has learned a lot from the show.

"I realized that I'm far from perfect, you know?" he said. "I work so hard that sometimes I neglect the most important [things] in my life, you know, which [are] my kids and my poor wife."

When "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" visited, Rey was late getting home after a long day at the office. His two-year-old son Robbie fell asleep and his wife Hayley and daughter Sydney ate dinner without him.

"Sometimes you have to step outside yourself and watch yourself like I get to do on television and say, 'Okay, that's got to change and this got to change,'" Rey said. "My wife and I have grown much closer together this year."

Today, Rey has a booming practice. The office walls are covered with press clippings and his lobby is filled with patients, some who have waited more than a year to get an appointment.

Even his receptionists are former patients.

Forty-six-year-old Vanessa Lindsay is a fan, as well as a client.

"There was just something about him that was just different, and I just liked his bedside manner," Lindsay said. "I liked his demeanor. There was just -- I don't know. I just knew."

Lindsay recently underwent a new trend in plastic surgery -- multiple cosmetic procedures in one day. She asked Rey to perform a breast lift, liposuction and a tummy tuck.

She decided to have the three procedures at the same time to cut down on recovery time.

"If you're going to go under, and you're going take the time off, might as well have it done all at once and I'm so glad I did," she said.

Almost 11 million cosmetic procedures were performed last year and 41 percent of plastic surgery patients had multiple procedures done during one surgery.

Experts in the field say this is not without some risk.

"As long as you stay safe, then you can do more at the same time so that you have one anesthesia, one recovery, and it's less expensive," said Dr. Michael McGuire of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. "But at a certain point, you're exceeding the safety limits."

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery also suggests doctors not perform surgery on people who have unrealistic expectations or who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder, a psychiatric condition in which individuals obsess over their appearance.

Although some critics believe that an increase in plastic surgery can be attributed solely to reality TV shows, Rey disagrees.

"Let's place the blame equally on all the players," Rey said. "We're sending these young women a message that this, the person on the cover of this magazine, that's what women should look like. In reality, real women don't look like that. So, I think, yes, our show may have contributed to some, but we are not alone in this tendency towards more and more plastic surgery."

It's a tendency that Rey and his own family have not escaped.

"I had my nose done and I think it helps me as a physician to actually have been there. I know what the pain is like. I know what recovery is like," he said. "So I feel I'm much better educated … to teach my patients."

Rey's wife Haley has also had plastic surgery.

"My husband has operated on me. I had a breast augmentation done," she said. "I'm a fan of plastic surgery, so I will have my husband do it if I need it."

But even a plastic surgeon like Rey reaches a point when he feels natural beauty can't be improved upon.

"I recently approached him for restalyne in my lips, and he won't let me do it," she said.

The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery recommends that people use a board-certified plastic surgeon. Rey is not board certified. He says he has been too busy with his education and then supporting his family and feels he is well-trained already.