Looking to pay for the perfect look

LOS ANGELES It's a growing theory that the definition of beauty isn't a product of Hollywood. Instead it's programmed in our DNA.

Studies show faces considered beautiful are highly symmetrical.

The most famous example is Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man," the ideal of human proportions.

But what if you don't see that in the mirror?

"It's just something that's always bothered me, that my face doesn't have perfect symmetry," said Teddy Gunter, a plastic surgery patient who is on a quest for perfection.

"I have a laundry list. I can't wait I'm so excited," said Gunter. "I'm going to have my teeth completely redone because I want that Hollywood smile. I'm going to have my boobs done too. Your knees start to sag and look like you're an old lady."

But now teddy can take care of some of that without going under the knife.

Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd is using the titan laser to firm up some of Teddy's loose skin.

"It heats up the deep layer of our skin, which is the dermis that contains collagen," said Woolery. "When you heat up the dermis it kind of tricks the dermis into thinking that it was injured so that you produce new collagen and the result is skin tightening."

Teddy needs at least three titan laser treatments for it to work, and it's not cheap. It can cost anywhere from $600 to $1,200 per treatment, and usually lasts 2 to 3 years.

"No matter how old you are, you still feel like you are 17 inside and then you look in the mirror and you say, 'oh my gosh. Who is that?" said merry Haber, 66, who is looking for her own fountain of youth, that doesn't include major surgery.

"And then when I started looking, I started saying, 'I don't like these lines. Gravity is catching up and I don't like the idea of being vain, but I am," said Haber.

Merry started with Botox, but is now trying a filler called Sculptra. It's made from absorbable stitches.

Sculptra was originally used to help fill out the faces of aids patients. Now, those in search of a fuller, younger looking face get Sculptra injections once a month at $200 a shot. It takes about three sessions for results to show and it lasts about three years.

If you're still not among those who hit the genetic jackpot, there are ways to make subtle adjustments without surgery. It all depends on how much you're willing to pay for perfection.

"There is no price for you to like what you see when you look in the mirror," said Gunter.


Click here for more headlines from ABC7 Eyewitness News

Copyright © 2020 KABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.