Dr. Anthony Griffin: More Than Skin Deep
As a plastic surgeon, Dr. Griffin says there has been a stigma that plastic surgery is only for cosmetic purposes. People think it is all Hollywood glamor and that changes only affect the outside of a person. There is a difference between having plastic surgery to help with self-esteem and surgery that is vanity. Plastic surgery can dramatically change a life, especially in the cases of physical deformities like cleft lips. Many times he says his collegues tell him he should do more of the "glamorous cases" because they would be more lucrative. Dr. Griffin likes to use his gifts and talents for God and he says God gets glorified because of this. He asks God to use his gifts and God equips him, even during the times he feels inadequate.
He says after extreme weight loss situations there is loose skin that sags. “The loose skin prevents people from exercising and from maintaining proper hygiene,” says Dr. Griffin. He says he performs many arm tucks, tummy tucks as well as buttocks tucks. There are no alternatives to getting rid of the loose skin after extreme weight loss. “The skin’s connective tissue is stretched beyond what diet and exercise can do.” People interested in this type of surgery should check with their insurance companies because after a medical weight loss, insurance usually covers it.
For anti-aging, Dr. Griffin still uses Botox for wrinkles. “It’s a safe product; it’s been around for 10 years,” he says. Currently he performs a skin tightening procedure called eMatrix. It uses a radio frequency similar to a microwave where it tightens the skin. He says usually six treatments are needed but that patients are seeing results after a couple of treatments.
ON A MISSION
Dr. Griffin grew up in a fairly religious home. He accepted Christ when he was 12, then rededicated his life to Christ in 1986. Upon rededicating his life to Christ, he realized why he was here and his purpose in life – that life should not be lived for himself but for God and His purposes.
Dr. Griffin always knew he wanted to be a physician. He had four brothers with asthma. As a result of frequent visits to the hospital for his brothers' condition, he was surrounded by the presence of medical professionals.
When he was in junior high, he saw an article on plastic surgery. Upon reading this article, he found that only a few African Americans were plastic surgeons at the time, which inspired him. However, what appealed to him about specializing in plastic surgery the most was that plastic surgery "combined art with medicine." He called one of the doctors who was featured in the article who later encouraged Anthony to pursue his dreams of becoming a plastic surgeon.
While he was doing his residency at USC, he worked on over 1,000 cleft lips. The doctor he worked closely with at the time also worked with Operation Smile. This doctor encouraged Dr. Griffin to go with him on an Operation Smile mission to Africa. During this time, Dr. Griffin had been widowed six months earlier and was looking for direction. So, in 1995 Dr. Griffin went on his first Operation Smile mission to Africa which really had an impact on him. After one of the cleft lip surgeries he did, the change was so dramatic that the mother didn't recognize her child. Dr. Griffin continues to go on Operation Smile missions.