Extreme Makeover™ the television series

Season 3, Episode 12
Date Aired: 1/20/05

Tricia and Kari:

Tricia, 40, and Kari, 41, are a couple of "Desperate Housewives" from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Actually the two women are more like "Thelma and Louise." They are two free spirits always getting into trouble and adventures. Tricia was 13 and Kari was 14 when they met and have been best friends ever since. While the two can laugh at each other’s appearance, it is really bad on the inside.

Kari would like to remove her puffy eyes, get rid of her flabby neck. She had lost a lot of weight in the past years, but still has a lot of "cottage cheese." She would also like to get rid of the extra skin on her tummy.

Tricia does like the big wrinkles on her face and thinks it makes her look like a witch. She also doesn’t like her funny vampire-like teeth. She looks at herself in the mirror and feels like a troll.

Unfortunately, it has not been all fun and adventure for these two women. Two years ago, Kari’s six-year-old son Hunter, who was born missing 90% of his brain, passed away. But the tragedy did take its toll. Kari did go through depression and let herself go, putting on a lot of weight. Actually both women went on a weight roller coaster. However, Tricia’s friendship helped Kari go through this difficult time.

Tricia and Kari are very much into the ocean, and especially love dolphins. They always dreamed of swimming with dolphins. The two women got their chance to swim with dolphins, and during their swim, a dolphin was carrying a message. The message read that Tricia and Kari were going to be part of the Extreme Makeover™ television show.

Tricia and Kari made it to L.A. and the Makeover Mansion. For the next two months, they will be experiencing this extreme makeover together. This is like a dream come true for both of them.

They begin their journey by meeting with plastic surgeon Dr. Jon Perlman. During their consultation, Tricia wanted everything lifted and pointing out her eyes were very bad. Dr. Perlman points out the large bags under the eyes and most of it is fat. Tricia also wants her breasts uplifted. Dr. Perlman will also cut out areas of excess skin from the abdomen.

As for Kari, she too was unhappy with her. Tricia pointed out Kari’s chin. Dr. Perlman told Kari that he would take some fat from another part of her body and build up her cheeks. Her breasts would also be uplifted and a little bigger through breast implants. Even though Kari has lost around 75 pounds in the past year, Dr. Perlman still sees a lot of extra skin and fat remaining in the abdominal area.
The day before surgery, Tricia and Kari got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time and they held a purification ritual. This helped them connect with each other and to celebrate their friendship.

Tricia is the first to undergo surgery. Dr. Perlman begins the operation with a browlift, then removes excess skin from the eyelids. Next, the doctor performed liposuction of the back and inner and outer thighs. The fat removed is then injected into the cheeks and lips. Liposuction under the chin defines Tricia’s jawline. Her breasts were then lifted and enlarged. Tricia’s tummy was tucked. And a light chemical peel smooths the puffy eyes. In two surgeries, eight procedures were performed. Kari was shocked when she saw Tricia after surgery with all of her bandages.

Then next day, it was now Kari’s turn. For her surgery, she received liposuction of her back and inner and outer thighs. This fat was then injected into her lips. A browlift gives Kari a friendlier appearance. Dr. Perlman then performs an upper and lower eyelid lift. Fat pads are removed from the cheeks. And in a separate surgery, Dr. Perlman performs breast lift and augmentation. Kari’s waistline is slimmed with a tummy tuck. Kari’s extreme makeover involved two surgeries and nine procedures. Now it was time for recovery.

After surgery, both Kari and Tricia were in good spirits. They will be recovering for the next six weeks. Because of their tummy tucks, the two women cannot exercise. But, 80% of what fitness guru Michael Thurmond does is dieting. Through Michael Thurmond’s program, neither woman will starve, but they will both lose a lot of weight.

A week after surgery, Kari and Tricia were back at Dr. Perlman’s office to get a peak at their results. Tricia sees that her eyes are not old looking anymore and Kari cannot believe her flabby chin is gone.

Next on their makeover schedule is a trip to Dr. Steven Donia’s office, a cosmetic dentist. After a trip to the dentist’s office, Kari and Tricia were all smiles and loving their new teeth.

Then there were a few sad days during the makeover. Tricia’s dog had died. Her kids were so devastated and it was so hard for her not to be there for them. But there were better days ahead.

Kari and Tricia have been in L.A. for five weeks. Both women miss their kids so much. After watching a video sent to them by their families, Kari and Tricia give their kids a call.

Now it was time for Kari and Tricia to meet a new friend, dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban. Dermatology procedures improved the overall texture and appearance of the skin to make the results of plastic surgery look the way they are supposed to. Stretch marks were also treated and both women received a non-surgical butt lift through the Thermage procedure. The Thermage stimulated collagen, gained an inch and a half on their buttocks.

For their next surgery, Tricia and Kari received LASIK eye surgery from Dr. Robert Maloney. Kari has been looking forward to this. After the surgery, Dr. Maloney showed Kari a picture and asked her what she saw. It was a picture of dolphins. Both were in tears after eye surgery.

Then it was back to Dr. Perlman’s office to check weight and they lost 20-25 pounds each. Kari and Tricia both checked out their new bodies including the breasts and stomach.

After six weeks in LA, Tricia and Kari were driving around in a convertible just like the one in "Thelma and Louise." Next up was shopping with Extreme Team style expert, Sam Saboura. While Tricia could take a few pointers, Kari needs help with her fashion. Sam then had news for the two friends; they would have to be separated for the next few days and will not see each other until the final reveal. After separating, it was time for final touches.

Kim Vo provide Tricia and Kari with a new hair color and hair stylists and makeup artists provide the final touches. Kari sees her final results and cannot believe what she sees in the mirror. When Tricia sees her final results, she screams and can’t breathe.

Now, they were back home in Florida, ready to reveal their extreme makeovers to their friends and family. Tricia was the first to reveal her new look to everyone. With cheers and applause, she immediately went to her kids and hugged them all. Then there was a new puppy waiting for Tricia and her family. The kids were crying and it was a heartfelt, touching moment.

Tricia had the honors of introducing Kari to everyone. Kari walked into the room and Tricia was shocked by Kari’s exciting new look. The two lifelong friends were checking each other out. It was a night filled with laughter and joy. But there was one more surprise for Kari, Tricia and their families, a motorhome vacation. So their adventure continues.

Tricia’s makeover procedures included:

• Brow lift
• Upper and lower eyelid lift
• Fat injections
• Chin liposuction
• Liposuction of the inner and outer thighs
• Tummy tuck
• Breast lift
• Breast augmentation
• LASIK eye surgery
• FotoFacial
• Sclerotherapy
• Chemical peel
• BOTOX® Cosmetic
• 1 extraction
• Gum lift on 7 teeth
• 11 Porcelain veneers
• 5 crowns and a bridge

Kari’s makeover procedures included:

• Brow lift
• Upper and lower eyelid lift
• Fat injections
• TCA peel
• Chin liposuction
• Liposuction of the inner and outer thighs
• Buccal fat removal
• Tummy tuck
• Breast lift
• Breast augmentation
• LASIK eye surgery
• Thermage for butt lift
• Restylane
• FotoFacial
• Gum lift on 4 teeth
• 10 Porcelain veneers
• Zoom whitening

To read more information about the plastic surgeon featured on this week’s episode of Extreme Makeover™ the television series, Dr. Jon Perlman, CLICK HERE.