Suzanne Somers: Plastic Surgery Pioneer Or Just Fearful Of Aging?

Suzanne Somers.

You're either gonna love this woman or hate her. But first, let's remind everyone she IS 65-years-young.

And we have to admit, she looks pretty darn good. And yes, we know she's had a lot of work done, but she's also trying to carve a path for other women when it comes to cutting edge beauty/health science.

Still, there are critics....plenty of them, quick to label Suzanne Somers a kooky senior citizen who won't accept that her celebrated body and face can NOT stop the aging process.

Well, maybe she has stopped something, and opened a door to more options for women, when it has to do with breasts and body image.

Last year, there were rumors going around that the star had undergone a stem-cell facelift because she had talked about wanting to have one in the future, plus her face had suddenly taken on a very full, puffy appearance. She has not admitted to the procedure that we know of, but has just admitted to stem-cell surgery on her breasts.

According to People magazine, Suzanne Somers recently underwent an experimental procedure to reconstruct her breasts using her OWN stem-cells. She says her breasts were uneven in size, following breast cancer 12 years ago, where she had a lumpectomy and radiation.

"I thought they'd take a quarter's worth," she says. "But the whole bottom half of my breast was gone."

Six weeks of radiation "left what breast I had flatter and flatter. I had a Double D on one side and on the other side I could hardly fill a B."

Suzanne turned to this man, Dr. Kotaro Yoshimura, a Japanese surgeon who developed stem-cell breast reconstruction in 2004. He agreed to do the expensive surgery here in the U.S..

A mixture of her fat and stem-cells was injected back into her right breast until it filled a C cup. Suzanne then had her left breast reduced from a DD to match.

People noted, "The 2½-hour process costs between $14,500 and $19,500 and insurance chips in if the surgery is a reconstruction".

Suzanne Somers has gone one step further, and we think it is a major stride:

Last August, she helped introduce a clinical trial, which has been approved by an independent medical board. And Suzanne was the first patient to participate.

So far, 10 more patients have been accepted to the trial, which is taking place at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

What do you think? Is Suzanne Somers a plastic surgery pioneer? Or just a woman fearful of aging?