The Best (and Worst) Reasons for Plastic Surgery
Posted May 18, 2018 in Reason for Plastic Surgery
Over the decades, plastic surgery has become somewhat of a phenomenon. The number of surgical and nonsurgical treatments is increasing every year; many men and women are walking into plastic surgery offices in waves looking to improve their trouble areas.
Just as expansive as the list of possible plastic surgery procedures are the reasons patients cite for wanting to undergo plastic surgery. Some of them are reasonable and healthy reasons that will lead to great satisfaction. Others, unfortunately, are not as healthy and may leave you either wanting additional surgery or regretting your decision to have alterations altogether.
Good Reasons to Consider Plastic Surgery
To Improve Your Confidence
Most people have at least one area that they feel sticks out like a sore thumb. Sometimes it is noticeable to everyone; other times, it’s an area that is only noticeable to you but creates a negative impact on your confidence anyway.
Whether it is enhancing the size and shape of your breasts, reclaiming your body after pregnancy or weight loss, or counteracting the effects of time and sun damage to your face, cosmetic surgery can improve your confidence and even enhance your quality of life. When you feel good about your physical appearance, you are more likely to show your true personality with family, friends, and the world around you. Improving confidence in your appearance is one of the soundest reasons for undergoing cosmetic surgery.
To Aid Physical Comfort
Several plastic surgery procedures are aimed at enhancing physical comfort. Any woman with overly large breasts can give you a detailed and exhaustive list of difficulties that derive from carrying around excessive tissue.
Between an inability to participate in sports and other activities, skin conditions such as rashes between and in the fold of the breast tissues, and the physical discomfort in the back, shoulders, and breasts, many women are turning to breast reduction to aid in physical discomfort.
Other procedures that assist physical comfort and confidence are labiaplasty (vaginal rejuvenation) and septoplasty (correction of deviated septums, allowing for easier breathing).
To Improve Nasal Deformities
Unfortunately, many people are born with noses that have what may be considered imperfect features. Nasal humps, wide nostrils, overly large nasal tips, or deformities caused by physical trauma, all lead to nasal shapes that are likely a point of self-consciousness for the patient.
Correcting a nasal deformity through rhinoplasty can give a patient a new lease on life. Whether they were bullied about their nose, or only felt an internal struggle, plastic surgery can help overcome those adversities that nasal shapes can cause.
Bad Reasons to Consider Plastic Surgery
To Please Another Person
Just as there are good reasons to undergo plastic surgery, there are also bad ones. At the top of this list is undergoing augmentation to please another person. You should never change anything on your body only to match another person’s belief of what is beautiful. Plastic surgery is a personal journey that you need to do for yourself—not anyone else. This is your body, so if you believe that a procedure will make you happier or more confident, then go for it, but do not undergo surgery if you are only entertaining the idea to please another person.
To Look Like a Celebrity
Many patients walk into the office with a picture of their favorite celebrity. “I want their nose,” or “ make my butt look like this person’s butt,” or “change my cheekbones so I look like this person” are common phrases that signal unhealthy reasons to undergo plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery is designed to enhance your features, not to make you look like someone else. The next reason is more straightforward: it’s not possible. While specific characteristics of a celebrity can be used as a guide (such as a nose or breast size), you will not leave the office with an appearance identical to your idol. You will leave the office looking like yourself with slightly different features, with a new and improved version. That result is what plastic surgeons strive to achieve.
To Lose Weight
Many patients request procedures such as liposuction or tummy tuck surgery because they think they will lose weight with them. Plastic surgery, no matter the procedure, is not designed as an alternative to weight loss and won’t provide a free pass to disregard diet and exercise. It is true that you will lose a few pounds with liposuction or tummy tuck surgery, but it won’t be any substantial amount. These procedures are meant to sculpt your body and highlight weight loss progress, not remove excessive amounts of weight.
If you are considering plastic surgery for any of the right reasons, or if you would like to speak to a plastic surgeon about your appearance goals, contact the Valley Institute of Plastic Surgery by calling 559-435-9646 to set up your consultation today.