Plastic Surgery & Body Altering ~ The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Plastic surgery is a steadily growing trend, for both men and women. Breast augmentation and liposuction seem to be the procedures that remain at the top of the list.

However, blepharoplasty, or the removal of excess skin from the eyelids, is right up there in popularity. In fact, it is one of the surgeries that can be a good thing. Other than improving appearance, it can also improve the vision, because the excess and sagging tissue around the eyes reduces the visual field. The cost is between $5000 and $7000.

The cost of breast augmentation varies among Provinces, but ranges between $10,000 and $15,000. Although we tend to think of it as a celebrity type obsession, it can be a blessing for those who have had mastectomies. On the downside, huge breasts might be considered an asset for some, but for the most part, those with smaller breasts are much better off.

Why? Because people with naturally smaller breasts are usually on the thinner side. They can do all sports without needing to wear wired hardware to support their breasts. They do not get nerve pain in their shoulders from bra straps. They are not limited in what kind of clothes they wear. And if they want to have a little more shape, they can wear a padded bra. So in my opinion, consider a B cup to be a blessing.

The other thing about breast augmentation to enlarge the breasts, is that they might look kind of strange on a sixty or seventy year old woman. When we are young, we do not project our age into the future. We seem to think we can lock it into our youth. But, that is not realistic.

Aging eventually ceases to be all about beauty, and becomes more about health, energy, comfort, and mobility.

Liposuction is also at the top of the high demand procedures. The cost varies depending on what part of the body the fat is removed from, ranging from $1500 to $7500, with the breasts being the most costly.

The total amount of fat that can be removed in a session, is reported to be between five and eight pounds. That is actually a hefty amount, to have sucked out of your body, in a matter of minutes. 

Personally, I believe it is much better to go on a diet and lose weight naturally. Even though the surgery may seem simple, and minor, there is a significant disruption in nerve endings and fat distribution, that may or may not turn out well.

Rhinoplasty used to be at the top of the list, but is now surpassed by other procedures. The cost is up to around $10,000. For those who have had their nose broken, or a deviated septum, or a very large or hooked nose, it can make a big difference in appearance, and be worthwhile. 

But it also carries the risk of a botched job. If the surgeon makes the nose too short, there is not much that can be done about it after the fact. Just look at pictures of Michael Jackson, to see what they did to his nose. All the money in the world cannot put your old nose back. In fact, when plastic surgery becomes a racket, it is almost like the Humpty Dumpty story. 

Facelifts used to be more popular, but it seems botox, collagen fillers, and other wrinkle smoothing procedures, have reduced the popularity of facelifts. The problem with facelifts, is that for those with a high forehead, or thinning hair, the surgical scar is very evident, and requires a lot of makeup to cover.

Facelifts cost $7,500 – $10,000. In the right circumstances with a good outcome, and a strong natural hairline, the facelift can make a big difference. However, as it is with botox, the skin can seem tight, or unmoving, and take away the emotional expressions on a person’s face.

One thing I noticed while working as an RN, is that a person’s demeanour will often be etched into their expression. Those with a history of chronic depression, had a downward pull on their mouths, and a depressed, sad looking face.

Some looked very haggard, and even mean. Whereas others looked quite beautiful, with signs of age, but still had good skin, bright eyes, and a warm smile. So our demeanour is probably more important than any kind of plastic surgery in the long run.

A more recent, and rather bizarre trend is the Brazilian butt lift. This is probably one of the most dangerous surgeries of all. The cost varies, but starts at around $12,000, and is more likely to be $20,000. The procedure involves liposuction from certain areas of the body. After that the fat is purified somehow, and then injected into the buttocks. Not only is it expensive and high risk, but it is strange too. In my opinion, it is one of the surgeries to rethink and avoid.

Another high risk surgery is gastric stapling to prevent over eating. In some cases, the person becomes malnourished, or has constant gut problems, causing them to become very unhealthy. The deaths associated with this procedure are alarmingly high. In addition, the surgery itself does not address the crux of the problem, which is how food relates to the emotions, and can have addictive properties. 

Abdominoplasty, often referred to as a tummy tuck, involves surgery to remove sagging skin from the lower abdomen. The objective in this surgery, is not so much to remove fat, but to remove the sagging skin after weight loss. The cost ranges between $10,000 and $15,000. In addition, because it involves cutting into the abdominal muscles, the post op period can be very painful.

And finally, there is the lip filling trend. This is another procedure that ends up looking very strange. It would probably be fine, if the filler or the lip contours had a very subtle boost. However, so many of them end up looking outrageous. 

As with all things related to plastic surgery, some people tend to think more is better. There is a critical risk, versus benefit evaluation to be made. The risk is not only about money, or a waste of money, it is about your life. 

If you lose money on any other purchase, you can get rid of it, and write it off as a bad idea, or a bad investment. But of all investments, a major mistake, pertaining to a high risk surgical procedure, can be a matter of life and death, or create long term, irreversible health problems. 

It is not just a matter of making a mistake in judgement yourself. Once embarking on the surgical procedure, you are placing yourself in the hands of another person.

Therefore, you are potentially compounding the risk for error, because you are not in control of the procedure. The surgeon has to be credible, and the instruments, sterile field, and competency of the surgical team, are of utmost importance as well. They too, can make mistakes, or be shoddy in technique. Some of them talk a good game, but many are motivated by quick turnover, and high profits. 

As far as going to a different country for cheap plastic surgery, you have to consider the worst case scenarios. If things go terribly awry, how will you get home? What health care coverage do you need, in order to get you the care you need, and to get you home? And how will you evaluate the credibility, and history of the plastic surgeon in a foreign country?

A few years ago, I watched a panel discussion where a group of people talked candidly about their plastic surgeries. One thing that was very notable, was many of them looked better in the before pictures, than in the after pictures. They robbed themselves of their own natural beauty. In addition, the more plastic surgeries a person had, the worse it got.

So the key takeaway on plastic surgery, is to quit while you are ahead. There is no such thing as perfection, and perception does not accurately project perfection. In fact, it is more likely to project insecurity, and unrealistic expectations.

There are certain cosmetic procedures that improve appearance, and can benefit a person. But at all costs, a person should avoid multiple cosmetic surgeries, and recognize the underlying emotional or mental health aspects of what drives a person to completely alter their natural appearance.

The other thing to consider when doing the research, is that almost every single site you google or look into, is actually promoting the surgery. They, like the pharmaceutical industry, will downplay the risks, and pad the benefits. So take it all with a grain of salt.

And finally, for those who are making the choice to get plastic surgery, seek out a good surgeon, and choose what you want to improve wisely. Aging is not preventable. Vanity is not worth all that much at the end of the day.

It is not to say improvements in appearance are a bad thing. In fact, there are good reasons for some of the cosmetic surgeries. It is not a matter of judging others, but rather, it is a matter of being able to objectively judge certain things about yourself. 

For some reason though, people can get addicted to body altering. There are people who have upwards of $700,000 worth of surgical procedures. Many have died in the process. The outcome for a lot of them is garish, and overdone. They go to the extremes of having ribs removed, and injecting fillers into their cheeks that end up looking like tumours. Yet they cannot seem to quit.

In some ways it is like tattoos. It starts with one, and for some people, ends up covering the entire body. The skin is the bodies largest organ. We should always keep that in mind. Whatever is put onto the skin, is absorbed into the blood stream, and lymphatic system. It also impacts the hair follicles and sweat glands. Tattoos are not only skin deep. Some of the ink actually ends up in the lymph nodes, especially when there are large tattoos near the lymph nodes, such as in the neck.

In addition, we should keep in mind that we have facial nerves that are part of the cranial nerves, and brainstem. Therefore the face, and the skin, are very much part of the entire body. Changing appearance, could also affect the central nervous system, and vital organs. So it is not to be taken lightly.

If there is a body altering procedure that should be banned altogether, in my opinion, no one should ever even consider having their eyeballs tattooed. Most of us have not even heard of such a thing, but it is another trend to be wary of.

What is it exactly? The sclera, or white part of the eyes are tattooed. Some are tattooed black, some are green, and others are red or blue. In addition to looking demonic, it is a procedure that can never be reversed. The long term effects on vision, the optic nerves, and the brain, are unknown. So this one tops the list for being both dangerous, and ugly.

It makes me wonder if a person would cut off their ears, if they thought it looked cool.

The foremost thing to keep in mind when it comes to plastic surgery, and other body altering procedures, is limits, safety, and perception. Less is more, and surely dieting beats liposuction. It is much cheaper too.

When we think of appearance, and how we perceive ourselves, the inner person cannot be separated from the outer person. I think the biggest pitfall of the surgical alterations, is the inability to differentiate between the need for emotional healing, mental health therapies, and plastic surgery. Plastic surgery will not fix intrinsic insecurities. It becomes a futile quest, and is what makes the person end up looking bizarre. 

Anyone who tries too hard to look perfect, might end up looking like the perfect bimbo. Or a zombie from outer space. It might be better to try to age with grace.

Happy New Year!