It’s Still Me in Here
Plastic surgery is no longer just for the elite. In the United States, in 2007, 11.7 million procedures were. In each case, a plastic surgeon will do everything to ensure that a patient is ready for cosmetic surgery and is prepared for the results. One element of that preparation involves preparing the patient for the responses they may get as a result of surgery.
The patient who expects a “you-look-fabulous” review from everyone is often disappointed. It’s necessary for patients to understand that, especially with facial surgery, reactions such as silence, stares, gossip, and confrontational remarks may be a part of the feedback they get. Some people may react in the extreme and behave as if they were mourning a loss. That strong reaction may elicit comments like, “Where’s the person you were before surgery?,” “You don’t look like yourself,” or “What happened to your distinctive nose?” Oftentimes the harshest criticism will come from the patient’s children. A child may feel that mom has lost the “motherly” look they have come to know and love.
These unexpected reactions can be very hurtful. The best way for a patient to prepare for the emotional consequences of cosmetic surgery, is to have the procedures done for themselves. The patient whose motivation is other-related, meaning it’s being done so that others will love them, or in order to fix something that’s wrong in their lives, will not be properly prepared for the possible results they receive. It is not possible to embarrass patients about their plastic surgery, if they are open and unashamed about the procedure they had.
A word needs to be said about patients who want to look like a particular celebrity. Celebrity worship has gone to outrageous extremes. It is unbelievable, but true that there are two facial plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills who publish a yearly list, of the celebrity features that are most in demand by their patients. It is very likely that the patient who wants to be a Xerox copy of a famous person, or copy the feature of such a person, will ultimately experience the unpleasant consequences attached to wearing someone else’s face. The healthy patient will choose self-expression, and self-enhancement rather than imitation.
We recommend that by all means, if you would like to have cosmetic surgery, do so, but make sure that you speak to your plastic surgeon about any concerns you may have and prepare yourself physically and psychologically.