Cosmetic Surgery: A Solution or a Superficial Fix?
It appears that close to 80% of women over 18 are dissatisfied with their bodies, according to a recent study. Considering the rise in Plastic Surgery in the United States over the past ten years, this study comes as no surprise. Cosmetic procedures like injecting Botox and collagen or performing face lifts and liposuction are now so commonplace that they have become water cooler talk after a weekend, as hundreds of thousands of these procedures are performed daily in the United States alone.
What are the causes of this dramatic rise in cosmetic procedures? Many studies have shown that the wide-spread effect of the media has a crucial role in the way women view their bodies. Each age in human history has had its own beauty criteria, for this is human nature. In no other age, however, have women been blitzed with constant images representing what they “should” look like. A lot of these ideals and images are considered to be universal, with no adjustments for cultural and racial differences. Thus, Asian women will often adopt the western beauty ideal, and be completely incapable of achieving it.
Remaining young is strongly embedded in the western beauty ideal. The sense that most women get from the media is that they must not only be beautiful according to ideals that only 5% of women can actually achieve, but they must remain young as long as possible. Wrinkles must be banished, grey hairs eliminated, less firm skin removed, and, of course, sagging breasts must be lifted.
Many women turn to cosmetic surgery to try to solve these body image problems. Women are more likely to opt for the cosmetic surgery option, since it has become so acceptable and the prices have lowered dramatically. This may be of some benefit to women. A lot of women feel much better after breast augmentation or reduction, especially if they are body concious regarding the size of their breasts. The surgery often kick-starts a process of a physical rediscovery of the body, and many women feel like the procedure saved their lives on an emotional level. A small change like this can often make a dramatic difference.
The problem arises, however, when the low body image is deeply ingrained in a woman’s psyche. Cosmetic surgery, after all, can only change the physical appearance of the body, not the way a woman views it. Cosmetic surgery can rarely fix a woman’s dissatisfaction with her body if it is more than just superficial. A new psychiatric disorder has even been listed with the American Medical Association, called Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), defining this symptom of low body image. This is considered to be a psychiatric condition in which an individual is obsessed with minor faults in their body, and their efforts are concentrated in changing these faults. Women with BDD often turn to cosmetic procedures to fix their “faults,” but find no satisfaction once the procedure is done. No matter how many cosmetic surgeries a woman with BDD undergoes, she will never be satisfied. Only intense therapy and treatment can solve this problem. However, the proliferation of cosmetic surgery can “hide” this problem, since it is so common for women to go under the knife for the tiniest bump on their nose.
So can cosmetic surgery solve anything? Or is it only a simple fix? This really depends on why the woman wishes to undergo the surgery. The best advice anyone can give a women considering cosmetic surgery is to think carefully about why she wants to do it. If in any doubt, get help from a professional, such as a therapist. Most importantly, find a very good cosmetic surgeon, one with a reputation of questioning his patients carefully before agreeing to do the procedure. Some cosmetic surgeons don’t bother asking their patients the right questions before undergoing the surgery, due to greed. There are other doctors out there, however, who take the time and effort to understand why their patient wishes to have cosmetic changes, and will refer patients to therapy if they feel that their motives are due to BDD or some aspect of body image dissatisfaction.
New York is home to the absolute best cosmetic surgeons. There are hundreds of cosmetic surgeons in the city alone, providing many options for breast augmentation in New York. A good surgeon asks the relevant questions and makes sure the patient has all the information they need to make a sound decision. After all, a successful breast surgeon in New York has a reputation to protect. If you decide to undergo any kind of cosmetic procedure, it is best to find the absolute best doctor for the job, and that doctor is most likely to be in the Big Apple. Be it a complex breast reduction or a simpler breast lift in New York, make sure to find the absolute best doctor for the job.
