Television loves a transformation. You see the homely housewife, then a magical hour passes, and she emerges as a drop-dead beauty queen. She gets pitted against a bevy of other made-over contestants in a Miss America-style pageant. It is flashy. It is dramatic. It is also, according to plastic surgeons, an unhealthy and trivializing twist on a serious medical subject.
Patrick Hudson, M.D., a plastic surgeon in Albuquerque, New Mexico, argues that these shows miss the point entirely. By treating the procedure as a frivolous contest, they ignore the reality of plastic surgery. Hudson prefers makeover programs where the goal is self-satisfaction, not one-upping other contestants. The problem? Many shows set up unrealistic expectations. They underplay the risks. They gloss over the recovery times.
“It’s important to present the real face of plastic surgery.”
Hudson believes unidealized hopes are just as important as successful surgical results. They are the difference between a patient who is pleased with life after surgery and one who is sorely disappointed.
What Plastic Surgery Actually Does for Patients
Cosmetic plastic surgery is not a primrose path to a beautiful existence. It is fine-tuning. It can boost self-esteem. But it is real surgery, not like getting your hair cut.
Most patients are happy. A recent study suggests about 90 percent are well-satisfied with their new look. Take Jill, an Albuquerque event planner. She asked that her last name not be used. She had her breasts upsized from a 34A to a fuller B cup.
“I just wanted some breast tissue,” Jill says. She longed for the modestly buxom body she had during her breastfeeding days. It wasn’t about vanity. It wasn’t about suddenly having double-D breasts. It was about feeling more feminine in a swimsuit. Or, of all things, pajamas.
By helping people take pride in their appearance, cosmetic surgery can enhance their day-to-day outlook. Breast augmentations, in particular, are bound up with the psyche. They can produce the most dramatic changes in people’s lives. Hudson has seen newfound confidence translate into huge life-improving steps. Patients find new jobs. They enter new relationships. They leave unfulfilling ones. Many return to school to pursue a college degree or GED.
Jill got her hoped-for body image boost. Whether wearing a business suit or bumming around in a T-shirt and jeans, the new look made her feel better. Even at the beach, in the once-dreaded bathing suit, she felt confident.
Why You Shouldn’t Get Surgery for the Wrong Reasons
Jill got her Valentine’s Day upgrade while her seven-year marriage was flailing. But the operation wasn’t about becoming more sexually attractive to her husband. It doesn’t do all that.
Hudson confirms a cosmetic change is not a beeline to a better sex life. It shouldn’t be viewed as a straight course to a carefree attitude. Here is what plastic surgery can’t do for you, according to doctors who want to set the record straight.
- It won’t dig you out of emotional turmoil. An emotional or stress-ridden period is the worst time to undergo a cosmetic operation. If you are prone to mood swings or drug or alcohol abuse, don’t consider it. For many patients, plastic surgery carries its own psychological challenges, tied up with physical recovery. Jill shows up at work in three days after many surgeries. She had extreme pain that painkillers didn’t help. She realized she was trying to numb psychological pain from her life and marriage, not just physical pain from surgery.
- It won’t replace your face with a celebrity’s. Your facial features and bone structures are unique to you. Do not be lured by unrealistic aspirations of getting George Clooney’s face or Halle Berry’s physique.
- It won’t fix a relationship by pleasing a partner. Plastic surgery is about patients. It is about making them feel better about themselves. It is a bad bet for salvaging a relationship on the rocks. For Jill, surgery was actually followed within a year by the breakup of her marriage. Not that the change in her appearance corroded the relationship. It gave her the self-esteem to end a marriage that needed to end. It changed her relationships with men by giving her more confidence in dating.
- It won’t change your appearance with zero risk. Only in TV-land is plastic surgery presto-chango. From ugly duckling to dazzling swan. Those considering surgery should ask about risks. They should anticipate a possibly difficult time during recovery, depending on the procedure. They can reduce their risks by choosing an experienced, board-certified doctor.
It is dangerous when the plastic surgeon’s office is viewed as a nothing-to-lose, one-stop shop for buying a perfect appearance. The risk-reward comparison falls ultimately to the patient’s judgment. But a responsible surgeon will try to rein in unrealistic expectations.
“Plastic surgeons don’t operate on everyone who comes through their door, or shouldn’t,” Hudson says. “We have become gatekeepers of reality in an unreal world of distorted expectations.”
The screen fades. The applause dies down. But the recovery? That is just beginning. And it is rarely pretty.
