| The criticism of plastic surgery as pandering to | | | | candidates who also take the effects of aging into |
| the vanity of people is unfair. The desire for self | | | | their plastic surgery plans. |
| improvement is a natural impulse, and typically | | | | In depth interviews with a selection of survey |
| people who seek plastic surgery are simply | | | | participants in the ASPS study revealed that most |
| unhappy about an aspect of their appearance. | | | | people who were interested in plastic surgery |
| They feel sufficiently displeased to pursue a | | | | were deeply bothered by a physical feature. They |
| solution to make themselves more content. In | | | | wanted plastic surgery because they believed it |
| some cases, plastic surgery even opens the door | | | | would provide emotional, psychological, or social |
| to greater self confidence. | | | | improvements. |
| Perhaps you want to ease back the inevitable | | | | As a practicing California plastic surgeon, it is part |
| effects of age, repair the sagging legacy of | | | | of my job to help potential plastic surgery |
| childbearing, or augment or reduce your breasts. | | | | patients examine and understand their |
| Employing plastic surgery as a means to improve | | | | motivations. A patient with a healthy perspective |
| physical traits is essentially the same as getting | | | | will want to modify his or her body so as to |
| braces to straighten your teeth. No one would call | | | | overcome a physical trait that is personally |
| you vain if you wanted straighter teeth. However, | | | | unpleasant. The rest of the world may not be |
| plastic surgery is generally more drastic than | | | | judging you as harshly as judge yourself, but your |
| teeth straightening, which is why you should | | | | self-confidence comes from your self-judgment, |
| carefully examine your feelings for wanting plastic | | | | which is at the heart of the matter. |
| surgery. It is not a step to be taken lightly. | | | | If you are considering plastic surgery, you should |
| In 2005, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons | | | | make sure to do some soul searching about your |
| conducted a survey to study the motivations | | | | physical dissatisfaction and compare that carefully |
| people had for plastic surgery and their | | | | to the costs and risks of surgery. Make sure that |
| demographics. You might be surprised to learn | | | | the plastic surgeon you meet with is attentive to |
| that the study indicated that plastic surgery is not | | | | your goals and motivations. A plastic surgeon |
| limited to higher income people. Members of | | | | should not promise you the moon. Plastic surgery |
| diverse socioeconomic classes have an interest in | | | | is not going to turn you into a movie star. Plastic |
| and even undergo plastic surgery procedures. | | | | surgery may be able to improve your body, but it |
| According to the ASPS study, a broad range of | | | | will not produce a new body. However, California |
| age groups seeks plastic surgery, from ages 18 | | | | plastic surgery can be a positive experience that |
| on up. Certainly the younger surgery candidates | | | | frequently helps people gain greater satisfaction |
| are seeking cosmetic modifications, typically to | | | | with their physical appearances. |
| the nose or breasts, as opposed to older surgery | | | | |