Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery: A Solution or a Superficial Fix?

A recent study has shown that close to 80% of women over 18 are dissatisfied with their bodies in some way. This study comes as no big surprise, taking into account the dramatic rise in plastic surgery procedures in the US over the past ten years. Procedures such as liposuction, face lifts, Botox injections, and collagen injections are completely commonplace, and thousands are performed daily in the US 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. Although each age in human history has had its unique beauty criteria, in no other age have women been bombarded with images representing what they should look like. Many of these images are universal, giving no leeway for cultural differences. For example, Asian women will sometimes adopt the “white” western beauty ideal, while being utterly incapable of actually looking like it.

Youth is also linked to the western 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. As the acceptability of cosmetic procedures grows and as their price falls, women are more likely to opt for the cosmetic surgery option. This can be beneficial. 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. After all, cosmetic surgery can only alter the physical appearance of a body part. It cannot alter the way a woman sees it. If her low body image is more than just a superficial dissatisfaction, cosmetic surgery on its own can rarely fix it. A new medical disorder has actually been listed with the American Medical Association describing this low body image, called Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). 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. A woman with BDD will never be satisfied, no matter how many cosmetic procedures she goes through. 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 is cosmetic surgery a solution or a cover-up? It truly depends on the reasons for undergoing the procedure. The best advice anyone can give a women considering cosmetic surgery is to think carefully about why she wants to do it. If in doubt, turn to a professional for help. Most importantly, find a very good cosmetic surgeon, one with a reputation of questioning his patients carefully before agreeing to do the procedure. Greedy cosmetic surgeons might not bother asking their patients the right questions before performing the surgery. 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.

The best cosmetic surgeons are known to be in New York. 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.

Asian plastic surgery on CNN

Cosmetic Surgery of the Asian Face (American Academy o $42.99

Cosmetic Surgery of the Asian Face by John McCurdy, Samuel Lam $159.86

Asian Facial Cosmetic Surgery, 1e $310.66

Cosmetic Surgery of the Asian Face NEW by Samuel M. Lam $262.32

Hico Nose Higher Clip $100.00 The first complex most Asian women have is about their noses. This is common to Oriental women. However, there are few alternative inventions for their flat noses other than a cosmetic surgery. The fundamental cause of Hico’s birth is women who try to overcome their nose complex and don’t want to get a cosmetic surgery….

Hair Restoration Surgery in Asians $189.00 Hair transplantation is in demand worldwide, but because Asian hair tends to be more sparse and coarse than Caucasian hair, transplantation procedures need to be adapted to Asian patients. This book, exclusively devoted to Asian hair, is a complete and comprehensive text written by a group of authors sharing their experience in their specialized fields of hair restoration. Included are many practi…

Ethnic Rhinoplasty $49.99 ETHNIC RHINOPLASTY presents guidelines, operative techniques, and postoperative management for rhinoplasty of the non-Caucasian nose. The volume begins with the basics of Black, Hispanic, and Asian nasal anatomy and encompasses preoperative nasal evaluation and surgical planning. The author demonstrates his renowned techniques, including; those for nasal septum and turbinates, nasal dorsum and bri…

Textbook of Laser and Light Dermatology in the Asian Skin $90.75 Laser has been used in dermatology for over four decades. The concept of selective photothermolysis has transformed our understanding of laser tissue interactions, and there has been an explosive interest in laser treatment for both skin diseases and aesthetic indications over the past decade or more. Asian skin differs from Caucasian skin because of the higher amount of epidermal melanosomes and…