Cosmetic Surgery: the New Normal
Is Cosmetic Surgery the New Normal?
This week’s Time Magazine cover has a provocative title, Nip Tuck or Else. Author Joel Stein predicts that cosmetic surgery will not only become more common, but those opting to age naturally will be in the minority. While elective cosmetic surgery has lost much of stigma for being exclusively for the rich and famous, I am less convinced that most women will feel compelled to undergo surgery just because it is fashionable.
As a plastic surgeon, I regard surgery as a major decision for my patients and disagree that a nipntuck is the new stylish makeup. However, the non-surgical procedures such as Botox ® and synthetic fillers top more than 5 times the number of surgical procedures like facelifts and breast enlargements. According to Stein, these quick fixes represent a whopping 83% of the treatments done by dermatologists today. There is no doubt that social media has had an impact on the perception of beauty and the constant scrutiny of an increasingly narcissistic society has driven the marketplace. In my opinion, the bottom line is to seek out ethical practioners if you are considering having cosmetic surgery and schedule consultations with Board Certified Physicians. Useful websites to check physician credentials are The American Society for Plastic Surgery and The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, both organizations in which I am a member.
