Too Much of a Good Thing – Two to Tango
October 2nd, 2009
Patients choose whether to have cosmetic surgery or not. It is purely an elective and usually non-essential surgery. Some patients end up having so many cosmetic surgery operations that their physical appearance becomes distorted, as I have discussed in prior blogs. Obviously the responsibility of having multiple cosmetic surgery procedures rests with the patient. However, without a surgeon or injectionist doing each treatment, excessive surgery would never occur. It takes two to tango, except of course when patients do surgery or injections on themselves.
I often see patients during consultations that have had multiple surgeries. Most often they have had their surgical procedures over a number of years and performed for specific physical sensitivities. Most results are natural in appearance and they are generally accepting of results, which may not always be perfect. In my opinion, these individuals are not obsessed with cosmetic surgery and I will consider them as patients.
There happen to be a few patients that present having had multiple surgeries on a single body part in quick succession, done by different surgeons. Some have so much scarring; it is impossible to make any further corrections. I advise these patients not to have more surgery. My professional ethics do not allow me to accept them as patients. Sadly this is not acceptable to everyone and unfortunately they will continue to seek out other physicians either locally or in other cities, until they find a surgeon to do what they want. Rest assured, you can most always find a surgeon to operate on you. Understand that surgeons make their living by operating, so when a surgeon recommends not having surgery, there must be a very good reason because they are losing income. Nonetheless it is difficult to disappoint a patient and turn them away. Fortunately, here in Minneapolis, most of my patients have reasonable expectations and seem to be conservative in their desire for unnecessary or repetitive cosmetic surgeries.
Too Much of a Good Thing – Freak Show
September 30th, 2009
There used to be over 100 freak shows touring with fairs and circuses across America. For P.T. Barnum, it was big business.
http://freaks.monstrous.com/freak_show.html describes the history of the freak show exhibition and features an unusual poem in which it the so eloquently described by Wordsworth:
“All moveables of wonder, from all parts,
Are here–Albinos, painted Indians, Dwarfs,
The Horse of knowledge, and the learned Pig,
The Stone-eater, the man that swallows fire,
Giants, Ventriloquists, the Invisible Girl,
The Bust that speaks and moves its goggling eyes,
The Wax-work, Clock-work, all the marvellous craft
Of modern Merlins, Wild Beasts, Puppet-shows,
All out-o’-the-way, far-fetched, perverted things,
All freaks of nature, all Promethean thoughts
Of man, his dulness, madness, and their feats
All jumbled up together, to compose
A Parliament of Monsters. Tents and Booths
Meanwhile, as if the whole were one vast mill,
Are vomiting, receiving on all sides,
Men, Women, three-years’ Children, Babes in arms.”
The freak show or side show used to be one of the main attractions at county fairs and circuses across America. People would flock to all manner of human and animal oddities. These freaks of nature perhaps underscored awareness for the “normal” observers to be more mindful and thankful for their good health and normal physical form. With the advent of political correctness and realization of human exploitation, freak shows had all but disappeared from our culture by the 1970’s.
Or have they? The clamor to see and often times, even pay to see personalities who have had excessive cosmetic surgery and/or body modification. I believe this represents a persistent desire to see such oddities. Pop culture and mass media obsesses with who has had what and what the result looks like. Photos of celebrities snapped right after cosmetic surgery fetch handsome rewards for the press. When I would see the late Michael Jackson, I would try to examine his face just trying to figure out what else he had done. It is culturally acceptable for us to look at physical oddities when people have done it on their own accord. Think back to Britney Spears shaving her head in a Los Angeles salon. Is this really news?
The popularity of reality television is also part of this trend. We seem to have an attraction to see physical distortion and bizarre human interactions, we watch and we wait for the emotional train wreck.
We have traded the freaks of nature for the freaks created and celebrated by the media. There has been a distinct move toward commodification of celebrity. However, today nobody is standing outside the tent selling tickets in exchange for a peek!
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