their 20s and 30s getting extreme
makeovers — as well as nip/tucks — and
making the whole process look like no
big deal. It’s happening more and
more offscreen too. According to the
American Society of Plastic Surgeons,
in 2004, 9.2 million cosmetic plastic
surgery procedures were performed
in the U.S. alone — an increase of 24
percent from 2000.
With so many people going under the
knife, it’s easy to minimize just how serious —
and dangerous — plastic surgery
can be. “Reality shows give the false
the impression that plastic surgery is a quick
and easy fix,” says Beverly Hills cosmetic
facial surgeon Robert Kotler, author of
Companion. “As a result, the public is
woefully misinformed about the realities
of invasive cosmetic procedures.” Read
on for the straight truth.
Truth 1: You Won’t Necessarily Feel Better Afterward
Think that fake boobs will
make you a happier person?
Well, according to a 2004 study published
in Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, plastic surgery patients who
had unrealistic expectations tended to
be dissatisfied with the final result. The
problem: Many women believe that an
the alteration will make their lives better.
Even if you’re dead sure you’re choosing
plastic surgery for yourself and no
one else, there’s no guarantee that a
saline set or tummy tuck will give you
more confidence. “Cosmetic surgery
may improve your body image, but it
may not improve the way you feel about
yourself in general,” says David Sarwer,
Ph.D., associate professor of psychology
at the Center for Human Appearance
at the University of Pennsylvania. The
the insecurity you’re dealing with maybe
more psychological, but for many, it
seems simpler to fix the external flaw
then confront internal issues.
Truth 2: Plastic Surgery Is Still Surgery
Sure, cosmetic surgery is
elective, but even though
the doctor won’t be transplanting
a new heart or removing a kidney,
that doesn’t mean there aren’t major
risks involved. “The biggest concern isn’t the cutting and sewing, it’s the anesthesia,”
says Dr. Kotler. “Even in the hands
of a competent surgeon, complications
can occur if the patient has an adverse
reaction to the anesthetic.” A doctor may
be licensed to administer anesthesia, and
the surgery could still result in death.
Truth 3: The Recovery Period Will Likely Suck
Despite what you may have
seen and heard, a surgeon
can’t turn you into a swan
overnight. For procedures like nose jobs
or breast augmentation, it takes about 2
weeks until a patient is fully up and running
again (still, often with visible scars
and bruises), about 100 days for everything
to fall into place, and up to 6
months to see the final results.
“I’ve had patients come to me and
ask ‘What went wrong?’ because, in
that first couple of weeks, they don’t
look so hot,” says New York City-based
aesthetic plastic surgeon Z. Paul Lorenc,
coauthor of A Little Work. “No
one walks out looking perfect — there’s
an extensive healing time.” You could have bleeding, prolonged bruising, and
lumps under the skin.
What’s more, you can’t resume normal
activity for a while. For example, after
breast augmentation, you can’t lift anything
heavy and aren’t supposed to raise
your arms past shoulder height for two
to three weeks. If you do, the implants
could move up or harden, in which case
you may need another surgery to fix
them. Say you get a nose job and decide
to return to your normal routine a few
days later — if you push yourself too hard
too soon, you could increase your blood
pressure so much that you wind up
bursting blood vessels and experiencing
even more swelling and bruising.
Truth 4: Many Patients Become Depressed
While dealing with
the bandages and bruising,
some patients go through a
period of posttraumatic stress. “A person
may not be prepared for the new
face or body she sees in the mirror,” says
Dr. Lorenc. “On top of that, the swelling
and bruising can cause a patient to initially
look distorted, and she may worry
that it will never go away or feel like she
might have made a huge mistake.”
Truth 5: You May Need a “Do-Over”
Aside from the scars (which
are an inevitable by-product
of any surgical procedure),
with facial work, several
people require additional surgery to
either fine-tune the original job or correct
the mistakes of a shoddy doctor. In
fact, in one leading plastic surgeon’s
estimation, even in the best hands, 10 to
15 percent of facial plastic surgery procedures
require a second one to tweak
or fix the first job. “A lot of nose jobs
wind up getting botched in the hands of
the wrong doctor,” adds Dr. Lorenc.
“Every eighth of an inch counts, so it’s
often difficult to get it just right.”
A patient not only has to prepare for
the emotional turmoil of undergoing a
second procedure but also has to brace
herself for the financial hit. A “touch-up”
isn’t part of the plastic surgery package
and will cost extra. And a complete “do-over” after a bungled job can be more
pricey than the initial procedure.
Truth 6: After All That, It May Not Last
Yes, once you go under the
knife, there’s no going back.
But even though you can’t
reverse a nip/tuck, that doesn’t mean the
results are always permanent. With procedures
like breast lifts or liposuction,
you might hope to keep the perky boobs
and svelte figure forever, but over time,
diet, age, and gravity take over. Once
you gain a few pounds, have a baby, or
get older, those surgically lifted mammaries
are inevitably going to droop, and
you may choose to do it all over again.
Then there’s the tricky lipo dilemma:
“If you undergo liposuction, you have to
be committed to keeping the weight off
or you’ll just gain it back in other places,”
says Dr. Kotler. Translation: Your booty
maybe much smaller than it was, but
your thighs could wind up supersized.
Truth 7: Some Doctors Aren’t Legitimate
In 2004, 35-year-old financial
analyst Maria Cruz was
found buried under cement
in the garage of an unlicensed “doctor”
who had allegedly killed her while performing
a procedure. The lesson: You
can die in the wrong hands. “There are
storefront plastic surgeons who aren’t
licensed to practice yet continue to see patients,” says Dr. Kotler. “But even
board-certified surgeons may not be
specialized in a certain area and, as a
the result isn’t qualified to perform
those specific operations.”
According to Dr. Kotler, just going to
a guy with an MD isn’t necessarily
enough. Even after years of medical
school, the best way for a doctor to really
get the specialized training necessary to
conduct nose jobs and breast lifts are
through a fellowship. Many plastic surgeons
practicing today don’t have that
A kind of extensive experience.
Truth 8: It’ll Cost You
Plastic surgery can sap your
bank account: It can be anywhere
from $6,000 to
$12,000 for breast augmentation,
rhinoplasty, or liposuction. The
best doctors are the most expensive, and
since you don’t want to bargain-shop
with your life, a safe, expertly performed
surgery is going to cost you big-time.
And it’s not like you can put your liposuction
on layaway: Experts say that any
the respectable surgeon will require you to
pay in full for a procedure, up-front.
(Insurance rarely covers it.)
Truth 9: It Can Be a Vicious Cycle
With some women, one
nip/tuck is never enough,
according to experts. You
may start just wanting a little shaved
off your nose, but once you’ve gotten
used to your new sniffer, you may feel
like you need more. All of a sudden,
you’re getting collagen, a chin implant,
and maybe even fake breasts.
“For some women, the quest to attain
physical perfection can spiral out of control,”
says psychologist Sheenah Hankin,
Ph.D., author of Complete Confidence.
“They expected that a nose job
might make them feel beautiful, and
when it doesn’t, they decide cheekbones
or liposuction may do the trick.” In fact,
about 15 percent of people who seek
plastic surgery suffer from body dysmorphic
disorder, a condition in which one
has an extremely distorted and negative
view of one’s appearance.
You may believe that a bigger,
perkier rack or Angelina-like lips will make you more attractive
to men. But guess what? Your guy
(or any future partner) probably wants
an all-natural chick. According to a 2005
survey of more than 1,700 Americans,
66 percent of men said they’d prefer that
their girlfriends did not undergo any plastic
surgery. So if your current man tells you
that he’d like you so much better with a
C cup, you might want to consider upgrading
your guy, not your bra size.
