Opinions on Plastic Surgery

I wouldn't do it unless I was in an accident or for whatever reason needed it to get back to normal, but I don't judge anyone who has. I think its a risk though. I've seen lots of people with facelifts who looked fake afterwards.

I don't see anything wrong with it..there are some people however that go overboard. I can't ever see myself getting it done but then again..I'm not in a position to afford it

I see nothing wrong with it.
I wouldn't mind getting bigger breasts (of a natural, and humanly attainable size!), more in proportion to the rest of my build.

I would get a nose job if I needed one, because they can do great things with noses and you can't tell it's been done (unless of course you knew the nose before). Other things I think are too obvious, like lip injections, cheek implants, breast implants, etc. I would get something to make my face smoother if I had wrinkles, but only if it was non-invasive. I'd never get a face lift. I see segments on plastic surgery on The View and sometimes Oprah, and they are coming out with new procedures with lasers and stuff, so hopefully by the time I need it, I can get it done without needles.

I just don't like the fake look. What's the point in getting plastic surgery to perfect something, if it's going to be obvious it's not really yours? Like on The Swan, I thought all of them but the winner looked extremely plastic, pulled, molded, and uncomfortable. It doesn't last long enough either because I saw the winner on another show recently and she looks the same as she did when she went in, except for her teeth and skin problems.

I have for a long time on my forehead a wrinkle-probably from squinting when I was younger. When I pull my forehead tight I think I would look better-many people don't even notice it. I always thought of Botox or something to fix it but not sure of side effects!!
Otherwise I am happy with what nature gave me!!

^yeah, that!!^

Maybe get some botox b/c I am not even 30 yet and I have had crow's feet since I was a teenager!

I don't fault anyone for getting it done, though I do pity people who get it to compensate for flaws they *think* they have.

Like once, I watched an MTV special on people who had cosmetic surgery in different forms...like lipo, calf implants, nose jobs, gastric bypass. The only person truly happy was the person who had gastric b/c she made life changes to support her decision.

The guy who got calf implants couldn't get a personality implant unfortunately.

The two girls who had the lipo and the nose jobs were really pretty, I mean, the lipo was for like NOTHING. And the girl had the tiniest bump on her nose but either way she was still really pretty. Both of them were like, "Yeah, we're gonna send our pictures to Playboy," which was their ultimate goal. Guess what? They still weren't happy with how they looked.

I think -- if you want to do it b/c you think you are disproportionate, have a complex about your nose, or some *healthy* amounts of botox, then go for it.

If you are trying to fix something that isn't there...don't waste your money.

Did that make sense???

Some rambling thoughts and mixed feelings...

Of course it's a matter of personal choice, but I think it would be better if people would just have it done for injuries, defects (defects as in deformities, not as in perceived defects like a large nose), and health reasons. I can understand people who've lost a lot of weight or who gave birth to multiples wanting to remove their excess skin. My dad had an eyelid lift when he was in his late fifties, because the drooping interfered with his vision. Things like that are necessary, and make sense to me.

I find it disturbing that so many of the features which make people look different from each other and uniquely beautiful are often the very features that people want to change.

And I just don't understand why women would want to risk their health to have bigger breasts. I know it's natural to want to look your best, but why has looking your best suddenly come to include having surgical procedures if you don't fit a certain mold? Does anyone else here find that disturbing? I'm seeing comments about proportion, but honestly so many women in the public eye have had breast implants (it's been going on for a long time now) that our idea of what's proportionate and natural looking has been distorted. If you don't believe me, go find some Playboy magazines from the 70's and you'll see what I mean.

Why would a woman want to be with a man who's interested in her with large breasts, but who wasn't interested in her before? You're a whole person - JMO, but a guy who's that shallow wouldn't interest me at all. And yes, I've been a member of the IBTC. Not now that I've gained weight, but when I lose it they're the first to go. Sure, big ones will catch DH's eye (just like a nice set of pecs will catch mine), but I'm the one he's with, because he loves me for me.

Wrinkles and facelifts...
Now that I'm in my thirties and starting to get wrinkles and bags, I wish I could keep the face I had as a twenty-something forever, but I'm not the woman I was in my twenties, so I guess that's how it should be. Now is the time to stop worrying so much about the outside, and work on (hopefully) improving my inner beauty. I can understand that many women don't want to show their age. But when I see a celebrity who's in her sixities, with a freakishly smooth face and not a gray hair in sight, it's kind of creepy. The face is smooth, but it's not the same face she had when she was young. I think women who mature naturally - personality, smile lines, frown lines, bags, and all, are really more beautiful.

Fashions in beauty and plastic surgery are kind of funny - it cracks me up that the same girls who made fun of my puffy lips in high school are out paying to get the look they used to revile. Poetic justice! But what if plastic surgery had been available to me and I'd changed the lips I was so self-conscious about, only to have the beauty fashion change?

Other thoughts...I can't help but see the plastic surgery craze as another way our society is deteriorating. We're obsessed with image and appearance, while important issues are ignored. I see it as a way for unscrupulous people to get rich by playing on people's insecurities. I also see it as the ultimate of commercialization - customized bodies. Ewwww. How long 'til plastic surgery becomes a requirement for a successful career, like lipstick and a power suit?

I heard an interview with an Iranian woman a while ago, who mentioned that both Western and Arab societies objectify women...the Arab societies veil their women, the Western ones overexpose them.

...end of ramble

Well, I know I could do with an eylid lift as I have very droopy eylids which are, of course, getting worse as I get older.

I do have to wonder about women who feel like they have to go from a "B" cup to something like "DDDD" ...

Another thing I just thought of...my mother once said that if she owned a 1954 Chevy, she would spend money modifying it, right? Well, she likened herself to a restored car. That she would spend money on modifying her body and the way she looked to I guess stay "young" forever.

Personally, I think that's crap. Taking care of oneself is one thing -- like my BF's mom is 60 and she DOES NOT LOOK IT. Her oldest child is almost 40 and no one believes it for a second.

The same with my mom though...I'm almost 30 and when we go out together, people think we are sisters. So suffice to say, either I look old (which I do LOL) or she looks young (which she does). Either way, whatever. She looks fab. And the restoring an old car is just a sad way of saying she doesn't like the way she looks and wants to fix it. It's sad, because she is the proverbial hot mom

To me, proportionate is when I can buy a top In MY SIZE, and have it fit my top, not be perfect on the shoulder and droop in the bodice.

Or wear a strapless or spaghetti strap dress, in MY SIZE, that actually stays on, because it has body parts in it where it should have body parts.
I'm awfully sick of buying mens dress shirts because almost all womens blouses have darting, designed to fit the breast area, but only looks like crap if you have nothing there.

Good point. Very frustrating!

But then most clothes (and shoes too) don't fit my weird proportions anyway, so I guess I'm just used to it. The joys of being unique!

Not to take things too far OT, but you might want to ask someone at your local department store to recommend an alterations shop. A good seamstress or tailor can really help a lot to make things fit.

I try not to judge others but I do actually think "plastic" surgery can be frivilous. My own perespective comes from my work with very ill children who need all the medical resources they can get to save their lives, not make them look better. I do think reconstructive surgery to improve someone's quality of life is perfectly acceptable. I have to admit though that I have said a few curse words when our OR's are booked for someone's breast reconstruction!! Ughhhhhhh!!! Especially if it means someone needing a new liver or bone marrow transplant has to wait just a bit longer. That rarely happens of course because there are many OR's and it is all revenue for hospitals but it does make us consider our ethics.

I also survived my own medical problems and could now have surgery to improve what is known as a "rub hump". But it would not - like the other plethora of operations - improve my cardiac or respiratory problems or ensure I could continue to walk so in my mind, it is frivilous and purely cosmetic. I hardly notice it anyway and it is only visible if I am swimming with an open back swim suit or other instances where one would see it. I just wear clothing that does ot highlight it. I do envy those who can wear those kind of dresses but all if us have some issue or other with our body image so I do not loose sleep about it. I am more concerned with being alive and able to breathe and walk so the idea of cosemtic surgery is something I would not ever likely opt to have. In fact, any surgery has risks and I cannot really figure out why anyone would add those risks just to look better. It's a rather sad commentary on our society I think and yet many visit less than stellar clinics every day to fix some part if their anatomy that is not even broken.

I do think it is up to the individual though and do think people should at least have the option to make the choice for themselves. I just do not have to like it.

I think that's exactly how I feel. When it is done for purely cosmetic reasons I can't help but think that money could have gone elsewhere. Sure, it is their money and their money to spend, but I may still judge silently. But I wouldn't want to outlaw it either.

If you can afford it and don't go overboard (like getting DD breasts when you've always been a -A ) or have numerous operations on your nose (like Michael Jackson) I say go for it.

I also have droopy eyelids and would love to have them done - ah well guess I'll just have to "droop".

Well, i agree with everyone, it is okay, as long as it isnt taken overboard. Now, I had a breat redux. and now I want my old boobs back, and I was thinking of getting implants(you dont have to say it, i know).
I think anyone who wants it, should get it, of course if you can afford it. I do think there should be limits on how many you allowed to have done on certain parts of your body. Like your nose, you would think you can only have so many, before it just collapses.

I wish there were more good doctors who would review a patients plastic surgery history (and lets say she has had 9, because it makes her feel good about herself) and rather than scheduling her an appointment to do her 10th, he referrs her to some type of counselor that can work on her inner self not the outer. I think plastic surgery turns into an addiction, its hard to stop. People use it as a quick fix to make their life better, and dont stop to think, just because their appearance changed, doesnt mean THEY have changed on the inside... if they were unhappy before, they will more than likely be unhappy afterward.

I am not really for or against it. I would never do it myself. But thats me.

That beign said..I am addicted to the show Nip/Tuck

I DO think people go overboard...I know that a lot of doctors who perform plastic surgeries nowadays require counseling after x number of surgeries because it really can be addicting and/ or a self esteem issue.

I would not have it done unless something lhappened that would cause a disfigurement.

As long as people don't take it overboard (as people like Janice Dickinson and the afore-mentioned Mr. Jackson have) or it's not used in place of proper diet and excercise, I don't have a problem with it.

Technically, I've had "plastic" surgery, myself. I had a large, unsightly nevus (dangerous type of mole) removed from my face. I didn't want a huge scar, so I went to a plastic surgeon. He did a fantastic job. The only remnant I have is a long, thin pale line...which isn't that noticable since I am so pasty white anyways.
I wouldn't get a boob job, or lypo on my butt or belly, or a nose job, or Botox (that stuff is derived from botulism for goodness sake!!)....
I have thought about getting my chin lypo'd, though. I have a terrible fat deposit under my chin and it makes me look kind of fat...I even had the thing when I was a stick-skinny kid, so it's not due to excess weight. I don't think it makes me look ugly and it doesn't make me feel bad about myself, but I'd rather not have it (even though my BF professes to adore it because "it's so cute"...).

If you've got a flat chest and going up a cup size will help you feel better about yourself, fine. If you think your nose is bad and having it shaped a little will help your self-image, great. If you've lost a lot of weight and have loose skin around your middle, have a tummy tuck if it'll make you happy.

That said, surgery is not going to make you suddenly feel wonderful about yourself if you have terrible self-esteem...that can't be fixed except from the inside.

What others do is their business, and I try my hardest not to judge.

On a personal level, I feel God gave me the body I have and I just have to make the best out of the physical qualities I've been given. It doesn't mean I'm always happy with my body, but I'm just thankful all my limbs and organs are healthy and functioning well.

If there was something abnormal and people stared and whispered I would have it done. Otherwise I wouldn't. The aging process is setting in on me a bit, but I plan to grow old gracefully.

The really fake looking plastic surgeries look terrible. Besides Michael Jackson, have any of you seen Loni Anderson lately? OMG, the horror!

It would be nice if the world wasn't so fixated on physical appearance. It would be nice if intelligence, especially in women, was valued over looks.

I wont unless there is an accident ... God gave me what was needed... And for the ladies wanting fuller chests , I will happily get rid of a few cup sizes ...lol

The only thing I think I would ever have done would be a breast reduction. And if I do I will wait till I am older. I do get tired and sore in my back after a long day. Sometimes my shoulders too. But I'm not ready for it yet. Yeah it's annoying buying clothse but I'm kind of used to it.

Now as far as my legs and tummy go, I don't think I'll ever modify them in any other way but exercise and what not.

I think some people, like the ones mentioned that were pretty without it, should seek some counseling and try to really discover who they are first. I don't think I have the best chin in the world, but it's who I am and I'm ok with it. I know that if I maintain a healthy weight as I age it won't look like two of my great aunts chins, it'll look like my grandma's or one of her other sisters.

Trying to step carefully, I concur with the above sentiment. I also agree with much of the other comments, that the prevalence of plastic surgery is a sad commentary on our culture. Again, not trying to offend, but I feel very strongly that if you are willing to undergo surgery (SURGERY!), with all the attendent risks to life and wellness, just to alter a percieved fault in your appearance, that it's an unhealthy feeling. It's one thing to get corrective surgery, but another entirely to risk your ultimate health to get larger breasts, a firmer rear end, a straighter nose or higher cheekbones. I've made my husband swear to me that if at any time during our marriage I ever start talking plastic surgery because I'm unhappy with my appearance, that he'll lovingly tell me he'd like us to talk to a therapist about it. Again, trying not to offend. I should also say that I have no negative feelings associated with therapists any more than I do doctors, so my suggestion isn't intended to imply the "finger-twirling-at-the-ear" gesture.

That pretty well sums up where I stand, too.

To restore from damage, yes, I'd do that. To change what I was given, no. But, to each his/her own. If what you were given doesn't fit with who you want to be, then it's up to you what you do about that -- and if it includes plastic surgery, well, there are risks, but if you want to take them, fill yer boots, and if it works, good on ya!

In my first post in this thread, I copped to having had a small procedure to remove a large, unsightly mole on my face. Call me hypersensitive, but I feel like every post after mine has been a tirade against surgery and a series of subtle jabs.

Pardon me while I pull out a soapbox.

How many of you, having gone through your entire childhood, teen years, and a good bit of college being mercilessly poked fun at, attacked, and beaten down mentally over a noticable physical "flaw" (which also poses a health risk) wouldn't have that "flaw" removed?

Try being called "$#!+-face" every day until you graduated from high school, having complete strangers ask you what happened to your face, having every other person you meet telling you you've marked on yourself.... And then have every doctor you see tell you there's a small chance it'll turn into melanoma.
What would you do then? I'm sure most of you will say "oh, I'd only have it done because of the health reasons," because you want all of us to know how secure you are with yourself and how high your self-esteem is and how un-superficial you all are. Well, I think that's a crock of used kitty litter.
I am hardly superficial, and I am not wrapped up in my looks and how others see me, and I am not insecure about my appearance. Nor was I any of those things before I had the thing removed. But when people make fun of you and won't look at you and do cruel things to you because of an effing mole on your face, even though you KNOW that they're tiny, cruel, insecure people who are just trying to tear you down to their level because even with your flaw you're better than them, it'll mess with you. Hard.

I cried when they took the bandage off my face and that damned thing wasn't there any more...I knew all of that was over.

(I apologize if I hurt anyone's feelings or offend anyone...that is not my intent.)

*dismounts the soapbox*

Well, I wouldn't call what you've described above as frivolous by any means. You didn't go in to correct a perceived fault, you went in to remove something that was a) a potential health issue and b) was causing real, actual abuse of your person. That's a mile away from someone having surgery because they want plumper lips or they don't like the perfectly natural aging wrinkles that everyone else else either has or is destined to get.

The only plastic surgery I would like is the breast reduction. I have large, uncomfortable breasts and I would like them to be at least a B. I really dont understand why women want to go bigger - they really are not comfortable! I don't want to look like a porn star!

There are some people who need plastic surgery because of a specific reason but to look like a porn star is basically abusing the body - why not be happy with what god gives you? I wish he had given me smaller boobs though LOL!

I have no problem with cosmetic surgery. If it makes you fell better and you can afford it - why not? I wouldn't mind a little nip and tuck here and there.

Now that I no longer wear glasses, the crease between my eyes is prominent. In another year or so, I'm going to have it injected with collagen. I'd also like to have my lower lids tightened up. In the meantime, if I have a special occasion, a few dabs of Preparation H are a temporary lift.

Breasts are a whole 'nother matter. My mother has bemoaned her lack of endowment, ever since I can remember. She is fortunate, to be married to man who realizes that there are more important things, than a couple of pounds of fatty tissue.