What Can go Wrong in Plastic Surgery?

Listening to talk radio during a discussion on breast augmentation - I was surprised at the number of men who phoned to say that breast augmentation did nothing for the feel of the breast. They complained that the breast did not feel normal - the vote was for natural rather than augmented!

I believe that cosmetic procedures have increased by 300% since 2003 according to statistics in the UK and 90% of these procedures were carried out on women, the five most popular procedures are:

Breast Augmentation
Eyelid Surgery
Face and neck Surgery
Tummy tucks
Breast Reduction

For men, the five most common are:

Rhinoplasty - nose reshaping
Eyelid surgery
Ear Pinning
Liposuction
Male Breast Reduction


Cosmetic surgery is different to plastic surgery in that the plastic surgeon will repair damaged skin and tissue following injury or illness. Reconstructive surgery is undertaken after major injuries or a removal of something resulting from cancer. Whilst cosmetic surgery is often carried out to change a person’s appearance to fulfill what they believe, is a more desirable look. In certain situations, cosmetic surgery may be needed for functional reasons a good example is breast reduction, which may alleviate back or neck pain.

That being said, let us talk about elective cosmetic surgery that is undertaken because someone is bothered about their age and the wrinkles on their skin, the shape of their nose, or a fat, flabby tummy.

While we all have things we want to change - right now I’d be happy with a tummy tuck and a mini face lift - just the bottom half to take away the lines, an eyelid lift as my eyelids are quite heavy, and this is all due to age! Given the choice, I'm not sure I would go ahead and do it - I am generally satisfied with who I am and the age I am.

A friend of mine had a tummy tuck - an extremely painful and costly exercise. However, now she is back to the same size she was before, why? She has had, and continues to have, troubles in her marriage and I believe she went into this thinking an improved figure will please her husband. As she has not been a slim women since her teen years - I don’t believe this worried him particularly.

In my friend’s case a psychologist will be of more help. She believes she does not have anything to offer no matter what one says to her. It is her mind, her lack of self-confidence, and self worth that causes her problems and a surgeon’s knife cannot help her - it possibly could worsen the situation. My friend now deals with the aspect of having had this operation, she looked good for nearly a year and as she could not follow the surgeon's instructions, she is now back to where she was before except for the added guilt. After going through all that pain, she is now back to where she was before - so she failed at that too.

I am not saying that this is the norm in every case - cosmetic surgery will only fix the physical; the mental problems will remain.
On the other side, another friend was divorced as her husband chased after a younger woman. As she is a therapist herself, she had her self-belief in the right place. She had a breast reduction to ease her back pain (her husband did not want her to reduce the size - excuse me?), and eyelid surgery . She feels elated, and looks wonderfully refreshed.

I have seen several of my more wealthy acquaintances have face lifts - while one looks good, she specifically asked for ‘just a little’ or a mini-type face lift, the other looks stretched, the expression and softness gone from her face.

A perfect, line-free, and characterless face - that may make her happy, but her family are taking some time to get to know this new person, whose life is no longer written on her face. A vacant canvas - where the soft gentleness and character no longer shines. Her lips are stuffed with filler, as lips thin with age - but the softness of a person's filled lips harden, and even a kiss on a cheek feels plastic.



We have all seen what has happened to Hollywood faces when they go too far - Cher, Janet Jackson, Priscilla Presley, Melanie Griffith, and Joan Rivers, and men such as Kenny Rodgers, Sylvester Stallone are there to show us what not to do.



When looking at Betty White on television - she is as old as she is and just radiates beauty, warmth, and expression. Don't forget Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren, both lovely looking women who have the confidence to remain the age they are and their expression and beauty is still visible.



Leaving the extremes alone, most people feel better about themselves after surgery and report an improvement in their self-esteem, social confidence, and quality of life.

Looking through websites on cosmetic surgery, and listening to those we have had procedures, do yourself a favour please and think about the following questions:


• Am I having cosmetic surgery to please Myself or Others? Please ensure you are not doing it for someone else and your reasoning is honest and sound.

• Do I have Realistic Expectations - it can only improve your appearance but won’t restore lost youth?

• Am I Emotionally Stable - I haven’t just been through a crisis or upheaval such as death of a spouse, divorce or job loss. Rather delay the operation if you are under pressure or preoccupied.

• Am I prepared for a Major Change and how will I adjust to the change in my body image?

• Am I prepared for Unexpected Results? As with all things in life there is no guarantee - and although the unexpected is rare, it will cause great distress if it happens.

• Who will be there for me on during my Recovery? Ensure someone supportive will attend to you - keep those that make fun of you far away at this stage.

• Have I listened to the Risks the Surgeon explained to me? There are general risks related to anesthetics, possible blood loss, infection, slow healing, numbness, etc.

• Do I have enough Money to fully cover the costs of the surgeon, hospital fees and any extras that may occur?


If you are happy and know you have made sound judgement calls - then wow, a long term bug bear is finally going to be taken away - enjoy the new you. You should already be confident, have many friends and are successful at what you do, if this is so then naturally, your self-esteem will only grow with your decision to improve nature’s bounty!