More than Skin Deep: Breaking the Plastic Surgery Stigma

Plastic surgery is a billion-dollar business—more than $16 billion, as a matter of fact—and is quite common in the United States, with everyone from your favorite celebrity to your next-door neighbor getting some type of work done. But nips and tucks still cause a hue and cry when it comes to public reaction to plastic surgery. Cosmetic procedures are often frowned upon and people who get them still must cope with feelings of embarrassment or the need to hide the truth behind their changed appearance. There is still a stigma around plastic surgery, but many people argue that’s an outdated mindset, and the benefits of these procedures are more than skin deep, if the pubic would give them a closer look.
What’s the stigma surrounding plastic surgery?
Often, people who are criticized for getting plastic surgery are deemed superficial, caring only about looks.  An article in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, theorizes this stigma is one particular to the United States.  The piece, authored by several plastic surgeons, suggests there has long been a belief in America that beauty should be natural—citing the old Maybelline cosmetic slogan, “Maybe she’s born with it?”—and that plastic surgery goes against the grain of not having to work at achieving typical beauty standards.

The authors also say other countries, such as Brazil and Iran, don’t have the same reservations about cosmetic procedures. Other factors could include media coverage of plastic surgery, such as mocking celebs who have undergone procedures or covering horror stories of botched surgeries, as well as the traditional image of someone with their swollen face swathed in gauze and bandages after a major facelift.  Most of these notions, however, are outdated or don’t scratch the surface to find out more about plastic surgery.
Going Beyond the Stigma
Perhaps the most important point people don’t realize when it comes to plastic surgery is that these procedures can change a person on the inside as well as the outside.

Many surgeons say patients who come to them for a procedure have long struggled with a particular issue. Perhaps a misshapen nose has long been the source of teasing and ridicule, which triggers severe low self-esteem in the patient. Whatever the reason, oftentimes the effects of plastic surgery aren’t just the ones you can see. A rhinoplasty can restore self-confidence. With a newly enhanced sense of self, these patients are improved psychologically as well as physically. They can hold their head high and walk taller because cosmetic procedures have given them a feeling of empowerment.

There is also the old notion of what plastic surgery is. While the wholesale facelift has been the subject of mockery in films and TV shows in the past, that’s not what plastic surgery is about today.  Forward-thinking surgeons take a more holisitic approach to procedures such as facelifts, the goal being to help patients “improve the facial appearance in a natural, youthful, attractive and appropriate way,” not make such drastic changes that the patient no longer looks recognizable.

What can also help shape public perception of cosmetic surgery is the media portrayal. Many celebrities are afraid to admit to having work done because they are unsure of public reaction. This is mainly based in media coverage of stars that pokes fun at them for having cellulite on their thighs as well as for getting liposuction to have it removed. If a fuller picture of plastic surgery was portrayed by the media—including the reasons why someone elected to have surgery, as well as the many ways they feel better for doing so—then perhaps there would be more acceptance, and with more acceptance more people would be willing to share their own stories.

Another issue is that plastic surgery tends to be sensationalized, as in the cases of surgeries that have gone wrong. What the public doesn’t see in those situations is that there are many other surgeries done every day by board-certified, highly-qualified practitioners where the results are exactly as the patient desired, with no complications. There are thousands of those stories out there, but the public doesn’t get the chance to hear about them. A more well-rounded media approach to plastic surgery coverage could shape public views more objectively.

Plastic surgery can be life-changing for the better, and yet the stigma about it still persists. The next time you pick up a tabloid or hear about a plastic surgery procedure that ended badly, just stop and remember that there is more to the story than what you see. Plastic surgery doesn’t have to be considered a bad thing—a fact that can be attested to by thousands and thousands of patients and their doctors.

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