Elected plastic cosmetic surgery, in all its forms, has just spun completely out of control. Can anything be done?

If someone chooses to have cosmetic surgery and they’re old enough to legally make that decision, I don’t think it’s my business to interfere or judge or something governments should regulate. I can only think of a couple of people I actually know who’ve had cosmetic surgery. They knew what they were doing and made an informed choice. Certainly it seems quite common amongst celebrities but I don’t think that’s the norm.

How many people do you personally know who’ve had cosmetic surgery?

Quite a few.

“Spun completely out of control” in what way?

If people have the money to spend on it, who am I to say what is not appropriate for them? We live in a looks-driven, youth-obsessed society. Mandating that plastic surgery should be less commonplace is not going to succeed and not going to happen.

I think cosmetic surgery is, on a whole, pretty ridiculous and shows how shallow of a person you really are, but hey, it’s your body, if you want to modify it in that way, by all means, have at it.

On the one hand I think people should be able to change whatever they want on their body. On the other hand I do think it has crossed a line. Society, at least in America, is too concerned with looking young forever. The pressure is ridiculous, and for women especially it is awful that many of us feel we have to compete with women 20 years younger. Just this past weekend a friend of ours was telling us after his wife died and he eventually started dating again, his male peers told him no one younger than 25. 25?! He is almost 50! He also thought 25 was too young (thank goodness) but it goes to show that at least some men think that is perfectly acceptable.

There is a difference between plastic surgery to make one look younger and plastic surgery to fix a feature you are born that you are unhappy about. A nose job is different than a face lift in a way. Although, I guess all of it is wanting to look and feel better.

With all cosmetic surgery I think people should not do it hastily, especially people under the age of 20. Small breasts might get larger as the person ages, or maybe won’t bother them so much as they get older. A larger nose might be less of a focus as the person gets older. There is risk with surgery, and God forbid someone gets seriously harmed or dies due to an elective surgery like cosmetic surgery,

What’s to be done? None of your (or my) business. It’s a vanity-based commercial transaction. If the person has the money to pay for the work, and can find a plastic surgeon, then it’s a private financial transaction.

I liken it to similar affectations like:
owning a Tesla
breeding and racing horses
owning your own plane
having multiple houses all over the world

The rich can send their money as they wish, whether I approve or not.

This is an old story, nothing new. So why get one’s panties in a twist now?

One has ownership of one’s own body, so it’s not mine, yours or any government’s place to tell them they cannot cosmetically alter their body however they wish.

Am I the only one who doesn’t see Renee as looking that much different? Seems like a tempest in a teapot to me: I’d much rather focus on how to achieve world peace.

I do think we are way too youth and beauty focused in our society but since it is the actor’s bread and butter to stay looking great, I don’t think we can fault them for doing what they need to get roles.

Luckily, as a librarian, all I need to do is take off my glasses to look beautiful.

@janbb I feel awful for her. She must already hate her appearance so much – to have complete strangers around the globe commenting on how much better she used to look must be even more devastating.

I think it’s sad. Sad that we feel we have to in the first place. In a way it is like saying, if I look like this or that, I will find love. Love of myself and therefore love from others.

I actually think Renee Zellweger used to look kind of cute. She looked like someone you’d see at work or in a store. Now she looks very ordinary to me.

I’ve had all kinds of stuff done to my face over the years. It doesn’t look frozen or stretched and if I didn’t tell you, you would never,ever know. Does that make me more vain and shallow than people who are tattooed from neck to toe and have piercings? Or women who colour their hair? I work in an industry where how you look is everything. I’m middle aged, I like having a job. Plus it’s fun to look good. @jleslie any 25 year old dating a 50 year old is just plain weird.

If there is any truth to the information provided in this link, then there is a difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery. From the examples of plastic surgery provided, I can understand why some people would opt for it; eliminating chronic pain being at the top of the list.

IMO, cosmetic surgery should only be pursued if it will bring peace to to an insecurity about one’s appearance. Even then, it seems that there needs to be a third-party (non-biased) therapist involved.

@Pied_Pfeffer You think a teen who wants a nose job and her parents agree with it needs to be evaluated by a third party? Or, a 30 year old who wants a breast augmentation? I don’t think there always needs to be a third party.

@JLeslie Perhaps not always. If the research has been done about regarding the risk involved and the adult still wants to go under the knife, then so be it. With teens, I really struggle with saying it is acceptable, even if their guardian gives approval. Their bodies, including the brain, have not fully formed yet. Often the desire stems from self-induced peer pressure.

@Pied_Pfeffer I actually am on the fence I guess about the teen. It depends what it is. Some cultures things like nose jobs are extremely common. My own group, Jews, it was very common, although now that tide is changing a little. I have relatives who I think looked better or just fine before the nose job in my opinion. Some of them did it as a teen, although others as adults. There is peer pressure on that sort of thing from peers, society, and even families. My mom told me I could get a nose job if I wanted. At the time I did not even know I shouldn’t like my nose, I was very young.

I have many friends who have had breast augmentations. Only a couple did it in their late teens, the rest well into adulthood 30,40, and even 50. The only negative I have observed is a few of them went a little too large in my opinion. Many of them look amazing. The breast augmentation balanced them. They went from a more pear figure to spectacular. Some people like a pearish figure, nothing wrong with that, but in America I think we look more for the hour glass.

I know women who repair the very stretched out wrinkled stomach skin after pregnancy. Not that everyone gets stretched and wrinkled, but I have a few friends who have severe scarring, I would even say disfigurement from pregnancy. I don’t blame them for wanting to fix it. Some have fixed it, some haven’t. The ones who haven’t still hate it. I don’t think those women need a shrink to evaluate them, what I think is they need doctors to give honest information about the risks of the surgery.

If there was a mandatory psychiatric evaluation for every adult looking for plastic surgery, imagine the increase to health insurance rates?

@JLeslie My mom told me I could get a nose job if I wanted. At the time I did not even know I shouldn’t like my nose, I was very young. This type of statement is what worries me. Why did your mother feel this way? What was the result? Did you start to doubt that you were less attractive because of the shape of your nose? Did you ever end up getting a nose job? If not, how did you overcome the message of your mother’s offer?

@jca Whether it is plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery, I would hope that the consulting doctor would explain all of the potential cons. Plastic surgery is understandable. A schoolmate had an extra toe on each foot removed. My brother recently had plastic surgery on his nose in a last attempt to address his sleep apnea. Those are choices, while a risk, that could improve their lifestyle for physical reasons. They are more likely covered under insurance policies.

Is cosmetic surgery covered under insurance policies? I didn’t think it was.

@Pied_Pfeffer: There are ways to get things covered. I have friends who knew what to say and do and worked with plastic surgeons who know what to do in order to get the surgeries covered by insurance. Fully covered with knowing the right way to go.

@Pied_Pfeffer I never had plastic or cosmetic surgery. I think my nose would look a little better with a minor tweak, but I don’t really think about it at all, nor have I in the past. It only comes up when other people talk about regarding themselves or ask me something related to cosmetic surgery.

I think my moms aid it because she was projecting a little and she wanted me to know she would support me and pay for it if I wanted it. I think she should not have said it the way she did, but it happened to not affect much at all.

I did do a laser treatment a few years ago on my face that I am very unhappy with. It’s supposed to tighten skin and reduce wrinkles. I feel it made my wrinkles worse. More permanent like scars.

Typo: should be, mom said it, not moms aid it.

I had a nose job at 17. It changed my life completely.

@trailsillustrated amazing how a nose job can change everything. Jennifer Grey proved that. Everyone criticized her, but her nose job was fabulous.

I think that a lot people have it done in their teens. My mom was 17 I think. My sister around that age also. My sister unfortunately had a bad nose job, but that doesn’t happen too often.