As a doctor, I understand why men and women want to fight facial signs of aging: no one wants to wake up in the morning to a face that is wrinkled, with a double chin, and baggy eyes. The key to utilizing facial rejuvenation techniques is not to go overboard. Not too long ago MTV did a reality TV show entitled I Hate My Face. The show featured people who were addicted to cosmetic surgery and were only temporarily satisfied with its results. This temporary satisfaction gave them a high, one that did not last forever. After they came “down,” they had to have another fix, which involved yet another procedure, and another, and another. Eventually, after all this surgery, friends couldn’t even recognize the patients anymore. The cycle never ended. The most sickening aspect of this mental dysfunction was that doctors continued to perform the procedures. This upsets me. You should be able to trust your doctor and by no means should he or she be your enabler in what is harmful and self-destructive behavior.
I do not believe there is anything wrong with wanting to correct what you perceive as defects on your face or body. For some, this correction can create a level of confidence they never before possessed, and in others, it can rebuild a positive self-image.
Breast cancer is a frequent killer of women ages 25 and older, and leaves its survivors with physical and emotional scars that are tough to heal. In some cases, women have to sacrifice their breasts to save their lives. Having to have a mastectomy naturally affects a woman’s feelings of femininity. Today doctors can give that self-confidence back to the survivors to some degree. Reconstructive breast surgery is one example of a vanity treatment that works towards the beneficial purpose of restoring a woman’s self-esteem. Of course, I approve of this and would advise my patients to undertake it, too, if they wanted and needed it.
