“Beauty is skin-deep” is a saying that has lost its meaning overtime. No matter how models and celebrities speak about loving oneself, some people still have hard time living in the skin they have. It’s becoming more difficult as the access to cosmetic surgery gets easier. Society is also becoming a more accepting place, attaching less stigma for people who undergo the procedures.

Men undergoing cosmetic procedures have increased over the years

Both men and women are shown to have an increased interest in cosmetic procedures. In 2016, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery showed that 86.2% women contributed to the population of those who underwent cosmetic surgery. That’s about 20,362,655 cosmetic procedures globally. In the same data, it was found out that the top procedures being done include Breast Augmentation, Liposuction, and Eyelid Surgery.

Before performing a procedure, patients will have to undergo counseling to mentally prepare them for what’s to come. Some counselling will also take the form of an intervention where counselors will somehow try to change a doubtful patient’s mind. But despite this, there are still those who can never truly be prepared once the bandages come off. Here is how cosmetic surgery can not only change a person’s appearance, but also psychological health.

Contentment

In a study conducted by Prof. Dr. Jurgren Margraf and Alxander Von Humboldt, with 550 plastic surgery patients, it is found that a majority of them were satisfied with the results. They report being more confident and having higher self-esteem after the operation. Their enhanced appearances have also helped some of them achieve their goals.

In reconstructive surgery like cleft lip and palate, majority of the patients have also reported more pleasant feelings. It gave them hope that they will receive the same respect that were given to people with no visible physical deformities. Bullying and teasing has also been lesser for them, as compared to the pre-surgery period.

Cosmetic surgery sure gives people a chance to become who they want to be and that’s why more and more people are intrigued by it.

Dissatisfaction and regret

Heidi Montag before and after her cosmetic surgeries

The good advertisements and celebrity endorsements are not a sure way to measure the satisfaction of a patient. The negative emotions gets stronger during the recovery period. This is when the body is healing and physical activities are very much discouraged. If the body get bruised or is subjected to pain, patients can become vulnerable to depression.

One celebrity is known to regret going under the knife is Heidi Montag. Montag starred in MTV’s reality show, The Hills. In her recent interview with Paper, she was honest about the one event that made her husband, Spencer Pratt, think that he had lost her. It was when Montag underwent 10 plastic surgery procedures in just one day! According to the doctors, Montag’s heart stopped for almost one minute. She needs to be attended to by a 24-hour nurse and her husband, who never left her side. She is one of the more vocal celebs who regret their cosmetic procedures, while there are a host of them who do not want to admit that they had gotten surgery done.

Addiction

People  who are ‘addicted’ to cosmetic surgery, can potentially be diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). It is a kind of mental disorder where the person thinks there is something wrong with his/her appearance. Most people with BDD have the risk of developing addiction to cosmetic surgery, though not all.

Some of the famous people who seems to have an addiction in cosmetic surgery include; Sarah Burge with 100 cosmetic procedures till date, Allanah Star having undergone more than 300 surgeries and Cindy Jackson with 31 operations.

Real-lofe Ken Doll, Rodrigo Alves, has already spent more than $4000,000 on his procedures

There are still many more people like ‘Real life Ken Doll’ who have become addicted to it. Though cosmetic surgery aims to enhance natural beauty, there are those people who do it to look completely different from their previous selves. People undergo cosmetic surgery with many motives, may it be for aesthetic purposes or repair due to accidents. A person who will undergo such procedure needs to be ready, not just financially, but also psychologically. There are many things that may not happen the same way we envision it to be though we remain hopeful that it will.

People who have higher expectations are the same people who tends to get disappointed. For celebrity Heidi Montag, cutting herself again is something she’ll never do. She also advised people, who are planning to set an appointment with their plastic surgeons, to really think about it.