what is your opinion of cosmetic surgery ?

[JI7]

and i mean those that are not health related.

from face lifts,nose jobs, breast implants, lipsuction etc.

personally i don't think i would ever get any of them. just watching the surgery get done makes me afraid to ever go through something like that especially if it's not needed for health reasons.

but i don't really have a problem with others doing it if they want to.

but i was thinking maybe we can have a bigger discussion on this such as your opinions on it personally and for others as i gave. and whether you think people can really be happy from getting something done. also there is an issue of some people getting addicted to it.

i think it's different for many people. i think for some peopel getting one thing done such as a nose job or breast implants could make them happy. but i think there are some who end up being addicted to it and can never be happy and they just end up looking really scary from getting all these things done to them.

so what is your opinion on this ?

[NashVegas]

1. Cosmetic Surgery

If someone else wants to do it, I'm not going to hold it against them - unless they wind up looking like a vain freak, a la Michael Jackson & Ahnold.

If I had the money to spare, I might consider a breast reduction & lift, but that's pretty much the extent of it.

[Longhorn]

2. Same here!

I actually checked into the breast reduction/lift surgery online and when I realized what all is involved in that, I decided I'd keep mine and just try to get better bras! Moving the nipple? No way!

[NMDemDist2]

3. i've had two friends have breast reduction

both were in their late forties or fifties

both wondered why they waited so long, after decades of sores on their shoulders and back pain, they are both VERY happy they did it

i don't have that problem but a little lift for the "girls" wouldn't be half bad. Guess I should have listened to my mother and worn my bra in my twenties LOL

[NashVegas]

4. Yes, Exactly!

My very late teens, early 20s, I couldn't stand wearing bras - still can't. I'm not huge - compared to my sisters - but generously gifted compared to many. Never had the shoulder or back problems you speak of.

After reading Longhorn's post, I went to Google's image search and typed in 'breast reduction lift.' I'm 41 and don't like looking like those "before" pictures. But I see what she means about the scarring.

[XemaSab]

26. The "before" pictures?

Good GOD.

I'm small breasted, and I can't imagine how uncomfortable having MASSIVE, pendulous breasts must be. Most of the pictures looked genuinely painful. :(

Breast reduction, IMHO, is not "cosmetic," it's a basic quality of life issue, just like knee or back surgery. :(

[Habibi]

5. My best friend had breast-reduction surgery

and it was paid for by her health insurance. It was quite an ordeal, and it took her months to recover feeling in her nipples, but all in all, she's happy with the outcome.

Personally, I'd like to get surgery on my neck. I've inherited major wattle from both parents and it makes me look older/fatter than I really am. But I'm in no position, economically, to do it. Guess I'll just have to go through life looking up!

[NMDemDist2]

6. there are worse things than going through life "looking up" LOL n/t

[Pool Hall Ace]

7. No problem with it; in fact, I've considered it.

I'd kinda like to have a nose job, but them I made the mistake of watching a rhinoplasty on tv. Gah! :puke:

I'm not sure what kind of anesthetic is given, and I'm sure I wouldn't remember it, but still . . .

As long as someone has the $$$, is aware of the risks, and their entire self-esteem isn't hanging on it, I say go for it.

[XanaDUer]

8. While I doubt I would ever have it

I respect others' rights to do things that make them feel better about themselves.

Having said that, though, I am concerned about our society where teenage girls are having things like breast-enhancement durgery, or feeling that they are somewhat defective if they don't look like Brittney (sp?) or whoever.

[Bunny]

9. I guess I feel about the same as you do.

I really don't care what people do to themselves. I get a little discouraged by very young women wanting boob jobs because they've bought into that whole "bigger is better" thing.

I guess I'm lucky in that I feel my features are proportional to my overall size, i.e., I'm satisfied with my eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, etc. I was even satisfied with my breast size, before I got older and heavier and everything went south.

If I had unlimited money and time to recover, I'd probably get my boobs hoisted back up (age and kids have done a real job on them), I'd get liposuction or a tummy tuck, get my eyes lasered so I didn't depend so much on glasses, etc.

To each his own, whatever makes people happy is okay with me. But Michael Jackson and Joan Rivers have really gone nuts with the plastic surgery, haven't they?

[Longhorn]

10. I've had LASIK and didn't even think of it as cosmetic surgery

but I guess that's exactly what it is! I sure love it! I've had it for about 3.5 years and no complaints. I occasionally will use reading glasses -- like once a month -- to read the teeny tiny print on a medicine bottle, for example, but other than that, no need for glasses. I've worn them since I was in third grade and I'll be 50 later this year. I never cared much for contacts, though I wore them off and on. They're supposed to have an operation soon that corrects the "over-40" reading problem so I might get that, too, if I find myself "playing trombone" with my reading material. ;)

[Bunny]

11. Just about everyone I know who has had Lasik really likes it.

I may still give it a try someday. I've worn specs since second grade, I'm blind as a bat without them. I used to wear contacts, when I was younger and more vain. :)

[scarlet_owl]

12. Though I would never consider it myself, I respect the rights of

others to do so. The way I see it, I don't need to have my body cut into and re-shaped just so I can fit into society's standards of beauty. My self-esteem does not hinge on wheather my nose is perfect or my breasts are perky. But I do understand that for some people it is very important to them, and I respect it if that's their thing. On edit: as a culture, we need to let young people (especially girls) know that it's okay not to look like what they see on television or in magazines.

[saracat]

13. If money were no object and the results would be fabulous!

I would have everything done. But I have never seen anything that was worth the pain and money except maybe a nose job, which I don't need, or a face lift, which I don't need yet. I actually went in for an evaluation for lipo and the amount they could suck out, I could wear support hose and look as good! I would love to do Lasix but I was a preemie and have , apparently an oddly shaped retina or something and the Doctors say they wouldn't risk it! Sigh.

[Maine-ah]

14. I wouldn't mind getting a boob job.

just a little more so I would fit into a *normal* bra size. I can hardly ever find 36 A's. :-(

I'd most likely never do it, but, if they found a truly safe implant, and I had the money to do it......

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

15. I had a nose job at 19 so obviously

I have nothing against cosmetic surgery per se. I do have a problem with Jacko the wacko & wonder where he found such unethical surgeons to do the work.

I agree there are those who are addicted to it like jacko & have much deeper issues they need to settle. It's obviously not their looks that are bothering them, but themselves.

That said, I would love to know who has done Cher, Goldie Hawn, & a few others. Barbra Streisand looks like she must have had something done. Even figuring they're filmed through filters, I've seen both of them on cspan, etc where no filters are used & they look terrific. No way at their age would they look that great without help & lots of it.

Given money & time, I would have my boobs & tush picked up off the floor & put back where they belong. I would also get the turkey waddle taken off & given back to the turkey. But you know, my friends say I look fine, so maybe it's me & my unwillingness to accept middle age.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

16. I've had a tummy tuck.

And was pleased with it. However I have gained the weight back.

I woudl like to get liposuction around the middle. I have low thyroid, I don't eat much food, and a very low metabolism, so I think that's the only way I'll get the excess fat off.

[LiberalinNC]

17. I'm all for cosmetic surgery to a point., I'm against multiple

surgeries, but am for a tuck here and there. I've had both breast removed and reconstructed, and have had a tummy tuck, a bonus to one of the reconstruction surgeries. The most important thing about cosmetic surgery is finding a board certified doctor. There are so many frauds out there, that one must check and double check their doctor before being cut!!

[Dervill Crow]

18. I would love to get rid of my jowls.

I'm quite wrinkle-free for my age, but gravity seems to be doing some fairly widespread damage.

[OnionPatch]

24. Same here.

My skin is great, my figure isn't bad and could be great, too, if I just exercised more. I don't mind a few small wrinkles and some other signs of aging, but the sagging of my lower face just seems so disfiguring. It doesn't look like me anymore! I looked online and what they call a "mini-lift" seems to be the ticket for that. Some of the results I saw were fabulous! I guess they are between 3000-6000 bucks.

Do I feel guilty spending that kind of money when the world is filled with poor people? Yes. I do. But I do a lot to contribute to making the world a better place, so I won't feel THAT guilty.

[SarahB]

19. Some of the patients I care for as a nurse are cosmetic surgical patients.

If someone feels such a need as to pay thousands out of pocket and go through the recovery of surgery, than who am I to tell them not to. Many are people who lost significant amounts of weight and want to have their skin tighter to actually fit their bodies.

I will say most of my breast implant patients are post-mastectomy and not cosmetic.

[Longhorn]

20. What's your experience with breast reduction patients?

I doubt I'll ever go through with it but I sure would love to get this weight off of my chest (and back and shoulders!) Thanks!

[SarahB]

21. Everyone is different, but...

the usual- pain, swelling, risk of infection and blood clots and about a 2 day stay. Probably at least 3 weeks off work. Most women feel relief from back pain long term. Rarely (and it is rare), they can grow back though. Some people have needed a second reduction years later!

For me (I'm on the busty side naturally too), I notice when I gain weight because it goes right to my breasts first and I get achey in my back and shoulders. It's not enough to need surgery though thankfully.

[NotGivingUp]

22. Don't care for any of it. nt

[Katherine Brengle]

23. 2 thumbs down.

But that's just my opinion. I do try not to judge those who choose it for themselves.

[XemaSab]

25. I think if you're truly homely, cosmetic surgery can go a LONG ways

For most people, it's a waste of time and sort of creepy. :shrug:

[OnionPatch]

27. Why not, if something really bothers you?

I knew a girl who had the hump on her nose removed and she looks great now. I also know a few older women who had their jowls tightened and they look lovely. I don't see anything wrong with fixing a flaw that really bothers you. But I find excessive surgery a little creepy, like the aging woman who gets face-lift after face-lift until she no longer looks like herself. A 17-year-old getting breast implants for a graduation gift because she's only a B and wants to be a D, that's a little out-there to me.