How plastic surgery can improve your confidence
Find out how plastic surgery can help to improve your quality of life and confidence – and what you need to consider when choosing a plastic surgeon.
Plastic surgery refers to a surgical procedure that aims to alter, restore, or reconstruct any part of the human body. Generally, the main purpose of plastic surgery is to restore the function of your skin and tissues after injury or trauma as close to normal as possible.
The secondary aim of plastic surgery is to improve the appearance of your body. This is often done to boost confidence by enhancing or restoring a body part to become functional and aesthetically appealing.
Sometimes plastic surgery is also used to ‘correct’ birth defects, like a cleft lip and palate.
In this article, we explore the ways that plastic surgery can boost your confidence. And what you need to consider when perhaps choosing to undergo plastic surgery.
Not all plastic surgeons are equal
It doesn’t matter why you’ve decided to undergo plastic surgery, it’s important to choose the right surgeon.
As you might expect, there’s a vast difference in the skill and specialisms of plastic surgeons, and you need to find one who is experienced in your procedure, and who has an excellent reputation. If not you risk wasting your money, being unhappy with the results or worse – you could end up with damage.
So when looking for the right plastic surgeon, take your time and choose one who is experienced, reputable and board-certified. According to Dr. Tracy Pfeifer, a top plastic surgeon in NYC, “choosing a board-certified surgeon with plenty of experience will give you peace of mind that the procedure will be successful because you’re confident that you’re under the hands of an expert.”
The difference between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery
Plastic surgery has two main categories: cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery.
Examples of reconstructive surgery include microsurgery, hand surgery, treatment of burns, and craniofacial surgery. It’s usually performed after injury or trauma to bring back a body part’s function and original appearance as much as possible.
And an example of cosmetic surgery is hair transplantation, which helps improve the appearance of alopecia or baldness.
How improving your appearance can impact your self-confidence
So how much impact can plastic surgery have on how we feel? A study was conducted to determine the relationship between our physical appearance and self-esteem, including the effects of self-reported dieting and gender differences.
Here are some of the findings of the study:
- Issues involving identifying appearance is an important determinant of our perception of ourselves.
- Body image is a strong indicator of our self-confidence. As early as the adolescent stage, there’s a psychosocial crisis called “identity versus role confusion,” wherein major aspects include self-perception and body image.
- The body is considered a major aspect of self-esteem. Weight, looks, clothes, and our overall appearance can significantly impact self-confidence, especially among women.
- Self-reported dieting doesn’t significantly affect self-esteem.
How plastic surgery can improve your quality of life
Plastic surgery can help improve your confidence because you’re not just enhancing a particular body part, but beyond what the eyes can see. A good plastic surgeon will be aware of the latest trends in plastic surgery, and able to offer a more permanent solution to a number of physical issues.
Here are some ways plastic surgery can improve your quality of life:
- Undergoing procedures like rhinoplasty or a tummy tuck can change how you feel about your appearance (and how others perceive it) and give you the confidence to apply for jobs where you interact with people, such as a real estate agent, salesperson.
- Breast augmentation or reduction can change the size and shape of your breasts, reducing any self-consciousness you may feel and enabling you to wear the clothes you want with more confidence. Breast reduction can also help to ease back and neck pain and improve your posture.
- Procedures to change physical attributes you feel self-conscious about will improve your social confidence in general, making it easier for you to talk to people, meet new people, speak publicly and even date.
- Rhinoplasty can help to repair or reshapes the nose, not only for medical purposes but also for patients with congenital disabilities or having difficulty breathing.
Plastic surgery is becoming more popular
No wonder ten that according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2013 alone, over 11 million non-surgical and surgical procedures were undertaken, with a 279% increase in the number of cosmetic procedures in 1997. Surgical procedures, such as breast augmentation and liposuction escalated by 89%, while nonsurgical procedures increased by 521%.
As technology improves, plastic surgery will become more advanced, and offer better results with less invasive surgery required – giving us all more options to improve our quality of life and confidence if it’s a choice we wish to make.
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