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‘Under the knife’ popularity declines |
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Thursday, 22 March 2007 |
by TREVA CARTER
Intern Lifestyles
If you don’t like how your body looks today, you can get surgery to change it tomorrow.
But is this growing trend to look like your favorite celebrity on the rise? Studies say no.
A survey from the March issue of “Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery” found that only five percent of college-age women have had cosmetic surgery.
The study surveyed 559 college women, ages 17-24, at six universities.
Dr. Virgil Willard, a plastic surgeon at High Point Regional Hospital,
said the myth is just that: a myth.
“There are only a few young adults and teenagers getting surgery. Rhinoplasty and a nose job are the most common,” Willard said.
However, the study also found that more than two-thirds of the women knew someone who had gotten cosmetic surgery.
It may not be taboo to have had surgery, but some patients would rather not share their surgery with others.
“People have asked me are my boobs fake, teachers have made comments,
and I have even had people introduce me as the girl with the fake
boobs. But that’s not me,” A. Claire Surratt, a junior sports
management major at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, said.
Surratt decided after high school that she wanted to have breast augmentation surgery.
She said she felt disproportionate, and she wanted to have the chance to fit in her clothes.
Even though her mother and close friends say her personality
over-powers how she looks on the outside, Surratt still needed to know
for herself what others saw.
“I mean my No. 1 thing is if you didn’t have … some body part then you
would do everything to get that body part. That’s how it was for me. I
didn’t have boobs, so I got some,” Surratt said.
Though the surgery has come and gone, Surratt said she remained the same person, with a little extra boost of confidence.
“I think she is the same, and I think she has changed.” Janis M.
Surratt, a public health school nurse and Claire’s mother, said. “But
it is a good change, she has more self-confidence.”
Surratt’s surgery cost about $5,000, but the cost for cosmetic surgeries can be higher.
Dr. Damon Anagnos, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Watauga
Medical Center, advised those thinking about surgery to be cautious and
take their time.
“[I have] two visits before surgery so [the patient and I] can discuss
it all. The patient has time to think about it and re-consult,” Anagnos
said. “I review brochures and handouts with drawings on the first
visit. I offer discussions with other patients who have had similar
procedures … then we meet again to make sure there are no unaddressed
issues.”
Anagnos said before patients research and find a surgeon, patients must
first address what is really bothering them and know the difference
between what bothers them and what some may call “minor imperfections.”
Both Anagnos and Willard stressed that people need to research the surgeon they plan on visiting.
“Go see three different Board Certified Plastic Surgeons, and I strongly suggest they are Boarded by
the American Society of Plastic Surgery and not some other, then if the benefits outweigh the risks, go for it,” Willard said.
“The No. 1 reason is to feel better about themselves,” Willard said.
“There is something magical that happens, feelings of self-worth, ego,
confidence just skyrocket. It’s amazing. I have had some student’s
wallflowers, become cheerleaders the next year it’s such an amazing
turnaround.”
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