A happy couple
What do you do to fix a failing relationship? You know when you start fighting more often—even about the littlest things—and when you’re just not happy with your partner anymore, there’s something wrong. So do you start wearing sexy lingerie? Take a vacation? Break the usual routines and go out for actual dates that don’t involve watching TV and eating on the couch?
Why You Shouldn’t Get Plastic Surgery
Some people would go as far as getting plastic surgery to improve their looks to make their partners happier. Yes, getting plastic surgery is incredibly common now but it’s still a decision that should be carefully considered. Getting a rhinoplasty or breast augmentation to look more attractive to please your partner shouldn’t be the main reason of surgery.
Plastic surgeons do see people who come and request for procedures because their partner said they should get some work done. In these situations, plastic surgeons aren’t just doctors; they’re like therapists who listen to this person’s situation and thoughts. Surgeons usually say patients should be doing procedures for themselves and not for others. If a surgeon feels the client is seeking surgery for reasons like repairing a relationship or winning back an ex-lover, they can refuse to perform procedures on them.
Women Seek Surgery on Their Own
Of course, not everyone gets a little cosmetic work done to please their partners. Dr. Mulholland, a plastic surgeon from Toronto, has had many female patients in their 40s and 50s come in for treatments for themselves. “These women aren’t looking to be on the cover of magazines or to support a failing marriage. They want to look and feel their best, and they do so with the help of these relatively safe procedures and dieting. They have to go into it with realistic expectations and full disclosure of information,” he says.
A Quarter of Men Want Their Partners to Get Surgery
Lots of women will get some work done out of their own choices and desires to improve their looks. But what happens when your partner thinks that you should get plastic surgery? In this survey, 24% of British men admitted they wanted their partners to have cosmetic surgery to improve their looks.
The top 5 treatments men said they wanted their partner to have included:
- Liposuction
- Breast augmentation
- Dental surgery
- Rhinoplasty
- Botox
24% of surveyed British men said they wanted their partners to get plastic surgery to improve their looks. Rhinoplasty was the 4th most popular choice.
Do It for Yourself
Only 10% of these men said they would actually tell their partners. You would think the main reason men wouldn’t admit their opinions are to avoid hurting their partners’ feelings, but that’s not the case. The main reason 76% of the men wouldn’t say anything is because “they don’t think their looks could be improved” even after surgery.
We think these results are quite revealing. It wouldn’t be true to say a romantic partner’s opinions of your looks don’t matter at all. But someone else’s desires to change your appearance for their own needs shouldn’t be your main reason to seek surgery. Changing something on your body or face should stem from your personal choices to feel more confident and happy overall. Afterall, there’s risk, recovery time and it can be expensive if you haven’t budgeted for plastic surgery.
We’d hate to sound cynical, but here it is. You don’t want to breakup with your partner but still live with a nose or super large implants that you didn’t want in the first place. You are the one who will live with and see yourself everyday—make sure it’s your decision and not somebody’s else’s.
The post The Reason Why You Shouldn’t Get Plastic Surgery appeared first on Dr. Stephen Mulholland's Plastic Surgery Blog.
