Cosmetic Surgery... would you?

[bwright]

you have to be happy with who you are. If not, then I don't see anything wrong with changing things, but it is not for me.


B

[jacobitedreamer]

I do accept plastic surgery for people who have suffered from accidents or cancer in order to restore them to the level of normal life (you know what I'm talking about? People afer explosion, women who lost their breast because of cancer etc.).

But what we actually need here is a social surgery. Wee girls grow up with a Barbie image in their mind and get nasty looks and comments from their schoolmates if they are "too fat" or wear glasses or have a nose that just won't fit modern style. And later, when they go out looking for a job. Who will look at their papers first? The first look (as most bosses, at least over here, are male) still goes to the woman's breast, then to her lips, and maybe, to her hair and eyes. So who is more likely to get the job? Barbie or the pale, crook-nosed, intelligent with her big glasses? We need a real change here, for instance because there are still too many people dying from bulimia every year!

As long as people are judged first by their outward appearance and not by their words and acts, plastic surgery will be a fine thing to earn money with. But real beauty comes from within. And how will you model inner beauty with a knife?

I am a rather queer person, I know. I don't even use make up. I have a face and I don't need to paint me one. I suffer from atopic eczemia and from time to time my face is really ugly, tomato-red and swollen with bits of skin hanging loose on it. But that's me and it will be there, if I cover it with paint or not.

I would not force my opinion onto anyone else. And I would not judge those who like to undergo plastic surgery. That's a very individual question. But I would never like to be a plastic surgeon and make people believe that they'll be happier with a smaller nose or bigger ...!

[Cazarey]

Its great if you can accept your imperfections and live happily with them. I hate my nose but I'm more scared of operations... I've never had one, touch wood.

I watched a programme the other night about a girl who wanted bigger boobs. She has a prosthetic pair made and had to wear them for ten days solid. They made her totally miserable and at the end of the ten days she couldn't wait to take them off. They weighed about 15 pounds or something.

I suppose you just get used to how your body is, and I would be scared in case I didn't like the new me.

I can't understand those women who have severe face lifts, do they know how weird they look?

[Cazarey]

About the laser eye surgery, could you tell me more about it?

How much did it cost? Was it sore? What exactly do they do to your eyes? How long does the recovery take?

My daughter has had bad eye sight for years and this might be just the thing for her. She is 16, I wonder if she would get this does for free on the National Health. I could probably do with it too.

[Mamie]

If other things weren't more important and it would be health related why not?

I think Laser eye surgery, orthodontics(i've had my teeth straightened cause of pain) and breast reduction aren't strictly cosmetic.

[jacobitedreamer]

Any form of surgery that helps to relieve pain or any other physical problem should be done and offered for free (so that all people can profit from it).

[Mamie]

for free? is anything for free? I paid for my orthodontics either by paying for insurance or directly.

I do think that situations of surgery for pain should be covered by insurance schemes if nothing else. I pay monthly fees plus my employer pays a portion for my provincial health care coverage and additional insurance coverage for dentistry and other services. Low income people have the premiums waived for provincial health care.