Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Plastic Surgery...Or Not...Or Something In Between

I debated on whether to write about this topic or not as I am not sure how well it fits in with "Nutrition and Health" although I did write about it once before a very long time ago.

I do think it matters how you feel about your looks in terms of overall mental health though. You just feel better about yourself if you feel you look good. We all experience that when we get ready to go out somewhere and feel like we "look good"...we also feel great.

Besides, I am a vain person...I totally admit it.

I do know that the possibility exists that things can go horribly wrong though. You should see the "pulled back" lady we saw walking around Singapore today! Jamie just looked at me and said: "Is that what you want?" LOL

A few years ago I had botox injections and walked around looking like Dr Spock for six months. It was not pretty and it kind of scared me off doing stuff to my face.

Over time, however, there have been things I would like to "fix" if I could do it without looking frozen or plastic.

I don't like the bags under my eyes, nor do I like the indented lines that run from either side of my nose to the sides of my lips. While I think the lines in my forehead make me look older when I raise my eyebrows I am not too keen on changing that as the last thing I want is the "frozen head look".

After much research I decided to book a consultation with a plastic surgeon in Singapore just to see what he had to say. He is renowned as one of the top plastic surgeons in the world so I wanted to at least hear what he had to say.

My plan was to play it smart. Playing with one's face is so permanent I booked the appointment at a time where I really COULDN'T actually do a surgery. We leave for Jakarta in the three days and then when we come back we are only in Singapore for three days before we start our trip home (with a stop over in London). Surgery wasn't a possibility as I didn't allow for sufficient recovery time.

Sooo...my thinking was..."Consultation...good"...surgery this trip "impossible"...it was a good plan.

What I didn't expect was for one of the top ten plastic surgeons in the world to tell me that I do not need plastic surgery.

I did not speak of my previous botox experience but the plastic surgeon also told me not to ever let anyone do botox on me as it would be disastrous.

This was a good start...I was impressed.

He then told me that he would suggest filler in the lines from the nose to the mouth and then some more in the cheeks. The filler in the cheeks wouldn't totally resolve the "bags under the eyes" issue but it would mean that my cheeks aren't pulling down on the eyes so the bags would not be as obvious because there would be less weight pulling them down. The result would be a more youthful appearance. That sounded pretty good.

The procedure would last 1 1/2 to two years (which s about how often we go to Singapore to see Jamie's family) , does not require surgery, and only takes about 15 minutes. It is also reversible if I don't like it.

Soooo....it is actually possible that I could do this.

To be honest I want to do it.

Jamie is less sure and I respect that. He thinks I don't need it yet and I should wait for our next visit.

I will probably do as Jamie suggests. Not so much because I want to but because it is an important decision, we are a team, and I think we both need to be onboard with it.

I would really like to get it done, but am not desperate to get it done, so I will likely wait.

What do you think?

I totally expect people to tell me I am nuts as that is the most frequent response one hears when one considers altering their face.

Be healthy!

Alan



5 comments:

The Director said...

Be sure to have a good before-and-after set of pix arranged. If you've been assured that you're at a good age for such procedures, that the decades ahead are enough time for your features to settle and for you to enjoy the results, go for it. I wouldn't consider it, too old, too little time left, I'd just look like some over-the hill news-anchor with a face-lift.

Bacon said...

You are a sexy beast. You are all you need to be. But if you aren't happy with yourself you definitely need to find a way to get there. I applaud your admittance of vanity; I'm the same. Looks have a lot to do with how you feel, and how you are projected to those around. They have a great deal of impact on your career, your relationships and you're mental well-being and forgetting that is almost worse than doing nothing at all.
Though I'm not a fan of cosmetic surgeries or anything, this option seems less invasive and seems like a decent option.

Portia said...

Wow...I'm surprised. Personal vanity is exactly that ~ personal. That, I can not speak to in this regard. However, I am relieved to read that you have consulted one of the best surgeons as you can. Nonetheless, there are never any guarantees on the outcome. The old adage comes to mind, "be careful what you ask for..." . We are our souls, not the body we have been given. Society is so caught up in the physical, that they are rapidly losing touch with the reality of what matters most. Please think long and hard before doing anything honey. We love you just the way you are. xoxo

Unknown said...

So Jamie reads the above three comments and says: "See...everybody is telling you not to do it"LOL. At ;east he even laughed at his own comment :-)

Pamela said...

I have earned the lines on my face. It is called living..and I do not want to change it.

My face has changed since I lost weight and that is fine - there are lots more lines. However, that too is a look of accomplishment and I am proud of the new found grooves in my face.

I am middle aged and my face shows a life lived.

I am a firm believer in being grateful for what you have and I like the way I look and feel.