Cosmetic surgery boom partly due to couples encouraging each other to go under the knife to look better

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Article Date: 24 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT


There is a cosmetic surgery boom taking place in the Western world, especially in the UK and the USA, partly fuelled by couples encouraging each other to go under the knife to look better.

The Harley Medical Group (UK) carried out a poll recently. They found that 25% of plastic surgery patients surveyed said their partners had also had plastic surgery. The Harley Medical Group has a chain of plastic surgery clinics throughout the UK. The Group said this phenomenon of couples spurring each other on is snowballing.

According to psychologists, couples may be trying to emulate celebrities - trying to look good like them. Many celebrities present themselves as beautiful couples - The Beckams and the like.

Surgeons are concerned that TV is encouraging people to have plastic surgery for the wrong reasons. They say TV is giving people expectations which are impossible to reach. Such shows as MTV's 'I want a Famous Face' are encouraging people to go under the knife because they want to look like a celebrity.

Louise Braham, Harley Medical Group Director, said "There is no doubt that patients are encouraging their partners to explore cosmetic surgery treatment options, although frequently partners will need little persuading. They can see the benefits experienced by their partner, both physically and psychologically, and don't want to be left behind or stand out of the family's photo album."

Other experts say that one partner, after having had the surgery successfully, could then reassure the other partner that everything is safe and the results are great. The other partner then gets caught up in the excitement and goes under the knife as well.

Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, said "If they have been through the experience and they have come through it happier, it is not as scary or daunting for the other person and this will encourage them to follow."

What could also be going on is the desire to match the other person, not to be left behind, to try to look just as good, to catch up - especially, if the other person looks better as a result of the surgery. This is called the 'social matching theory'.

The social matching theory also means that people seek out a person, usually a celebrity who has similar features to their own, and try to make themselves look like that person.

We have been led to imagine that good things happen to beautiful people. We are bombarded with images of great looking people and couples. According to psychologists and many surgeons, this exposure to celebrities all the time is encouraging us to go under the knife. They say that deep in our psyche we imagine that if we and our partners are beautiful, we will be happier and successful.

Others say that this is all a load of rubbish. They say that cosmetic surgery is a luxury. People are getting wealthier and buying more luxuries. Just like package holidays (vacations) in the past - only the rich used to travel, now almost everyone does. In the past people used to go to the hairstylist to feel good, now they go to the cosmetic surgeon.

Demand for liposuction in the UK has gone up 25% during the last six months for both men and women. Breast enlargements have gone up 33%, breast reductions have gone up 18%, facelifts 11% and nose jobs 20% (all in the last six months).

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