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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask how many of you have had cosmetic surgery?

244 replies

ListObsessed · 04/10/2014 15:54

Just curious as it seems to be everywhere nowadays but I'm not sure if this is a realistic perception. Is it just celebrities or is it us normal folk too? I think I'd be tempted if I had the money although not sure I'd actually go through with it because of the fear of it going wrong (infection, looking worse than before etc.).

OP posts:
EBearhug · 04/10/2014 20:58

A friend of mine once called my LASIK eye surgery "cosmetic"

So did the private health plan I was with through work when I had mine lasered, and therefore it wasn't a cost they would cover.

I had it done for entirely practical reasons - walking and cycling in the rain, swimming in the sea and so on. I don't think I'd have ever dared go white water rafting or skydiving if I hadn't had them done. (I will never go white water rafting again, either, but that's because I now know just how terrifying it is.)

BecauseIsaidS0 · 04/10/2014 21:17

I was blind as a bat and once I lost my glasses in Prague on a weekend and realized I felt almost disabled. LASIK was one of the best things I ever did, and it wasn't because I didn't like the way I looked with my glasses on.

MajesticWhine · 04/10/2014 22:34

I haven't but slightly tempted to have a tummy tuck and muscle repair job. If I had money to burn.

McPie · 04/10/2014 22:41

I would have a tummy tuck and my breasts fixed if money was no object. After 2 pregnancy's, 3 kids and 4 1/2 stone weight loss things are not as I would like them to be but I can fake normality with my clothes on so I can deal with it until my numbers come up. It's only the thought of having to take time off exercise that puts me off!

Alisvolatpropiis · 04/10/2014 22:59

I'm 26 and haven't had any cosmetic procedures or surgical ones. Yet.

I imagine I'll have cosmetic procedures in the future.

Ujjayi · 04/10/2014 23:40

I had a tummy tuck & muscle repair (severe separation & a hernia where my intestine had "fallen" through ). It took me a while to recover but it made a massive difference to my life. My lower back issues disappeared thanks to the stability given by the muscle repair - 10 years of regular workouts & specialist physio hadn't made a difference. I had always worn a bikini despite the floppy draping of skin but I felt like myself again once it had been removed.

I don't like the idea of Botox etc for me but I do see others with it & think they look fresh rather than done.

thatthingonyournose · 05/10/2014 00:43

A certain group of hedge fund managers who DH used to hang out with (and still knows) all have wives with that nose job/lip injection/veneers look. Or is it called the duck look? There are about 10 of them.

I have about 3 friends who have had breast augmentations.

But I'd say the most I see is the lip injections.

Wishfulmakeupping · 05/10/2014 01:06

I haven't but if I could have a nose job then I would 100%do it.
A friend's had her boobs done and 3 others have had tummy tucks

FloatIsRechargedNow · 05/10/2014 01:07

I don't think any surgery could save this face but I look at the body and I say Float (aged early 50s) really not bad love, well done you. I wait for the day the body goes the way of the face,

Either way I couldn't imagine injecting toxins into my face or sucking pipes and lumps of plastic and silicone into my body to make myself feel 'better'. Although I have noticed over the years that people have treated me better the 'better' I looked so I can understand why some people go for cosmetic surgery.

It wouldn't work for me as my true self would always emerge anyway, like manure a bit too earthy for most tastes.

Thisvehicleisreversing · 05/10/2014 01:17

Even if I had the money I don't think I could ever get anything done.

If I could wave a magic wand I'd sort out my teeth, flatten my stomach and tighten my face a little bit, but the idea of paying loads of money to have surgery seems bonkers to me.

I'm far from perfect but I'll do. Grin

FannyBlott · 05/10/2014 01:52

I'm 27 and I know I'd never have cosmetic surgery (the thought of a GA terrifies me - I hope I never need one) and given that I don't even use anti perspirant (I wash my pits twice a day and don't sweat much) due to not wanting to put shite on my skin I can't imagine ever going for botox or fillers either. I am currently wrinkle free but I do think in the next five years I'll develop an 11 between my eyebrows, the thought of that bothers me a bit but I think I'll just get a fringe.
Aging doesn't really concern me, what I do find upsetting is the way older people (women especially) become "invisible" in our society.

EBearhug · 05/10/2014 02:30

Lines don't bother me though. I'm in my 40s. Life's been shit at times. I don't want to look like I came through without noticing. I do tend to think of other people my age or older, if they have really smooth skin, where did they do their living? At the very least you'd hope for a few laughter lines.

HicDraconis · 05/10/2014 08:01

Never had any cosmetic surgery, never will. I could use a tummy tuck (large overhang from pregnancy and weight loss), or a mastopexy (breast uplift / reshape - weight loss and feeding), or to lose the wattle under my chin - but nobody sees me naked aside from dh and he adores me as I am [smug].

I would also not risk a GA unless it was medically required (and I'm an anaesthetist so I know how safe they are).

HicDraconis · 05/10/2014 08:03

Should point out - I do anaesthetise people for plastic procedures. I'd just never have one myself. I don't judge them for choosing how to spend their money.

cookoos · 05/10/2014 09:07

im 29 and had breast implants when i was 23, you cant tell they look like a C cup and in proportion with my body. i saved up and paid for it myself and at the time only my mum knew i was having it done. im really glad i did it. wish id had a clear brace to straighten my teeth while i was living at home & had all my money to myself but other than that not fussed (yet) about having anything else done.

Suzannewithaplan · 05/10/2014 09:11

HicDraconis, it's interesting to hear about anesthesia from an anesthetist, but what about twilight anesthesia?
Is that not safer?

doziedoozie · 05/10/2014 09:19

I had veneers years ago had to have them replaced as gums had receded from the veneers. The dentist told me recently that that wouldn't happen nowadays, instead would be braces for 6 months to improve position then bleach! No need for veneers at all.

HicDraconis · 05/10/2014 09:21

If by twilight anaesthesia you mean sedation - I wouldn't undergo any of the major procedures so far mentioned (boob jobs, rhinoplasty, tummy tuck etc) under sedation. I do use it for endoscopic procedures (colonoscopy / gastroscopy) where it probably has fewer side effects than a GA.

Anotherchapter · 05/10/2014 09:24

Had my ears pinned back as a kid and it stopped lots of bullying and my self confidence shot up.

Would concidered other as I'm getting older. Meh my poor face!

Suzannewithaplan · 05/10/2014 09:38

?I was under the impression that many procedures could be done without GA and that the risks were significantly lower, eg:
www.sedationsolutions.co.uk/faq-patient.php?

HicDraconis · 05/10/2014 09:48

There are so many errors on that site I don't know where to start...

However. Major cosmetic surgery - like breast surgery (reductions and implants), abdominal surgery and shared airway surgery (ie nose jobs) require GA.

Minor cosmetic stuff (liposuction, face lifts, eyelid stuff, removal of lumps and bumps) can be done purely under local, or a combination of local and sedation for those that prefer it. Likewise minor dental stuff can be done under local or local & sedation, but major max fax surgery is done under GA.

Sedation when administered for the right reasons in the right group of patients is safer than a GA. I am fit, healthy, slightly overweight (bmi 26) - sedation for me carries the same risk as a GA would.

HicDraconis · 05/10/2014 09:51

Whoops, lost the last bit - ie minimal. Both a GA or sedation would be very safe in me, I'd still not take the risks for something that wasn't medically necessary.

Suzannewithaplan · 05/10/2014 09:57

Ok thanks Hic, I did read about a facelift done under sedation which surprised me?!

JustALittleBitLost · 05/10/2014 09:59

I haven't, but it seems entirely reasonable to have a breast reduction, or to have a tummy tuck if you have an overhang that touches your thighs. I wouldn't hesitate to have that sort of surgery if I needed it.

Pugaboo · 05/10/2014 10:12

Meh it's a slippery slope tbh so I'd rather just steer clear. I have a few moles I'd like removing. Jawline could do with refining. Nose slimming. Muffin top reducing. Boobs filling. Tummy tucking.

Where do I draw the line? Better to accept myself with all my imperfections.

Where people have one, obvious thing they want sorted eg big bump in nose, completely flat chest, awful teeth but are generally happy with the rest of themselves - that makes more sense to me.