to ask how many of you have had cosmetic surgery?

[ListObsessed]

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.).

I think if you have a reasonable expectation it's fine.

I knew I wouldn't be 'perfect' after my tummy tuck and I knew my life wouldn't magically change; I was otherwise happy with all my minor imperfections, it was just that one thing that didn't fit with the rest of me.
It was like a body part from a completely different person had been grafted onto me and was so big and floppy I could literally grab it in two hands and hold it up, then I could see how I 'should' look.

After the op I still looked exactly like me, just without the overhang - nobody really noticed either (I worked with all men at the time and wore baggy overalls every day); but I was finally able to stop having to stuff my tummy into things.

I had no muffin top or anything, just this big flabby lump that I couldn't shift with exercise.

A pp said they were 27 and would never consider cosmetic surgery - at 27 it wasn't on my radar either!

HisDraconis regarding your statement "I would also not risk a GA unless it was medically required (and I'm an anaesthetist so I know how safe they are)." are you referring only to risk during the operation or is there also a possibility of long-term effects afterwards, e.g. to the brain? I said earlier in the thread that whereas I've always wanted breast reduction surgery but could never afford it, but now I've reached 60 and started worrying about old age, I wonder if a GA might have a deleterious effect on my brain and I'm worried about dementia. As you are an anaesthetist, can you tell me whether those worries are unfounded?

IPL, teeth bleaching, crowns/implants, botox, fillers, lipo, breast reduction. If you'd told me at 30 I'd have done all this by the age of 46 I'd have laughed in your face. Time and age make all the difference as to how you view cosmetic surgery.

I would do my eyelids when they droop.
Other than that I'd love to have the money to do non invasive skin care procedures .
Jet peel / laser lifts

After 45 Botox is quite obvious , the neck always shows your age.

Botox isn't 'cosmetic surgery'

Botox is cosmetic surgery.
More invasive procedures are plastic surgery.

how does botox constitute surgery?

is a flu jab also surgery?

I would have said Botox is a cosmetic procedure rather than cosmetic surgery.

No, "plastics" in the medical sense is stuff like skin grafts after burns, rhinoplasty after breaks where the breathing is affected etc. Clinically necessary procedures.

"Cosmetic" surgery can cover major surgery too, but is where the procedure is purely performed for cosmetic benefit (ie all it will do is improve the look).

Sorry, that was to itsbetterthanabox

Not me but my 3yr old dd did.
She had an accident at nursery that necessitated an operation. This was done in a&e under ketamine sedation.
The scar granulated so she had to have plastic surgery under ga to aid better healing and the look of her injury.
They did a grand job, cost nothing as on NHS. It wasn't for vanity reasons, they were concerned her nail bed wouldn't be flat enough for a nail to grow and remain attached.

Oh, ignore me. I have just seen the difference between cosmetic and plastic

I haven't yet, but I will be.

Gruntfuttock minor derail and I can't fully answer you but I'll give it a go :)

Every anaesthetic carries a risk of "post operative cognitive dysfunction" which is more pronounced and more likely the older you are. 60 isn't old :) It can be something like post op confusion which can resolve in a few hours, or longer term deterioration in memory. I try to be very careful with anaesthesia in patients with existing memory problems or early dementia as anaesthetics can seem to make it worse - either by unmasking a slow deterioration that had been to gradual to see pre op, or by a direct effect on brain cells.

We also don't know a great deal about how anaesthetic agents actually work. We can (and have) identify where they work and on which receptors. It's also been demonstrated that the most commonly used anaesthetic agent (propofol) has an effect on one receptor which can last for up to a week although the drug will have been metabolised by the body far more rapidly.

That aside, 60 really isn't old. However the older you get the riskier a GA gets anyway because there are more likely to be other medical problems associated with age (heart disease, kidney issues, COPD, smoking related damage) that are less likely to be an issue in a 30 year old.

Anaesthesia won't give you dementia. It may make pre existing early dementia worse and most older patients (80s - 90s) will have a period of post op confusion.

"too gradual to see pre op" autocorrect grammatical crap :)

No I haven't and the only person I know who has had anything done was a friend who had a breast reduction and I wouldn't really call that cosmetic as she was really suffering back problems because of them (not to mention the constant heckling from men all the time).

At the moment I don't think I would ever have anything done, but never say never. I'm not against it though.

I'm very tempted to have my eyes done; they are quite baggy and hooded, and seem to get worse with age. I think it must be hereditary as my Dad's eyes are so bad he can barely see, and was offered the op on the NHS!
But I'm mainly embarassed to admit to being so vain that I want to have it done. Apparently you go around with two massive black eyes for at least a couple of weeks and I can't hide at home for that length of time!

I had a boob job at 18 as one side didn't develop at all. However they turned rock hard after about 8 years and replaced them about 10 years later. I don't recommend boob jobs unless you really have nothing at all as you can have a lot of complications with them. Had a nose job in my mid 20s and have had Botox once when I hit my early 30s. All my ops have been done privately but I really feel if something is bothering someone to the extent it affects there everyday life then the surgery should be offered on the nhs

Nah, haven't and wouldn't. Too many other things to spend my money on, and nothing that bothers me enough. (No judgement at all on those who do, though - each to their own!)

I had breast reduction surgery in my twenties. Never regretted it. I can now sleep on my back, wear normal and well fitting clothes, run, dance, have a proper centre of balance and have no crippling back pain. Best money I ever spent!

(I could have had it done on the NHS but there was a 5 year waiting list so I went private instead)

This kind of mummy makeover? I'd imagine it will cost a fair few ££££

I recently bumped into someone I haven't seen for a few months. She had noticeably plumper lips - to be honest, it was the first thing I noticed. I didn't immediately think "wow! how young and luscious she looks!", rather "wtf has she done to herself?".

I have no moral or feminist objection to cosmetic surgery. I'm almost 35 and feeling the onslaught of wrinkles and death approaching. However, I don't think any kind of cosmetic work looks natural (and if it's so subtle as to be unnoticeable, what's the point in having it?)

I am waiting until you can step in a machine and come out looking 19 again before I brave it.

I don't think I'd have invasive surgery - I have a low pain threshold and couldn't be arsed with all the recovery/potential post-surgery complications.

A mate had a tummy tuck after considerable weight loss and found all the wound care and subsequent infections pretty unpleasant.

Perhaps hypocritically though, if five grand fell out of the sky into my lap I'd get braces to fix my wonky teeth, as I think I could manage the pain/upheaval for those.