Addicted to Plastic Surgery
What can possibly drive somebody to spend a fortune on plastic surgery over the course of a decade or two and end up looking so horrifyingly awful for it?
This is undoubtedly a point in case for wealthy American socialite, Jocelyn Wildenstein. She has reportedly spent the staggering sum of £2,000,000 over the years in a bid to improve her looks, which has only resulted in ridicule and her being dubbed 'The Bride of Wildenstein' or 'The Catwoman' by the press and the public at large. It even went so far as to see a British tabloid award her with the dubious title of 'World's Scariest Celebrity' in 2004.
But though we may actually poke fun at the foibles and eccentricities of those with more money than sense and evidently no access to a working mirror, there may well be a deep psychological problem festering away beneath all that hideously twisted flesh.
The case of Jocelyn Wildenstein, or even Michael Jackson, may be the more famous examples that have taken it to the absolute extreme, but there is a very real problem away from the crazy world of celebrity of 'plastic surgery addiction'.
Patients become hooked, as with drink or drugs, on cosmetic surgery or botox treatments, returning again and again for more and more unnecessary surgery, implants, or injections. It is a result of "imagined ugly syndrome", also known as body dsymorphic disorder (BDD), which shares certain characteristics with eating disorders such as anorexia. Whereas the latter will see someone convinced they are fat and won't accept any view, however accurate, to the contrary; BDD causes the sufferer to become obsessed by a perceived defect, resulting in enormous anxiety and stress, even if no such defect actually exists.
With plastic surgery no longer the exclusive realm of Hollywood celebrities, its ready availability has given the everyday man or woman in the street the opportunity to fix any issues they may have with their own self-image. Obviously there is nothing wrong here, as a sensible approach to cosmetic surgery, can boost a person's confidence one hundred percent.
The problems arise when what might start as a 'nip' here or a 'tuck' there becomes an obsession and more and more work is carried out. The initial buzz quickly passes and dissatisfaction begins to set in, leading to more 'nip' here and more 'tucks' there in a bid to again experience this sense of euphoria. Sound familiar? It's exactly the same traits displayed in any other addiction.
The only way to treat this condition is through addressing its root cause. Whether this involves therapy or any other form of psychoanalysis is obviously dependent on the individual case. What it doesn't require is going under the knife time and time again.
Constant pressure from the media for people to conform to a particular idea of the perfect body shape or look has only helped to aggravate this problem, and we are seeing more and more people (particularly girls) resorting to unnecessary methods at a far younger age.
And this isn't just an American problem. Plastic surgery in the UK is also a booming industry, and prone to the same potential problems. Thankfully, ethical plastic surgeons will be on the lookout for the telltale signs of this addiction and act accordingly. In 2004 Adam Searle, the then president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) drew up a checklist for fellow surgeons to use as a guide to spotting these signs.
It must be remembered that the benefits of plastic surgery far outweigh any of the problems that may arise. There is reconstructive surgery for people who have been in accidents, suffered burns, or fallen victim to disfiguring diseases. And of course, for work of a more cosmetic nature there is the incredible lift it can bring to your everyday life.
Making the decision to 'go under the knife' is never one to be taken lightly. It can have life-changing and hugely beneficial consequences, but it's a decision that should always be reached via a complete understanding of your reasons for wanting it in the first place.