Sunday Specials: Have Scalpel, will Nip-and-Tuck

Time was when beauty pageants served as the global poster industry of cosmetic surgery, with a number of South American nations leading the charge in transforming their titleholders (and even contestants) into near-perfect versions of themselves. But this post is not about showing for the nth time the various before-and-after photos of these ladies. Been there, done that. Allow me to turn the tables now on the people following, admiring and nitpicking them – you, dear readers.

Nips, tucks, lifts and all. People are obsessed more than ever to have surgeries done on their faces and bodies for a variety of reasons. It could be to jack up their self-esteem, or remove their imperfections, or fulfill a deep-seated desire to look like the person/s they idolize, or to simply look good, younger and more fetching, either to the same or opposite sex.

Personally, I dread undergoing any type of invasive procedures. The mere thought of a scalpel cutting through my skin is enough to send shivers down my spine. The closest thing I agreed to have something done on my forehead and cheeks was a string of botox shots that – if not offered free by my dear dermatologist-cousin – I will have not shelled out hard-earned money for. It was a one-time indulgence that did not convert me into a repeat customer. I disliked the feeling of a mannequin’s face, let alone a smile I could not turn into laughter without the extra effort to do so. But that’s me. And I do not represent the type of individual who will get more than excited with getting any kind of surgical or injectable fix. If I had longer hair, I would happily settle with one of those “years-away-threads” that would pull the skin from my cheeks and upper neck back into place for a number of hours and painlessly remove the darn thing at the end of the day.

But enough about me. What’s your take on the subject matter? Are you the type who would cave in to the pressure of getting yourself physically enhanced, improved or changed? And regardless of the reason/s, do you need such in order to build up your confidence or to sustain a previously built social status that has already been ravaged by time and stress? And in the event that you are already tempted to go under the knife, will the benefits outweigh the potential side effects on your inner and outer well-being? Or will it only build a new landscape on your face or body but leave potentially botched emotions when your objective for doing so has not been achieved?

Spill your two cents and be heard. ;-)