In recent years, cosmetic surgery has been more prevalent than ever before. In 2024 alone, more than 7.4 million people around the world went under the knife, representing a 4.3% increase from the previous year.
And with more famous faces and bodies being superficially enhanced, normal people are following suit. Many of them have even made the most outrageous requests, and their doctors are revealing the craziest ones. That’s even putting it lightly.
From ankle liposuctions to requests to remove the most sensitive parts of the female anatomy, surgeons are telling their stories on Reddit. If you’re a professional with an equally absurd anecdote, feel free to share it in the comments.
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Not a surgeon
But why is diastasis recti surgery for women with badly seperated muscle not covered by health insurance?
My poor wife spent years doing arbitrary physical therapy for endless back issues, ending up bed ridden a couple weeks a year like clockwork. EVENTUALLY, we saw a doc who explained there was a huge separation in her tummy from kids that all the strength training in the world wouldn't repair - and likely was making her back problems worse with endless overworked muscles dpong this therapy regiment to make up for the missing core.
I was blown away with the ONLY MUSCLE DAMAGE that causes literal disability, in the entire world that ISNT COVERED BY ANY INSURANCE EVER - is this one. Had to go to a plastic surgeon and have, effectively, a tummy tuck performed with the muscle damage stitched back together.
The USA doesn't give a darn about women.
Ask every gd person screaming we need more babies, women should have children - when, exactly, they'll advocate for this to be 100% covered by insurance.
GFY until you do.
Been trying to have this surgery for ages! Healthcare for women is non existent. Especially for women past childrearing
"The USA doesn't give a darn about women" is one of the most depressingly accurate sentences ever.
au contraire, I know of several white male millionaires & billionaires who may disagree (although, never publicly).
Load More Replies...If only the women of the USA would stand up against being treated as disposable breeding mares. Do you get insulin paid if you develop diabetes due to pregnancy? Or is that a surprise cost for you, either until birth or **for the rest of your life** because it doesn't always go away?
Umm... We have. For the past 100+ years. Ever since the first suffragettes risked their lives to give us the right to vote. But, "standing up" is not enough. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/us/politics/international-womens-day-protests-trump.html
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Obligatory…oh no wait, I AM an actual surgeon!
I would never get a “nonsurgical” or “liquid” rhinoplasty. Most of the time that’s just filler injected into the nose. There is a risk of filler in this location causing you to go blind.
In general I would never get any facial fillers. They tend to look worse over time and migrate.
And then of course what everyone else said about BBLs. Why risk your life to look like you have a full diaper under your shorts?
I used to be a hair transplant technician. An Asian man and his Asian girlfriend came in because he had no underarm hair as Asians are less hairy. She wanted him to look more "manly". The Dr. said the only realistic hair for underarm hair would be pubes. If it was hair from his head, it would grow really long and he would have to trim it. The Dr. asked her to leave the room (she was really pushy) because he had to check the "donor area". He asked the dude if he really wanted it. He said no, it was his GF that was the one who wanted it done. She came back in the room and the Dr. told them that the donor area was not sufficient. That was the Dr's kind way of refusing to perform the surgery.
if the person would be getting the surgery doesn't personally want it, that is an automatic no
I would have been honest with both of them. He is not a candidate for the procedure because he does not consent to it.
No, this lady is a*****e. She would take it out on her bf or keep shopping for surgeons until she gets what she wants. The doctor did the right thing
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My cousin almost got a BBL last year. The clinic told her she wouldn’t be able to sit for weeks, and that fat could literally enter her bloodstream and end her if it moved.
She canceled everything that same day. It’s wild how normalized such a risky surgery has become.
Me neither. I have a natural big bûtt and I hate it. It is so uncomfortable and I accidently bump into things with it. I hate it. I honestly don't understand why people would want it. Actually choose to have such a big b**t.
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Office Manager for a Plastic Surgeon here.
Had a phone call several months ago where this woman was interested in a Brazilian butt Lift (they typically call it "gut-to-butt" where you transfer fat from your abdomen, thighs and arms and inject into the buttocks) and wanted to take her sister's fat and have it injected in her butt because she was "too skinny" for the procedure. I said no.
Imagine someone developed a procedure where a stranger could donate fat for people to blow up their bvtts, breasts, or muscles. Oh, how all the former bigmouths complaining about overweight people would kiss their feet to beg for donations! :D That would be karma indeed!
do some lunges and squats and learn to love the b**t you got
Not a plastic surgeon, but a friend of mine once told me that her mom took her to a plastic surgeon and asked if they could "fix" her nose because it was prominent. She was 8 years old.
Long Story Short.
Thin girl with F Bra size comes in wanting to be MM.
I told her to think about it and come back after the consultation.
She came back an hour later still wanting the procedure.
I told her to wait 5 days before coming back.... she did not come back.
Oh my god no, big breasts are absolutely hell, they're heavy and get sweaty and nothing fits right, it's awful, I can't wait to get rid of mine, I can't imagine if they were bigger.
I had a friend in high school who was very small otherwise (she stood right around 5 feet tall) but had a natural DD chest. It was already causing her health problems at 15, and she had to have a reduction because of it.
Load More Replies...The specifics on bra size. I mostly wanted to know what MM was. They're big. https://thebetterfit.com/breast-size-comparison-side-by-side/
That is a great chart! Thank you!! I don’t know why that isn’t the standard chart, instead of whatever hand-wavy explanation there usually js
Load More Replies...My goodness how glamorous. Look at this. 32Z (70Z), or the same as an XXX cup. 240px-Besh...bcfec3.jpg
I've lost some weight recently but my breasts have gotten bigger! So frustrating trying to find a bra that is comfortable but also supportive because I don't want them dragging to my stomach. I don't think I could get surgery for it though, I have too many other health concerns to add that.
As an OR tech back in the 80s, I witnessed a general surgeon give a 20 yr old girl breast implants that were way too big. Her skin was so tight at the end it was painful to look at. I bet she had to have them removed a short time later. Before she was put to sleep I overheard the patient tell a nurse that she was getting the surgery so she'd get better tips at her waitressing job at the disco.
Mythbusters systematically tested bust size vs tips using Carrie with different sized 'chests.' The larger chest did get more tips but surprisingly, the women tipped more highly than the men.
Probably as women feel sorry for them and imagining the back pain
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Shadowed a plastic surgery resident. Some guy wanted the "ab sculpting lipo", he was pushing 400lbs. There is no physical way to go about that. Consultation lasted about 5 minutes.
Whatever Lauren Sanchez has had done. she looks like a clown, the stabby kind.
pretty sure they stuck ratchet straps to the back of her head and gave it a good few cranks
Board certified plastic surgeons really aren’t going to do whatever random surgery the patient requests. They can potentially lose their license or face prison for playing mr potato head with the human body. You might get some interesting stories from a surgeon who’s done reconstructive work on someone with catastrophic injuries like severe burns.
This right here is why I feel more than a couple of these others are fake
BBLs carry a surprisingly high mortality rate and the recovery is brutal.
It's a fad for whatever reason right now to have this ginormous b**t. What are these folks going to do for "beauty" when the fad fades?
I can assure you that most women don't give a single $hit what you think about their a$$es.
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Hmm, I would never have an operation to change height - for example, leg lengthening.
Because this is one of the most traumatic and painful operations, with long recovery, risks of complications, and all for the sake of aesthetic or social conformity. The operation involves bone fracture, their stretching with the help of devices and months - or even years - of pain and rehabilitation. At the same time, the result may be unstable, and expectations may be inflated.
For me, it would be too high a price for trying to meet external standards. I’d rather work on accepting myself and finding an environment where growth doesn’t matter.
Totally agree. Though in the end - isn't that the case for all cosmetic surgery? Why else would a man be taller or a woman have bigger breasts, if not for a society telling them that they are not "okay" the way they are now, and that they need to look X in order 'to be worthy of acceptance and love"?
some people are born with one shorter leg and has to do this to make walking less painful, its not always for vanity.
However "all for the sake of aesthetic or social conformity" makes me think the op is only referring to those doing it for cosmetic/vanity reasons not medicinal. A neighbour went through the surgery in the 90s and while surgery may have improved I couldn't imagine volunteering to put myself through it.
Load More Replies...I had braces when I was a teen and it involved a "stretcher" on my upper palate to make room for the teeth that couldn't descend. It probably moved my teeth out by a tiny amount over I think a 2-3 month period. After that I would NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER have any procedure to 'stretch' bone. EEGAD! The pain...
I had that done too! I actually didn’t find it painful at all.. Way way way better than having a bunch of teeth pulled so the rest can fit in your mouth. Source: I had to get 8 teeth pulled when I was a kid, due to overcrowding.
Load More Replies...I am short (but happily 4cm taller than my sister and about a head taller than my mum) but would definitely never get surgery to be taller. I am not embarrassed by my height (though get frustrated about having to get a step out to reach things on the top shelf), even when I have grade 3/4 (and at least one grade 1) kids measuring themselves against me. I just smile and say 'not long until you are taller than me'. I have had parents overhear this and get embarrassed for me but I don't mind. It's just part of who I am. I am glad I'm past the age where everyone tries to (literally) pick you up.
I’m not a surgeon, but I work in surgery and tbh I would basically not get anything done unless it’s medically necessary or going to significantly improve my quality of life after exhausting all other options (like to relieve pain, make breathing easier, etc).
Not a surgeon, but my husband is an ICU nurse and sees men with penile implant infections all the time. He says the guys (and their SO’s) regret them in later years since they’re in and out of the hospital all the time.
The individuals who get it done are in and out of hospital to treat problems arising from the procedure afterwards, not masses of people getting it.
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I am a nurse practitioner first of all, but my MD colleague had a patient who demanded repeatedly to let her get lap-band surgery (ie refer her to GI surgeon).
She was "only" about 40lbs overweight, had refused a trial of diet and exercise, was in her 60s, and already had a progressive neurological disorder.
Long story short: the surgery that she demanded on getting went horribly. (after it was finally approved by her insurance). The surgeon repaired a hernia (that he found during the surgery) using mesh, the mesh didn't fit right, and she had to have surgery have surgery to get it fixed. Then the lap band somehow got dislodged from where it was supposed to be and she had to have surgery to get that removed in the end.
Long story shorter: just try diet and exercise and don't be a lazy person who is demanding and unreasonable...it is safer for you than surgery and/or diet pills.
Agreed to all, and then at the end: "just try diet and exercise" - my, WHY have overweight people never thought of that? Or tried it? Or went to their GP when it didn't work? Or tried again? Again? Again? Again? Stupid fat people, running for "pills" without any need! Fvck OP.
This patient refused to try diet and exercise, so their comment wasn't that wild. It also wasn't aimed at EVERY overweight person, just the ones that are unreasonable, lazy and demanding.
Load More Replies...So...the Dr. repaired a hernia badly, and seemingly placed the lap band poorly? I fail to see how the hernia mesh fitting poorly or the lap band getting dislodged were the patient's fault in any way.
I have an uncle who lives down in Florida I see every Christmas, and he always has a hilarious set of new stories for us. My favorite is about the nearly 40 year old woman who still wanted to find Mr. Right. She wanted to be memorable, and had an idea. She had C cup breasts and wanted both a breast reduction AND a breast implant. She wanted the left breast to be a full DD, since the majority of people are right handed, and her right breast to be a "nice, perky B" cup. She explained that no matter the man she would have a breast for him and was therefor broadening her potential husband pool. Maybe it was the "dangerous, desperate look in her eyes" or how she was going to pay in full in cash prior, but he did it and she was ecstatic with the results. At the final check up post operation she b***hed about how she had to make her own bras from two others.
As someone who used to have (naturally) one DD and one B cup breast I cannot fathom this woman's thinking. Single worst experience of my life with those mismatched things.
I feel like this is fake, no doctor would do this, even if just for fear of a malpractice suit later on
Obligatory not a surgeon, but I recently saw a post about “hunter eye” surgery that had gone wrong and looked terrible. Basically it’s trending with incel types that alpha men should have smaller eyes that slant upwards so they look like hunters and not prey, so they’re getting this surgery to alter the slant of their eyes AND DECREASE THE VOLUME OF THEIR EYEBALLS to get smaller eyes. It’s exactly as horrific as it sounds and there are some incredibly questionable results from it.
Some of them looked okay after but it’s a crazy reason to let someone ~~suck the juice from your eyeballs~~ (eta correction) slice through the conjunctiva, slice through the outer corner of the eye, and remove a portion of eye socket (either side and/or underneath the eye) from around the eye.
The reason I thought that decompression involved the eyeball is because in the pics I saw the man was actively bleeding from his eyeballs. :).
Looks like incels would rather willingly mutilate their eyes than fix their horrendous personalities
Yeah genetics are 'not my fault' but personality... 'Alpha's' don't admit fault for anything
Load More Replies...If a guy with that much difficulty with women also has THAT much money - just hire a professional girlfriend if you must.
Has any of these "hunter" guys seen a predator's eyes (dog, cat, owl)?
most results on Google just look like the dude needs glasses because he is squinting so hard
Looked it up, a lot of the photos are even taken from a slightly different angle, to increase the effect of the "after" photo. Their body, their choice, but d**n, what do they think can that achieve that being a better person couldn't?
Load More Replies...That... that's.. yer, that's just not how they do hunter eye surgery. Ever.
360 lifts and abdominoplasty, basically anything that involves removing large amounts of skin and tissue. It's even worse if they combine it with liposuction.
Edit: To the people getting defensive in the replies, I gave this answer because I think the complications are serious enough to warrant very careful consideration from people that do need it. Just because a surgery can improve a person's quality of life doesn't mean we should ignore the potential risks.
I was a receptionist once and glanced at a file. There was a couple that wanted to remove thier areolae.
My father used to be a plastic surgeon and when he still was he kept a record of all the men wanting to have breast implants. In the end he had an entire shelf full of pagers of men and the dates of when they asked. Now he's retired.
Erm, so what? Yeah, so men want to have a "muscular" looking chest? Is that somehow special?
I dont think it was pec implants. They wanted t**s.
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In the UK a few years ago indian men would try and get their wives/girlfriends special hymen surgery to sew it up so it made them feel like a virgin. Very sick, urgh.
Female gènital mùtilation (FGM) is still disturbingly common in African countries as well as India and Middle Eastern countries. Women believe that removing the clìtoris or sewing closed the labìa over makes them pure. Its common for older women to perform these FGMs. It has absolutely no medical benefit and increases the rate of infection. Many activist groups are working to end this practice by educating women in these locations.
Horrific as that is, it's not what's being talked about in the post at all.
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My husband works for a well known doctor in Miami. The doctor is moving away from BBLs because of the high risks involved. My husband says MOST surgeries are not needed and they do a lot of surgeries just fixing previous surgeries that weren’t done right. My husband REFUSES for me to ever get surgery- not that I want surgery but I get the sentiment, too risky.
He’s worked at what is called ‘chop shops’ here and there many years ago and says those are crazy, tons of patients and many of them BBLs. Super dangerous! He won’t work there anymore because he doesn’t want to be associated with them. The doctor he works for is a good, safe doctor but there’s always risks involved and they spend a lot of time ‘managing expectations’ because things will never be perfect.
Did lipo on an 18yo girl's ankles the other day. Personally I didn't think they looked that bad but she was seriously bothered by them and getting depressed. And apparently was getting teased by other girls at school too. Turned out great and she's totally happy. For ethic's sake I had to make sure her parents were on board for the surgery as she had just recently turned 18 though.
Not exactly on topic, but working at an animal hospital I once had a client ask if puppies are supposed to be circumcised.
legit has more validity than circumcising boys, as the dogs d**k will be in frequent contact with dirt
that's why it needs to be savely tucked away in what I call the sock. I had to clean Lous p3nis over months when he was in puberty (no fun for either of us), because he had an ongoing infection till we let the vet take his balls.
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I did a short internship at a Smartlipo place. A well known, famous weight loss advocate came in for liposuction.
"See? All that fat people have to do is to exercise and diet! look at this influencer, they look amazing with doing just that!"
Actually, exercise and healthy eating do work for normal fat, i guess the influencer just was as fake as all of them
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Someone tried to get one single superboob.
I knew a crusty old guy who was also strangely nurturing and I remember him by a single sentence - "Now John, you don't want to go to the Blue Dog Saloon in Missoula on a Wednesday. That's Three Nippple Myrtle night and it's not for beginners." I didn't and was already not planning on it.
Load More Replies...Was she going to try out for the role of the woman in Kung Pow Enter the Fist?
That Barbie one is pretty nuts, as is the Ken Doll. Please, do not google real ken doll, because the guy is nuts.
Beverly Hills Plastic surgeon awake and present. I would say fox eye lift, threads lifts and rib removal. The rest: when done on the right patient by the right surgeon are reasonable surgeries.
Quick google reveals plenty of plastic surgeons who offer rib removal.
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I'm not a surgeon, just a surg tech, but I scrubbed in on a herniated nipple repair for a 16yo girl. Herniated nipples are normally referred to as puffy nipples in layman's terms. Sure, they can be extreme sometimes, but this girl just had your garden variety, most people quite enjoy, kind.
As it turned out, the way to correct them is to trim a little fat out from under the nipple and enlarge the rest of the breast to smooth them out more. Insurance covered it because it was considered non cosmetic due to being a hernia repair.
Edit: I just realized I was a bit vauge/misleading in my initial discription of what was considered wrong with her. I used "nipple" as a broad term, but it was technically her areola that was a bit puffy.
So, it's a hernia, even the insurance agreed on that, but OP knows better? See, guys THAT is what's wrong with medical care for women.
no, there is no much more wrong than insurance agreeing to cover something.
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Used to do internet marketing for plastics. We'd occasionally see some of the emails sent via the website (I know, I know, HIPAA) and it's cause a few laughs.
This one time, though, this 15 or 16 year old high school girl emailed asking for a labiaplasty consult. I (of course) kept reading, and it turns out that she wanted one because the girls in her locker room made fun of the size of her labia...
In some cases you don't need to be close to notice the labia, because they are really big. Some women complain it can be uncomfortable wearing tight pants. That's why they want the surgery, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Load More Replies...When young, I had a cliff fall and damaged one of my ears. Healed OK but stuck out much more than the other. UK/NHS/1960's. When 13, my parents arranged to have my ears pinned back. Went into hospital, had surgery on my ears, and woke up with a sore head and very sore b*m. Apparently my mother had noticed that I had large labia, and arranged to have them 'trimmed'. What does a13 Yr old in the 60's say to their mother other than why? "You'll thank me when your older." was the reply. Luckily they avoided the really important bits, but I felt violated.
There's no HIPAA concern for reading an email sent to a medical practice. Forwarding it carelessly is where HIPAA would step in.
1. HIPPA does not apply to an email sent to a clinic for a consult 2. How in the world is anyone in a locker room getting that close of a look at someone's labia? 3. Some of these entries seem really fake.
Yes, and it used to be accepted that , for example, widely larger labia affected women's mental health. What is so funny about that?
I think it's more her age and the girls in her locker room made fun of the size of her labia. At that age noby was looking close enough at mine to realise it was any different.
Load More Replies...This is why I found the exhibition at Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art many years ago important (compared to a lot of their wanky stuff), not that I went myself. They had a whole lot of plaster casts (or similar) of women's genitals, with the difference in labia size etc being noticeable. So many women didn't know how common it was to have larger labia and realised theirs was 'normal'.
I was waiting for a consultation as a patient and overheard a girl on the phone. She told the person on the other side " I'm waiting for the doctor to find out how much to have the gap between my legs." I was very confused, until I mentioned it to a male friend who informed me of the gap between the thighs. I was baffled.
I never understood this one at all. And while I haven't met all men, I have trouble believing there's an awake guy on the planet who would turn away an interested woman because of the presence or lack of a made up body feature.
Not a plastic surgeon, but limb lengthening surgery. Permanently disabled to be a few inches taller? No thanks.
A few inches can make a big difference for some people. It can be the difference between having to modify everything and being able to use items the general population uses.
I believe I would rather modify everything instead of the leg lengthening surgery.
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Sister is an opthalmic surgeon, and her take on LASIK is terrifying.
I had LASIK on both eyes in 2002 and it remains the best money I ever spent.
I thought about getting it done years ago, but I was told that I would still need reading glasses, so I decided that if I have to carry glasses around with me for reading I might as well wear them and skip the surgery.
Load More Replies...I’m a bit nervous about it but at the rate my eyesight is deteriorating (no blindness, just incredibly nearsighted) I’ll have coke bottle lenses before I’m 25. I would probably be willing to try it.
No such thing as coke bottle lenses anymore, that was back in the days of glass lenses. Today's lenses are plastic/acrylic, very light even at high prescriptions. Without glasses my sight is 20/300. My glasses aren't thick at all.
Load More Replies...My eyesight has always been poor, but I never liked the idea of Lasik. Or, back in the day, radial keratotomy. Because hardly anyone goes blind from it.
I have heard so many horror stories about LASIK. My ophthalmologist advised me not to get it as best case scenario, I would be more likely to need reading glasses when I was older. I had had 2-3 laser eye surgeries prior, to fix a hole in my retina, so I knew I didn't want to go through another just for cosmetic reasons.
I wonder what her take on LASIK is? I've generally heard positive things from medical professionals and patients
A coworker had a tummy tuck/abdominoplasty in Mexico - healing didn’t go as planned, so she ended up having to go to a wound care specialist to try to get it fixed. She ended up having to have a plastic surgeon fix everything.
She tried to save $30K by having the surgery in Mexico, but ended up spending over $45K because of complications and having to had the surgery completely re-done in the US.
I think this very much depends on the amount of research that is put into the surgeon. A friend went to Lithuania (we live in the UK) for a breast reduction surgery, the NHS nurse who she went to after the surgery to check her dressings was very impressed. One of the best she's seen.
I'm late to the party, so my comment probably won't be seen, but I saw an advertisement on a web page for clavicle shortening surgery. I was really confused and read a bit more - it's a procedure to make your shoulders broader. I'm still a bit baffled, as it seems like a really extensive surgery for a not very noticeable result.
My guess is that shortening the clavicle brings the shoulders forward making them appear wider.
Load More Replies...If you want broader shoulders, just work out your deltoids. Much safer, better results.
My ex-husband's friend broke his when he crashed his bike. Poor guy was in severe pain for weeks; he couldn't hardly do anything because every movement of the upper body moves the clavicle.
Load More Replies...I just had this on one clavicle. It was to open up the space for the nerves, along with rotator cuff. Hurts like chuff and I cannot see any difference from the other side. Wouldn't have it done for cosmetic regions for sure.
I’d stay away from anything that involves going to another country to get something discount. One of the issues with surgery, any surgery, is that they often have complications. Good luck finding a surgeon to touch you when it isn’t his/her work, let alone it being done at some shady center outside the country. You could either find yourself paying insanity level money for correction or simply live as whatever monster a shady butcher leaves you as. .
This is a huge issue in the UK. We have free health care, but not free non essential/ personal choice stuff. So you can have breast implants free if you've had cancer or a 'deformity' but not if you want GG b***s - you have to go privately for that and it's expensive. So, pop over to Turkey (and other countries) and get it done at half the cost. But when you come home with an infected wound or grotesque malformation, dear old NHS is obliged to treat and repair damage for free. If they had to pay for the aftermath as well as the cheapo initial surgery, they'd be better off paying privately in the UK and knowing it should be to a better standard.
While plastic surgery has its place for restoration, I think the plastic surgery doctors have completely failed to separate their drive for money from the well being of their patients.
Only reason I would have plastic surgery would be reconstructive after and injury or disease.
I had a rhinoplasty because my nose was out of proportion to the rest of my face. Not enough to be teased or anything, but enough that I avoided mirrors. It was affecting my mental health, which has always been poor anyway. I was very clear to the surgeon that I did not want to change the shape, just the size. And he did that and it worked out well.
Load More Replies...While plastic surgery has its place for restoration, I think the plastic surgery doctors have completely failed to separate their drive for money from the well being of their patients.
Only reason I would have plastic surgery would be reconstructive after and injury or disease.
I had a rhinoplasty because my nose was out of proportion to the rest of my face. Not enough to be teased or anything, but enough that I avoided mirrors. It was affecting my mental health, which has always been poor anyway. I was very clear to the surgeon that I did not want to change the shape, just the size. And he did that and it worked out well.
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