Am I getting work done for the right reasons?

When you get right down to it, nobody really needs aesthetic cosmetic surgery.

It is really a matter of whether or not an individual wants aesthetic cosmetic surgery. God makes us all (and all of our parts) in different shapes and sizes, and beauty is not merely in the eyes of the beholder, but also in the eyes of the beheld. That being said, aesthetic cosmetic surgery can have a positive, powerful and lasting impact on a person's life. You may be absolutely certain that you want to have a particular procedure performed, and I am continually amazed at how thoroughly many patients have educated themselves about specific procedures prior to their consultation. Alternately, you may not yet know what possibilities exist for improving a feature that you would like to change. Or you may not be able to pinpoint exactly what feature it is that 'ages' you.

In any case, the only way to truly decide whether or not to "have something done" is to get the best information available from a source with experience and appropriate credentials, whom you trust with your well-being. That information includes a thorough understanding of all options available (both surgical and non-surgical), and it should be provided by someone that understands your aesthetic sensibility and goals. This is what I do my best to provide for every individual that I meet in consultation.

My personal aesthetic sensibility is this: a good aesthetic cosmetic surgery result is a result that looks natural, not 'done'. I always delight in the patient who reports that their friends or their colleagues at work say "You look fantastic!", but that they can't quite put their finger on why.

Simply stated, the "right reasons" are that you would feel happier for yourself with the changes that can be safely and realistically made given your own body and its starting point and limitations. It usually works better for people who have liked an area before that has now changed. Patients that have "always hated" an area have a harder time ever becoming happy with surgery.

The "wrong reasons" are to have surgery because you desire secondary gains such as keeping a job or getting a new one, saving a failing relationship or starting a new one.

Of course, having surgery if your expectations won't be met is wrong. Also, make sure you are a good healthy candidate for surgery because there is no point in taking unnecessary risks when the surgery is totally elective.

The only way you can know for sure if you are planning a cosmetic surgery for the right reasons is to undergo a relatively simple psychological evaluation.  I strongly recommend that before any significant surgical procedure you schedule a 5-10 session initial evaluation to explore the reasons and the meanings behind the reasons for your proposed procedure.

It is almost impossible to be clear about these things by yourself.  We are inevitably fooled by anxiety and defense mechanisms that distort our ability to judge ourselves based on reality.  We seem to relive old patterns over and over again.  The time and money spent on such an introductory psychological process can save endless amounts of frustration and recrimination.

You cannot get the results you want if you are asking cosmetic surgery to do something it cannot do -- change your basic patterns of relating to your own body.  For that, a depth psychology is a better choice.

Probably the best tip is any time you are considering a procedure, do a consultation for that procedure with three reputable board certified plastic surgeons.

If any one of the three recommends against the treatment, it is probably unnecessary and you’re feeding an addiction rather than addressing an actual concern.