Staring in the mirror, she gasps with disgust as she ingests the image that intently peers back at her. Attempting to rid herself of the scars that have manifested on the surface of her face, she fills the cupped palms of her hands with the steaming hot water that’s spilling from the bathroom sinks faucet and without hesitation splashes it on her skin.
She desperately wants to scream, but instead, swallows the agony. Her attempt to subdue the realism of the self-hate that permeates her mind only adds another layer to the already painfully saturated pit of her stomach. With her face now stinging, she examines it only to become increasingly frustrated by the ineffectiveness of the scalding hot water.
Determined to rid herself of everything that reminds her of the pain she decides that since washing it away was a failed attempt and since makeup doesn’t seem to conceal enough, she’ll finally have to do it. “It’s time to go under the knife.”
According to emailwire.com 47.6 million plastic surgeries were performed globally in 2013. Plasticsurgery.org reports that 14.6 million procedures were performed in the US in 2012. So as you may have figured out, the cosmetic surgery industry is a booming business.
Before I delve any further I want to say this, “I am NOT against the knife/plastic surgery.” Actually, I’m thinking that after I lose the 80lbs that I’m shooting for, that I may get a tummy tuck and breast lift myself. So again I say “I am Not against the knife.”
According to confidentialcounseling.net, Matt Shollenberger PhD published a written work that states that many surgeons and psychologists agree that there are appropriate candidates for cosmetic procedures, and there are people who are not appropriate for surgery. He goes on to explain the two types. He stated that a good candidate is the person with a decent self-image, who wants to improve an aspect of their appearance or the person that has slightly lowered self-esteem due to an obvious negative physical characteristic that they’ve tried to deal with, maybe since birth.
Then there are those who may not be such a good candidate, these individuals fall into several different categories. The first being, the patient who has unrealistic expectations of what the surgery will garner for their image and/or self-esteem. There’s also the person who is in crisis and feels like they need to be fixed. This person may believe that surgery will heal or eliminate their grief. There is the person who may be psychologically unstable and/or have a severe personality disorder. Another type is the person that is seeking surgery simply to please someone else. I’m certain that there are many other types that fall into these categories.
If you are having an issue visualizing what the faces of plastic surgery looks like, Google a few celebrity before and after pictures. I would suggest that several of those individuals, especially those who have made a habit of or have become addicted to plastic surgery, are trying to carve away something that is far deeper than the surface of their skin. Now there are those individuals who have improved their physicality, actually I would argue that a great majority of those that we see in television have undergone some sort of cosmetic procedure. But for those who are only mutating, I believe that they need to dig deeper and deal with the issues that are driving them to, in a sense, destroy themselves. Understand this, plastic surgery isn’t a thriving industry just because of it’s appeal to the rich and famous. There are many “Normal People” who also invest in cosmetic procedures.
As a woman who has in times past and sometimes in the present, battled with self-esteem, I can understand why one would go to extremes to try and fix what appears to themselves to be broken. But I have come to realize that making changes on the outside without dealing with what’s on the inside, will only lead to more disappointments, an empty bank account and lower self-esteem.
In close I want to say this: Do you and be the best you that you can be! But focus not just on the surface, but also invest in your heart, your mind and your spirit. Fall in love with yourself wholly and even if no one else compliments and affirms you, look in the mirror, straighten your shoulders, hold your head high and remind yourself that “I am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.”
