Botox: Should You Or Shouldn't You?
There's a fine line between vanity and beauty, a slender thread that ties narcissism and self-confidence together, while tying up our feelings about guilt, aging, and the desire to look and feel our best. When it comes to surgery, we often find patients looking to find out that it's okay to use our services, as they worry about how other people will perceive them for "getting some work done."
It may seem strange for us to admit it, but a cosmetic surgery practice is not the place to go to get advice on whether you should try cosmetic surgery. We're the people you go to for the best results and the best experience once the decision is made. Pressuring a patient to make a decision is a poor ethical choice, and so we focus on what we do, instead of what you should do.
Our job is to perform the best service we can, in a manner that gives you the best results but with the least amount of risk. We're doctors - our job is to perform the procedures for which we are trained. We can counsel, give advice on surgical and non-surgical procedures. We set expectations, and can even ease your fears, but we find that elective surgery of all kinds, whether it's a Botox injection, breast enhancements or hand surgery, is one that had to be made individually.
The choice on whether to engage in plastic surgery has to be a personal one. It's a decision that should be made for the right reasons, based on confidence and not fear, and performed because it's the right choice for the patient.
The Yummy Mummy Club is a site that focuses on mothers with children by encouraging them to not lose site of the goals, dreams and desires they set for themselves. They have a recent column by Sharon Devellis on the use of Botox, and we found her words to echo those of many of our patients. As the mother of a four year old, Sharon recognizes the sweetness of her four year old looking in the mirror and saying she's beautiful, at the same time she admits that she takes Botox treatments for herself. It's a wonderful essay on the way one woman addressed her concerns about cosmetic enhancements.
This is a personal decision. There are no creams, no sunscreens and no facial exercises that I could do to get rid of these lines. I felt self-conscious to the point that I was no longer comfortable smiling. And now that I'm doing it, I feel better about myself. Not because I'm suddenly a super model who could pass for 20 or I'm a "better" person because of botox. I'm old enough and have enough lines to know that better comes from within. I'm just trying to feel comfortable, comfortable enough to smile and not feel self-conscious, to laugh at my children's antics and not suddenly stop because I'm thinking of my crow's feet. And if a little injection every three months can help with that process. I'm all for it.
There's more to the article, but this sums up Sharon's concerns. She had stopped smiling because she was self-conscious, and she knew there were no magic creams that would solve the problem. The Botox treatments aren't the reason for her happiness, but they do allow her to relax more.
If you're considering plastic surgery, think about why you want it, and what your expectations are. What kind of results, physically and emotionally, are you looking for? Knowing what you want, and being comfortable with your choice is the first step in determining if cosmetic surgery is right for you.
If you are interested in plastic surgery visit www.rpsplasticsurgery.com for more information. Some of our most popular procedures include breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, liposuction, abdominoplasty, rhinoplasty and facelift surgery.
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