Makeovers becoming way of life

Choosing a doctor is an important issue when considering plastic surgery.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Plastic surgery gone wrong or taken to extremes seems to make headlines everywhere.
Self-proclaimed and media-labeled beauty junkies appear to be cropping up everywhere these days. But is the public getting the wrong impression? What are the facts and what lies behind some of plastic surgery's bizarre and extreme stories?
The reality is that cosmetic enhancement is quite mainstream and safe when approached by an educated consumer in a reasonable fashion.
The number of surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic enhancement procedures undergone by women and men, as reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, amounted to almost 12 million in 2004. The most popular, Botox injections, was performed on nearly 27 percent of those men and women. And, surprisingly, more of those people were super moms than supermodels.
According to research conducted about Botox users by the Aesthetic Society Research and Education Foundation:
Homemakers comprise 12 percent of Botox users, and business owners hold an identical 12 percent; 10 percent are managers and an equal 10 percent are clerical and administrative support staff.
The percentage of Botox users who have an income of less than $100,000 per year is 44 percent, 12 percent of whom have an income of less than $50,000.
It doesn't stop there. A recent study published in the medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that 41 percent of individuals considering plastic surgery have an annual income between $31,000 and $60,000 and only 13 percent earn greater than $90,000 a year.
Safety and value
While beauty enhancement may now be more mainstream, scrimping on its cost by sacrificing your safety when shopping for cosmetic enhancement should be ruled out. Looking for rock-bottom prices or considering surgery abroad could initially cost less in terms of treatment, but in the long run the price may amount to far more in terms of the results.
Rather than cost, think value. Make certain that the doctor you choose is qualified, that you have an unwavering trust in him or her and that no safety measure has been overlooked. Choosing your doctor is the most important decision you will make, and at newbeauty.com you'll find all the steps you must follow.
Why do people choose to have plastic surgery? The reasons vary, but all healthy decisions should center on one thing: personal improvement, not dramatic change.
Extreme makeovers may be popular in the media, but in real life, cosmetic enhancement should not be sought out as a life-changing event, and undergoing multiple procedures at one time only adds to a patient's risks.
Doctors defer
Ethical doctors shy away from total makeovers. What's more, ethical doctors usually can identify unrealistic motivations or patients truly obsessed with their beauty. When multiple procedures are sought one after another or when a patient has an unhealthy fixation on her or his perceived flaws in appearance, a condition called body dysmorphic disorder is suspected. Ethical doctors will defer them for psychological treatment rather than cosmetic treatment.
So who are those 12 million people in pursuit of plastic surgery each year? Are they the glamorous and the beautiful? The reality is that they are not celebrities, socialites or even beauty junkies, and few would consider themselves glamorous. Most will tell you they are everyday people -- your friends, neighbors and anyone else who wants to look and feel better.