Self Esteem - Would You Ever Consider Cosmetic Surgery?

A little while ago, I did a post about self esteem and insecurities.  I got such a lovely response to that post, that it really made me realise how common it is for young women to experience the same body image issues as I have (and do) myself.

I started to wonder what it was and at what point in my life it was, that I started to hate every part of myself.  I couldn't come up with an answer.

The truth is, my whole life I've been told that I'm pretty, beautiful, smart, lovely.  Apart from an old boyfriend who once told me I had “potential to be gorgeous, but wasn't quite there yet”, at no point has anyone ever told me that I'm fat, or ugly, or not good enough.  So why do I tell myself those things?  And why do I believe them so wholeheartedly?

I have often expressed to friends and family that if I had the money, I would without a doubt in my mind, become the next Heidi Montag.  I'd get every plastic surgery I could think of, to try and transform myself into something that I could perceive to be attractive.  When I say these things, in general I'm returned with “that's ridiculous”, or “don't be silly”, along with a laugh.  But what others don't realise, is how genuinely unhappy I am in my own skin.

This got me thinking about plastic surgery in general.  The fact that I feel this way - and so many of my readers have told me they also feel this way - made me think about how many girls must not only feel this same pain, but actually go through with what are, in many cases, unnecessary surgeries.

The most common non-surgical procedure to date is still Botox.  I have read about young women, some still in their teens, going for Botox treatments on a regular basis.  It made me wonder – would I be one of those women if I had the money to spare?  Yes, I most likely would be.

The most common surgical procedures include breast augmentation, rhinoplasty and liposuction.  Would I consider any of these procedures for myself?  Absolutely, if money wasn't an issue.  Do I need them?  In other people's eyes, probably not.  But to me – definitely!

Dr Jeremy Hunt – a renowned plastic surgeon based in NSW, describes his goal as being “to bring out your natural beauty and make you feel and look your best”.  I wonder though, if I were to undergo any, or all of these procedures, would I really feel better about myself?  Or would I still find further things wrong with me?  In my case, the answer is probably the latter.  However, I do know of many women who have undergone cosmetic procedures, and have gone on to live a far more confident and happy life, than they would have had they never done so.  For that, I truly respect surgeons such as Dr Hunt, and what they can do for a woman's self esteem.

I am not in any way, trying to “sell” plastic surgery – in fact, to someone like myself, I would say the change that is needed, is absolutely on the inside.  When low self-esteem is more than skin deep, there is no amount of surgery that would ever be enough – I would place myself in that category.  But I do believe that for a person who genuinely needs, or wants to make a physical change for the right reasons, one of these procedures could be life changing!

I'd love to hear your opinions on this.  What do you think about cosmetic surgery?  Have you, or would you ever consider it for yourself?  As always, please do comment.  I would love to hear from you x

This post is sponsored by Dr Jeremy Hunt