Why Do People Elect To Have Plastic Surgery?

Dr. Hsu is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and Reconstructive Microsurgeon providing stare of the art cosmetic and reconstruction enhancements.

For Immediate Release: Cosmetic surgery has grown in use with every year. There is a greater desire in individuals to look their best, even with surgical assistance.

It seems like people from all walks of life are electing to have cosmetic procedures. At one time, plastic surgery was pretty much limited to people in the entertainment business. There are numerous procedures available for altering our physical appearance. The most popular surgeries currently include breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tucks, and facelift procedures. There are several reasons why plastic surgery procedures have become very popular, to the point where hundreds of thousands are performed each year. It isn’t all about trying to look glamorous in a glamorous profession. It is more about individuals unhappy with certain aspects of their appearance, and having the wherewithal to seek out changes. Over time, plastic surgery has become available to the average person. It has also been refined to the point of being very effective and safe.

We spoke with Dr. Patrick Hsu, chief of plastic, cosmetic and reconstruction surgery at Memorial Plastic Surgery in Houston, Texas, about the upsurge in procedures and why more and more people are electing to have the surgery. “There is a natural tendency”, the doctor said, “for people to focus on their real or perceived physical shortcomings. In a culture like ours that puts such an emphasis on physical beauty, there is stress on all of us to want to be as attractive as possible.” The doctor went on to say, “The procedures have become so widespread that it has made it easier for people to have them. This in turn, has led to the procedures being even more widespread.”

In a world where first impressions are so important it is completely understandable why people seek to improve the way they look. There is also a matter of issues of self-esteem. Our outward appearance is tied to how we feel inwardly. Even though we are taught from an early age that what is important is on the inside, we all come to understand at some point that outward appearance matters a great deal. We also live in a society that is very youth oriented.

A lot of people may wonder why that matters; just ask someone who has gone on a job interview and lost the job to a younger person, they will tell you that youth prevails. That is a reason why facelifts have become so popular. They can take up to ten years of age off your face. That type of rejuvenation can be huge to someone who is in their forties.

The media often gets the brunt of derision for fomenting this idea of an unrealistic image through fashion magazines and entertainment journals. They are constantly holding up this small percentage of the population as the ideal. This puts pressure on the rest of us. Still if we aren’t happy with our appearance and it is causing emotional distress, then surgery as an option is viable. If we have the ability to get assistance in looking better or more youthful, then we should. There is no reason that, in today’s world, we should have to be unhappy about our appearance.

About Dr. Patrick Hsu

Dr. Patrick Hsu is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon and Reconstructive Microsurgeon who specializes in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the breasts and body, including breast augmentation, tummy tucks and liposuction. Dr. Patrick Hsu received a Bachelor of Science at Rutgers College and then a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Albany Medical College. He received his Medical Degree from UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, graduating President of his class with highest honors and distinction. Following medical school graduation, Dr. Hsu attended the prestigious Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hsu completed his plastic surgery fellowship at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson and dedicated an additional year to a second fellowship in Microsurgery at the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Visit www.memorialplasticsurgery.com for more information.