Sometimes I click on an article with a catchy title – like “Smoking Can Make Your Nipples Fall Off” - which was featured on CNN.com this morning. I neither smoke nor have had plastic surgery, but somehow I felt compelled to read the article!
The article is about how cigarette smoke can diminish blood flow to parts of the body. And in the case of a woman who smokes after plastic surgery, the diminished blood flow can cause her nipples to “die” and fall off. Horrifying. Dr. Anthony Youn, a plastic surgeon and author of “In Stiches” and the article, continues to tell the story about how he used leeches to remove the venous blood from a patient. Even more horrifying.
Somehow this article has not left my mind today. Its disturbing to me on several levels.
1. Plastic surgery is something I always grapple with (and more so as I get older). I have blogged before about my openness to surgery, having debated doing it and then never having the guts to do it! First, I cant deal with pain. Second, as a mom, I have a different attitude about it all together – I think about how I would explain it to my daughters.
But Dr. Youn ends his article with the following:
In addition to the Surgeon General’s Warning that appears on cigarette packages, I now offer the Plastic Surgeon’s Warning to all my patients who smoke: If you are having a breast lift or reduction and you smoke, your nipples could turn black and fall off. If you are having a tummy tuck and you smoke, you may get an infection resulting in a big gross open wound that will take three months to heal. If you are having a facelift and you smoke, the skin of your cheek could turn black and slough off, leaving exposed fat.
Oh My God! Those are some serious warnings! Even if I didn’t smoke, his description reminds me of the trauma that surgery has on our bodies and makes me stronger in my decision not to do anything!
2. The nature of addiction. I have an addictive personality – am a true addict of sugar. Knowing that it is bad for me on so many levels, I still struggle to get over my addiction. In this article, the addiction to nicotine is depicted even more extreme. I so admire people who can overcome their addiction, because often even fear doesn’t motivate change. What is it that finally motivates an addict?
3. The pursuit of happiness. I know from most of my friends who have had plastic surgery that the surgery often helped with their self-esteem. It probably would have helped me too, honestly, if I had done it a while back.
But in the end, can we really find happiness when we only work on the surface? Or, alternatively, if we address the surface first (ie feel good about how you look) only then can we go deeper?
And, when the surgery back fires (and you lose your nipples!!), then what?!!
PHOTO (cc): Flickr / me and the sysop
Really catchy title.
Minor corrective plastic surgeries does help individuals.
Major surgeries to enhance physical assets may not be worth. Of course minor plastic surgeries to enhance aesthetics as per need of profession may be ok, like in case of movie actors.
Major unnecessary Plastic Surgeries which leads to major changes in body has to be avoided or as well said above 'Nipples fall off'.
Dear Mallika,
There are two major angles here that I feel drawn to comment on. One is the topic of plastic surgery and self-esteem. As your dad teaches so well, the more we are in touch with our inner, Absolutely secure self, the less we need external props to build our self-esteem. But it doesn't help to judge those props either (be it surgery or even clothes and bling), if our current sense of self happens to need them. The answer, as always, is to lovingly shine the light of greater awareness on those shadows we run from.
The other topic is the media’s tendency to sensationalize. Nipples falling off are a superlative attention-grabber, as are the Kardashians. While we can parlay them into useful discussions here on IB, it is also useful to realize that the media’s job is to promote readership by hook or by crook, and each time we choose to take the headline’s bait and get hooked by the bizarre story behind it, we are coloring our perception of the world. It can be a tremendous mental workout to walk by the checkout counter (or news website) and give the come-hither headlines none of our precious attention and energy.
Hi Mallika,
Recently, I watched one of the Housewife reality shows where they have "botox" parties. One of the Housewife's husbands is a plastic surgeon. He was at a gathering and while talking to a woman proceeded to tell her what he could do for her appearance with plastic surgery. She was an attractive woman, with an aging face. She ultimately took him up on his surgery offer. She doesn't look all that different which I think is good since many women who go through plastic surgery look very different but not better, imo.
They showed her post surgery with the bandages on her face and it looked awful. They showed her many weeks later where she was healed but her face or skin was still very "tight" but he told her it would take a few more months for that to get better.
I once saw a show where a young girl had such a deformity that no plastic surgeon would take her on but one ultimately did because she really needed it. He did the miraculous with his skills and when you saw what he accomplished you were so thankful that there were doctors with such knowledge and skills.
My problem with the plastic surgery of today's mindset is that to me it treats the body like it is just a "dead" or "lifeless" appendage of our being. To me, undergoing plastic sugery can be very abusive, and, is, in reality, very abusive, to our bodies and that is why we are "put out" to undergo it or numbed to take botox injections and fillers.
Doctors today walk a fine line with drugs and plastic surgery. Americans today are overdrugged, legally, with perscription drugs. Plastic surgeons today are using their skills to legally abuse bodies rather than heal bodies.
I am all for plastic surgery to help and heal but when perfectly aging attractive women believe they "need" to go under a surgeon's knife to "feel better" this is not medicine it is something else entirely and all I can come up with to name it is abusive medicine.
As an aging woman I can look in the mirror everday and see more "wrong" with my appearence than right as far as what is considered attractive. I could run to the the plastic surgeon non stop. I'm glad I can live with my discomfort but the way plastic surgey is going in today's world I think there will come a time when the disease of anti-aging will be more common place everywhere and with even younger females and the discomfort that naturally comes with our aging process as far as our looks are concerned will be too difficult to handle and the plastic surgery "fix" will be readily available everywhere at cheaper and cheaper prices.
Thank you Rajesh, Swordsman and Rann for each of your very thoughtful comments.
Plastic surgery has always been a topic I wrestle with. I can relate, very easily, to women who have done small surgeries – rhinoplasty, breast reduction/augmentation after kids, etc. Forever, when I was younger, I considered getting rhinoplasty but my dad, brother and husband were all very much against the idea. Now that I am seeing some wrinkles and droopiness on my own face, I can even relate to Botox and Face Lifts!!
All that said, for me personally, the idea of going through any kind of pain to address my body image insecurities is just not worth it. Also, after becoming a mom, I truly believe that we are the role models for our children. With two young girls, I can only teach them that security comes from inside, if I set the example for them.
My 10 year old is very astute about surgery and already comments on those around us all the time. They also saw Michael Jackson in person, and we had many conversations afterwards about how MJ looked different from when he was younger, and why he change himself the way he did. Needless to say, seeing him was an extreme example.
Also, many of my friends are genuinely more happy and secure with themselves after surgery. I do think there are times when we can only address the inside after we have addressed the outside.
Fascinating discussion for me. And, Swordsman, the crazy titles definitely are fodder for discussion.