Facial Plastics in The Age of Instagram
For many years plastic surgery on the face has been a taboo or a topic of discussion of society for the show biz. Things have changed. Interventions in the face do not cause as many discussions and sometimes contribute to happiness.
There are also cases where debunking is followed by exaggeration or hysteria, with the result that in recent years we read news about people who disfigured their face after multiple or excessive interventions or about others who want to look like such a filter. Complacency may have taken off in the age of social media, but this does not reflect the exact picture of facial surgery.
What are the interventions that are mainly requested?
Two are mainly the plastic surgeries I perform due to my specialization. Rhinoplasty and otoplasty. I would like you to give me a reason why the parent of a child with slightly bigger ears and the child itself should undergo long sessions of psychotherapy to deal with a society that is relentless, when a very simple solution can be given, in just one hour of surgery, with a beautiful result and with a truly happy patient, free from insecurities. It is true that social media is the main cause of the large increase in surgical interventions on the face;
The trends and standards of beauty have always been determined by the current era and mainly by the possibility of communication and information. For example, in the Middle Ages, white skin was a sign of” kindness ” and attractiveness, while today the exact opposite is true.Nowadays, Instagram for example, with its millions of users, the speed of image transmission and the possibility of direct communication it offers plays a leading role in shaping the standards of beauty. Man by nature is an imitative being. He tries to copy patterns or behaviors because, even subconsciously, his great deviation from them considers that differentiates him and alienates him from the social as a whole.
However, as helpful as social media can be, they also need a lot of attention as they often lure users to accept as “nice” or “fashion”, excessive and often distorting interventions with which I am strongly opposed. Yes to balanced, natural and necessary changes. Not to excesses that the only sure thing is that they end in disharmony and deformity.
Psychology does not contradict all this ,which “says” that we must accept ourselves as we are;
I would like you to give me a reason why the parent of a child with slightly bigger ears and the child itself should undergo long sessions of psychotherapy to deal with a society that is relentless, when a very simple solution can be given, in just one hour of surgery, with a beautiful result and with a truly happy patient, free from insecurities.It is of particular interest to observe the reactions of the social environment of a patient. If for example a rhinoplasty is done after an accident the surroundings applaud. If it is done to correct a congenital malformation be wary. In my opinion, this attitude is wrong. It is not ” bad ” to want someone to change in his face a deformity that afflicts him. Bad, is the exaggeration.
I imagine there will be more objective criteria, beyond standards and social media…
The question I always ask my patients is this: “does the deformity you have affect your self-confidence? Here, of course, it is the surgeon’s responsibility to assess whether the patient has a realistic approach to his problem, whether he has been influenced by social trends or whether there is a deeper problem underlying it.For example, there are patients who believe that by correcting a facial deformity, they will win back their ex-partner. As you can see, this is pathological.
I saw that you have done a PhD in quality of life for rhinoplasty patients. These interventions affect a person’s health, beyond their psychology;
In my long-term study on the results of rhinoplasty It was shown that this operation not only changes the appearance of the nose but decisively improves the quality of life, treating snoring and ensuring free breathing and a better supply of oxygen to the body. It is not enough for the patient to have a nice nose. It is necessary to breathe and properly.
There are cases when a rhinoplasty is a health issue and not an aesthetic one;
Yes! The main example is functional rhinoplasty. Often this operation concerns only the inside of the nose. The nasal septum, nasal Concha, adenoids, polyps, chronic sinusitis, etc.are corrected. aimed at treating upper respiratory diseases
There is some intervention that we do not imagine is often done?
Otoplasty. It is a painless operation, with immediate visible results. Think of girls who hide half the face with their hair so that their ears are not visible or boys who are bullied from the first grades of school for The Shape of their ears. I am therefore very happy as a doctor when with my intervention I can contribute to changing a person’s daily life for the better.
Have a picture of the age and gender of the persons concerned for a plastic intervention on their face;
Not all procedures can be performed at all ages. In addition to protruding ears that should be corrected early at the age of 5-7, rhinoplasty should be performed after adulthood. The reason is that the physical development of the area must have been completed. Those concerned are mostly women. However, in recent years more and more men visit me and I would say that they approach 35% of patients.
