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More and more people, especially women are paying greater attention to their physical appearance – and for  a woman like me, a simple mascara to enhance my eyes and lip gloss are still reflection that we are a product of media and that we embrace changes to our natural physical appearance. According to the American Society for Aethetic Plastic Surgery, almost 9.5 million Americans had received cosmetic procedures in 2010. This is an increase of nine percent in the past year, with surgical procedures accounting for 17 percent of the total.

What was once considered part of the domain of wealthy older women has now become a mainstream option for many individuals, regardless of income bracket or lifestyle. A recent survey has revealed that more than half of Americans approve of plastic surgery. These numbers suggest that many people, regardless of income, marital status or gender, view plastic surgery as a reasonable option.

The World of First Impressions

Cosmetic surgery can have a positive impact on a person if their body image is consistently associated to a negative focus on a body part or facial feature.  An article “Plastic surgery: Beauty or beast?” reminds us that physically attractive people receive preferential treatment and are viewed by others as being more outgoing, dominant and intelligent than their less attractive counterparts.

Yet another survey conducted by Newsweek revealed that 57% of the interviewed hiring managers said that less attractive candidate are likely to have harder time in finding a job. This quick judging of the candidates has only increased in our highly competitive job market. See the effect?

A 2010 study published in Psychological Science suggests that the general public pays more attention to people they find attractive.

Most of us have read that first impressions are made in the first 30 seconds. The reality of human brain science make actually be worse. The Association for Psychological Science writes:

A series of experiments by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveal that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions (although they might boost your confidence in your judgments).

Women, Men and Cosmetic Procedures 

Women accounted for 92 percent of all procedures performed in the US in 2010. This amounts to almost 8.6 million cosmetic procedures. The five most common surgical procedures for women were liposuction, breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, breast reduction and blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery.

Conversely, men had over 750,000 cosmetic procedures, a majority of which were rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, liposuction, cosmetic ear surgery and breast reduction for enlarged male breasts.

Weighing out the Benefits and Consequences of Plastic Surgery

Doctors are aware of the psychological drama affecting the lives of their patients, and as such, it has become a crucial factor when assessing a patient. If you’re considering plastic surgery, you must ask yourself what you hope to achieve.

Bump Filter by Chaim Zvi @ FlickrIn other words, while cosmetic surgery can improve a patient’s body, these procedures carry no guarantee of personal happiness or improved self-image.