Plastic Surgery is More Acceptable

I was happy to come across an article this week by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery that reported on a shift in perception that plastic surgery is more acceptable today that even five years ago. I found this news encouraging because I still meet patient that feel that having surgery on themselves is too "vain". Never mind the fact that people spend their discretionary money on a lot of other things that are equally discretionary - and some don't seem to process the same type of guilt about other discretionary purchases as vanity (think new car, boat, snowmobile, cabin, bigger house, vacations, etc.).
Orthodontist have been well positioned with many teenagers and more adults with braces being quite acceptable for a long time. They are improving both appearance and function - like a lot of plastic surgery does. For those of you who don't know - I finally got my braces off. I can't say that I ever got totally used to having them. I was just so aware of my teeth and smile every time I met a new person or patient because I thought people would think I was trying to look like I was 17 at age 50. It didn't seem to help when people would say, "I can hardly notice" which means that they did notice. Every time I ate out was distressing because there was always something clinging for dear life onto my braces after every meal. SO - I get that changing your appearance comes with some slow improvements and that most people were quite encouraging of the decision.
So the good news seems to be that plastic surgery is becoming more acceptable and just like wearing braces, people are increasingly comfortable with changing the way that they look. Cosmetic surgery increased almost a hundred percent over the last decade. I can only hope that the 20% of people who responded to the survey who were considering plastic surgery in the future - don't wait too long. I'm also hoping that the robust start of 2010 continues not just in our industry - but across the country.