Human brains are hardwired to appreciate good looks – and that's why beautiful people fare better, a leading plastic surgeon has revealed.
Dr M.S. Jayasekhar, consultant plastic and cosmetic surgeon, quotes history to get his point across. “Remember what the bard said about the shape of Cleopatra's nose. 'Had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed.'”
According to him, physical attractiveness has a significant effect on a person's self esteem and mental well being. “Yes, beauty isn't just skin deep. The physically attractive people usually have a positive self image, which helps to increase their socialisation. It naturally leads to development of more social skills and greater assertiveness.”
The handsome-looking ones are also more likely to receive job offers than their less good looking contemporaries with same qualifications.
“A pot belly or a flabby chest would immediately disqualify a candidate in a job for defence services,” says Dr.Jayasekhar. Similarly, a few extra pounds of flab or an unseemly scar can ruin the dreams and aspirations of a girl, who wants to make it big in the film or fashion industry.
According to Jayasekhar, most physical inadequacies can be overcome through plastic surgery. “The appearance of the face, and all its components can be changed; chests, waists and bottoms can be contoured, limbs can be sculptured, scars and tattoos can be erased,” he says.
Children born with birth deformities such as cleft lip and elderly people with wrinkled faces come under the purview of a plastic surgeon's knife. A skilled plastic surgeon can really improve the quality of life of their patients with congenital malformations, disfiguring wounds, animal bites, profound burn injuries as well as those who would reconstruction after surgery for malignancy and other chronic conditions.
With the rise of obesity, many tend to accumulate fat in lower abdomen, buttocks, flanks and chin. Treatments such as liposuction, tummy tucks, arm reductions and breast reductions are designed for such patients. “Age, pollution, stress, habits of smoking and drinking can age our skins and sag our body parts. These can be solved in the form of face lifts, botox injections, laser rejuvenations, neck lifts, breast lifts and trunkplasties,” he says.
The plastic surgeons also have solutions for those who are having scars due to injuries and surgery marks that turn ino thick ugly scars 'keloids'. Through scar revision surgeries, treatments with injections, laser and silicon plasters, the stubborn marks can be permanently removed.
There are methods to even change the shape of nose, ears, eyes, brows, lips or forehead. Breasts can be enlarged or reduced in sizes. Belly buttons can be reshaped to give youthful radiance.
And if you want to smile differently from now, no problem, a cosmetic dentist can you aid you with that too.
Plastic surgery is gaining ground in sex change operations and surgery of the genitalia as well. Fictional things of the past such as 'face transplant surgeries' are done successfully these days. “With futuristic techniques and changing perceptions towards, beauty, plastic surgery is here to stay,” says Dr. Jayasekhar.
In the US and UK, most cosmetic surgeries are now slowly moving away from the main hospital setting to the privacy of day surgery centres. This type of office surgery procedures help patients to avoid hospitalisation, cut costs, to have more privacy, all the while enjoying better surroundings. The risks of infections too will be less in the such setups.
“As such, plastic surgery is a branch of medicine, where art, creative skills, imagination and science work in perfect harmony to achieve perfection in human body,” concludes Dr. Jayasekhar.