Will You Cut it Out?
What Free, Televised cosmetic surgery won't do for you
by Shellie R. Warren

Is it just me or is anyone else sick of all this hype surrounding reality television and more specifically, those which focus on cosmetic surgery? There's nothing sustainable about it. Just in case you are living under a rock somewhere or better yet, are the kind of person to take advantage of the non-televised reality of real life, the three main ones I am referring to are I Want a Famous Face (MTV), Extreme Makeover (ABC) and the queen (pun intended) of them all, The Swan (Fox).

A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to figure out just what has me so agitated with this kind of programming and immediately my thoughts went back to my high school years, which were physically awkward to say the least. Not to brag, but I had a body to beat out any girl on FX's snip soap, Nip/Tuck, but when it came to my face and acne-affected skin, things were less appealing. I had an overbite which some less tactful people called “buck-toothed”, really full lips, a protruding forehead, pimple scars (from trying to do my own zit removal surgery by hand), and a head full of hair that grew thicker rather than longer. I was never perceived as the “pretty one”; in your teen years you tend to feel that there is really nothing else left but “ugly”.

I know what you're thinking: “High school is awkward for everyone”. I would agree, although I must admit that I had some pretty stunning looking friends even in those cosmetically complex times, but let me finish. At 29, guess what? I still have the overbite, the full lips, the forehead, and a monthly round of acne when my hormones are doing their thing (if you catch my drift). On the physical level, nothing has really changed, but we'll get to that later.

It has been just within the past several months that America has provided people with the so-called privilege to audition to have free work done on…whatever they wish, and to be honest, in the midst of my tears and the teasing, who knows what would have happened if an open casting call had been held in my hometown my senior year of high school or sophomore year of college? With that said, my purpose is not to judge the contestants of these programs, but to provide another perspective.

Just this week, I read an article on Forbes.com about the reality of on-air cosmetic procedures:

“…Reality television shows really promote unrealistic expectations, and to get patients to have realistic expectations is one of the hardest things we do in our practice," Dr. Peter B. Fodor, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, who reportedly was asked to perform operations of Extreme Makeover and declined, said.

Another doctor in the article stated, “The Swan and I Want a Famous Face border on hype and get to the freaky side of medicine," Dr. Derrick Antell, a surgeon and a spokesperson for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated. "Good plastic surgery should not be extreme and it should not scream. It should whisper."

However, it appears that Nielsen ratings and reality lovers are screaming for more when it comes to viewing and participating in cosmetic surgery. Some believe it is because television is simply imitating real life. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery's 2003 Procedural Survey, there was a 6.7% increase in procedures from the previous year (over 870,000 of its members); the most popular procedure for men being hair transplants, liposuction, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and for women, breast augmentation (a 8.5% increase) and liposuction (a 6.3% increase). Studies also reflected that over 90% of cosmetic surgeons perform Botox procedures in their office, with the average age of people receiving plastic surgery being 41.

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