European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse To your health despite Cost and risk plastic surgery thrives new York times photo by James Hirsch new York times Here was a time when you could never be too Rich or too Young. Now it seems you cannot be too Beautiful. Never before have so Many americans desired flawless features and Luminous skin and been willing to pay so much to have them despite risks cosmetic surgery and dentistry hair transplants and anti wrinkling drugs All Are seen As the Means to improve social lives and boost careers. People have always been vain but now they re less guilty about pampering themselves said Michael s. Solomon a psychologist and the chairman of the marketing department in the school of business at Rutgers University. The taboos against these procedures Are the numbers Are striking 590,550 plastic surgery procedures were performed in the United states in 1986, an increase of 24 percent from 1984, according to the american society of plastic and reconstructive surgeons the most popular procedure is liposuction with More than 100,000 operations performed at $500 to $4,000 a throw breast augmentation comes next at $1,800 to $4,000, followed by eyelid lifts $1,000 to $4,000 and nose surgery $1,500 to $6,000. A growing number of men Are having cosmetic surgery. The society said that in 1984, men accounted for about 13 percent of All such procedures. The number has increased but no one knows How much. Men have realized that they can be reasonably Macho and still have surgery to get rid of baggy eyes or a double Chin said Milton t. Edgerton the chairman of the department of plastic surgery at the University of Virgina medical Center. Fifteen years ago men Felt embarrassed to ask for these types of but the payoff for both men and women can be questionable. If you have an extremely unattractive appearance correcting it can make a real difference in How you function but that applies to a minority of people said Rita j. Freedman a new York psychologist and the author of Beauty bound Lexington books 1985which explores the role of physical attractiveness in women. For the vast majority who Are average looking physical changes do not produce life what s More in the View of some medical specialists troubling questions surround the use and aggressive marketing of treatments in which healthy bodies Are subjected to the unnecessary risks however slight of surgery or drugs. Page 16 the stars and stripes we must draw the line Between major deformities like Cleft palates and the unending series of face lifts or liposuction procedures a lot of which can be corrected by dieting and exercise said William b. Bondeson a professor of philosophy who teaches medical ethics at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Most cosmetic surgery is just that cosmetic. It s not curing ills or and effecting cures he said is what most doctors should be doing. Nonetheless people seem willing to pay More than Money for vanity several Days of pain following a liposuction procedure which alters the body s shape by suctioning off fat cells redness and chafing sometimes associated with retin a an acne drug and increased sensitivity to the Sun when it is used at All and Small scars marking cosmetic surgery junkies who Are nipped and tucked from eyes to thighs. Some doctors and psychologists argue that the discomfort and the expenditure Are justified because the benefits of thinner thighs and softer skin Are More than meet the Eye. There is a growing awareness of the psychology of appearances said or. Arthur k. Balin a dermatologist at Rockefeller University and the president of the american aging association a research group. An enormous number of medical consequences May accompany a poor appearance and it would Benefit physicians to look upon ugliness not As a cosmetic Issue but As a american culture cherishes Beauty and youth Balin said noting that from the time a person is born Beauty is equivalent to Good and ugliness to in practical terms he said it can mean the difference Between whether a sprightly lady is helped across the Street or a bag lady is it can also make a difference in Job offers and pay raises according to some professionals who View cosmetic surgery As a career investment. If two people Are up for the same promotion it s the person who looks better who gets the Job said Marci Blaze a 33-year-old vice president at a Public relations firm in los Angeles. Three years ago she underwent nose surgery she said her self image immediately improved As did her love life. To win the game she said you got to the need to look better longer has also intensified As demographic data show that greater numbers of people Are delaying marriage divorcing More often and living to an older age. With greater single Hood More people Are sexually marketing themselves Freedman said. Claire Shull who gave her age As Over 40, owns her own company Claire casting in new York which films auditions for advertising agencies. In her business she tuesday july 12, 1988 said youthfulness is no Small matter. Many of my clients Are in their 20s Young advertising people film producers and directors she said. They re buying my experience but the value of youth is very much six months ago she started using retin a. My feeling is that you would t Wear a dress that is wrinkled so Why would you allow your skin to wrinkle she said. While retin a has not taken years off her face she said it has made her appear better so intensely pursued is the holy grail of Good looks that people Are turning to cosmetic surgery in greater numbers despite a doubling in prices Over the past 10 years said or. Gerald i. Pitman a new York plastic surgeon and a faculty member of new York University s school of Medicine. While inflation has affected prices More sophisticated medical technology has also driven up costs. Technology however has spawned a greater variety of operations decreased scarring and reduced health risks. Liposuction for example was a nonexistent technique five years ago Edgerton said. We have procedures that Are far safer and More reliable than those that we had just three years ago so surgeons can feel comfortable recommending while Edgerton and other doctors say most patients report satisfactory results they acknowledge that surgery carries a risk it can sometimes kill. Liposuction for example can Lead to massive infection excessive damage to capillaries and fluid depletion resulting in Shock and coma. Breast implants can sometimes produce a hardening of the breast when the scar tissue that forms around the implant contracts. And silicone particles can leak through the implant membrane and Lodge in organs of the body. Marilyn Newhoff a 44-year-old speech professor in Gadsden ala., had breast augmentation surgery 10 years ago. Her Boyfriend at the time a plastic surgeon paid for the procedure As a gift for completing her doctorate. I always wanted breast augmentation and the plastics Man let me do it cheaply said Newhoff who subsequently married someone else. Several months after her surgery one breast flattened when the silicone particles leaked Newhoff said. A second operation was performed she said that she is pleased with the results. Newhoff said she knew of the risks but believed the surgery would improve her sense of Well being. From a psychological perspective i integrated my breasts into my image of myself she said. The surgery was like getting a wonderful haircut the kind i should have had All my
