In this era of TV shows replete with extravagant ads of “perfect man/ woman”, no wonder people seek ways to “fix” their outer rather than inner selves. When “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” debuted, people became crazy about getting Brazilian “butt lifts” to look like Kim Kardashian. That may be ok if you have the money to throw away. But how many consider the immense risks that we take just to live up to society’s standards of beauty?
There is a lot of pressure on both men/women to look their best. One-fourth of men and one-fifth of women take longer than 30 minutes to get ready each morning. To go out at night, nearly half of women require longer than 30 minutes of getting ready time. Between showering, fixing hair, putting on cosmetic products, it’s an ordeal. Women in particular, spend a pretty penny on these make-up products “to turn beautiful”. Statistics report that the cosmetics industry brings in over $55 billion annually.
“Cosmetic Surgery” is now all the rage, with procedures entirely focusing on enhancing a person’s appearance, improving aesthetic appeal, symmetry, and proportion. The top four popular procedures in India are a) Breast Augmentation, b) Liposuction, c) Rhinoplasty and d) Butt Augmentation.
“Breast augmentation” is a “boob job” done to make your breasts look more rounded, pointed and voluptuous. An incision is made either around the breast fold or the areola and saline and silicone implants are used. Cost? Rs. 1.5 to 2.5 lakh. “Liposuction” is done to remove bulges near the abdomen, hips and arms. Ultrasound energy is used to break fat cells before being pumped out through small incisions. Cost? Rs 50,000 to Rs. 1.25 lakhs per area. “Rhinoplasty” is by far the most challenging procedure. It involves re-structuring the nose for aesthetic reasons. Most incisions are made inside the nose to lift the skin or make changes to the cartilages, bones or soft tissues. Cost? Rs. 1.25 lakh or above.
But the most controversial and most overdone surgery in India is “Bariatric surgery.” Here, weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through removal of a portion of the stomach or by resecting and re-routing the small intestine to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery). Mishaps are common. Recently I heard that two of my friends died of complications of bariatric surgery. Any surgery that is overdone is bound to lead to complications especially when we see it as a “formula” and do not regard patients as individuals. In the aftermath of “bariatrics” someone who was 110 kg can get the “deflation syndrome”, where the skin sags and it is not clothes but the skin hanging off you. As with any major surgery, gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries pose potential health risks, both in the short term and long term. In the short term we have risks associated with adverse reactions to anesthesia. Long- term risks include bowel obstruction, dumping syndrome (diarrhea, nausea or vomiting), gallstones, hernias, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), malnutrition, and stomach perforation. Though we must concede that many benefit immensely from bariatric surgery — and I have seen jubilant patients thanking their stars — let’s remember that for every good case there is a bad case and vice versa.
It is very important that the cosmetic surgeon spends time with the patient to know exactly what he wants and why. Here is the story of a patient who took an appointment to do “fillers.” The cosmetic surgeon told him he didn’t need it. Why? To begin with, the patient had many handicaps besides the fact that he was tongue-tied and could not even talk. But somebody apparently had put in his mind the idea that fillers could solve his problem. The “conscientious cosmetic surgeon” (and there are a few today!), refused to budge. After much discussion he decided to send him to a psychiatrist where, little-by-little, he got over his wrong notions and priorities. Recently, a renowned scholar friend of mine, who was rotund and plump, suffered a heart attack. Her cousin, an eminent doctor, took her for an emergency angioplasty and saved her life. Thereafter, with a lot of will-power she lost many kilos and became “a changed woman” looking attractive and gorgeous. Yet, there was that nagging “abdominal bulge.” So obsessed was she with it that she went for a successful liposuction.
All of us know many “physically beautiful people” who are not truly lovable because on the inside they are anything but pretty. Conversely, we have known some “not-so-physically beautiful people” who are amazing on the inside that you don’t even notice their “bodily imperfections.” So, here’s the take-home message. Let’s stop worrying too much about outer beauty because it fades. Rather than worrying about the wrinkles on our faces or the flab around our thighs, let’s think about how we can be kinder and gentler. After all it’s our heart’s beauty that matters the most.
(Dr Francisco Colaço is a seniormost consulting physician, pioneer of Echocardiography in Goa and a column writer)
