I'm assuming this question was for me, since I mentioned my nose job LOL. That's a subject I'd hop right in there with you on.

For reference, my surgery was about 75% medical and 25% cosmetic. I did not have an extremely large nose, or a hump, or anything else that would have caused comment from anyone looking at me (the photo on my profile has my "old" nose for reference). I actually asked my PS to leave my nose looking as much like it used to as possible, just straighter and more symmetrical; I remember at one point insisting (under anesthetic) that I didn't want one of those pointy little white noses.

What I did have was a nose that was broken when I was a child, and healed with an extremely deviated septum and caused me constant headaches and occasional difficulty breathing. It was a 5 hour surgery due to the reconstruction that had to be done during the septoplasty. Due to the asymmetry of my outer cartilage, in the course of straightening the septum, a bit of rhinoplasty was also necessary to make the outside match the newly straight inside. I like my new nose, for a variety of reasons. Yes, I did get cosmetic benefits from it, and I love them. Fortunately there's not much I could do in the future (short of getting hit with a baseball bat) that will render them moot.

However, I would caution anyone who's considering a nose job, that it also is nothing like you see on the Swan or Extreme Makeover. On those shows, recovery takes five minutes and although you occasionally see a woman groaning in pain, it seems to be over quickly. This is not the case. It's long and it ranges from extremely painful to very uncomfortable for weeks. You run a good chance of not getting the results that you wanted or expected, and there's a lot of emotional turmoil involved.

So, I would definitely agree that the same shows which make it look like a breeze to walk into a PS and walk out looking like a brand new you, are doing a major disservice to the booming market for plastic surgery. And sadly, there are a lot of unqualified doctors lurching into the field, scalpel waving, to take advantage of the new craze for physical perfection. I went to four different doctors before I found one that I was comfortable with, and felt had the qualifications and expertise; as well as understood that I wanted to keep my very native american nose as much intact as possible.

My point is, that although I think tv shows and marketing, as well as the media in general, tend to glorify cosmetic procedures, and there ARE people who go "doctor-shopping" to get the liposuction or new breasts they're just SURE will lead to perfection...

There are people who have an underlying medical condition, such as yourself, or things like cleft palate that would lead to suffering if left uncorrected.

There are people who don't feel they can show their face in public because they were born with, or developed through accidental injury, scarring or deformities which, while not life-threatening, diminish the quality of their life. would any of us presume to tell them to just buck up and deal with it the "harder" way, since suffering builds character?

How about a grey area of breast reconstruction after mastectomy? You can , and many DO, live the rest of their lives with a jagged scar where a breast used to be... but what of the ones who choose to ease that adjustment by trying to make their bodies look as "normal" as possible? I don't think one choice makes the woman "better" or "braver" than the other... just different. To do what they have to do in order to feel like they can face life.

So what if a person chooses to have the surgery "just" to lose weight and look "normal"? Yeah, I'm sure there would be, and ARE some people who need counselling more than surgery, who see a flap of skin or lump of fat as a tragedy. There are already people who botox and silicone themselves into monsters. I don't agree with that, but I'm not their mother.

My point, and I promise there IS one under there somewhere... Even if WLS was considered purely cosmetic, I really don't feel it's possible to judge whether someone "needs" it unless you're a doctor, counsellor, or VERY close to them, and no matter how close you are... you may not have all the information you need to decide.

I don't know anyone who has had WLS for any reason, but I know of many people who are dieting primarily for vanity, without any desire to understand the underlying health issues and metabolic science on even the most basic level. Basically, they are making the most important health decision of their life with no more consideration than they would give to a new pair of jeans - how it looks on them.

My guess is that the most likely outcome for people with that attitude would be the same, whether they choose surgery or diet - any diet, even low-carb: perhaps short term success but long term failure. But then again, I don't think that people who DO understand the science would choose surgery in the first place.

Wyv

I always wondered why I had no pain after my nose job. He was a reconstruction specialist .

My point, and I promise there IS one under there somewhere... Even if WLS was considered purely cosmetic, I really don't feel it's possible to judge whether someone "needs" it unless you're a doctor, counsellor, or VERY close to them, and no matter how close you are... you may not have all the information you need to decide.

I think WLS is done at least partially for cosmetic reasons, and I have no problem with that at all. I'm losing weight because I want to look hot, not because I suddenly became concerned about my cholesterol levels. The way I started on this journey was not that my doctor said to me, "you're overweight, you need to get healthier." I caught a glimpse of myself in a reflective surface and decided that I didn't want to look like that anymore.

If this point wasn't directed at me, then disregard. But I've never tried to judge whether anyone needed WLS or their motivations for having it. If it's for 100% cosmetic reasons, then have at it. Ego is a much stronger motivator in the human psyche than most other things, health included.