Surgical alteration: a western fad

Times have changed. Good looks are what everyone is after these days. Who doesn’t like to have a straight, a sharp nose like Eva Mendes or an attractive back like Kim Kardashian? But the truth is that many of the enviable features seen on the silver screen are medical miracles rather than God-given assets. Like technology, beauty has also assumed global standards.

Body shapes are also powerful marketing tools that are used to sell everything right from beauty aids to clothing, shoes, cosmetics, bikes, cars and what not.

Today, it is no longer difficult to live up to global standards of beauty for anyone because the solution is in our hands - aesthetic surgery or going under the knife in pursuit of beauty. As the romantic poets of England once said, “A thing of beauty is joy forever.” Today beauty is not only a thing a joy but also a thing of career, passion, lifestyle, business promotion.

The prominent concepts of feminine beauty on demand are: S-Line - ample breasts and buttocks when viewed from the side; V-Line (second use) - the line in between the breasts; W-Line - breasts viewed from the front; X-Line - long legs and arms connected by a narrow waist; U-Line - exposed lower back in low cut clothing; M-Line - a "six pack" of abdominal muscles on men; D-Line - a pregnant (or pregnant-appearing) abdomen; B-Line - big breasts, big abdomen; O-Line - generalised obesity.

All the above surgeries are not equally complex but they deserve and demand experts or a highly specialised team for safety and best results. S–line and other facial surgeries are often considered the most complex and irreversible. The S-line is one of the most popular postures seen so often model photography of aspiring to celebrity.

Removal of tummy sag and filling the buttocks with fat for a curvy, shapely appearance and enhancing the breasts are the parts of this S –line surgery. The other surgeries that give a paradigmatic shift in the physical appearance are: Mouth surgery, which is a surgery on the mouth. It is highly specialised and often best performed by maxillofacial surgeons trained in advanced techniques for the teeth and bones of the face. If too much gum tissue is visible when smiling, and the space between the bottom of nose and top of the lip is too short people go for the mouth surgery that totally changes shape of the mouth which requires complex maxillofacial surgery including possible removal of teeth, jaw fracture, repositioning, and wiring.

Eyelid plastic surgery has become the most popular of all facial cosmetic surgery procedures selected by patients of Asian descent in the East and the West. However, it is not, as many people assume, merely a single operation on the upper eyelid. The primary objective of the surgery is to make the Asian eye appear bigger, more open, more expressive, and sometimes more Western.

Cosmetic surgery in South Korea

South Korea has world's highest rate of cosmetic plastic surgery. South Korea is an extremely beauty-centric society, where looks are as important as brains. There are mirrors everywhere, in subways, shopping malls, work places. Competition is not limited to intelligence. Looking good is a part of being competent for many jobs. Even men are after good looks. Parents offer cosmetic surgery as a gift to children when they pass exams. By this one can understand how popular cosmetic surgery is. The people there are brutally honest about their desire to look good and the society. Men and women admit that their society is beauty-centric.

Cosmetic surgery in China

Until 2001, plastic surgery undertaken in China for purely cosmetic reasons was banned, presumably with the intent of preserving traditional appearances and styles. Illegal, however, despite its late entry into the cosmetic surgery arena, China is going ahead rapidly. In a country where marriage competition has grown intense and single young men greatly outnumber available young women, every other unmarried male should be considering cosmetic surgery these days to help get a job and a mate as well.

Cosmetic surgery in Japan

Until recently, plastic surgery that altered facial features very noticeably was disliked by the Japanese public. Seen as artificial and overly "Western", women who had plastic surgery were called "Kewpie dolls" and men who underwent surgery were denigrated as "cute". But Japan, too, adores cosmetic surgery yielding to the global trends of beauty. Among them, the craze for Kim Kardashian on the internet is a testimony to this crazy new trend.

35-year-old Kim opted for a non-invasive procedure to trim her backside and get rid of spots and pimples and to augment its shape to make it look more beautiful. She often draws attention to her bountiful derriere by wearing very tight attires. Her bare back was all over media last week. She has been a great inspiration to many people around the world.

Cosmetic surgery in India

In India, as in the West, fairness cream ads and wellness treatment have influenced the minds of people. The country is now emerging as the world’s best destination for cosmetic surgery, as per reports in popular media. Advertisements glorifying cosmetic surgery and the western credo have influenced East Asia, and particularly India. Plastic surgery has roots in India that date back to 2000 BC.

Fair skin and a size-zero figure are the demands in the modelling and cine industry. It is not just Indian women that are affected. Even the men are not very far behind, as most of them are after hair transplantation and obesity reduction.

Seems like Kim Kardashian has electrified Indians, too, for they are also in the butt beauty enhancement race. Many are opting to transform their tushies through a series of non-surgical procedures like butt sculpting and polishing as well as surgical augmentation, popularly known as butt lifts. Dr Reema Arora, senior consultant at Delhi's Reva Clinic, says that the cool-sculpting treatment using lasers is safe and comfortable. “The patient can even watch a film while it's on, and get back to work immediately. Even men are coming in to have their backsides sculpted,” she says.

Dr Raghav, a senior consultant at Max Super Specialty Hospital, says that it's not just fat reduction what people seek. Now the demand is increasing for well-shaped buttocks.

Long ago, middle class parents used to seek dental procedures to correct the irregular teeth of the girls to enhance their child’s appearance, apart from the defects caused by accidents, burns. This was the only cosmetic surgeries that were taken up. Other kinds of cosmetic surgery were unimaginable even by the elite class. But it has fast transformed. India was once a conservative society, but today it is not. The latest craze in popular birthday presents among the young and affluent in Bengaluru is cosmetic surgery!