eye plastic surgery

See Yourself from a New Perspective

We have all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  As a plastic surgeon I have learned that the most important beholder is one’s self.  When my clients feel comfortable in their own skin, they stand a little differently, speak a little differently, make choices a little differently.  When they feel beautiful, they are beautiful—both inside and out.

Sometimes we think of plastic surgery as an attempt to twist our bodies into an unnatural notion of societal expectations.  I do see people on occasion who want an unrealistic enhancement or believe they can recapture a body or face lost 30 years earlier.  But not usually.  Usually I see a mom of 3 or 4 kids who just wants to feel comfortable in the privacy of her home or when she takes the kids to the pool.  Usually I see a woman who doesn’t recognize herself in the mirror and just wants to feel pretty, not 25 years old.  Usually I see a man whose grandkids think he’s mad all the time because his brows hang low and his forehead is creased from years of worry.  Usually I see a kid who doesn’t want to be teased at school anymore because her ears stick out or because he has female-like breasts.

Let me tell you about one of my “usual” clients (I share this story with permission).  After two children her body had gone through significant changes.  She sat in my office nervously joking about women from National Geographic’s Magazine, revealing her deep insecurities.  She confessed to my staff that she was sure no one had breasts as sagging and deformed as hers.  She was sure she was the worst case I had seen.

I cannot tell you how many clients I see believe they are the worst case scenario. Whether wrinkles in the face, cords in the neck and sagging jowls, small breast or large, so many people convince themselves they are somehow hopelessly different and unfixable.  She was also afraid that wanting to look “normal” was selfish and vain.  For her, it wasn’t about trying to create a body that was unnatural but exactly the opposite.

Her husband was terrified of surgery.  He was sure he would wake up the next day and not recognize his wife.  He kept telling me “I don’t want volleyballs.” And she kept reassuring him, “No one is talking about volleyballs.”  His anxiety reflected his love for his wife and he said over again, you already look great to me.

Surgery went smoothly and she says all the time, “I am a new Woman!”  She told me, “It’s not about trying to be something you’re not.  It’s about feeling normal and whole again.  My shame and guilt were comforted by your nonjudgmental compassion, and that has made all the difference.”  Her husband? He is gushing.  You’d be surprised how many men gush.  He told me, “I thought she was beautiful no matter what.  But I have to say, it is so nice to have her back.”  He isn’t just talking about her figure.  He is talking about his wife’s renewed confidence.  That is why at NuVista Plastic Surgery I invite you to see yourself from a new perspective.”  It’s still you. But now you feel as beautiful as you look.