The Plastic Surgery Boom: Why Is Enhancement So Popular?

Surveys have shown that plastic surgery is on the rise, even as the country’s economic situation would seem contrary to that point. Even with fewer people having discretionary income they can afford to blow, more people than ever are choosing cosmetic enhancement as what they want to spend their money on. Why is this trend continuing and is there any slowdown in sight? According to the numbers, barring full scale economic collapse, the trend is likely to continue for some length of time. Men, now, represent one of the largest growing populations of people willing to go under the knife to improve their appearances. Here are some of the reasons enhancement has gotten so popular.

Safety
People are always going to be concerned about the safety of elective procedures. Yes, it would be nice to shave some years off your appearance, but it isn’t worth it if you’re taking a big risk in the process. While there will always be risks associated with plastic surgery, those risks are far less prominent now than ever before. Today’s surgeons have advanced tools and techniques that allow them to perform multiple procedures in a single day, each of them usually going off without the slightest hitch. This creates a societal atmosphere where people are no longer afraid to trust their health to a cosmetic surgeon.

The Media
Oils, lotions, diet books, DVDs, and, of course, Hollywood. All of these conspire to create a society where people are more obsessed than ever about their looks. Not only that, but commercials, TV shows, and movies give men and women the ideal standard. Often times, this standard is completely at odds with how a person would ever look naturally. This effect is created by careful selection of models and actresses, plastic surgery, and Hollywood magic and special effects. When a normally aging 50 year old looks at someone like Heather Locklear, they want to know why they don’t look anything like her. Thankfully, modern medicine has devised a way for us to cheat youth and these techniques and procedures are not exclusive to the ultra rich and famous.

Affordability
There was once a time when it would have been unheard of for the housewife down the street to get a face lift. Plastic surgery was only for those who had hundreds of thousands of dollars to blow in order to make themselves look great. But, as with almost everything, prices have come down and the quality of the work has gone up. Now these procedures are as common among the middle class as they are among the Hollywood elite. As prices continue to drop in relation to the average salary, expect to see the trend of popularity continue to grow.