Plastically Fantastic, or isn’t it?

As I type this I am watching an episode of plastic fantastic on Net5. The new program about plastic surgery that probably half of the Netherlands is watching. A young man appears on the tube wishing for very large buttock implants. “The ass of Kim Kardashian as he puts it.”

Just give me a Dubai nose

Next we see a couple, known from social media, whose wife of 24 years, has already undergone breast surgery, buttock surgery and a midfacelift twice. In addition, she says she has undergone surgery on cheekbones, jaws and masseter muscles. Her next wish is a rhinoplasty, a “dubai nose” and lipofilling at the site of the dent at her buttocks, which was created as a result of the buttock implants.
I wonder if she is ever going to be satisfied and happy with her body. Moreover, such a person would likely be diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder by a plastic surgeon. In fact, people with this condition are never really satisfied with their bodies and go further and further with plastic surgery, with all its risks. One might sincerely wonder if you should operate on these people.

Plastic surgery is more than this

Frustrated, I think to myself, “so this is the image that half of the Netherlands gets of my profession.” Rarely is the reconstructive side highlighted. Just today I was sitting across from a patient with breast cancer, who this kind of television program makes her wonder what on earth she needs to see a plastic surgeon for. In her mind she has images of puffed-up lips, large breasts and buttock implants. I explain to her that when treating patients with breast cancer, the plastic surgeon is absolutely essential. If we do not fill the hole in her breast after removing the tumor, it can lead to a totally misshapen and sometimes painful breast after radiation.

MOOI TV?

Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely not against aesthetic plastic surgery, this is also a rewarding part of me profession that I am proud of. But, seeing programs like this, I do wonder how far we should go, where is the line?
At the MOOI clinic, we also see patients with aesthetic care needs. In almost all cases, these problems are palpable and real. Sometimes it is something that people have been struggling with for years, becoming insecure or even experiencing functional complaints. With a single intervention, we make them a little bit happier. I get energy from that.
The extreme cases, presented to us through television and social media, where people have their entire body corrected, we rarely see in our MOOI clinic. This is unfortunately the image people do get of our profession and I secretly have a little trouble with that….

Feel MOOI,

Michelle