Cosmetology as a medical science sounds new but it’s been around for longer than one can imagine. It might be a daunting task to conceive an invasive surgical procedure without equipment and surgical apparatuses in the Vedic times! But legend has it for us and we know of it well. Remember how Lord Shiva attached the elephant’s head to his son’s body who we all worship today as Lord Ganesha? Well, that’s a cosmetic procedure for you. Sounds untrue, but well it is true plastic surgery has been around for more than 4000 years now and the Vedic era tell the oldest and mythical tales of surgery.
Coming to 2020, cosmetic surgery is a well-established practice today and beauty can be stitched-up for anyone who desires it. Quite literally, aesthetic appeal and the need for it as a fulfillment of the sense of ones’ body image, is well established today. Instead of hypocrisy or shame, an air of honesty revolves around cosmetic procedures in India, more noticeable amongst celebrities of tinsel town. This is indeed a beautiful change, an evolution if you will, about the human yearning and endeavor to look good.
Somehow, cosmetic surgery was not accepted that easily earlier, but the commonness of this procedure has created a sense of familiarity and a much greater acceptance of cosmetic procedures. Celebrities no longer shroud their ‘sudden’ good looks crediting only the more socially acceptable programs of yoga, meditation, exercise or special nutrition routines. On being asked now about their new, fresher, more rejuvenated appearances, they often openly accept having gone through a cosmetic procedure and say, ‘Yes!’
To be fair, why was it even wrong? Celebrities are in public glare all the time and there is an intense competition to look gorgeous to validate their profession. Owning up to the demands of their job is no crime. In fact, everyone has the right to look good and the best they can, whatever they do and for that, if they have to access the best cosmetic surgery, so be it!
The earlier held perspectives have changed and have changed for the better. This fresh outlook about getting cosmetic procedures done has flowed down to the masses as well. People look up to celebrities for everything -- style, fashion, looks, and trends. And now, ordinary people commonly go through cosmetic procedures. Better price points have led to the market equilibrium shifting and the expansion of the cosmetic procedure market in India.
So, the make-up man today is the cosmetic surgeon who utilizes all his aesthetic skills to carefully chisel the features that the celebrities most need for their job. So, in that sense, cosmetic surgery and procedures are like permanent makeup! Common and most often accessed cosmetic surgeries include the commonly known non-invasive Botox Treatment.
This treatment is now a well-known tool that can, almost instantaneously, add a few years of youth to the skin, remove lines and wrinkles or give shapely brows.
To be honest, Botox and Filler procedures are universally opted procedures done by celebrities and lay people alike on a regular basis, almost akin to a maintenance procedure, just like one would get their hair trimmed or go to the spa for a facial. This treatment gained popularity due to its non-invasive delivery, cost-effectiveness, and because it is relatively painless. These injection-based treatments are responsible for filling forehead lines, lines under the eye, crows feed, offer mouth elevation, and alleviation of glabellar wrinkles and neck wrinkles. Most importantly, the face can be shaped and contoured with these procedures. Some cine-celebrities never seem to age, perhaps only because these ubiquitous injection treatments are always by their side. Yes, you see some folks look funny to post them, but that is an injector/doctor based issue and not the fault of the products per se.
Non-surgical procedures to improve the appearance of the face and body skin like chemical peels, laser hair removal and lasers to make the skin younger are most common since these require no hospitalization and can be executed at the surgeon’s clinic, at a relatively lower price than mainstay surgical and invasive procedures that are process and price sensitive.
Being cosmetic surgeons and having worked on many popular faces, we have observed that most celebrities and even common folk are highly conscious and unhappy with their nose. A nose job is called Rhinoplasty, which not only changes the shape and construct of the nose but also helps improves the function of breathing of the nose. This is the second most common cosmetic surgical procedure in India.
Cosmetic surgery sounded more like a taboo earlier but today people accept plastic surgery to be a willing aesthetic enhancement that can be achieved openly. No more hush whispers and boggle eyes for sudden beauty boosts - You have one life, so why not live it?!
( Views are personal)
*Dr. Debraj Shome is a celebrity cosmetic surgeon based in Mumbai.
