Are we nipping and tucking a little too much? A woman pokes and pinches her face in front of a mirror, wondering if a smaller nose and thinner lips will boost her confidence. A patient stands in a gown as her doctor draws surgical lines on her body, and a man blushes, teary-eyed as his family sees him for the first time after his face-lift.These scenes from reality TV shows like ABC’s “Extreme Makeover” and E! channel’s “Dr. 90210″ mark a period of candor towards cosmetic surgery in the media. Some may even say they are, in part, responsible for the public’s change in attitude towards cosmetic procedures. Even among African Americans and other racial minorities, this once taboo procedure is gaining acceptance. The changing face of cosmetic patients is largely attributed to improving socioeconomic status among minority communities, images of cosmetic surgery in the media, and the open admission of celebrities who have undergone plastic surgery. Hollywood stars Queen Latifah, Tina Turner, Toni Braxton and Patti LaBelle are among the few African-American celebrities who have actually admitted that they have had some work done. Now the trend is transitioning into the general populous.
More than 900,000 African Americans underwent plastic surgery in 2008, a 145 percent increase since 2000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Numbers for other minority groups are also on the raise.
TV programs have made it more normal, she said. While plastic surgery patients are predominantly Caucasian, the number of cosmetic patients among Hispanic, African-American and Asian communities has experienced rapid growth spurts in recent years. Combined, the number of minority patients opting for plastic surgery jumped 64 percent between 2004 and 2005, and another 33 percent between 2007 and 2008, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports.
Plastic surgery indicates a trickling down effect of values – those that start in pop culture, and overtime become accepted by society. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, liposuction, nose reshaping and breast reduction are the most commonly requested surgical procedures among African-American cosmetic patients. Botox, injectable fillers and chemical peels are the most popular minimally invasive procedures. |
By: Aleesa Mann, Contributing Writer
Washington (Special to the NNPA from the Howard University News Service)
Photo credit: bvwellness.com, iamfacialplastics.com, rhinoplastysurgeonnewyork.com
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Chemical Peels may be dangerous specially if you use those high concentrations of Glycolic Acid..*`
the side-effects of a bad chemical peel is horrible, i’d stay away from chemical peels”-*