Six things you must ask yourself before deciding to go under the knife

COSMETIC surgery is big business in the UK, with 52% of women aged 18-34 saying that they would consider cosmetic enhancements now or in the future.

With celebrities including some of our favourite reality stars opening up about the work they’ve had done, plus the rise in apps and filters allowing you to plump up your lips in the virtual world, as well as practitioners popping up on the high street, cosmetic surgery is more mainstream than ever before.

If you’re considering a tweakment, first ask yourself these questions to make sure it’s right for you.

1. Am I doing this to look like someone else?

Whether you’ve screengrabbed photos of your favourite celebrity’s nose or you’re wanting to look exactly like a Snapchat filter, cosmetic doctors warn against expecting surgery to make you look like a different person.

“Some patients will bring in filtered photos of themselves and say: ‘I want to look like this’, with the large eyes and the pixel-perfect skin,” says Tijon Esho, founder of the Esho Clinic.

“And that’s an unrealistic, unattainable thing.” Esho coined the term “Snapchat dysmorphia” to describe this phenomenon. “If people come into my clinic with photos of a celebrity who looks nothing like them, then that’s a big red flag,” says Fulvio Urso-Baiarda from clinic Eterno 360°.

“These apps that change your face and body aren’t helpful either. You can do anything with Photoshop, but with a scalpel it’s another matter. I once had a client’s husband send me over 30 pictures of celebrity breasts before his wife’s breast augmentation. I cancelled the surgery.”

2. Am I expecting something else to change?

If you’re honest with yourself, are you expecting your surgery to lead to other outcomes, such as getting a boyfriend, bagging your dream job or overhauling your life? Surgery is not a magic wand, and the only thing that will change is the part of your body you’ve had surgery on.

“I advise people to be wary of external attribution, which is when the outcome of the surgery is judged by a person other than the patient,” says Fulvio.

“I’ve had a woman say: ‘I want lipo so my husband doesn’t leave me’, and a male client say: ‘I want a facelift so I don’t get passed over for a promotion’. These are not reasons for surgery. Ideally, the reason is that there is one realistic thing about themselves that they don’t like, and they want to change it for themselves.

“For example, I get a lot of women who say: ‘I’ve got an overhang on my tummy from having kids, I’ve tried working out, I’m happy with my body bar this one thing and I feel if I had a tummy tuck I’d be more confident.’”

3. Am I physically and psychologically fit enough?

“You’re about to have an operation or a procedure, so you want your body to be at its optimum fitness level to recover,” says Tijon.

“If you smoke, we’d advise that you stop beforehand to promote healing.”

Fulvio also advises that you choose a time for surgery when you’re not going through any major life changes.

“A break-up, death of a parent, anything that’s challenging you mentally is not a good time for surgery,” he says. “You want to be feeling your best.”

4. Have I checked the surgeon's credentials?

“It’s important that you research your surgeon beyond recommendations on Instagram,” says Fulvio.

“Use a doctor who is a member of some or all of the industry associations: The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and the General Medical Council specialist register. If the practitioner is registered, it means they’re properly qualified and insured. Check out surgeons’ websites and see what areas they specialise in.” 

As highlighted by our Had Our Fill campaign on p16, practitioners who administer non-surgical cosmetic treatments currently aren’t legally required to have any qualifications. According to Save Face, a government-approved body that inspects clinics across the UK, the number of complaints about non-surgical procedures has more than doubled in the last three years. 

Tijon advises asking your practitioner “Are you insured?” and “What happens if something goes wrong or I’m unhappy with the outcome?”

5. What's the end point?

So you fixed your nose, but now you think your chin looks weird? “An improved body part can turn your thoughts to the next area,” says Fulvio.

“There’s also a tendency for people to get used to the new-found confidence and when that wears off, look for the next buzz. I advise patients to have a clear idea of the end result and to draw a line after that.”

A good surgeon will be able to predict where you might want future surgeries and counteract it. “If we’re working on the eyelids, we’ll also look at the brows,” says Tijon.

“Once you change something, other parts of your face and body will look slightly different. Take that into account.”

6. Have I prepared for aftercare?

With Botox and fillers you might be able to go straight back to work, but that’s not always the case with more invasive treatments.