Plenty of people think about plastic surgery according to one rule: “Either it’s necessary, or it isn’t.”

These black-and-white perspectives are unreasonable, unsupported, and damaging, but media and insurance companies make money by perpetuating this myth, which has too many people believing that surgery is only necessary when it’s about life and death.

As a board-certified plastic surgeon performing reconstructive and “cosmetic” procedures like breast augmentation in New Jersey, I’ve seen the reality: plastic surgery can play a much greater role in a person’s life than simply enhancing their visual appeal.

Clinical Research

Too often, people who have had no interaction with the real world of cosmetic surgery think that a patient would only receive procedures like breast augmentation in Philadelphia and New Jersey to stay trendy and increase sex appeal.

These misconceptions are part of the reason insurance companies see the line between necessary and “elective” surgery as a matter of measurement. Breast reduction, for example, becomes “necessary” if it removes a certain number of cc’s of breast tissue. This is so regardless of the frame of the patient or health concerns that change the ways a woman’s breasts affect her wellbeing, and regardless of research showing that even women who undergo less-intensive breast reduction procedures can experience significant improvement to their health and comfort.

Some of the most important research studies into the impact of “cosmetic” surgeries have found that cosmetic surgery significantly impacts quality of life in the long term, increasing not only body image satisfaction, but also tendencies to engage in social support and capabilities to cope with stress.

The Root of the Problem

Essentially, the controversy here is over what types of surgery are “necessary.” Social engagement, reliance on those we care about, ability to handle our fears and fully enjoy our bodies – these are the qualities that take life beyond the livable, and without them most of us would consider ourselves much less than alive. If cosmetic surgery can help enhance these aspects of daily living, what is the argument for it not being necessary?

Cosmetic surgery can’t promise to change lives in predictable ways, but I’ve seen through my own experience how inextricably these factors tie into who we are and how we live. Think about it: your body is the way you communicate with the world, and if it determines the kinds of messages you give and get, that can dramatically impact all aspects of life, including:

• Health
• Career
• Relationships with friends and family

When people feel more confident with their bodies, they tend to feel more complete in all areas of their life. People recognize and respect the importance of body shape and body image when they see the positive effects of breast reconstruction after cancer or physical trauma. For many patients receiving breast implants in New Jersey for breast augmentation, the need is just as strong, and the procedure is a necessary part of them feeling their very best.