By: Christa Clark, MD

I’ve heard quite a bit about plastic surgery “addiction” in the media – I’m sure you have too. While there will always be individuals with a fixation on an unrealistic concept of perfection and “beauty,” the truth is that even these people aren’t actually addicted to going under the knife. I want to take this opportunity to defend the intentions of my patients and talk about the steps I take when I’m concerned about a particular patient’s motivations.

First of all, I’m lucky to have been able to work with so many wonderful patients; they are inspiring people leading interesting and productive lives. They choose plastic surgery because they want to look and feel their best – it’s about what’s best for them and not about achieving some “ideal.” In other words, when it comes to plastic surgery, it should be all about you! For example, my breast augmentation patients in Sacramento want to feel more feminine and confident. They want to look better in their clothes. They’re not enhancing their breasts just to save a marriage, impress their friends, or advance their career.

Like many plastic surgeons, I’ve developed the skill to spot people who should not have surgery (or, in many cases, should not have more surgery). Here are just a few of the warning signs:

• They don’t recognize their own natural beauty.
• They don’t appreciate the features that make them unique.
• They talk about how ugly they are and how much they want to look like X, Y or Z celebrity.
• They may report that their “ugliness” is ruining their life, keeping them from functioning normally.

If I’m in a consultation with a person like this, I know to step back and proceed with caution. It’s very likely that these patients need counseling rather than plastic surgery. Calling them addicts, however, is not accurate and doesn’t help them to become better educated or address their underlying concerns.

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