Acknowledging Your Cosmetic Surgery

By Dr. Surjit Rai

British writer Virginia Ironside has a column out today called “Why I’m not so Fonda this bare-faced hypocrite”. She takes issue with Jane Fonda for advertising anti-aging face cream (on a six-figure contract) and speaking out against people having cosmetic surgery, yet having procedures done to banish her own facial wrinkles.

Apparently Fonda has had a necklift to smooth out the wrinkles around the chin and throat areas; and also had blepharoplasty to remove bags from beneath her eyes. Ironside quotes Fonda as saying on her blog:

• “I just had some work done on my chin and neck and had the bags taken away from under my eyes, so I decided it would be a good idea to get a new haircut so people will think it’s my new hair.”

Ironside is concerned about the women who bought the anti-aging cream Fonda advertised, expecting their faces to be as smooth as Fonda’s. Ironside herself has had a facelift and is proud of the results. She freely gives out the name of her cosmetic surgeon, but dislikes the statement that she “admits” to having a facelift.

• “I don’t even like the word ‘admitting’ because it sounds as if I’ve committed a crime,” she says. “The whole procedure cheered me up no end. And although I’m quite open about it, very few people ask if I’ve had a facelift because I was one of the lucky ones who had an excellent surgeon … What on earth is wrong with having cosmetic surgery? It shows you care about your looks, which means you care about other people.”

Fonda disapproved of cosmetic surgery for many years but about four years ago she changed her mind. She had breast implants, but then had them removed. Now she is 72, more concerned about her aging appearance, and more willing to acknowledge having cosmetic surgery.

Ironside scolds celebrities who have cosmetic work done but don’t acknowledge it, because “it makes other older women feel upset that their bingo-wings, faces like contour maps and turkey necks, are somehow their own fault.”

Since everyone ages and the face shows it, it is clearly not anybody’s fault. Our culture is obsessed with youth and has forgotten that age brings valuable experience and often a more tolerant and wider perspective on life.

Ironside is right about the importance of choosing an excellent surgeon. That is the first thing you can do to ensure a good surgical outcome. The second thing to do is follow your surgeon’s pre- and post-op instructions exactly. If you would like to talk with Dr. Rai and learn more about the plastic surgery procedures we offer in Dallas Texas at The Cosmetic Surgical Center, please contact us today.