"Why do you think plastic surgery has become so popular in our society? Has surgical enhancement lost its stigma?"

"Is the increase in liposuction a result of people being too lazy to eat sensibly and exercise?"

"Anyone with two brain cells to rub together should realize that personal appearance has a great deal to do with acceptance by others. The ugly aren't the ones getting the job promotions, aren't getting the dates, and people in general look at them in a funny way. I would guess that most of those who complain about others getting plastic surgery aren't those whose features make them look ugly in the sight of others. If not, then they themsleves must masochists. As for my feelings about it, I think it is great, just as I would cheer if the owner of a run-down and ugly house in my neighborhood was fixed up by its owner. All of us weren't created equally, but that is no reason to not make ourselves better looking."

"I think they are sad if it's just because they are not happy with their body or have fat sucked out. "

"there is no argumnt, in my opinion, that there is nothing wrong with plastic surgery. We live in a democracy, and if people feel strongly enough about the weay they look, and have the money to pay for the treatment than fair play to them to change their appearence, which is obviously troubling them. "

" I do however thnk it is a shame that people change them slefs as no one is really perfect, however we are unique, and by undergoing this surgery, people become just another clink in the chain of scientific ingenuity. "

" Your posting made me laugh! I'm very happy with my shape except for my boobs - like a spaniel's ears after three children. Regular work-outs keep me slim and toned but no amount of work can revive my sorry boobs! No sympathy from my hubby , who like yourself, is a 'bum man'. However, my chicken fillets falling out of my swimmimg costume last year was the limit! I think I'll ask him to read your post - perhaps it will change his mind. The greatest outcome would be my husband describing my boobs as spectacular! Cheers! I'm off to make an appointment......"

"A woman had an out of the body experience whilst undergoing a breast implant, she had thought she might not survive the operation beforehand,but when she met with God during this experience he reassured her utterly. "

" "You have at least another fifty years on the planet" he said, "Why not have the full monty! ears, tummy tuck, lipo, the lot?" "

" She went ahead and indeed had the lot. When she left the hospital after six weeks she was almost immediately run over by a bus and killed! "

"Surely it's horses for courses, many people spend more on smoking than some operations cost, it's a matter of individual choice. But think of how many thousands of us, nay millions have dental surgery! Even the socialist Harold Wilson thought it would help him win elections!And was it true that some ladies in Edwardian times had their bottom ribs removed to get a slimmer waist? Ouch!"

" I suspect it is a product of our evolution. We seem to be conditioned to preferring a certain human image. "

" In the course of my work I encounter many people. One particular individual has a genetic condition which makes me recoil. I actually find it difficult to look at that person. The individual is perfectly polite and intelligent yet I have to fight the urge to run away. "

"Plastic surgery is based on a wonderful science focussed on helping people improve function and appearance. Occasionally it is the bed child of vanity but who really wants to be saddled with outize boobs or a receding chin - let alone a hair lip. Let's leave the plastic surgeon/ patient relationship alone - if Mary wants to tweak her nose isn't that the same as Maud wanting to redecorate the bedroom ... some just strive for a lovlier environment. "

"Marketing is doing such a successful job these days of building images and brands the pressure is on us to be seen as hip or cool with our finger-on-the-pulse and socially acceptable. The images that we are told to aspire to are there in every woman�s magazine and Sunday Supplement. "

" Technology too does its bit to persuade us to look better. With the advent of digital photography it is even easier than ever to re-touch images; slimmer thighs, cellulite removed, curvier boobs, less wrinkles, whiter teeth, brighter eyes, volume hair. Do any women�s magazines actually carry untouched photographs? Are women pictured in the articles and advertising all re-touched or airbrushed to the nth degree? "

" Everywhere you look there are women with perfect figures who are thin and cellulite free with perfect teeth and hair, wearing the latest designer must haves, they look so good we are being sold the message look this good and you too will lead a charmed life. And we (men and women) have become brainwashed into thinking that is the norm. We are made to feel it is our duty to do something about our own body because we are flawed, flabby or flat chested! "

" What ever happened to our sense of being, our contentedness with life? Have we become such a superficial society that just being ourselves is no longer acceptable and the quality of inner beauty now redundant? "

" If anything needs regulating it is the publication of re-touched images, they need to carry a warning �PICTURES CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH� "

"The reality is that the human face and body is in a state of continuous deterioration much like a house.If you're satisfied to sit back and mentally adjust to and embrace deterioration ..Fine! If on the other hand you've decided to do something about those sagging floorboards, and to repair as much of the damage that time,poor maintenance, wear and tear and abuse have done thereby raising and upgrading your properties value I say BRAVO! Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.Plastic surgery well,wisely and carefully done where needed can have a very positive effects on a persons sense of self,view of life and motivation. "

" It's about preservation and restoration not transformation.(I'll discuss that eighty seven year old Hollywood blond named Bambi later!)It cannot make one beautiful but it can certainly improve ones appearance and there is no downside to looking ones best.I don't know what God intended neither does anyone else. But he gave us plastic surgery and he gave us pruning shears.You can either yield your spirit up to that overgrown dirt patch or you can with care,retrieve a really enjoyable garden for yourself. "

" One thing is certain, in this 21st century whether it's about romance,opportunity or the workplace personal appearance has never been more important and serious attention to it is a very sound investment."

"It's often the need for the 'quick-fix' which is so telling. In our society we don't only want something, but we want it now. To achieve a svelt figure, a healthy life-style is often all that's needed. However, the opportunity to go 'under the knife', albeit at consderable cost,is often the more convenient solution. Plastic surgery simply for vanity's sake is demonstative of a skewed self-image and a questionable sense of priorities."

"I was laughed at - jeered at called despicable names all because of my front huge buck teeth. My parents back in the late 50's did not know where to go for help nor did they have the money. For years I dared not smile or open my mouth for being taken the p** out of constantly called goofy and so on. I came out to Los Angeles when I was 35 and had my teeth done even though it took 3 sets of orthodontics and a fixed custom retainer. However, it cost a small fortune and many hours of hard work to pay for them and pain of the dentist but in the end was worth it. I can now smile for the camera and am confident in myself - although took years to achieve it. "

"i dont think less of people who have plastic surgery unless the only reason they are having it is to get a larger chest or to look "sexier". For the people who are shallow enough to have plastic surgery even though there is nothing wrong with them then yes i do think less of them, they dont care about personalites, its all about looks for them. Althougth for some people plastic surgery helps them to be confident and happier, some people need plastic surgery because of accidents and defects so for those people i dont think less of them."

"People who look better earn more and have better lives. It's a pity that people cannot derive self worth from factors other than looks. We live in a horrible, shallow, vain and sick society."

" I was going to say "what a silly question"! (Presumably the question is aimed at cosmetic surgery rather than remedial procedures?) "

" I would have suggested it a silly question, had not I read the many lengthy and serious comments posted. In an age where female appearance and (sexy) good looks are at a premium. It must be hard for women whose looks do not come up to expectation. Harder stll for those whose looks nearly but do not quite get there. "

" My wife is a woman blessed with more than her share of beauty and good looks. I recognise the advantages this brings to her and to her life. "

" I sympathise with any woman who wishes to enhance her good looks and take a share of the attention and good fortune good looks bring. "

" And who the hell is anyone to criticise them and/or sit in judgement? Hypocrites all!"

"Several years ago, I watched a true story on American TV about a little boy of 8 whose ears protruded so much that he wore a baseball cap constantly. He was very quiet and kept his head down a lot. His parents ascertained his problem and wisely took him to a plastic surgeon who also wisely fixed the problem. The change in the child was night and day. Were the ears given to this young man by Mother Nature? Yes. "

"100 years ago, people did anything they could to avoid surgery - it was painful and there were grave risks. 100 years on, nothing has changed - except that the feeble-minded are encouraged to think that nothing matters other than "looking good". "

" To that end, there seems to be plenty of cosmetic butchers prepared to do anything to line their pockets. How many of them ever refuse to operate? "

" The qualification: If the surgery is to repair features damaged or injured by accident or illness, I would feel only pleasure and sympathy for the recipient - and I'd have not the slightest disapproval whatsoever. "

"My wife became quite depressed following the birth of our second child when her boobs shrank. I was unaware how much she disliked the fried eggs that she was left with and just assumed that it was baby blues. About three years later she approached me and asked if I minded if she had a boob job. I tried to talk her out of it because I couldn't see the point of cosmetic surgery so she waited another year and then asked me again. Being a bum man, I again said it was unnecessary in my view but that since she is the breadwinner then it was up to her. She did have a boob job 18 months ago and the results were great. She was so happy to be back to her old shape that her confidence improved dramatically and our relationship is much much better. "

" I would say, therefore, that it is impossible to generalise about any cosmetic surgery because everyone has different reasons for undergoing it. I believe with hindsight that my wife made the right choice for her and I think no less of her for doing so. In fact, I rather admire her for having the courage to change something that was upsetting her. The same operation might be unsuitable for someone else however. "

" People that seem dead set against cosmetic surgery always seem slightly jealous and I wonder whether they would like to have it done but either can't afford it or are scared. "

" If you do your research properly and think it through carefully then I cannot see any problem with it. One might as well ask whether we think differently about people with earrings, tattoos, wigs, or any other artificial way of changing one's appearance. "

" And by the way they are spectacular and I've almost become a boob man after all these years."

"Cosmetic surgery for non medical reasons shows a shallow personality. You should be proud of the way you look whether classically beautiful or not. People who judge you on looks are also shallow and should quite frankly not even be bothered with. A flaw here and there gives a person character and something to work with, perfection can only get worse."

"I broke my nose twice! i was bullied all through school becuase of how bent it was, i cried myself to sleep for years! at 18 i decided surgery was the only option and it was the best thing i have ever done in my life! i know that sounds like a total cliche straight out of some glossy magazine, But if your deeply botherd by something that will not go away (ears that stick out, Bent nose) then what can you do? i have talked to loads of people that have also had surgery and all of them said it changed their life for the better and i dont think they care if some people think less of them as being happy with yourself is the most important thing."

"My brother has the most splendidly elegant nose one could ever hope to see - and all as a result of a skilled plastic surgeon. Mind you, he was involved in a horrendous accident, which resulted in extensive surgery, plastic and otherwise. "

" I think that when a person has been in an accident, or has a particular blemish that makes life difficult in some way, then plastic surgery may be an answer. Surgery for the sake of vanity is quite another thing. "

" People need to understand that surgery is a serious matter. It may involve post-operative infection and there are other risks too. "

" Do I think any less of people who have plastic surgery? No. But I do wonder about their motivation. Mrs Beckham, for example, has clearly had extensive surgery, but denies it, which is silly. One only has to compare photographs of her when she started out with the Spice Girls and those of a more recent vintage. It's the same with Mr Jackson. Michael Jackson, when he was very young, was a handsome Black American; he is now very different in appearance. "

" Whatever a person's views about plastic surgery,
... read the whole article