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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Many countries are known for their plastic surgery trends: South Korean citizens undergo the most plastic surgery per capita in the world, Iran has been dubbed the rhinoplasty capital, and the US and Brazil boast the most procedures overall. In Venezuela, however, recent plastic surgery trends are more worrisome.
Trendy to Look “Whiter”
According to a study conducted by Lauren Gulbas, a researcher at Dartmouth University, a high number of Venezuelan black and mixed-race women are using rhinoplasty to try to look more Caucasian. Why? The study indicates it has to do with societal pressure and the cultural value placed on looking “whiter”. Unfortunately, women who undergo rhinoplasty for this reason tend to receive only a temporary boost to self-esteem, since the nose is not tailored to fit the face or look natural, but to fit a worrisome ideal in society. Gulbas explains why this trend has become a problem, asserting that is has been pushed along by racism and marginalization in the country: “Rhinoplasty is offered by physicians and interpreted by patients as a resolution to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem… Patients’ efforts to alter the nose reveal attempts to change not only how the body looks, but how it is lived. As a result, cosmetic surgery only acts as a stop-gap measure to heighten one’s self-esteem and body image.”
How Rhinoplasty Affects Self-Esteem
For those who are unhappy with some feature of their nose, rhinoplasty can promote a healthy self-esteem boost, but only if the patient has realistic expectations. Trying to alter the look of the nose to mimic features common in a particular race does not promote a healthy body image, and usually leads to disappointment. Indeed, the Dartmouth study revealed that the women who underwent rhinoplasty to look more Caucasian only experienced a temporary boost in self-esteem. Lasting self-esteem and confidence from rhinoplasty are more likely to come from altering the nose to fit the face while retaining ethnic identity. People who undergo the procedure because of societal pressures to look a certain way are often unhappy with the outcome because the drive did not come from a personal desire to change the nose, but rather to fit in.
Ethnic Rhinoplasty
Each race has different characteristics that are common to the nasal structure, and different needs for rhinoplasty. These differences may include skin quality and thickness, structure (flat or tall bridge), nose length, tendency to have a dorsal hump, nostril width, and other variations. The goal for ethnic rhinoplasty should not be to erase ethnic identity or, as in Venezuela, change the nose to look more like another race. Instead, ethnic rhinoplasty should be used to refine the nose and create balance, harmony, and a natural appearance. For the best ethnic rhinoplasty results, it’s advisable to seek out a surgeon who understands the structures of different nose types, and knows how to successfully meet each patient’s expectations with a custom nose that fits their individual features. For ethnic rhinoplasty expertise in the Toronto area, pay a visit to Dr. Robert A. Mounsey of Revesse (416.438.2499). Dr. Mounsey is a rhinoplasty expert, specializing in all types of primary and revision rhinoplasty.
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