I recently learned about a somewhat disturbing new trend: more and more women are resorting to plastic surgery in an effort to look as beautiful as possible at their wedding. Talk about throwing a wrench into the ole’ wedding planning routine – in addition to figuring out your wedding hairstyle, dress, makeup and nails, now there is apparently a need to figure out the permanent structure of your body and/or face too! But even more surprising is that wedding plastic surgery is more common amongst the mother of the bride and groom than the bride herself. Go figure.
So, this led me to do a little research to try and figure out what exactly is behind this emerging wedding trend. The main reason given for going down the plastic surgery path – especially for the moms and even the grandmother in some cases – is the relative permanency of the wedding photos. Specifically, the knowledge that many future generations will potentially view the wedding pictures drives many women to resort to extreme measures to look their absolute best. And the reason that the moms tend to do this more than the brides is because older people tend to have more assets to tap into to fund such extravagant wedding plastic surgery makeovers.
No matter who receives the surgical treatment, the most common procedures include those that reduce belly fat, smooth and tighten the skin, and remove puffiness around the eyes. Botox injections for smoothing out wrinkles, liposuction for eliminating belly fat, and skin lifting & filling to smooth and tighten up the neck and face are some of the more common procedures. Body sculpting procedures like tummy tucks and breast lifts are also relatively common.
Of course, any form of plastic surgery must be factored into to the overall wedding planning calendar. Things like Botox injections must be done approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the big day in order to allow time for the procedure to take effect and for any bruises to heal. Any kind of body surgery (liposuction, tummy tucks, etc.) should also follow this same timetable. But when it comes to facial surgery, it is recommended to allow 12 weeks for the incisions to completely heal. Just keep in mind that these are simple rules of thumb, but the main guideline is to get your procedure of choice done as soon as possible just in case things don’t heal as quickly as expected.
Like anything, there are pros and cons to consider before signing up for your wedding plastic surgery appointment. The pros are that you can dramatically improve your look in a short period of time, and you can acutely pinpoint your targeted area(s) for improvement. The main downside is that plastic surgery is obviously expensive. For example, Botox injections and laser hair removal treatments will generally run $300-$400 on average, a chemical peel will run about $600, fillers will run anywhere from $400 to $1,700 depending on the extent of the work involved, laser skin resurfacing will run anywhere from $1,200-$2,200, a chin augmentation will run about $1,800, liposuction will cost about $2,800, a breast lift will cost about $4,000, a tummy tuck averages about $5,200, and a face lift will generally run you a whopping $6,400 on average. Another downside is that I’m sure there is some pain and discomfort involved until everything is completely healed.
To be honest, I’m not really sure how I feel about this trend. It honestly seems a little extreme to me, but then again I’m not particularly vain so I’m probably not the right person to ask. So don’t just take my word for it – here’s a lighthearted Huff Post article that talks about a father of the bride’s recent wedding plastic surgery that offers some interesting insight into the matter. The bottom line is that this is a highly personal decision that will differ for everybody. In its most simplistic form, if you want to do this for an upcoming wedding and you are relatively vain, healthy, financially well-off, and have a high tolerance for pain, I say go for it. But if you don’t meet all of the above criteria, I’d think twice. But alas, that’s just my two cents…what do you think?
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