While the likes of Heidi "I look like Jocelyn Wildenstein's twin" Montag may be at the extreme end of cosmetic enhancement, would it be so wrong as to have a little tuck, lift or injection here and there in your early twenties?
As I write this, I'm researching local cosmetics surgeons. The Grazia article couldn't have come at a better time as the debate of Age Zero is a hot topic in my household. At 21, I'm considering surgery. And my boyfriend, a youthful looking guy in his 30s, is trying his best to keep the idea off my mind.
I'd love to have a nip, tuck and suck and be done with my plus-sized figure but, in actual fact, the idea of a personal trainer and diet appeals to me more because I work well with goals and aims. And the £3k price tag puts me off a bit too!
In actual fact, I'm considering getting my lips enhanced. At £350 and about an hour in the surgeons chair, the temptation is proving too much and I'm focused on the idea of having a pillowed-up pout by the time I head back to university in October.
The Grazia article goes on to debate whether young women wanting surgery is actually more of a psychological factor and I couldn't agree more. Why do I want a more kissable pout? Why do I crave Lohan lips? Why do I feel the need to want to spend the price of a Louis Vuitton bag on something that will only last 6-9 months?
Yeah, I agree, it probably is to do with new found confidence and coming out of a troubled period of my life. But rather than settle for a new haircut and new outfit, I want to be the best me I can and, right now in my life, I bloody well want pillow lips!
I guess the thing with a little Amanda Brynes-esque cheek filler or a chemical peel is that the results don't last for the rest of my life. But, really, should surgery be the ideal for someone as young as me? Isn't that what people my mother's age do?
The Grazia article was insightful and brought together a lot of mixed views, I'm sure this whole topic divides people, but what it didn't do was put me off. The doctor quoted in the article is correct in saying that young people should realise they're at a psychologically fragile age and that it's only natural for young women to have lines when they smile, but what he didn't appear to understand was the way a little filler or enhancement can make people feel. I'm not saying that surgery makes every young woman feel beautiful (and I'm sure surgery can go wrong at times!) but what I am saying is that there's no harm in a little cosmetic treatment if it's thought through and done for the right reasons- whatever age!
My pout is one of the things I get most complimented on so I can see my boyfriend's worry that it may well ruin something that's already decent enough but, for me, I want that just snogged look without purchasing lipgloss after lipgloss that claims to plump up my pout.
I haven't made my decision fully but I am going to book in for a consultation. Whilst I agree that botox to get rid of not-even-there winkles is wrong, I do believe that a little treatment once or twice at year can have a massive impact on ones confidence. Cosmetic enhancement at 21 may not be everyones ideal but, as long as I feel I can trust my surgeon, I can't see the harm in it.
