Patients now turning to plastic surgery for cosmetic facial bone alterations

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: plastic surgery, facial bones, health news

(NaturalNews) The extent to which individuals are willing to go under the knife to alter their appearance is rapidly increasing, and we are not just talking about wrinkle removal or the infamous nose job. According to a recent Reuters report, facial reconstruction surgery that involves altering face shape and bone structure is on the rise, particularly in East Asian countries where many are willing to dish out thousands of dollars to have a more desirable chin shape, for instance, or more attractive cheek bones.

"What this is coming down to ... is that beauty is not just skin deep," said Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine, to Reuters Health.

"More and more people who are on the forefront of facial plastic surgery are realizing that structural issues are critical. Changing bone -- which is the underlying surface on which the skin is resting -- is what allows you to really create good attractive changes."

And this is precisely what many men and women who are unhappy with their facial appearances are doing. Many men, for instance, who feel as through their faces are too "square," are having their jaw bones surgically sawed off and reshaped with titanium plates and screws.

And according to a recent study published in the journal Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, patients that undergo the procedure typically do so without complications, and continue to express satisfaction in the surgery months and years down the road.

Though not as popular in the US as in Asia, facial reconstruction surgery is gaining popularity here as well. Primarily women are the ones undergoing bone alterations to look more attractive or feminine, but even some men are doing it to look more attractive and masculine. And doctors claim the procedure is safe, despite the fact that it involves sanding and cutting away at critical bones in the face.

"More and more people are realizing that these changes that they may have thought are not attainable actually are," added Spiegel, noting that the jaw area is "probably the most significant way that we determine gender and attractiveness" in the face.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/us...