We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community who work in plastic surgery to share their stories and secrets about the industry. As it turns out, we received responses from both sides of the knife, from surgeons and assistants to patients! Here are their most eye-opening tidbits:
Note: Not all submissions are from the BuzzFeed Community
1. "I've worked for a plastic surgeon for 10 years. You know those Brazilian butt lifts that are clogging up your Instagram feed? Well, that procedure has the highest mortality rate out of any other cosmetic procedure: 1 in 3,000. Always consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon if you're considering it!"
2. "All of the Instagram models do injections, so please don’t compare yourself to an exaggerated beauty standard."
3. "I'm a nurse and I work with plastic surgeons. Most people don't realize that these surgeons don't always do nose and boob jobs, but also tend to traumatic wounds, bed sores on people with disabilities, and skin cancer. Being in plastic surgery isn't all about the beauty."
4. "If you’re not in a healthy physical condition, they won’t do surgery just because you want it. Get your BMI within or close to normal range, and quit smoking. If your surgeon will do surgery while you’re smoking, you don’t want them anyway because they aren’t looking out for your best interest. Let’s just say, nipples have been lost."
5. "I had a friend whose dad was a plastic surgeon. He said he made a lot of money, but he didn’t do just cosmetic stuff. One of my friend’s sisters had her tooth fall out and into her arm. It was stuck there and her dad had to do surgery to remove it."
6. "Instagram and selfies honestly changed the plastic surgery game tho. It used to be all breast augmentation and liposuction — now it’s a lot of injectables and facial procedures. You can completely change your face shape with fillers and Botox. Enough Botox can even cause muscle atrophy to make a once-prominent jaw look more feminine. Have a gummy smile? Botox can fix that. Want to lose your contouring powder? Just do some cheek fillers."
7. "My family member is a surgeon. He says people will often come in expecting perfection, but that’s impossible. It’s impossible for a surgeon to say exactly where your new nose will settle, or give you that tiny waist with no scarring. It’s science, not magic, but that’s why so many plastic surgeons face malpractice suits. Don’t expect a miracle from your plastic surgery!"
8. "Not every surgery is about vanity or insecurity. We take care of people who have survived cancer or have facial birth defects, and bring them some semblance of normalcy and boost their confidence. You hear so much about how everyone wants a frozen look, but many patients just want to feel like themselves again."
9. "I had a breast reduction four years ago (best decision of my life), and I learned that when they do a major reconstruction like mine — almost nine pounds per side — they literally take your nipples off and put them on a tray and they reattach them when they're done reconstructing the breasts."
10. "Aside from implants and Botox, plastic surgery is life-changing. I have been a part of reducing size M breasts to a manageable DD cup and dramatically changed a woman’s life. We have reconstructed breasts that had to be removed due to breast cancer, and we have helped brave souls who have lost a significant amount of weight to find their new selves. It’s not always possible to look like the photo you bring in, but you can improve the version of yourself."
11. "I was a receptionist and once glanced at a file. There was a couple that wanted to remove their areolae."
12. "When I went in to get a consultation for a rhinoplasty, I was told that even with a nose job, I would never be a model, and that I might need two rhinoplasties because tip work can be a guessing game since it takes over a year to heal. I think the surgeon was just trying to be as realistic as possible, but it turned out great after one procedure."
13. "My dad is a surgeon. Most times, if you need a repair on a valve or open heart surgery, they'll remove your implant(s). If they need to make sure you’re okay, they won’t put them back in, so you’ll either have one boob or be back to your original boobs until you’re no longer 'at risk.'"
14. And, "I'm an office manager for a plastic surgeon here. We got a phone call from a woman who was interested in a Brazilian butt lift (where you transfer fat from your abdomen, thighs, and arms to inject into the buttocks), and she wanted to take her sister's fat and have it injected in her butt because she was 'too skinny' for the procedure."
—Anonymous
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.