Effects of reality television on plastic surgery

New reality television shows, such as I Want a Famous Face and The Swan, in which people undergo plastic surgery in hopes of having a new look, have plastic surgeons concerned about patients' expectations regarding plastic surgery, according to a March 30, 2004, news release from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Rod Rohrich, MD, ASPS president, says some people on these shows have unrealistic, unhealthy expectations about what plastic surgery can do.

The ASPS warns that patients should not consider plastic surgery as a way to transform their looks or lives. Plastic surgery is a method of refining or improving one's appearance. Of particular concern are the effects reality television shows have on young people who are self-conscious about their body image. Dr Rohrich warns that individual patients' features are unique and influence the results of plastic surgery. Patients should be wary of surgeons who claim they can make a person Look like someone else. Many patients do not understand that plastic surgery is real surgery, with real benefits and risks.

New Reality TV Programs Create Unhealthy, Unrealistic Expectations of Plastic Surgery (news release, Arlington Heights, Ill: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, March 30, 2004) http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news room/press _releases/New-Reality-TV-Programs-Create-Unhealthy -Unrealistic-Expectations.cfm (accessed 12 April 2004).

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