Plastic Surgery for Normal People?

I always thought only rich ladies got plastic surgery, but a recent encounter with my 42-year-old neighbor has almost changed my mind. She works as a plastic surgeon’s assistant. I have known this lady for about two years. She is normal in every way (average appearance, middle-class income, and nice)–with the exception that she’s excessively tomboyish. When the Superbowl was on several weeks ago, for example, I could actually hear her yelling—including bouts of both cheering and cursing—from my place a few doors down.

Why am I telling you about this lady? Well, she clued me in on some shocking information. First, she has had at least two plastic surgery procedures performed. And secondly, she informed me that some procedures are affordable for people like her and me. (By “people like her and me,” I mean people who look relatively plain, are not hideously ugly, nor atrociously rich—and by no means glamorous or high-maintenance.) We ended up talking about common procedures. I’m just going to share what I learned, and you use this information as you see fit. Here’s the nitty gritty:

• Breast augmentation: The cost ranges from $5K to $10K, but could be more depending on where you live and how famous your surgeon is.
• Breast lift: This procedure is for those who simply need a little help fighting gravity in the chest area. It costs about $4 to $9K, again depending on where you are located and who the surgeon is.
• Forehead lift: This one was a surprise—it is very, very common and costs $2K to $8K. See, I could actually do this one.
• Liposuction: This can be done all over the body. The cost could be as low as $2Kto $5K for the outer or inner thighs to $3K to $8K for the abdomen. Many patients apparently request a combination of areas, but these price ranges are for individual areas.
• Tummy tuck: The cost ranges from $5K to $10K—it can get pricey because this procedure is often combined with liposuction.

No one is saying that I am sprinting to the local plastic surgeon to get my breasts, forehead, and tummy fixed. But I am a little surprised at the costs—I thought they were much higher. In addition, the fact that my neighbor works in an office and feels safe doing the procedures just kind of made me realize—hey, this stuff isn’t just for glamorous movie stars who get plastic surgery in Orange County and Hollywood. Apparently, regular people can enhance their appearances through plastic surgery too! If they so choose, of course. That’s an interesting revelation for this normal girl.