The medical aesthetic industry has grown significantly over the past 20 years, and it is expected to be worth 12.5 billion dollars by 2020. The increasing numbers of minimally invasive procedures, and advances in technology, have all had their part in this growth. In the United States alone, 15 billion dollars were spent in surgical and non-surgical aesthetic treatments in 2016 as reported by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
Despite the increased popularity in aesthetic treatments, FDA regulations and the American stigma continue to challenge growth. In my opinion, the media has given cosmetic surgery a bad reputation as they have portrayed the plastic surgeon as a celebrity rather than a doctor, and those receiving treatments as self-centered and vain. One of my main goals since I started my practice in South Florida has been to re-educate patients on what it really means to be a plastic surgeon, the essence of our noble specialty, and to make them understand that there is no bad associated with wanting to look your best in order to perform at your best. It is well established in the scientific literature that physical appearance and body image of a person has a tremendous impact in their psychological well-being.
What it is different from wanting to have our hairstylist change our hair style, waking up and putting on makeup, or dressing to impress? We have all experienced the boost in confidence associated with these activities. Why does society see those things as normal and in many cases necessary? They all share a common goal with aesthetic treatments, to boost our inner self, improve our confidence, in order to feel good, and subsequently perform at our highest level in whatever role it is: as a mom, as a wife, as a husband, as a boss, etc.
Many people do not understand what plastic surgery is and what it can do to those in need of our knowledge and skills. There is no way to explain it better than Gaspar Tagliacozzi: “We restore, repair, and make whole those parts which nature has given but fortune has taken away. Not so much that they may delight the eye, but that they may buoy up the spirit and help the mind of the afflicted”. This in fact is the essence of our noble specialty.
Dr. Jose Rodríguez-Feliz
Aesthetic treatments (surgical and non-surgical) are not the answer to a happy life, but definitely a readily available and safe tool in our constant goal to achieve overall wellness with a scientifically documented positive consequence in our self esteem and confidence. The stigma is gone, and there is a new era of motivated women and men that just want to look their best in order to feel their best and perform at their highest level. Take care of your mind and body, no one else will do it for you.
Dr. Jose Rodríguez-Feliz is a board certified aesthetic plastic surgeon at the prestigious Miami Plastic Surgery and MedSpa in Miami, FL.
Contact: Office (305) 595-2969 Email
Follow me @drjrodfeliz
