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nip%20tuck.jpgThinking about getting a nip or tuck? Here are some things to consider:

* Determine why you want cosmetic surgery. “I always ask my patients how long they’ve been thinking about the procedure they want and why,” says Dr. Few. “The happiest patient is going to be in a healthy state of mind where she can enjoy [the enhancing results],” rather than view it as a solution for all of life’s problems.

* Do your research to learn about what your desired procedure entails. Check websites like of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (plasticsurgery.org), American Association of Plastic Surgeons (aaps1921.org), American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (facemd.org) or Be Wise About Beauty (bewiseaboutbeauty.org) for the most comprehensive up-to-date information.

* To find a cosmetic surgeon ask for referrals from your primary doctor, ask friends who may have undergone procedures, and refer to the afore mentioned websites to find doctors in your area.

* Consult with several doctors beforehand. Select one who you feel comfortable talking to, answers all of your questions and understands your aesthetic goals. For women of color, say our experts, having a specialist who is ethnically sensitive is key. They should be well informed about dark skin issues like scaring and keloids, and with face-altering procedures in particular your surgeon should be skilled at refining features without compromising ethnic characteristics.

* Get an estimate of how much it will cost – the actual procedure as well as any follow-ups and post operative medications. Find out what your insurance does and does not cover.

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Comments (15)

ASYA said this on June 6, 2007 21:01:

I think that comestic surgery is not for everybody. A dear friend of mine died two days later from having a tummy tuck in which she really did not need. She died from a blood clot in her lung that developed after the procedure. Paying that much for a surgery is costly why not try a change your diet and exercise..... the price is almost about the same or even cheaper.

Princessa said this on June 9, 2007 00:29:

You only have one life to live, so live every day like its your last. You cant be scared of all of the bad things that may or may not happen, because no one knows what tommorow has in store for them. There are some people who can excersize & get back into shape and probably wont need to get any cosmetic procedures. & then there are women like me. I have a amazingly beautiful body, curved in all the right places, weigh aprx. 127lb, 5'3 with a small waist & "wrinkley stomach"! I cant work out wrinkles and stretched out skin. If I loose any more weight my friends and family will strap me down and put me in recovery home for eating disorders. So I say do you. Be smart, do it for yourself, do your homework and be happy!!!!!!

Erica said this on June 13, 2007 05:35:

I work for a company located in Honolulu, HI. Our company distributes two types of machines, 1. being the Nano Perfector which is a non-surgical face lift procedure, oxygenation and detoxifying of the skin, lifting, firming, etc. 2. Arasys III the inch lose system of 2007, this machine can help you lose inches instantly in a 20-30 minute session. there is no need to under go most surgeries now a days when you can purchase a machine for yourself or visit a spa or doctor who sells the services. Please feel free to contact me. If you're surprised with how easy they've made surgery without getting scars, you'll been even more surprised with what they've came out with that doesn't consist of surgery!

Erica said this on June 13, 2007 05:37:

My email is erica@arasysperfector.com and our website is www.arasysperfector.com

LaShawn said this on June 16, 2007 12:44:

I am in the same boat as Princessa. I am 5'7" and weigh 135lbs. But my stomach and breast have suffered from having 3 babies. My stomach is wrinkley and my breast are non-existent. I conceal and enhance them with clothes so my family thinks I'm crazy for wanting to have a tummy tuck and breast enhancements. But no one sees what I see on a daily basis. I know I could have worse problems and that is makes me go back and forth with whether to undergo surgery or not. I think about this subject constantly.

nahgea said this on June 22, 2007 02:22:

i wish plastic sugery were that simple, after 4 kids i deserve it .I thought about it for 5 years.and what bothers me is the thought of risking my life just because i care about what other people think. and when ever i hear somebody say" im doing it for me" they are lying. people want to be accepted they want to be liked by everyone else why do woman change thier features like nose, body shape, and hair texture? because we dont want to be judged. this is something that will never change, but just something to think about. why are our breast sopposed to be like a teenagers all of our life ?and why arent they use for what they are ment for ?you know in evolution what happens to parts of our bodies that arent used? they dissappear! lol maybe one day woman wont have breast to worry about.i feel a tummy tuck or anything done by cutting open youre body is risky. did you know hospitals carry the kind a germs that are antibiotic resistant most of all?you can go in for something real simple and end up fighting for youre life because of infection. as a friend of mine did. even though woman who have had children are the ones who will likely go to a plastic surgen. i feel those are the ones who should think first about if its worth risking the lifes of thier children if something happens to them. things such as such as infectios and blood clots arent worth it to me. if the person youre with makes you feel uncomfortable about youreself, than you should be with someone who accepts you for who you are.whenever i feel bad about my strech marks my husband who asked me to have his children of 4 when i was always planning on three, tells me he loves me for putting my body thru all the drama because what came of it .he has never made me feel bad about myself but i still wonder why i even thought of "going under"

Lisa said this on June 23, 2007 05:14:

I do agree that anyone considering plastic surgery for vanity reasons should think long and hard about it for any type of surgery is risky. However, there are people (like myself) who need plastic surgery for health and medical reasons. As a 19-year old with a 5 feet frame in a size 34DD bra, I am plagued with back problems, fatigue, and even difficulty exercising. I am seriously considering a breast reduction. However, even if I was an A cup, I would NEVER consider breast enhancement, because that's just vain to me.

michele neloms-smith said this on June 29, 2007 17:34:

to whom it may concern, my name is michele neloms-smith and i use to reside at 525 w 127th st # 404 los angeles california 90044 and i moved into my new residence and i have requested that your company make the corrections with my new address which is 202 w 121st Pl los angeles california 90061 and since my request i have yet to receive any of my books that i paid for. im truly disappointed with the company because i know that it doesnt take this long to change an address.i have my money order receipt # and im sending out a third request to you in this matter since subscibing to vibe vixen i have only gotten 2 magazines since i've subscibe for the book.we need to do better black people.i have other magazines and i have never had any problems im with ebony,jet,essence,and sister2sister just to name a few.i made the address corrections at the same time and all have responded except for vibe vixen. i will be sending out a third request along with a copy of my money order receipt and i expect something more from vibe vixen because i havent been getting any of my magazines every month and i had just subscibed in april 2007.your company should make things a little bit more better for subscibers like set up something on the offical web page to where you could make the address correction on-line when you are planning on relocating.thank you in advance once more ........................michele neloms-smith.........................please respond at your prompt attention


Meka said this on July 10, 2007 09:41:

I think that if a person really wants to have cosmetic surgery they should. I just think they should research the surgeon and and become fully informed of the complications and risk first. I have had 5 children and some women are just not blessed to get their bodies back to normal. I don't have a problem with small breast but for women who do , I don't think it is vain to want to have bigger breast and if a person has never dealt with small breast they do not know what a women with small breast are feeling. Women in general need to be more understanding to others. Everyone is made differently so no can possible know what others feel unless they take a strut in their shoes. So if you've done the research and you are willing to take the risk go head and do what will hopefully make you comfortable in ya skin. Do what will have your clothes fitting better, making heads turn, and what will make you hold your head higher. Everything comes with a risk.

Kimberly Eisom said this on July 14, 2007 02:02:

There is nothing wrong on having a little cosmetic surgery done. Being that I just had breast augmentation,due to breast cancer. Everyone has something that they would like to enhance, as long as you have a good body image of yourself go for it.

Deborah Skinner said this on July 20, 2007 15:51:

I agree that everything is not for everyone, but being a cancer survivor, I have considered having plastic surgery for myself. I had to have my ribs removed and plastic inserted in their place and it is really hard for me to wear anything backless without some ignorant person asking me if I got shot, because during the course of my recovery my daughters didn't know that because I have to undergo radiation therapy I couldn't have any heat to that area and I received a really bad burn in addition to the surgical scar. I just wished that there was a cheaper way of going about it but there isn't. To be a 48 yr. old female I look younger and feel better than some of my younger sisters. I get called my daugther's sister and my grandchildren's mother all the time.

Alesia Williams said this on August 13, 2007 20:44:

I've just finished reading the comments of several women with different points of view on plastic surgery and I would like to add that I understand both sides of this often controversial issue. I understand when women have plastic surgery due to medical reasons i.e: breast augmentation as a result of cancer or oversized breast that cause health issues, or facial surgery as a result of an accident. However the women who want tummy tucks because their skin is wrinkled or their breast have shrank(due to childbirth) or women who want bigger breast are a curiosity to me because I cannot imagine allowing a body part to define how satisfied I feel with myself image. Ladies! we are not a pair of breasts or a six pack or a pair of at lips and what is really the insane part about all of this is once you've had surgery those FAKE breasts can be spotted a mile away no matter what size they are. So why would you spend thousands of dollars enhancing something on your body? And anyone who has seen plastic surgery before will automatically say .."Oh look she has a breast job "or "Oh look she's had the ..... I live in Santa Monica California and I'm a stones throw away from Beverly Hills. We have some of the best surgeons in the world but no matter who I'm looking at I can always tell when something is enhanced or altered on even the most famous faces and bodies I've seen. When you decide to have babies you get stretch marks and shrinking breast,when you don't eat right and excercise you get a fat stomach. Go figure.

Alesia Williams said this on August 13, 2007 20:44:

I've just finished reading the comments of several women with different points of view on plastic surgery and I would like to add that I understand both sides of this often controversial issue. I understand when women have plastic surgery due to medical reasons i.e: breast augmentation as a result of cancer or oversized breast that cause health issues, or facial surgery as a result of an accident. However the women who want tummy tucks because their skin is wrinkled or their breast have shrank(due to childbirth) or women who want bigger breast are a curiosity to me because I cannot imagine allowing a body part to define how satisfied I feel with myself image. Ladies! we are not a pair of breasts or a six pack or a pair of at lips and what is really the insane part about all of this is once you've had surgery those FAKE breasts can be spotted a mile away no matter what size they are. So why would you spend thousands of dollars enhancing something on your body? And anyone who has seen plastic surgery before will automatically say .."Oh look she has a breast job "or "Oh look she's had the ..... I live in Santa Monica California and I'm a stones throw away from Beverly Hills. We have some of the best surgeons in the world but no matter who I'm looking at I can always tell when something is enhanced or altered on even the most famous faces and bodies I've seen. When you decide to have babies you get stretch marks and shrinking breast,when you don't eat right and excercise you get a fat stomach. Go figure.

Alesia Williams said this on August 13, 2007 20:45:

I've just finished reading the comments of several women with different points of view on plastic surgery and I would like to add that I understand both sides of this often controversial issue. I understand when women have plastic surgery due to medical reasons i.e: breast augmentation as a result of cancer or oversized breast that cause health issues, or facial surgery as a result of an accident. However the women who want tummy tucks because their skin is wrinkled or their breast have shrank(due to childbirth) or women who want bigger breast are a curiosity to me because I cannot imagine allowing a body part to define how satisfied I feel with myself image. Ladies! we are not a pair of breasts or a six pack or a pair of at lips and what is really the insane part about all of this is once you've had surgery those FAKE breasts can be spotted a mile away no matter what size they are. So why would you spend thousands of dollars enhancing something on your body? And anyone who has seen plastic surgery before will automatically say .."Oh look she has a breast job "or "Oh look she's had the ..... I live in Santa Monica California and I'm a stones throw away from Beverly Hills. We have some of the best surgeons in the world but no matter who I'm looking at I can always tell when something is enhanced or altered on even the most famous faces and bodies I've seen. When you decide to have babies you get stretch marks and shrinking breast,when you don't eat right and excercise you get a fat stomach. Go figure.

Maya said this on November 6, 2007 20:01:

I'm really against plastic curgery for vanity purposes, and I find that so many women opt for some nip tuck for the wrong reasons, like getting a man to accept them physically. In most cases, if a man is interested, he's not going to dwell on tiny flaws. This article I love sums it up pretty well:

http://www.tangomag.com/2007225/what-lies-beneath.html

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