A young Chinese woman recently made a splash on the Internet after saying she wants plastic surgery to look like actress Jessica Alba in an effort to get her boyfriend back. 21 year old Xiaoqing posted on China's most popular public forum, www.tianya.cn, saying that she'd made up her mind to change her look in order to win back her ex, who is obsessed with Alba, and was hoping for the sponsorship of a plastic surgery clinic. The man broke up with Xiaoqing about two years ago when she was angry with him for forcing her to wear a blond wig to look more like Alba, who recently spoke out against the surgery saying, ""I think you should never have to change yourself like that. If somebody loves you, they'll love you no matter what."
Often, when someone is this obsessed with changing themselves, they may suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a preoccupation with an imagined physical defect in appearance or an exaggerated concern about a minimal defect. This worry can be debilitating and many people suffering from this psychological disease will seek out a cosmetic surgeon to help change them. The disorder often begins in adolescence, becomes chronic and leads to a great deal of internal suffering.
According to research compiled by Dr. Katharine Phillips in her book, Understanding Body Dysmorphic Disorder between 9% and 14% of patients seeking treatment from a dermatologist have BDD and in a study of 450 BDD patients, 75% had sought cosmetic treatments from physicians, including surgeons.
For many, it's not a disorder that they're dealing with, but rather an overarching desire to please a boyfriend or husband. Dr. Anthony Youn recently wrote about Alba and Xiaoging in his blog, and said that he has often seen patients come in with boyfriends who are pressuring them into changing their bodies. He writes, "I hate, hate, hate it when I see a woman in consultation who plans plastic surgery at the request/demand of a boyfriend or husband, and doesn't necessarily want it for herself."
Plastic surgery is a very personal choice and you should never go under the knife or have any work done to please someone else. The work you have done is going to stick with you forever so be absolutely certain it's what you want. Xiaoging has decided against surgery and said that Alba's comments had a heavy influence on her decision.
