Let me make this clear. I’m not opposed to plastic surgery, AT ALL. You have a crooked nose and you hate it, get it done! You want a bit of Botox, heck why not. I might get some done myself one day.

If only it stopped there, you’re thinking to yourself. I hear you. There’s definitely a fine line between a bit of nip and tuck here and there, and a complete obsession with absolute perfection. You start with a bit of lip injections, then you figure you might as well get some Botox, then you think to yourself let’s do a liposuction while I’m under the knife for my deformed nose, before you know it you’re doing a Brazilian butt lift and you have no more facial expression.

I’m personally so tired of seeing beautiful Lebanese girls that look like someone passed them through the copy machine and reproduced a thousand identical copies of them. And they were gorgeous to start with! Is there only one version of absolute perfection? Are we even meant to forego our individual uniqueness in the name of “beauty”?

Of course, most of the time it’s not the doctor’s fault. Patients are the ones who walk in asking to look like a particular model or celebrity, someone who in their mind has a problem free perfect life. Ironically, psychologists have indeed researched the subject and came out with the evidence that often patients undergo identity crisis after major appearance changing surgery. Somehow they didn’t realize that imperfection was actually part of their identity. OMG! Maybe these women should have received some sort of psychological screening prior to their surgery. Come to think of it, the idea doesn’t sound so crazy.

This got me thinking. Unique characteristics are part of our self definition. A slightly crooked nose can be part of how you define yourself. When you lose all unique characteristics that made you who you are, you could end up feeling disconnected from your new appearance.

Yes, we’re vain individuals. We’re so focused on our physical appearance that we actually take for granted the image we see in the mirror. Paradoxical indeed. Next time, take some time to look at yourself carefully. Notice the traits that make you different from all others. Take the time to love each inch of you.

If you still have a deep desire to get some surgery done, by all means go ahead and do it. Just make sure you actually took the time to learn to love yourself first, because no amount of surgery can ever do that for you.