Fix it or fall in love with it!

What is that one part of your body that you obsess about? That one part that you would fix if you had the opportunity or the money?

Every woman, no matter how beautiful obsesses about some flaw (real or imagined) that she wants gone. For me it's not quite a flaw (though I have many) but I have longed dreamt of bigger boobs. Before you judge me, I am from a family of boobilcious women and strange enough I started “popping boobs” way earlier than the average person, so I was pretty sure I would continue the busty family tradition.

Alas! At about third form my boobs stopped growing and all my flat chested classmates just blossomed past me. And even now, I can’t quite figure out what might I have done to turn the favour of the boob god against me 🙁

I know for many of us the very thought of admitting that you would do cosmetic/plastic surgery is unthinkable, akin to heresy! Most of us were taught to love and accept our bodies as they are and to do otherwise is simply being ungrateful for what the good Lord gave us. If this description fits you, then your best bet is to fall in love with it!

FACT! One of the 3 things the human brain cannot resist is attractive people. The other two are food and danger. So the desire to look good is nothing to be ashamed of, it’s part of our primal instinct and the reason many of us take great pains to keep looking the way we do.

Since my “slight” obsession with getting a boob job, I have been blown away by the sheer number of normal, ordinary, everyday women right here in Jamaica who have all gotten their boobs enhanced! So when I saw the flyer for the Fervida Girl Expo, I jumped at the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Rajeev Venugopal a highly respected Plastic Surgeon to get some insight into the changing attitude to cosmetic surgery and its growing popularity in Jamaica.

Dr. Rajeev Venugopal confirmed that reconstructive surgery is still the majority of plastic surgery done in Jamaica. Broadly speaking, this is the use of surgery to restore the form and function of the body. However, he added that cosmetic surgery was not at all a new phenomenon and has been practiced in Jamaica for at least the past 40 years or so but has become more popular and is being accessed by a wider stratum than before.

No doubt, with the influence of the media - especially as we often watch reality stars and entertainers transform before our very eyes - coupled with greater access to expendable income, more persons are openly expressing a desire to “have a little work done.”

In fact, in his private practice about 40% of Dr. Venugopal’s patients are doing cosmetic as opposed to reconstructive surgery.

My next question, as you may have guessed, was what are the most popular procedures?

The list includes:

• Body contouring – this improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue that supports fat and skin by removing excess sagging fat and skin. Due to changes in the body such as weight fluctuation and pregnancy you may find that over time your natural body curves and proportions are a thing of the past no matter how much you exercise and diet. This is because fitness and skin care are not enough to resolve some issues on skin that lacks elasticity. Body contouring is therefore a great way to enhance your appearance and get your old body back!

• Liposuction - removes excess fat from deposits located between the skin and muscle.

• Fat transfers - is a relatively new technique in plastic surgery and simply stated involves removing the fat from areas that are unwanted and placing it into areas that you want. If I had the choice, it would move from my gut to my butt!

• Abdominoplasty/Tummy tuck - removes excess fat and skin tightening the core to create an abdominal profile that is smoother and firmer. As you all know, even individuals with a normal body weight can sometimes have protruding, loose or sagging abdomen. This can be caused by a number of reasons, including pregnancy, aging and weight gain. If great abs have been elusive no matter how much you exercise and diet, then this may be the solution!

• Breast lifts, reduction and implants – My favourite! These procedures need no explanation but Dr. Venugopal reiterated that a good implant is one which looks natural. As such his recommendation is based on your current cup size and your body. He does not advise the more unrealistic, oversized North America look and admonishes that one has to be careful when stretching the skin. The good news is that you can still breast feed with these boobies!

• Fillers and Botox – made extremely popular by reality TV stars often throwing Botox parties. The difference between the two is that Botox paralyzes the underlying facial muscle, while Fillers plump the skin and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. Younger persons with only superficial lines may just need mainly Botox. But Botox does not get rid of deep forehead furrows or the vertical creases that run from mouth to chin. For that, you’ need fillers. The procedure is therefore often a combination of both. Of note, is that Botox and Fillers are not permanent so after a while they break down and are absorbed by the body. Their effectiveness last anywhere from 4 to 9 months depending on the type of Fillers used.

• Vaginal reshaping/tightening/vaginoplasty – is becoming increasingly popular, particularly with mothers who have found that the appearance and shape of their vagina has changed due to childbirth. More women are taking advantage of the opportunity to reshape and change the way their labia and surrounding vaginal tissue look with the help of vaginoplasty. So if you are unhappy with your genitalia, and you long for the pretty pu$$y  that Lady Saw brags about, then this option is for you.

There are lots more procedures and more that I wanted to take to talk to Dr. Venugopal about but duty calls and Saturday mornings are for Botox so I had to get going so he could get back to work.

I know you may all be wondering, what is the cost of doing any or all of the procedures above? Now you’ll have to do a consultation with Dr. Venugopal as the cost is determined by a number of factors. He will also discuss recovery periods (which are surprisingly quite short), side effects and so on with you.

Of note is the fact that physical fitness is important as it reduces your recovery time and the chances of likely complications. It is extremely critical to undergo a proper assessment in which your surgeon will look into all your health conditions in great detail before you are recommended for any cosmetic procedure.

All in all, for those of you who want to fix it, it’s great to know that all these procedures can be safely done right here at home and often at a reduced cost than if you had to travel to the North America counterparts. And by the way, with the exception of those procedures that are clearly intended for women, men are more than welcome to do a consultation as well.

Curious? To find out more about a specific procedure, Dr. Venugopal’s will be one of the speakers at FERVIDA GIRL EXPO on Saturday, June 29 from 10a.m. - 7 p.m. For tickets call 575-6733 or visit Fervida page on Facebook.

Disclosure: I am not been being paid to do these articles and this is not an advertisement for any of the services above. This is purely information that I think you my readers may find as interesting as I do! As always, I appreciate your feedback!