Given the popularity of cosmetic makeover television programs that have aired in recent years, including Extreme Makeover, I Want a Famous Face, Dr. 90210, researchers set out to examine the influence of media messages about cosmetic surgery on teenagers’ interest in changing their own physical appearance with surgery. Charlotte Markey, of Rutgers–Camden, and with Patrick Markey, of Villanova University, completed two studies on the topic and published their results in Body Image journal.

Study 1 – Impressions of cosmetic surgery shows

The first study surveyed 170 teens (average age 19.77, 59% female) on “their impression of reality television shows featuring cosmetic surgery, appearance satisfaction, self-esteem, and their interest in cosmetic surgery,” according to the article’s abstract.

The researchers found that those who had favorable impressions of cosmetic surgery reality television shows were more likely to have an interest in pursuing cosmetic surgery.

Study 2 – Reactions to watching cosmetic surgery shows

The second study divided 189 participants (average age 19.84, 51% female) into two groups; one group watched a program with a cosmetic surgery makeover and the other group watched one with a neutral message.

As Dr. Charlotte Markey suspected, women were more likely to want cosmetic surgery than men, and those who viewed the cosmetic surgery show were more inclined to consider the procedure for themselves than those who watched the neutral message program.

Markey noted that many people equate changing their appearance with being happier, even though she says there is no evidence to prove this theory.

The abstract of the article “A correlational and experimental examination of reality television viewing and interest in cosmetic surgery” is online at Science Direct,

A new special feature on Newsweek.com reports on what it calls “The Beauty Advantage” and says that the quest to look good isn’t just “a vain pursuit.”

The article explains how beauty can affect your career and life and argues that in today’s economy looking good is something that can’t be dismissed as frivolous.

“Economists have long recognized what’s been dubbed the ‘beauty premium’—the idea that pretty people, whatever their aspirations, tend to do better in, well, almost everything. Handsome men earn, on average, 5 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts (good-looking women earn 4 percent more); pretty people get more attention from teachers, bosses, and mentors; even babies stare longer at good-looking faces (and we stare longer at good-looking babies),” according to the article.

Economist Daniel Hamermesh concurs, saying that a good-looking man will make some $250,000 more during his career than his least-attractive counterpart. Thirteen percent of women and 10 percent of men say they’d consider cosmetic surgery if it made them more competitive at work, according to surveys by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and Newsweek respectively.

Newsweek also surveyed 202 corporate hiring managers and 964 members of the public on the topic. Fifty-six percent of hiring managers said that qualified but unattractive candidates are likely to have a harder time getting a job. Furthermore, more than half advised job seekers to spend as much time and money on “making sure they look attractive” as on perfecting a résumé.

The survey also asked hiring managers to rate nine character attributes from one to 10 of what they look for in candidates. Looks was third, after experience and confidence, and above where an applicant went to school.

The special feature also includes a variety of online essays, photo galleries, and interactive features on the “beauty advantage.”

Discounted plastic surgery may come at the cost of safety reports a recent story on AOL’s Stylelist website. The article warns consumers about the bargain cosmetic surgery trend, citing billboards that advertise “bargain boob jobs” in California and an ad near Clearwater, Florida that touts “$8 Botox” injections.

While some are just marketing ploys other “bargains” could be at the expense of safety. “To get the cost down, they could be cutting back on things like general anesthesia. They make you feel like the procedure must be easier and not so serious if you’re just getting local sedation. Nothing could be further from the truth,” says Long Beach, Calif., plastic surgeon Dr. Marcel Daniels.

Another cosmetic procedure trend is that doctors who studied a different branch of medicine, such as gynecology, are performing plastic surgery procedures, according to Stylelist.

“Many physicians not trained as plastic surgeons can legally perform a surgical procedure in their office. These people often claim that they can do the same procedure as a plastic surgeon under local anesthesia and may even claim they are more scientifically advanced,” says Dr. John Anastasatos, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. “The truth is that they don’t have surgical privileges at hospitals and surgery centers because they simply are not surgeons and never trained as surgeons.”

The article recommends researching your doctor to make sure he or she has plastic surgery training and viewing before-and-after photos of actual patients the doctor has worked on.

Dr. Lo completed two separate fellowships over three years to master the art of cosmetic surgery. He first completed an ophthalmic and facial plastic surgery fellowship at the Arizona Centre for Plastic Surgery, which focused on plastic surgery around the eyelids and face. His cosmetic surgery fellowship at the Anderson Plastic Surgery Center expanded his scope to general cosmetic surgery.

Read the full article, “‘Free’ Plastic Surgery: The Dangers of Bargain Breasts and Botox,” on Stylelist.com. (Photo by Aaron Gruenert, courtesy of Stylelist.com)