There’s Something About Plastic Surgery, a series tells the stories of the ‘scalpel generation’

In the collective imagination, plastic surgery refers to something frivolous, unnecessary, almost a habit often only within the reach of those who have the financial means. In reality, plastic surgery can sometimes be necessary and play almost a social role.

The television program ‘My scalpel friend: intimate confidences’, a series that will be broadcast on Real Time from 22 July at 2.50 pm, tries to tell the ethical side of this branch of medicine.

But how is the approach to plastic surgery changing, what are the most requested interventions and why is the age of those who resort to it increasingly decreasing?

The most requested intervention

Plastic surgery ranges from purely reconstructive procedures aimed at repairing or reinstating forms injured by pathologies of various origins up to the correction of more or less serious blemishes that cause discomfort for those who bear them. Suffice it to mention the reconstruction of the breast after cancer, the restoration of forms in obese patients or the mutilation of the genitals.

The statistics that the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) disseminates annually show that liposuction has leapt to the top of the most requested operations in the world, undermining breast augmentation with implants. How come? “It is probably partly due to the drastic reduction in sporting activities in the Covid era which led to the appearance of extra kilos and localized fat deposits that can be treated with this method”, he replies Damiano Tambascohead of the Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine Unit of the San Carlo di Nancy Hospital in Rome and protagonist of the Real Time series.

Scalpel generation

According to data released last year at the Hair & Nail and Anti-Aging Conference, 73% of Italian teenagers admitted to having undergone some form of aesthetic surgery. Data in line with those released by ISAPS which show that the 18-34 age group is the most numerous for many cosmetic surgery procedures, such as for example breast augmentation and rhinoplasty but also botox.

Why does it start so early? “Social networks and the excessive use of filters and photographic editing programs play a key role in the low acceptance of oneself and in the consequent growing trend of requests for interventions, but the ease with which information can be found in this area also affects thanks to the many advertising campaigns that appear more and more on the smartphones of the kids”, replies the surgeon.

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The importance of awareness

Plastic surgery cannot be undertaken lightly because there are still risks. Even if in Italy plastic surgery operations for minors under the age of 18 are allowed only for malformative problems, the greatest demand from the very young requires prudence and common sense: “In a very young age group – specifies the surgeon – the Requests for surgery may be dictated more by a desire to look like this or a

that influencer rather than from real inconvenience. We must not forget that it is always a question of surgical interventions, therefore not free from risks and complications”.

Medical tourism

Social media is certainly driving the demand for plastic surgery and not only for the younger segment of the population. “Almost all patients read up on social media before undergoing a visit with the plastic surgeon and often a good portion of patients compare specialists through accounts and social media”, explains the surgeon. But there is also the phenomenon of ‘medical tourism’ with patients moving abroad attracted above all by hyper-competitive rates.

“We must warn against the commodification of cosmetic surgery which risks making us forget that it is always and in any case surgical interventions, therefore not free from risks and complications. Some of these intraoperative but others can also occur some time after the intervention and therefore, they require continuous and protracted assistance over time, which is difficult to reconcile with the times of medical tourism”, Tambasco points out.

When the discomfort is psychological

Sometimes you get to plastic surgery also on the back of a problem that creates anguish or depression and that can undermine your relational and social life. These are the cases in which aesthetic medicine does not deal only with a blemish but with the psycho-physical well-being of patients.

“Sometimes a certain physical condition can generate profound discomfort in the patient. Furthermore, often these conditions are closely related to a certain period of fragility in one’s existence, perhaps an important and sudden change in weight, post-pregnancy or in some cases to actual physical trauma,” explains Tambasco. Situations in which the patient’s self-esteem and safety in social, work and couple relationships are deeply undermined.

“These are the cases in which a plastic surgery operation, which has the patient’s well-being as its goal, can be helpful but must always follow a pre-operative doctor-patient discussion attentive to dissect the real physical and psychological needs” .

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Dana and the other stories

‘My scalpel friend: intimate confidences’ is a series that will be broadcast on Real Time from 22 July at 2.50 pm. Eight episodes with 15 daily stories at the center, of ordinary people (no actor), who are no longer comfortable with their bodies and seek help in plastic surgery to overcome a strong discomfort. Among the stories we will see is that of Dana, a woman who, due to an accidental pediatric burn, had alopecia on the scalp.

“His sweetness and his calm but at the same time intense ways of expressing his discomfort combined with such a strong story created a mix of very strong emotions during the filming of the visits, checks and during the execution of the hair transplant”, anticipates the surgeon who adds: “I was also struck by the story of Ottavia, hit by a car while crossing the street, reporting a devastating picture of fractures of the pelvis, vertebrae and lower limbs. This patient, with a very strong and determined, she asked me for help (after having finished the orthopedic operations) due to the presence of a significant swelling of the thigh resulting from the trauma which, in addition to a major blemish, represented above all for her a continuous memory of that very dramatic episode” .

Better to postpone until after the summer

Many people choose the summer period to have plastic surgery because they can do it while on vacation. But is summer a good time to do it? “It is reasonable to undergo surgery in the cooler months above all because, with the heat, the post-operative course can be more demanding due to the use, for example, of adhesive sheaths or dressings and the need to protect yourself scrupulously from UV rays to avoid problems of stains at the level of any bruises or scars”, answers Tambasco. “Moreover, in the summer months, the tissues tend to swell more, slowing down recovery times. However, operations are not categorically banned in the summer and with diligence and a greater spirit of endurance they can still be faced with optimal results”.