I saw a reference today that the number of  a particular plastic surgery procedure, called a Labioplasty was increasing in England.  The procedure there costs about the equivalent of 4500 bucks-it would probably be twice that in the US.

This is not a medical blog, and I am not going to spend any time on the controversy of the procedure itself.  I have performed the procedure in my practice for a few women who have met insurance company criteria for the surgery.

I want to discuss the pro’s and con’s of plastic surgery when it comes to your personal finances.

Obviously plastic surgery is by definition elective.  It is a procedure that will not cure a disease or make your feel better physically.

The psychology folks would argue that when certain physical traits are present, or absent for that matter, your mental health is affected, so the surgery could be medically indicated from that standpoint-but again it is not the purpose of this post to deal with those issues.

Do you spend the money on plastic surgery when you have debt, no emergency fund,  and are not funding your retirement?

Most of you already know my answer, “Of course not!”  Plastic surgery that is elective should only be done when you have your finances in perfect order.  Don’t go into credit card debt or other wise borrow money for this.

Once you have your finances in order, if you want to put aside money for plastic surgery, then go for it.  I think two surgical opinions are in order, and extensive research into the positives and negatives are still in order.  But, make sure you check on the total costs involved including pathology, anesthesiology, and sometimes radiology, so you don’t get a surprise bill 6 months after surgery.  Have the cash ready and pay in full.

I hear almost every week in my practice, women who say they wish they hadn’t had that plastic procedure, that they thought they HAD to have.  So make sure you think this over very carefully.

So what are your thoughts about the financial aspects of plastic surgery-let me know.

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