14 DAY TRIAL // It's understandable for any woman to want to look as good as possible on her big (wedding) day but, for more brides these days, that also means going under the knife. The trend is called bridalplasty and it's picking up speed, says a new report.
The Daily Mail notes that 10 percent of all brides today have had at least one procedure done, whether it's Botox, fillers or more intrusive surgery like rhinoplasty, breast augmentation or liposuction.
Even more importantly, the cost of the procedure almost always exceeds that of the item considered the priciest until now: the wedding gown.
For brides, it doesn't seem to matter, because what's more important than money is knowing they have looked the closest thing to perfect on their wedding day – and they will have the photos for a lifetime.
“We have seen a 13 per cent rise year-on-year in bookings for pre-wedding surgical treatments,” Riccardo Frati, a consultant plastic surgeon at the Harley Medical Group, says for the Mail.
Frati says the most in-demand procedures are breast augmentation and liposuction. He also believes the wedding is just an “excuse” for most these women to go under the knife.
“Some of the brides coming in for treatment have been unhappy with some part of their body for years. But they want their wedding pictures to present the best possible image of them,” Frati explains.
Indeed, the Mail also spoke to 3 brides who had work done before their wedding, one rhinoplasty, one augmentation and the other a laser treatment that helped her slim down.
The woman who had her nose fixed tells the tab that she wouldn't have gotten it done otherwise, because she always thought it was too expensive.
However, as a bride, you're somehow “allowed” to spend as much as you want on yourself, even if that means getting into debts, she says.
Dr. Baljit Rana, a chartered psychologist at Birmingham City University, notes that, while it's ok to strive to look as good as possible on such a special occasion, focusing so much on the physical aspect might mean losing sight of what's important.
A wedding isn't an “opportunity” to catch up on surgery you've been meaning to have, but a special moment when two people pledge to be by each other's side for the rest of their lives.
“This is a very sad trend and one we should be concerned about. However, it’s not surprising. Celebrity culture promotes a message of perfection. It’s little wonder that brides, who face spending a day posing for photos they will keep for ever, are feeling such pressure to look perfect they will go under the knife to achieve it,” Dr. Rana says.
“You’re about to marry the man you love, in front of your family and friends. That should be enough reassurance that you’re fabulous, not a surgeon’s scalpel,” he goes on to say.