According to recent press reports, plastic surgeons across the country are seeing what is being called the “Kardashian Effect,” with more and more female patients requesting the curvy features popularized by the first family of reality television. In addition to the ever popular breast augmentation and tummy tuck procedures, combination liposuction and Brazilian butt lift procedures are rising in popularity as women aim to look more like their television and social media idols. Of course, celebrities can serve as a good initial inspiration for having a procedure, but trying to look a great deal like them may not be the best ultimate goal for men or women to have. While a patient telling a surgeon that he or she wishes to have a certain known attribute associated with a particular celebrity may be a helpful way of communicating his or her initial desire, if carried too far it risks muddying the true purpose of most plastic surgery procedures. That purpose, they explain, is to help patients look like the best version of themselves.

It is certainly normal to admire the looks and the lifestyle of a notable public figure. Yet, some people incorrectly assume that, by undergoing a procedure to look more like that person, they will somehow also attain the glamorous lifestyle that they so admire. Unfortunately, patients may set themselves up for disappointment if they assume that looking more like a certain celebrity will solve problems in their life that that celebrity does not seem to have.

The best mindset patients can have when approaching the possibility of plastic surgery is to aim to become the best version of themselves, rather than a version of someone else. This allows patients to get a boost in self-confidence by building on what is already true to them, rather than trying to adopt a new identity. In fact, many of our patients tell us that their reason for electing plastic surgery is that they want everyone else to be able to see the beauty that they have always found in themselves.