African Americans are generally not known for receiving plastic surgery, but it seems that trend is reversing. While Caucasian women are by far the biggest group receiving cosmetic procedures, those in the African American community are overcoming the stigma that may have been there previously to seek out enhancements.
Though African Americans only receive a fraction of cosmetic procedures in the United States, the numbers are on the rise.
According to the annual survey of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, ethnicity plays a role in deciding to get plastic surgery as well as deciding which procedure to get. About 25 percent of the surgeons surveyed reported an increase in the number of Hispanic, African American, and Asian patients they saw in 2011.
Of the most popular cosmetic surgeries, African Americans and Hispanics were most likely to have received rhinoplasty, more commonly called a nose job. Eighty-eight percent of African Americans opting for cosmetic surgery had this procedure, up 10 percent from 2010, and 67 percent of Hispanics chose it.
Asian Americans were most likely to have received blepharoplasty, which is eye lid surgery, (56 percent) or rhinoplasty (35 percent). Caucasians were more likely to get rhinoplasty (41 percent) followed by facelifts (34 percent).
Since more African Americans are considering and getting rhinoplasty surgery, there has been a been an uptick in plastic surgeons who specialize in so-called “ethnic” nose jobs.
Since many African Americans look at celebrities like Lil' Kim and the late Michael Jackson as people who took rhinoplasty to the extreme, they are now looking to have the procedure done in a way that preserves their unique ethnic heritage and characteristics. Though they may want an imperfection corrected or an updated look, they don’t want to lose their ancestral heritage.
Beverly Hills Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and rhinoplasty expert, Dr. Ashkan Ghavami, has been able to create the look many of his African American patients are going for when they consult him about getting rhinoplasty. He has been performing “ethnic” rhinoplasty for 15 years and has literally written the textbook on the procedure. On TheGriot.com, he commented that “usually African Americans who want to have their noses done have a nose bridge that is too flat and wide, a nasal tip that is too bulky, or really wide nostrils."
It is Ghavami's experience that Blacks tend to have very thick skin so it needs to be trimmed down to show the beauty of the framework of the bones. He says this maintains the ethnicity of the nose but simply updates it.
It is doctors like Ghavami, who are taking the time and effort to preserve their patient’s ethnic heritage while updating their look, that are making plastic surgery a more viable option for African Americans. They don’t have to fear they will wind up on an episode of “When plastic surgery goes wrong” anymore.
Sources:
TheGriot.com. Web. Published 13 February 2012. “Plastic Surgeons aim to promote ethnic rhinoplasty within the African American Community.” http://www.thegrio.com/specials/life-and-style/plastic-surgeons-aim-to-promote-ethnic-rhinoplasty-within-the-african-american-community.php
Marketwatch.com. Web. Published 8 February 2012. “Annual survey of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery finds more patients turning to social media to make decisions on surgeries and non-surgical procedures.”
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/annual-survey-of-the-american-academy-of-facial-plastic-and-reconstructive-surgery-finds-more-patients-turning-to-social-media-to-make-decisions-on-surgeries-and-non-surgical-procedures-2012-02-08
Reviewed February 24, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith