The fact is – many of us all share one thing – no matter our
gender or culture or nationality – we want to look and feel good, explains
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr Jason Diamond. When it comes to cosmetic surgery, different
procedures are offered to different people depending on skin pigmentation, as
well as factors such as facial features, according to Dr Jason Diamond the
American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Plastic surgery for ethnic patients means taking into consideration that
darker skin tones and bone structure might need a different approach and those
looking for plastic surgery need to make sure their surgeons understand that
and will strive to ensure the right procedures are performed.
According to the ASPS, cosmetic or plastic surgery for
ethnic Americans has numbered to the tune of 3.2 million patients in 2010 –
with Hispanics being the largest cultural group to undergo the procedures. After that, African and Asian Americans have
been embarking on cosmetic surgery as well.
The ASPS
writes on the website that “Improved technology, scientific advances, and
reduced costs have also contributed to the rising demand. Ethnic patients who
have plastic surgery have similar motivations and goals as other patients. They
want to reduce the signs of aging, look refreshed and rejuvenated, or may want
to enlarge, reduce, refine, or create balance and symmetry on their face or
body.”
That said, the ASPS writes that
many patients want to maintain their ethnic identity and not apply a strictly
European sense of beauty. “For instance, the typical Asian patient who has
eyelid surgery desires a wider, fuller eye that is natural looking to the Asian
face and maintains an almond shape. An African American patient interested in
nose reshaping may want to reduce the size of their nose …but is not seeking a
nose that is more European.”
While many plastic surgeons can
perform procedures that improve looks as well as maintain cultural identities,
there are some inherent differences in treating darker pigment skin, explains
Dr Jason Diamond. The ASPS warns that some ethnic
patients may be more “…susceptible to adverse scarring due to melanin, a brown
pigment, found in the skin. Keloids and hypertrophic scars are common in
patients of African and Asian ancestry, for example, and appear as thickened,
raised tissue along an incision line. However, not all patients may experience
this risk of surgery.”
To limit the risks of scarring,
many health care professionals will warn that some ethnic patients take less
invasive procedures. This can also
prevent what is called “pigment irregularities” according to the ASPS.
Here are some of the common cosmetic procedures of ethnic
patients according to the ASPS:
- Hispanic Americans: The ASPS writes that Hispanics had nearly 1.5 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2010 and led all minority groups. “The most commonly requested surgical cosmetic procedures are nose reshaping, breast augmentation, and liposuction,” notes the ASPS
- African Americans: African Americans had more than 1 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2010, according to the ASPS and the most commonly requested surgical procedures are nose reshaping, breast reduction, and liposuction.
- Asian Americans: Asians had 761,000 cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in 2010 and the most commonly requested surgical procedures are nose reshaping, eyelid surgery, and breast augmentation.
