How Fantastic is the World of Plastic?

How fantastic is the World of Plastic?

Cosmetic surgery has become extremely popular in Spain, an enormous ‘silicone valley.’ As one woman defines it, undergoing liposuction or paying for breast implants “is equal to dying your hair, fixing your teeth, or repairing your vision.”

By Catherine Ross

Picture an elderly woman in her early eighties with curly white hair and taut skin plastered with beauty products. At one time, she radiated with natural beauty that many coveted. Now, her skin has been stretched so tightly that it barely moves when she opens her mouth. She has undergone so many cosmetic surgeries that her lips hardly move, making her voice scarcely audible.

This woman is María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva, also known as the Duquesa de Alba. Her nobility has made the duchess a public icon in Spain. Her image is constantly displayed in gossip TV programs and magazines throughout the country.

The Duquesa de Alba is one of the pioneers of a trend that has become phenomenally popular in Spain. Cosmetic surgery is more common here than in most countries around the world. According to the Spanish Society of Cosmetic Surgery, about 380,000 surgeries occur each year in Spain solely to help improve the patient’s physical appearance.

Dr. Marta Rodrigo Royo, a specialist in medicine and cosmetic surgery, has been working at her medical practice in Seville since 1993. In her experience, the most sought-after cosmetic surgeries are breast, lip and cheek augmentations, as well as the removal of bags under the eyes. She also adds that liposuction is frequently performed. Despite the popularity of plastic surgery in the country, it is still a financial luxury.

Although there is a public, national health system in Spain, cosmetic surgery is not covered. According to the Servicio Andaluz de Salud (the public health system in Andalusia), there are five categories of plastic surgery that are financed by the regional government. These include: sex changes, birth defects, the elimination of certain varicose veins, burn victims, and the restructuring of body parts.

“The government covers everything in plastic surgery that is more severe than a cosmetic problem that affects the health physically or psychologically,” Dr. Royo explains. The example that she provides is breast reduction. Although the procedure typically falls under the category of cosmetic surgery, there are exceptions. For instance, the government will finance the surgery if the weight of a woman’s breasts causes her physical harm.

Even though patients have to finance the surgery personally, many people such as photographer Lola Pérez*, 46, believe it is worth it. She has undergone liposuction, surgery on her eyelids as well as the removal of the bags below her eyes… And she intends to finance “many more surgeries” in the future. Pérez uses plastic surgery to “shed weight and go back years” in her appearance.

Dr. Royo’s 16 years of experience show that most people “get surgery to free themselves of psychological complexes about their image. Others are very demanding about their bodies and appearance and want to improve them if they can.” However, there are people with other motives to undergo cosmetic surgery.

Carmen Gómez*, 49, has a different outlook on cosmetic surgery. She got her breast implants without anxiety at the age of 47 because she simply “always had the urge to go topless on the beach.” Gómez decided to enter the operating room when her friend turned to her and said, “If you don’t have breasts it’s because you don’t want them. Today it’s so easy and simple to get the surgery.”

Cosmetic procedures are becoming more popular with each passing day. From Pérez’s perspective, women in Spain want to look young for as long as possible and be pleased with their appearance. Dr. Royo explains, “Cosmetic surgery is the fashion. It’s already seen so often that it’s accepted as normal.”

Gómez brings a competitive twist to the idea behind cosmetic surgery in Spain. “We like to be perfect women in the broadest sense of the word.” She says that women are surpassing men in nearly every aspect. If they notice something about themselves that they want to improve, they do it, with regard to their studies, athletic abilities or appearance. “Cosmetic surgery is equal to dying your hair, fixing your teeth, or repairing your vision,” she claims.

Esther Menacho Dorado, 30, works for Canal Sur Radio and agrees that cosmetic surgery is ßmore popular than ever. “Almost all of my co-workers have had something done.” She believes the media is greatly responsible for the rise. Everything, from reality shows to gossip programs, flaunts the products of surgery.

If you turn the television on in a Spanish household during dinner, you will more than likely be bombarded by bodies that have experienced some sort of cosmetic surgery. Not only are celebrities and their sculpted bodies on display, but many of their interviewers have paid for physical changes as well. “You return to your house and turn on the television only to see silicone,” Dorado says.

Dr. Royo also believes the media subtly pushes people in the direction of getting cosmetic surgery. “Each time someone sees a program on the television that promotes plastic surgery in any way, they are slightly persuaded.” Cosmetic surgery is everywhere, whether it’s a final contestant in Granjero Busca Esposa (Farmer looks for wife) rubbing her implants in a hot tub or famous Sara Montiel showing off her enlarged lips in an interview.

From lips and breasts to hair and skin, people have always been trying to improve their appearance. Celebrities as well as ordinary people regularly go under the knife to perfect their image.

After Gómez’s surgery, she was elated to be able to wear clothes that she could not previously fill out and lose weight without looking like a board. However, she now understands better all the risks that are involved as well as the role the media plays in manipulating each person’s self-image. After living for two years with her new breasts, she admits that if she woke up tomorrow without them, she would not go through the surgery again.

* Their names have been changed in this article as they don’t want to be identified.

Personal side note - when my mom and grandmother came to visit me, they had lunch at the same place La Duquesa de Alba was dining! (Porta Rossa!)