Whilst researching cosmetic procedures I believed would benefit my face, I stumbled upon copious amounts of information available on the internet. In fact their is so much information and misinformation, that you can feel overwhelmed, and scared away from the entire process.

There are many forums and communities which detail personal stories and experiences…but unfortunately a disprortionate amount of these experiences are negative as they are patients who have had an unsatisfactory outcome, and are seeking advice or reassurance from others. Reading some of these experiences can put you off Plastic Surgery for life. My ultimate plan for this blog is to detail things exactly how they are. Exactly how I experienced them. I will cover everything including my inner thoughts and emotions, both before and after my surgery. There will be no holding back. If you have any questions you would like to ask me privately, you can contact me on webmaster@chinimplant.com.au

For me, plastic surgery was always going to happen. It was one of many objectives on a long list of things I wanted to experience before I die. Watching shows like “Extreme Makeover” and “The Swan” only fuelled my desire to have my own make over some day. Weird thing is, there was nothing I “REALLY REALLY” hated about my appearance. But obviously there are features about my appearance that have occured with age that I am not happy with, otherwise I would have never gone to this extreme. Overall, my appearance has had no huge negative impact on my life, besides the occasional cringe whilst looking at my double chin in photos. I have never been teased or taunted about any particular physical feature (well except for my receding hair line, but that’s an entirely different story)..and in our older age, my brother and I joke about our genetically inherited double chins…but overall, I was not extremely concerned about my physical appearance. … BUT,  I am sure like many, there are a few improvements I would like to make to my appearance. Aging gracefully is not an option for me
  As for morals and taboo’s on Plastic Surgery, well…I don’t have any. Zero. If someone would like to make an improvement to themself, then what is the big deal? Obviously there are limits, and some people do go overboard with plastic surgery (like that Cat Woman). We spend thousands of dollars fixing our cars or homes when they are damaged or age, why should we feel guilty or embarrassed about wanting to fix ourselves!? We are in our own body 24/7. We also have no control over our genetics. And sometimes the gene pool can be cruel. Our appearance, along with persona is a significant representation of our being. Our Avatar. So like I say, I have zero moral ambiguities when it comes to the plastic surgery itself. The technology is available, and has been refined through out the decades, why be a shamed to use it!?

Guilt and embarrassment. I realise this title alone contradicts what I have written above, but please hear me out. If there was one thing playing on my mind (besides the obvious nerves) before deciding to go ahead with my surgery, was guilt. I felt guilty that I would be dropping $13k on something that was not 100% a necessity. Especially when there are people such as my mother and brother who are struggling financially. I realised if I decided NOT to proceed with my Plastic Surgery, and donate the money to my mother instead, she would never accept. She has already rejected my financial support in the past. As for my brother, I don’t believe giving him money will help his cause. He needs to change his lifestyle if he wants to get ahead. And then you think about all those starving children in 3rd world countries who are struggling to eat…and here I am wasting money on something as fickle as vanity. Yes, it’s a cruel world! Guilt was a very hard emotion for me to overcome. And let me tell you something, I am no bleeding heart!

And I won’t lie, I also felt some embarrassment. Not so much because I care what people think, or maybe deep down I do? I decided to keep things to myself and girlfriend anyway. I told close family and friends I was having my wisdom teeth removed, which gives me an excuse to vanish for a few weeks to heal. My girlfriend is fully supportive of my quest for Plastic Surgery, but I think deep down she figured I would never have the balls to go through with it all. In retrospect she would be very wrong, this once

If I was to tell my Dad I was going to have Plastic Surgery, I feel he will doubt my sanity. Which I’m sure he already does. My Dad is from an era in time where only the rich and famous have Plastic Surgery. Why the hell would his son need it?? When or if he does eventually find out, I will just tell him I was unhappy with the genetic hand I was dealt. (I love to stir him up) I know for sure my brother and sister will be all for it. They have both been vocal on their opinions of Plastic Surgery in the past. I am really not sure how my mother will react. But I believe with some of the family secrets that have been revealed in recent times, nothing will shock her anymore. But at this stage, I really don’t want to stress her out about it. As for close friends, I honestly don’t care what they think. (not that I don’t care for their values or opinions) For now I won’t say anything unless they notice. They know I am not a conventional man, so I doubt anyone will be surprised.

I must admit, finding the correct Plastic Surgeon for me was one of the most difficult parts of my journey. I have no friends relatives or associates who have experienced plastic surgery before, so I was all on my own. But thanks to the internet I had access to a ton of information. One interesting yet frustrating pattern I did notice whilst researching a particular Plastic Surgeon, is… besides their own official websites (and maybe some Press about the more prestigious surgeons) there is not a lot of external unmoderated information. Especially on Australian Plastic Surgeons. Many of the forums don’t allow you to post the name of a Surgeon. I am guessing this is to protect the Surgeon from justified and unjustified defamation.  I see this as both a good and bad thing…as it would be impossible for a Surgeon please 100% of their patients. So all it would take is one disgruntled patient to ruin the reputation of what could be a very skilled and caring surgeon. But when it comes to finding any positive or negative information on the Plastic Surgeon you are researching, it makes things very difficult.

After many weeks of searching for qualified Plastic Surgeons in Sydney Australia, I finally narrowed my choice down to about 3 or 4 Surgeons. Most of them in the Eastern Suburbs or North Shore. One thing to note when searching for a “Plastic Surgeon”, confirm they are a member of the ASPS. Anyone with a medical degree can call themselves a “Cosmetic Surgeon”. But only specialised surgeons who have endured the further 8-10 years of advanced training can become a member of the Australian Society Of Plastic Surgeons.

At this stage I will not name the surgeon I selected, not until I get authorisation. To be honest, he was the first and only Surgeon I consulted with. I know this is bad, as I beleive you should really consult with multiple surgeons, but I had a good feeling about him from the start. Some of the reasons I selected this particular Surgeon was ….. Firstly, he is a member of the ASPS. He has a lot of good press on both Television and in Magazines/Media. He has apparently worked on three Oscar winners and two Golden Globe winners. He is also a Surgeon who specialises in face and neck surgery. Now any Surgeon who works exclusively on the face/neck earns my respect. This would be by far the hardest area to accomplish patient satisfaction, as the face is the first thing people (including yourself) notice each day. I am sure he could make a ton of money just churning out boob jobs, but this surgeon has a brilliant eye for facial aesthetics. In my humble opinion, he is not only a genius, but an artistic genius, who obviously likes a challenge. You may ask, what gives me the right to make such a huge claim? Well besides the work he has performed on my own face (which I love so far), I have browsed through the before and after photos in his surgery. His results are nothing short of mind blowing. After looking through his photo’s, I can guarantee he has some very happy patients!

Another reason I selected this Surgeon was simply because he seemed like a nice genuine guy. He was not at all cocky, and seemed very approachable with a great sense of humour. He was also very happy to answer all of my questions, no matter how stupid they we’re.

I also recommend when researching a surgeon, to use plastic surgery website forums such as MakeMeHeal.com. Use the forum “Search Function” to find a surgeons name. (yes some Surgeon’s names slip through the cracks of moderation and are posted) If you find a user has posted about the surgeon you are interested in, send them a private message and ask them about their experience. I contacted about 5 forum users who had already been worked on by the Plastic Surgeon I was interested in using. They all had positive things to say about him.