Beauty Obsession: Cosmetic Surgery Becomes Bt20-Billion Business

[quadrant]

Operation on private parts is also popular in Thailand.

Many Thai female go for enlargement.

Many Thai male go for reduction.

really? well..sounds like problems ahead. one side enlarging, the other reducing you end up with something like throwing a wiener into the national stadium.

...and how do the guys downsize??? - ghastly thought - definitely not for me!

cheers

[zakk9]

Other people in his own country barely have enough money to feed their families and this one wastes money. Some parents really have no sense for reality, whether it's Thailand or the rest of the world.

Hang on a sec. Lemme see if I've got your take on this straight. You're slating him because some of his countrymen are skint and he went out and did what he wanted to with his money ??!!

If people with enough money to do this had paid some tax, helping to develop the country, this would at least be partly unproblematic. But most don't, and this kind of egocentric surgery only helps to underline the absurd differences between poor and rich. Add to that the total lack of information regarding side effects and future problems associated with "beauty surgery", and the whole thing looks like another little glass of acid, etching away a piece of this nation that many of us used to love and cherish.

[Thaddeus]

Operation on private parts is also popular in Thailand.

Many Thai female go for enlargement.

Many Thai male go for reduction.

really? well..sounds like problems ahead. one side enlarging, the other reducing you end up with something like throwing a wiener into the national stadium.

...and how do the guys downsize??? - ghastly thought - definitely not for me!

cheers

I think he/she/it/troll meant removal and not reduction.

Feigns lack of language in one post, and disproves it in another.

I don't know why he/she/it/troll does that, I think there must be some self gratification involved, most people I know rose above that after puberty.

[HardenedSoul]

Other people in his own country barely have enough money to feed their families and this one wastes money. Some parents really have no sense for reality, whether it's Thailand or the rest of the world.

Hang on a sec. Lemme see if I've got your take on this straight. You're slating him because some of his countrymen are skint and he went out and did what he wanted to with his money ??!!

If people with enough money to do this had paid some tax, helping to develop the country, this would at least be partly unproblematic. But most don't, and this kind of egocentric surgery only helps to underline the absurd differences between poor and rich. Add to that the total lack of information regarding side effects and future problems associated with "beauty surgery", and the whole thing looks like another little glass of acid, etching away a piece of this nation that many of us used to love and cherish.

The guy's not rich. He worked his arse off to get the money to do what he wanted to do. Ok, you and I might have found better uses for that kind of money if we shared a similar background to this guy but the fact remains, it was his money to do with as he wanted. Maybe it is a little shallow but, hey, he was a kid when he embarked on his surgical odyssey. Didn't you do anything impulsive or daft in your youth?

Frankly I think it's stupid to sit there trying to put the world to rights by associating what he's done with some sort of terminal decline in Thai society because I'm sure that, wherever you're from, there are men and women getting elective surgery to improve their appearance. Maybe you and I wouldn't go under the knife but we ought not to berate those who choose to.

[jerrysteve]

My British friend remarked to me one time, if you take a lady to the PLAYBOY HOTEL OR THE PB HOTEL, ask her before hand if she

has children, and demand to see the stretch marks first.

Edited August 20, 2012 by jerrysteve

[brianP]

Beauty is only skin deep, just as i saw some girls grow up to be beautiful,which made some of them ugly inside with selfishness and superiority.

We have all seen the people who do have facial deformities and abberations that facial surgery will indeed improve and bring normalcy to them.

But beauty is a fleeting thing like a flower,it wilts as we age and has a humbling effect on our ego and self esteem, which can improve our wisdom and the true reality of what really is beautiful and why. For those cast in the wrong body gender wise and those who have such need for self esteem it can have valid results, but where does it end and why do we buy into it. I find the over-emphasis of enhancements not natural and unattractive, but natural beauty is stimulating.

[sunshine51]

I rather be ugly with money in my pocket then sexy and broke....

Ahhhh yesssss....the old chicken & egg question offered in a

different manner. Some say money cannot buy happiness and

perhaps that's true.

Mind you...it sure can rent it for a helluva long time though...

depending on how much dosh one has access to or in hand.

A new slogan pops into mind..."Thailand: Hub of Facades"?

Edited August 21, 2012 by sunshine51

[stefb1964]

Other people in his own country barely have enough money to feed their families and this one wastes money. Some parents really have no sense for reality, whether it's Thailand or the rest of the world.

Hang on a sec. Lemme see if I've got your take on this straight. You're slating him because some of his countrymen are skint and he went out and did what he wanted to with his money ??!!

If people with enough money to do this had paid some tax, helping to develop the country, this would at least be partly unproblematic. But most don't, and this kind of egocentric surgery only helps to underline the absurd differences between poor and rich. Add to that the total lack of information regarding side effects and future problems associated with "beauty surgery", and the whole thing looks like another little glass of acid, etching away a piece of this nation that many of us used to love and cherish.

The guy's not rich. He worked his arse off to get the money to do what he wanted to do. Ok, you and I might have found better uses for that kind of money if we shared a similar background to this guy but the fact remains, it was his money to do with as he wanted. Maybe it is a little shallow but, hey, he was a kid when he embarked on his surgical odyssey. Didn't you do anything impulsive or daft in your youth?

Frankly I think it's stupid to sit there trying to put the world to rights by associating what he's done with some sort of terminal decline in Thai society because I'm sure that, wherever you're from, there are men and women getting elective surgery to improve their appearance. Maybe you and I wouldn't go under the knife but we ought not to berate those who choose to.

My reaction was indeed a little short and did not cover all my thoughts. I'd like to add a few more lines here. I praise the boy for working hard to earn some money. Of course one can do whatever he likes with his legitimately earned money, but at his age parents should be his guide.

However, as it was made clear in the original text, he was only a kid. That's where I start scaffolding. At that age his body(and mind) is still developing and the outcome of his cosmetic surgery might not result in the desired looks after some time. Besides the physical issues I think there is a more important psychological aspect to this matter. His mind is far from mature at that age and just because he gets influenced by some people sayings, the boy decides a physical overhaul ? Nowhere I can find something about psychological guidance in the process towards the surgery and seen the topic title I doubt if there has been done some serious consultancy(although I hope he got it). For that matter, parents, family and even friends do have an important role in developing his self esteem in a positive way. If they can't handle it, there are psychologists to get help from.

Indeed, now he succeeded to get another look, but is he ready to accept all kinds of psychological effects afterwards ? He might be pleased at first with his looks, but his so called friend soon might start reacting differently than he was used to. In a worse case scenario his selfesteem might get another uppercut and then what ?

It all may turn out positive of course, but maybe the effect is only temporary.

After reaching maturity, he might not like his looks anymore. Maybe he gets other remarks that he can't deal with and so it wouldn't surprise me that this kid gets so troubled once more and as a result turn to yet new cosmetic surgery. I believe the boy rather should have had profound psychological treatment to learn how to deal with the outside world and work hard at his self esteem. Only if psychological treatment doesn't seem to get any effect, doctors should allow kids cosmetic surgery to support the psychological treatment.

But... as the title states... it's all about business.

[HardenedSoul]

Yeah yeah yeah. Look, this is one kid who did what he wanted to do. No one can say that he won't be happy when he gets older. Many people don't really start to mature into the person they're going to be for life until their mid twenties. By 25 or so, maybe he'll realise he's made a terrible mistake; maybe he'll be even happier with his decisions. It's really not that big a deal.

This is Thailand, people; yes for sure there are clearly more instances where important issues like counselling or consulting take a distant second place to actually collecting the money for services rendered but this country is still developing.

Regulation and oversight in this developing economy clearly trails behind that in the West but that will change in the not-too-distant future. The thing is that, when that happens, I am certain there'll be a lot more foreigners complaining about how sterilised and Westernized Thailand has become.

Be careful what you wish for

[stefb1964]

sorted out