Dr. Phillip Chang
Board Certified By The American Board of Plastic Surgeons.
Voted Top Plastic Surgeon in Loudoun, Virginia
Offices in Leesburg, Virginia.
Cosmetic Surgery used to be a hushed and private topic. Thanks to celebrities such as Joan Rivers that is no longer the case. Over the past decade, millions of women have undergone various surgeries. Now far from taboo, cosmetic surgery is on the rise.
What was once a secretive, shameful procedure is now widely known throughout the world. From supermodels to housewives, billboards to facebook pop-up ads, plastic surgery has taken the world by storm, emerging from its shadowy past and transforming itself into the crown jewel of the modern surgical industry.
Your Attractiveness Impacts Your Salary. No, Seriously!
According to a study produced by a University of Texas Professor of Economics, attractive people tend to experience a higher average income over the course of their lives. His study found that meeting societal standards for being a “beautiful person” had the potential to increase an individual’s salary over $230,000 more throughout the course of their life.
$230,000!
Suddenly even a $5,000 procedure doesn’t sound quite so unreasonable.
Abigail Brooks from Providence College ran a study comparing two groups of women: those that underwent anti-aging procedures and those that chose to age naturally.
She found that those who chose cosmetic surgeries and procedures did so because they felt that they were taking care of themselves. She also found that others perceived women within that group as being individuals who took care of themselves.
Not Sure Where To Start?
Joan Rivers: Overcoming the Stigma One Facelift At A Time.
Although Hollywood actresses, popstars, and Manhattan elite alike might still prefer to keep quiet about their most recent procedures, these days, getting plastic surgery or cosmetic procedures done doesn’t bring anywhere close to the kind of shame it used to.
Although unknown to younger audiences, Joan Rivers (1933-2014)—originally Joan Alexandra Molinsky—rose to fame on February 17th, 1965 when she appeared on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show and remained in the spotlight for the fifty years leading up to her untimely death. In 1986, she became the first woman to host a late night television program with The Late Show with Joan Rivers and later with The Joan Rivers Show. Joan Rivers had a daughter with her husband Edgar Rosenberg – Melissa Rivers (1968-) – with whom she co-hosted The E! fashion show Fashion Police for four years (2010-2014).
On August 28th, 2014, Joan Rivers experienced serious (“Thereupeutic”) complications during an endoscopy (a minor throat procedure) which caused her to stop breathing and go into cardiac arrest. Though she was resuscitated, moved to Mount Sinai Hospital, and put on life support, Ms. Rivers died a week later, September 4th, 2014, having never awaken from her medically induced coma. The official cause of her death was cerebral hypoxia with the medical examiner determining she experienced brain damage due to lack of oxygen. Joan Rivers’ death shocked the world. Her daughter, Melissa, filed a “wrongful death” medical malpractice lawful which has since been settled. At the time of her death, Ms. Rivers was 81 years old and had a net worth of $150 million.
Rolling back the clock to when Joan Rivers was young, she started her plastic surgery journey in 1973. She went through a lot of ridicule for her decision. She was labeled “vain” and even openly called “tacky” as a result of her surgical work. About 6 years ago (2011-12) that suddenly changed.
Women stopped mocking Joan Rivers as a sellout and started asking her for advice and experiences with plastic surgery. Before her death, Rivers wrote a book entitled, “Men Are Stupid… And They Like Big Boobs.” It’s a modern woman’s guide through plastic surgery based on her own experiences, stories, and pitfalls.
Joan Rivers led the charge on women opening up and sharing their health journeys with others. These days it’s not uncommon to find gaggles of women sitting around a coffeeshop or bougie brunch, sipping their coffee or mimosas and openly discussing the work they’ve had done.
From boob jobs and “mommy makeovers,” to fillers and neck lifts, the shame of sharing your anti-aging attempts has been largely eradicated.
Women like Joan Rivers serve as an inspiration to those considering taking the next step in their own anti-aging journey.
New, Safer, Cheaper Treatments: Ready to Try It!?
Over the past fifty years, surgeons and researchers have worked hard to create newer, safer, and more lasting cosmetic options for their patients. There are newer, more non-invasive treatments on the market each year and surgeries such as breast augmentation and butt lifts are safer than they used to be.
Not only have surgeons gotten better results because of these efforts, but they have also made their services progressively more affordable over the years.
Middle-class women are now able to finance their work on a credit card or save up a portion and finance the rest. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for the average income to afford breast augmentation or a nose job and Botox shots are only a few hundred dollars.
In fact, ⅔ of cosmetic surgery patients in 2005 had an annual income of $60,000 a year or less. The price point has granted women from many walks of life access to improved aging options.
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Non-Invasive Treatments Are Growing
The other portion of the industry that has been booming is non-invasive treatments. These procedures have become commonplace in doctors’ offices.
In fact, plastic surgeons do 5 times the amount of nonsurgical procedures as invasive procedures. Among the most popular are Botox, Restylane, and Juvederm.
Across the globe, women are embracing cosmetic treatments as the “New Makeup.” It’s become as common as going to the salon for a perm or hair coloring treatment. In America, there was a 13% increase in cosmetic treatments between 2011 and 2014. That’s double the procedures performed only a decade and a half ago in 2000.
According to the data, the most popular treatments are consistently: liposuction and breast augmentation.
Cosmetic Treatments: A Form of Empowerment.
Rather than merely being about getting that “sexy dream body,” plastic surgeries are also about correcting disfigurements, improving self-esteem, reducing chronic pain, and a myriad of other genuine health concerns.
Modern men and women feel more empowered to pursue the changes they want to make to their bodies.
Transgender individuals such as Jazz Jennings are also finally able to craft a look that makes them feel more confidently and more accurately themselves! The modern ability for these individuals to choose to pursue gender reassignment procedures is certainly something to be proud of.
Now What? So Many Options…
One of the biggest challenges facing women today isn’t whether or not they need cosmetic procedures, but sorting out which ones they should pursue, in what order, with what surgeon.
Since there are now so many ways to achieve beauty goals, patients have to wade through mountains of research and articles to determine the best option for themselves. Many spend hours starring at before and after pictures or thumbing through every cosmetic surgeon in the country.
It’s not even unusual that a client might choose a surgeon beyond their local area and fly to the doctor’s location for the surgery.
Women are no longer afraid to post their surgical stories on social media. They’re proud to share their journeys with others so that others won’t be afraid to pursue their own paths to anti-aging options. With the widespread and ever-increasing education of cosmetic advances, it only stands to reason that more and more women will elect to change their appearance.
The attitude towards the industry has done a complete 180. One hundred years ago, it was something that only rich, exceedingly vain women were able to undergo. Today it is a practice that every woman deserves to at least consider and more than likely engage in at some time during her life.
Finding the Best Plastic Surgeon in Virginia
Dr. Phillip Chang is known to be one of the best surgeons in Virginia after performing thousands of procedures for almost 20 years. His innovative techniques have been highlighted in national magazines and educational channels prompting patients across the country to send revision breast reduction procedures to his office in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, DC.
Visit his office in Leesburg, Virginia in Loudoun County or fill out the contact form below for more information on how we can help you with your plastic surgery plans.
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Our office can provide you will helpful information, schedule a free consultation, and walk you through the process of having the procedure covered by your insurance.