Put The Shame Where It Belongs

The more I read about Kim Novak, the more ashamed I am of myself for making fun of her at her recent Academy Awards appearance.  At the time, it seemed hugely ironic that someone presenting the award for Best Animated Feature Film had a face that was decidedly not animated due to Botox and I assumed other "cosmetic" procedures.  I did not know that she was an 81 year old breast cancer survivor who had also struggled with a bipolar disorder.

I usually take celebrities as "fair game" to mock, because ultimately they are the ones who have chosen to place themselves squarely in the public eye.  Lately it occurs to me though, that there is another party involved that thus far has stayed out of the line of fire - the plastic surgeons.

As a former health care provider - I can tell you one of the tenets of our profession is to "do no harm".  A health care provider is charged with taking care of his or her patients, sometimes against their wills.  I had many patients who came to me asking for tooth bleaching, crowns and veneers that ultimately were not in their best interest.  Many were opting to ignore gum disease or other issues in order to afford the cosmetic work they wanted.  Others had completely unrealistic ideas of what dentistry could achieve or how they should appear.  It was my job as a dentist to manage expectations, and educate patients about what was truly the best treatment plan for their situation.

I won't tell you I was universally successful in that endeavor.  I had patients leave my practice because I would not do the treatment THEY prescribed for themselves.  I heard the threat, "Well if you won't do it I'll find someone who will!"  I ultimately decided I was fine with that.  Let someone else worry about the deleterious effects they are ultimately having on their patient's health.  Or perhaps they didn't care and were just in it for the money.  Either way - it wasn't my problem any more.  I presented a treatment plan to a patient that I honestly felt was best for them, and did my best to explain my reasons to the patient.

At some point prior to the Academy Awards, Kim Novak saw a plastic surgeon (or multiple surgeons).  This surgeon listened to her and agreed to operate on her.  I am not a plastic surgeon and can't tell you at what point she should have stopped, but the plastic surgeon certainly could have.  At some point, her surgeon should have said, "You have had enough surgery.  If we keep going you will not look natural.  You are a beautiful woman at any age and I think we should feel good about where you are.  If you choose to go elsewhere, that is your decision but I won't perform any further work on you because it is not in your best interest."

If we are going to shame women (and some men) for overdoing it with the cosmetic surgery, shouldn't the doctors who performed this work ALSO shoulder some of the humiliation?  From what I'm reading online, reputable plastic surgeons (and there are many, many competent surgeons out there.  I certainly don't want to universally bash plastic surgeons!) agree that Kim Novak had "too much done".  It is a doctor's job to manage their patients - ESPECIALLY if that patient has a history of mental illness.  Clearly the ball was dropped in this case.

I'm certain it won't be long before another celebrity is called out for looking like "the Catwoman" or a freak.  But isn't shaming the celebrity "blaming the victim" in a way?  I submit that perhaps we should also shame the surgeon.  A patient just knows they want to look "younger".  A doctor is supposed to know better.