WABI-SABI

Wabi-Sabi: The Acceptance of Transience & Imperfection. A World View & Aesthetic Often Described as One of Appreciating Beauty That is “Imperfect, Impermanent, and Incomplete”.

Plastic surgery goals are to improve aesthetics and or function, but there are limitations. Unlike oftentimes portrayed by the media, plastic surgery is not magical, and not everything can be reshaped or improved to the degree that patients and surgeons may want. Human tissues are not like clay, which can be precisely molded and manipulated. They sometimes lack structure or rigidity, which makes it difficult to reshape and retain a shape made in surgery, such as fat.

Moreover, tissues with more structure (such as cartilage) are slightly easier to reshape. But, unlike clay, the new shape can change over time because human tissues are made of living cells that have their own agenda (DNA) or are dynamic in nature. Therefore, there are some changes that plastic surgery cannot do or attempt because they are considered to be too morbid (very high chance of complications). For instance, a few easy examples to understand are the height of a person, the width of the chest, or the shape of the skull. We cannot practically change them. We have to learn to love ourselves with some of our “imperfections,” which in turn make us unique. A personal consultation is the only way to tell if you have realistic aesthetic goals.