Richard O. Gregory, M.D.

Director

Institute of Aesthetic Surgery

 

It has long been known that a person’s success in life depends heavily on their self-confidence.  Self-confidence is a complex issue however, composed of many facets, the major one of which is self-image.  Self-image likewise is composed of many aspects.  Appearance is one of those aspects.  Further dissecting this complex issue would reveal that the appearance consists of a persons dress, beauty or like thereof, physique or physical nature, and finally, hygiene or self-care.

 

John Molloy’s book, Dress for Success, relates a person’s haberdashery selection to the success in the business career.  The U.S. Navy has recognized for decades that "dungaree liberty" is not conducive to good comportment, as sailors in their dress white uniforms are much less likely to misbehave.  It is true in the professional life that a well-dressed physician in a white coat creates more respect than someone who is sloppily dressed and unkempt.

 

Psychocybernetics, published in 1960 documents the importance of self-image on a person’s performance and thus the success in life.  Facial appearance or beauty, for a lack of a better word, has also long been recognized to be important to a person’s success in life.  After Plastic Surgery is a book written by a psychologist, Francis Cook MacGregor,  who worked with facially disfigured patient's in a plastic surgery group in New York for decades.  She was able to document that the suicide rate, divorce rate, and general lack of success in life was directly related to facial disfigurement.  An experiment run in the Texas state prison showed that a large number of the prisoners related their life and crime to there facial appearance or "ugliness".  Interestingly a group of these prisoners was selected to have plastic surgery procedures to correct there perceived facial appearance problems.  The recidivism rate, or return to prison, after release was drastically reduced in the prisoners having plastic surgery as compared to the control group who did not have plastic surgery.

 

A study recently showed that "beautiful people" made 10% more salary in their lifetime than those who were less well facially endowed.  An interesting although unrelated fact is those who have had facelifts live 10 years longer than others.

 

What is behind this phenomenon of "image impacts success"?  Much of it is cultural without a doubt.  The foot binding in feudal Japan is an example of cultural stimulus gone wild.  Certainly the scarification, tattoos, and unusual body adornments in native Africa is looked at as being aberrant in our American Society.  Obesity in Victorian years was a sign of success because those who had little to eat were not obese.

 

I have documented on a number of mission trips to repair facially disfigured children in third world countries that facial disfigurement equates to a lack of acceptance in society.  In fact some cultures believe the cleft lip deformities are a sign of the devil and these children are routinely rejected and sometimes even left to die.  Even in our society "dumbo ears" are a source of embarrassment and ridicule.

 

Another factor might be termed the “perfection syndrome”.  People who are neat and orderly are perceived as being compulsively dedicated to perfection in their lives.  We receive praise and adoration in kindergarten for coloring within the lines and making those perfect “O’s in writing class.  Does this orderliness extend to our careers?

 

Whatever the source, youth and beauty hold sway in our society, perhaps too much.   Nevertheless as a plastic surgeon, I am here to enjoy the success derived not from my own beauty but from the beauty of others.  I am hopeful however that as the adage goes,  "beauty is more than skin deep."