by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: November 02, 2009

When people are so preoccupied with their appearance that it has a detrimental impact on their social life and ability to form relationships, then of course they are going to consider all potential ways of gaining more confidence. Virtually everyone has aspects of their physical appearance which they dislike, but some are more bothered by these features than others. Some people have enough confidence about themselves as a whole person - the combination of an overall pleasing aesthetic appearance and a good personality - that they don't let their minor 'imperfections' get them down. Other people don't find this so easy, and end up obsessing over their 'flaws' until it overwhelms them and has a negative effect on their confidence levels.

For these individuals, cosmetic surgery may seem like a realistic option, since they feel so bad about themselves that the pain and discomfort of surgery is nothing compared to how they feel when they look in the mirror. Often a person's body insecurities are in their head, and nobody around them really pays much attention to any 'flaws', but in other instances a person may have experienced verbal abuse or bullying because of a particular physical attribute. It is therefore unsurprising if they feel self-conscious about the way they look if other people have felt it acceptable for them to pass comment.

Many young women feel they lack confidence because their breasts are not large enough, and believe that having breast implants will make them feel sexier and more attractive to members of the opposite sex. This is a society which seems to be obsessed with breasts, and seemingly the larger they are the better - a message which is being sent out to youngsters. Some girls under the age of 16 are dreaming of having breast implants before they have even stopped developing, so influenced by the images of feminine beauty are they.

Perhaps in some cases having cosmetic surgery will help individuals feel more confident, and if a woman with small breasts is happy with the results after having breast implants then this is bound to impact upon the way she feels about herself. For some people, though, cosmetic surgery isn't the solution, as they may believe surgery will automatically give them confidence, but if their confidence levels were at rock bottom to start with, this isn't going to change overnight. Some people have more confidence than others to begin with and regard cosmetic surgery as simply a way of enhancing their appearance a little bit, whilst others loathe their appearance and hope surgery will change them completely as individuals, which clearly isn't always possible.

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