The cost of being beautiful is one that many women and men have become intimately familiar with in the twenty-first century. Beauty treatments are no longer limited to a good face wash and night cream. Instead, beauty treatments now involve dangerous and costly surgeries that could completely change your lot in life. Furthermore, beautifying treatments now push the boundaries, creating an illusion that almost everyone tries to live up to. People in first world countries are being bombarded everyday with images of perfection that are not achievable. Airbrushed images of supermodels and athletes have become the beauty standard for both young and old individuals across the world. As a result, modern beauty treatments are designed to achieve a perfection that would be completely evasive if you were to stick to natural and conventional means.

Attaining beauty and perfection can be very costly. Currently, a huge phenomenon has spread across many countries where girls as young as sixteen are already undergoing costly surgical procedures to enhance their beauty. It is not uncommon for young children to undergo surgeries that include nose jobs and augmentations of various body parts. Naturally, it is very difficult to change the structural shape of your nose or other body parts without surgical intervention. However, costly cosmetic procedures that involve surgery also extend to liposuction and tummy tucks. Often, proper dieting and exercise regimens can help an individual completely avoid surgical procedures, but modern people desire instant gratification at any cost. Additionally, supermodels who return to unimaginable sizes just a few weeks after having a child have set a new norm for expecting mothers. Many new mothers feel an intense social pressure to reduce their midriff to a size that is only achievable through plastic surgery. Of course, this reduction in size is also evident in surgeries that consist of procedures including lap bands, stomach stapling, and gastric bypass. It is up to consumers what cost they are willing to bear both physically and financially, as these procedures come with a hefty price tag.

To a lesser extent, there are also minor and cost effective strategies that can be employed to improve one’s health and beauty. For instance, fake eyelashes and hair extensions are both temporary and reasonably priced. It is good to know that there are methods available that do not cost an arm and a leg, but alter one’s appearance successfully. A gym membership can also improve both your looks and health simultaneous. However, there are many things that one can do at absolutely no cost and still improve one’s overall well-being and corresponding beauty. A walk in the neighborhood or simple dieting can usually come at no significant costs to the consumer. However, healthier food and exercise equipment, including running shoes, can often come with a variety of price tags.

Whether simple or drastic, it is good to do your research before investing in something that claims to improve your health or appearance. Unintended consequences from failed attempts should be incorporated in assessing the overall cost. Furthermore, it is vital for an individual to consider if the change will be permanent or temporary. Fashions in beauty and health tend to change over time, which could leave you with an undesirable outcome in the future. Even if the cost seems reasonable, make sure that if you are considering a permanent procedure that the result is something that you can live with for the rest of your life. Beauty is very subjective and it is crucial that individuals make changes for their own satisfaction and not merely to live up to the expectations of others. Naturally, this does not apply to teeth whitening, hair dying, and other quick and cost effective strategies that give immediate and relatively reversible results.