With her recent well-publicized confessions that she has “gone under the knife”, the conversation on the celebrity gossip websites has gradually evolved over the past few months from one revolving around the question of whether Iggy Azalea has had plastic surgery to whether the resulting change in her appearance has been for the better or the worse. These debates can become quite fraught, for those who follow them, with a lot of heat generated, but precious little light shone on the subject.
Let’s take a step back and look at what Iggy Azalea has had done from the perspective of a plastic surgeon. First, if one looks at the complete photographic record of pictures of Iggy, starting from the beginning of her career, it appears that her recent rhinoplasty may not have actually been her first rhinoplasty. However, the overall effect seems to have been to narrow and refine the bridge of her nose, while softening and giving further definition to her nasal tip. Omitted in this debate is the reality that many patients often seek out rhinoplasty for difficulties they are having breathing through their nose. This would be particularly important for a singer.
Also overlooked by most of the discussions of Iggy Azalea’s rhinoplasty is that it appears that she had a chin augmentation performed concomitantly. These two surgeries are often aesthetically complimentary, and, together improve the balance and proportion of the patient’s face, particularly in profile, to a greater degree than either one performed in isolation. The overall effect of these surgeries in Iggy Azalea’s case is to make her face appear a bit longer and more v-shaped in the vertical direction, and a bit more refined and elegant overall.
This concept of balance can also be applied in assessing the results of Iggy Azalea’s breast augmentation surgery. Comparing photographs of the singer taken before and after her surgery, it is apparent that Iggy opted for a moderate, though noticeable, increase in the size of her breasts. Chief among the benefits of her surgery are an improvement in the overall shape and volume of her breasts, as well as more defined and noticeable cleavage in certain outfits. More generally, there is a better balance between her lower body and her torso, and no doubt the range and style of clothing she can wear has improved, much to the satisfaction of both the singer and her stylists.
By going public, and being so open about having plastic surgery, Iggy Azalea has shifted the conversation from “did she or didn’t she” to “what can careful, aesthetically appropriate plastic surgery do to improve one’s appearance and boost one’s self-confidence”. The answer in Iggy Azalea’s case is “a lot”. Hundreds of Wave Plastic Surgery patients will tell you they have had an identical experience (minus the paparazzi).
Photo courtesy of nightterrorx via flickr
