I went under the knife. Does that make me fake?

I went under the knife. Does that make me fake? I think this question has bothered me for awhile now. Ever since a friend said I had plastic surgery. For some reason, I took offense to that. I guess it's human nature to automatically think, when one hears "plastic" the first thought that comes to mind is "Oh, they fixed themselves up to look pretty." No one ever thinks, "Oh, s/he went under the knife for a medical reason" So I guess that's why it bothered me because that's the first thought I have when I heard "plastic." So does that make me plastic? In my mind I want to say no, but in reality the answer would be yes. In medical term, plastic means cosmetic repair and unfortunately I did get my jaw fixed but not for cosmetic reasons.

It was more of a medical condition

Because it was a medical condition, my parents did not have to pull any money out of their pocket for my surgery.

I was on medicaid.

When I had my surgery done, I was still eligible for medicaid. Usually, medicaid cuts off when one turns 18. But I was 19 and still needed things done to my mouth. So I stayed on medicaid a little longer then intended.

I had no intentions of going in the surgery for cosmetic reasons. Over the years, my lower jaw proceeded to grow out-ward. My doctor told me it would cause future problems. Headaches will occur now and then (that happen), cramping of jaw, pain, jaw locking in place, hearing my jaw clicking when chewing (that actually happens often), unable to chew correctly. All sort of problems.

Therefore, I decided to take on this 6 year journey to get my teeth placed correctly. September 13, 2004 was when my journey began. March 8, 2011 was when it ended. So approximately 6 to 7 years on braces. I nearly forgotten how my teeth felt without braces.

So I was a pretty darn excited when I finally had them off.

If I was told to get surgery for cosmetic reason at the age of 14, I would've most likely never agree to do it. But because it was going to fix future health issues, I understood and agreed to do it. At a young age, I honestly did not understand why anyone would try to fix themselves when in my eyes, they looked perfectly normal. Up until today, to some extent, I can understand why one would go under the knife, I guess being expose to such an environment has done that to me.


To conclude this, yes, I am fake, but not the reason you may think I did it for.

Baby me (age 3?) and current me (July, 2011)

I look the same. No?

I am one of the unfortunate few Asians who does not have a nose bridge. My mom has told me countless time to get my nose done. I always playfully say no to her (I like my little nose though) but I have actually started considering it. It's almost scary to me that I'm actually even letting it get to me. *sigh* I guess I'll just have to see.

Until next time.

The End. ^_^