For years and years women have been botoxing, butt lifting, and boob plumping to keep themselves beautiful, whatever that means. Back in the day airbrushed supermodels on magazine covers ruined beauty standards for the rest of us.
Nowadays with the Instagram models who know the good angles, smartphone filters, and Photoshop the average looking human just can’t compete unless of course, they drop a couple thousand bucks on cosmetic surgery.
Injecting toxins into your face or going under the scalpel may seem like the way to go but like most things, it doesn’t always turn out the way you want. The people of Reddit are talking about the work they got that they wish they hadn’t.
Reddit user cod_liver_oil_today asked: “Those who regret having cosmetic surgery, what procedure did you have done, and why do you regret it?”
If you’re planning on cosmetic surgery anytime soon, these 12 responses might convince you otherwise.
1. Breast implants
“Breast implants. I got them at 23 and I’m now 36. I liked them for the first few years, then as I my body started changing near my 30’s my boobs got bigger. Now they’re just huge and kinda saggy (I’ve had one baby). I wear a size DDD/E bra now which means none of my bras are sexy. I have to wear those supportive big-busted wide strap bras and I hate it. Plus, it’s not really the trend anymore to have fake boobs so I feel self conscious in all clothing. I’m currently pregnant so I can’t get my implants out for a while but as soon as I’m able, I’m getting them removed and I can’t wait! I’m at a point in my life where I want to be natural & comfortable and I don’t care what size boobs I have.” –kelsaylor
2. Fillers
“I had cheek and lip fillers 2 years ago. I regret it because it has made my face wider since they were trying to give me more of the cheek bone look and now I think it makes my face look more masculine. I don’t want to get it dissolved due to the risk of it dissolving my own tissue.” –incognitoglow
3. Nose job
“I kind of regret my rhinoplasty. I do have a better side profile for my nose (I had a large bump), however I was left with an increasingly asymmetrical front profile. Nostrils are uneven, I have a bump on the tip, and my nose leans more to one side. I blame myself for not picking a better surgeon. Maybe one day I will get it fixed but for now I don’t mind it. I had a lot of difficulty accepting it at first (body/face dysmorphia) however I’ve grown to like it more.” –bachfan25
4. Breast reconstruction
“I had reconstructive breast surgery. They look great and I am not having any issues with the implants but my natural breasts were just much better, sagging and all.” –Kooky-Nectarine675
5. Deviated septum
“I had a deviated septum as a kid and begged my parents for surgery to fix it, but really I just hated my nose and wanted a nose job. They let me get it when I was 17 because they were concerned about my breathing and I was able to get the bump removed at the same time. The recovery was horrendous and the swelling took a year to go down. My nose looks okay, but it’s crooked and one nostril is slightly collapsed. My breathing hasn’t improved at all. Sometimes I wonder if I even really had a deviated septum. Looking back, my nose was totally fine before and I was just an insecure kid. I wish I hadn’t done something so permanent as a teenager.” –zozobinx
6. Ear job
“I had otoplasty. (They removed a section of my ear cartilage in order to make them closer to my head). Regret it so hard. I had “spitting stitches” —permanent stitches that my body rejected and were pushing through my skin. Years later and I’ll still have a random stitch work it’s way through my skin. It’s like being stabbed in the ear with a needle constantly. And there are ugly skin folds on the inside of my ears that the surgeon said was just swelling, and they are not. It’s been 7yrs, they are permanent. They hurt to sleep on, they hurt to wear ear phones or sunglasses. They smell. It’s awful. I’d trade them for my old crooked, “dumbo” ears in a heartbeat.” –schmicklebutt
7. Lip tattoos
“I had my lips tattooed and I regret it. You can’t even tell it was the tiniest shade darker and then my lips were all swollen and crusty for a while. It also took hours and it hurt so bad since lips are a sensitive area and tattoos already hurt bad enough.” –pugdogsarecool
8. Permanent filter
“I got lip fillers because I liked the look of my lips being slightly bigger on a Snapchat filter (lmao I know don’t), but I don’t think they suited me and I definitely don’t think they looked as pretty when I smiled, I don’t “pose” or “pout” in pictures I always smile, and I feel like fillers look better when a woman poses with a more serious face. I did however use a clinic that injects via a cannula (injects the side of the face close to the lips, so only one injection as opposed to many sticks of the needle) and it’s hyaluronic filler(?) so it does naturally dissolve after 6 months (but check if you’re thinking of filler) it’s been 8 months and they’re back to normal and I’m not ever having fillers again. My rule now is: if I don’t – absolutely hate – it I’m not having surgery. I love the look of veneers, I love Lady Gaga’s cheek filler, but I’m sticking by my rule.” –blondiecats
9. Tip refinement
“I had rhinoplasty done. It was just supposed to be a tip refinement to fix what I thought was a bulbous nose, but now my left side has a seemingly permanent swell to it and my right side has a random dent that doesn’t flow at all. It looks completely asymmetrical. Whenever I look at my old pics I want to scream because my nose looked perfect compared to what I have now lol I can’t believe I ruined it.” –SnarkyShark6020
10. Chin filler
“I once got chin filler that balled up and never sat properly. I felt it made my chin look huge. It dissolved as expected and I won’t ever get that again. I do get nasal labial filler and Botox for my crows feet and will continue that. I got cheek filler once but the recovery for me was so terrible, never again.” –sunflowerharmony
11. Brazilian butt lift
“I had a BBL and while I don’t regret transferring fat into my ass I regret two of the areas that they lipo’d to get the fat from. They liposuctioned my lower back and my mid arm (above the elbow but below the top part) and I’ve gained some weight during quarantine so the parts they didn’t lipo (upper back and upper arms) look uneven and sort of ridged out.” –SiaSara
12. Botox
“It’s kind of just a minor inconvenience compared to some of these but I had a negative experience with Botox where it caused ptosis and eye drift (I have a very unnoticeable lazy eye). It went away after about 2 weeks but I had to conduct a few interviews and my eye kept drifting away and I’m sure it made things very awkward.” –ArtyFeasting
13. Weight change
“I had a breast augmentation a couple years ago. I chose to get it done because my breasts didn’t form properly. I had tubular breasts that were small and deformed. I have a larger frame (overweight, but also just a large frame in general and tall). I told the doctor that I wanted them big so that they would fit my body frame. They were very nicely done once they settled they were perfect… until I lost 60 pounds. I didn’t have much breast tissue to begin with, but with losing that much weight all I have are implant with very minimal breast tissue. When I lay on my back they are very tight and round. They are also just too big for my frame now. I’m not skinny, but they’re definitely too big for me. I also got a very mild case of capsular contracture so they’re slightly hard. I prefer them over what I originally had, but I am looking forward to getting them replaced and smaller one day.” –-Can-I-Pet-Your-Dog-
14. Micro-bladed brows
“I got my eyebrows micro-bladed ~5years ago. They have left a brownish stain which looks ridiculous.” –ives09
Lead image: Unsplash