Is that a faja in your gym bag?

OP. DR. YUNUS DOĞAN

Forget protein shakes and steroids

Think of your favorite sports star: is he a towering basketball giant? Does she churn up the football pitch with her powerful thighs? Maybe he’s a stout boxer with fancy footwork. Or she’s a strong but graceful swimmer. Whoever the talent, whatever the field, you know your sporty superhero has devoted his or her life to the craft.

Hours of practicing and physical conditioning, devotion to sound nutritional principles and seemingly endless passion have culminated in the player he or she is today. Hopefully your idol has found success cleanly and without using illegal substances. Can you think of any other, more unconventional methods athletes use to excel?

Plastic surgery isn’t just for the rich, unique and famous or the recovering and resilient hopeful. There is a plastic surgery procedure for everyone: men and women with money who want daily Botox to achieve their individual aesthetic goals or mothers who have reached an age and understanding that it’s time to reclaim their bodies with a mommy makeover (360 lipo, tummy tuck and breast augmentation.) Then there are people of all ages who reach the point in their weight loss journey where they’re ready to be carved out of their excess skin with a tummy tuck, Fleur-de-lis, arm lift or thigh lift.

There’s another demographic you may not associate with plastic surgery: athletes. Perhaps there are some patients with no interest in exercising who would rather invest in a BBL just to look like they’ve put the time in at the gym. Bicep implants can give the impression you’ve been doing arm curls for years, calf implants make lifelong cross-country runners jealous and male breast implants pop those pectorals faster than a billion bench presses ever could.

While plastic surgery usually carries the connotation of aesthetics and beauty, there is another side that’s as functional as a freshly blended creatine smoothie: plastic surgery for the athlete. Athletes have been using several procedures to improve performance and/or recover from injury:

• 1. Blepharoplasty (eye lift)
• 2. Breast augmentation (breast lift, breast implant)
• 3. Breast reduction/gynecomastia surgery
• 4. Labiaplasty
• 5. Laser hair removal
• 6. Otoplasty (ear surgery)
• 7. Rhinoplasty (nose job)
• 8. Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
• 9. Liposuction

Blepharoplasty

You should see this pun coming from a kilometer away: blepharoplasty is truly an eye-opening surgery! It can increase an athlete’s field of vision by correcting drooping eyelids caused by injury or the insult of aging. A quick stitch or ten to an eye injury during a game can also ensure that the athlete receives treatment that won’t leave terrible scarring. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons published a brief article about the benefits of having a plastic surgeon on a sports team’s staff.

Breast augmentation

As we age, our breasts get tired. They decide they don’t want to ride as high as they used to so they succumb to gravity. This results in an athlete’s forced decision to invest in better sports bras, change sports, or have a breast lift or breast implants to reassign their position or composition. A breast lift can be an uplifting experience and, in extreme cases, even change an athlete’s center of gravity. Breast implants reaffirm how much control an athlete has over her body, allowing for less dangle and more “dang, girl!”

Breast reduction/gynecomastia surgery

Athletes need to move and excessively large breasts can hinder that. Their extra weight can stress and strain the back. Their size and bulkiness can create obstacles that literally get in the way of physical performance. A breast reduction is one solution to many problems. According to thesportster.com, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep had a breast reduction and it greatly improved her stats and ranking. You can read about it here.

As males grow and develop, their breast tissue can also increase in size, resulting in gynecomastia. This condition can resolve itself over time but not always. Some athletes seek out gynecomastia surgery in addition to pumping iron. Is anyone here old enough to remember “Baywatch?” David Hasselhoff’s rippling pectorals would have looked quite different if he’d had gynecomastia, wouldn’t they?

Labiaplasty

For all the athletic ladies who need to sit or squeeze into tight uniforms, a labiaplasty minimizes excess tissue in the internal and external labia to reduce tearing, swelling and/or discomfort. If a long bike ride or tight leotard rubs you the wrong way, consider labiaplasty to keep you happy and tight-lipped.

Laser hair removal

Razors are expensive! Professional swimmers and body builders can save time and money with this procedure, not to mention avoiding razor burn. A popular American hair removal clinic, LaserAway, published an informative promotional blog if you’re curious about how to create complete body baldness.

Otoplasty

Any athlete required to wear a helmet or headgear could experience discomfort from irregularly shaped ears. Otoplasty corrects naturally misshapen ears so that those batting helmets glide right on. Boxers or wrestlers with an ear injury may also benefit from this procedure.

Rhinoplasty

Oxygen’s pretty important to everyone regardless of athletic level. Rhinoplasty can increase air flow for everyday activities like walking, eating and breathing: think of what it could do during the final minutes in the match or the last lap of the race. Rhinoplasty can also improve an athlete’s field of vision if his or her nose gets in the way. This plastic surgery procedure can also repair broken noses.

Abdominoplasty

For all the moms out there that are finally able to spend a little time and money on themselves, it might be time for a tummy tuck. Having kids can be a joy, no doubt, but the kiddos aren’t the only ones with growing pains. Sudden stretching of the abdominal muscles can result in diastasis recti, where the muscles physically separate. Although it’s possible to repair this condition yourself through diet and exercise, the window of opportunity for DIY repair is limited. A tummy tuck will repair and reattach abdominal muscles. It will also remove and/or tighten loose skin resulting from massive weight loss. People who are interested in starting a journey into athletics and fitness often start with a tummy tuck.

Liposuction

Liposuction can also be a catalyst to become healthier and make better food and life decisions. After years of discomfort or dissatisfaction living larger than life, liposuction patients can create a fresh start for themselves. They’ll already need a new wardrobe post-op anyway, so why not start with some athletic gear?

The last stitch

Plastic surgery can be a polarizing point of contention in common conversation. Its perception in society has been limited to aesthetics, creating a judgemental tone that’s usually inaccurate. Yes, there are patients who opt for elective medicine over mental and physical commitment to naturally creating their results. Yes, there are patients with unrealistic goals, but there are also patients whose procedures are medically necessary. Their physical ailments are cleanly corrected, quality of life restored.

And there are patients seeking peak performance through plastic surgery. If you’re an athlete with an ailment, consider one of the above mentioned surgeries. If you’ve recently had one of the surgeries, consider a new hobby in sports.