Recently I had the pleasure of listening to a remarkable lecture by Dr. Nancy Etcoff at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery annual meeting.
A practicing psychologist, and faculty member of the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Etcoff writes and lectures extensively on the neuroscience of beauty and teaches a course titled, “The Science of Happiness." Her work explains why humans strive to look their best, choose procedures such as straightening crooked teeth, use cosmetics, Botox, dermal fillers, and in some cases undergo cosmetic surgery. The human brain intuitively recognizes imperfections that need correction. As humans have evolved over thousands of years, attractiveness is recognized and rewarded emotionally, and in many cases, financially.
I see this in my practice as patients are often quite accurate in identifying the cosmetic problems that need to be corrected with either surgery or non-surgical techniques whether they are 18 or 62. As I tell my patients, it is not vanity. It is simply neuroscience.
May the holidays bring you much happiness this season!
Dr. John Keohane