brian@briancuban.com
Brian Cuban Brian Cuban
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Presentations
    • Law Schools
    • Bar Associations/Legal Profession Events
    • Addiction/Mental Health Recovery
    • Law Firm Programs
    • Eating Disorder Recovery
    • Suicide Awareness
  • Testimonials
  • Upcoming Events
  • Photo Gallery
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • MEDIA
  • The Recovery Minute
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Presentations
    • Law Schools
    • Bar Associations/Legal Profession Events
    • Addiction/Mental Health Recovery
    • Law Firm Programs
    • Eating Disorder Recovery
    • Suicide Awareness
  • Testimonials
  • Upcoming Events
  • Photo Gallery
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • MEDIA
  • The Recovery Minute
  • Home
  • Eating Disorders
  • My Addiction To Cosmetic Surgery

Eating Disorders

27 Jan

My Addiction To Cosmetic Surgery

  • By bcuban
  • In Eating Disorders
  • 3 comments

brian_cuban.ashxI was driving down the road  when a cosmetic surgery commercial came on the radio. “Freeze The Fat Off!”  No Pain! No downtime! Wow!  I have to do that! My minds starts working. Certainly beats the painful procedure of having a tube suck the fat out!   How much?  Can I hide it from my girlfriend? That’s all I need to feel better about myself!  Wait!  Stop! Breath! Reset!

The workings of the brain of someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder.  No different than when I see a commercial for bariatric surgery on the tube and my mind, for a fleet second thinks that’s a good idea for me despite the fact that I would not even been a medical need candidate for it.  These were fleeting thoughts that I did not act on.  After years of  therapy and a re-set of how I view myself in the mirror,  my mind processed the reasons for my moments of weakness. Moments that still come now and then.  The new thoughts?  No one cares.  I am working myself up over what It think I need to be accepted.  That bullied, fat shamed, thirteen-year-old boy speaking to the fifty-three year old man.

There was a time when that “reset thought process” did not exist. I spent every dime I made on cosmetic surgery to feel better about myself.  Multiple Liposuction procedures. Multiple hair transplants.  The only reason I stopped was that I had maxed out my credit cards.  I was broke to the tune of about 30k dropped.  I was lucky.  I know people who have exceeded six figures on  cosmetic surgeries and still beg for more. If  I had had that kind of money, I would have as well.  The surgeons should have never considered me a candidate for surgery. How would they know?  When I went through those procedures in the nineties, Body Dysmorphic Disorder was almost unknown as a clinical diagnosis.  On the screening form, there was a cursory, “bend over, breath deep and cough” question about being treated for psychological problems.  I certainly needed to be!   I would have lied regardless.  I had to have those procedures. They were my road to a new Brian that would never be achieved through the mirror.  My shattered image.

Fast forward to “Freezing The Fat Off” in 2014.  What would the screening be today?  Would a plastic surgeon ask me the standard question, get the lie that they so often do and perform the procedure?   Then the next, and the next?  Unfortunately,  this happens all too often.  Plastic surgeons not asking the right questions.  Plastic surge ions recommending elective procedures at initial consultations while knowing nothing about the patient.  Plastic surgeons taking no responsibility for anything but generating revenue at the expense of the psychologically impaired and vulnerable.  Not all surgeons. Many have detailed screening.  Asking the proper questions to determine if there is an underlying Body Dysmorphic  or other self image issue that needs to be dealt with prior to any procedure being considered.  Screening  questions that are so innocuous that they do not trigger the immediate reaction to lie.  Innocuous questions that a skilled doctor can look at and determine that there might be a problem.

We now know so much more about Body Dysmorphic Disorder and how it affects the desire to artificially change our bodies.  Proper testing done by the surgeon can help determine who is an appropriate candidate. Yes,  you may lose a big fee but you are now part of the solution instead of being part of the problem. Be part of the solution.  Be the voice of reason and ethics in the plastic surgery profession.  Save a life by putting down the knife.

Brian Cuban is a an author whose  best-selling book “Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder” chronicles his first-hand experiences living with, and recovering from eating disorders and Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD) and drug addiction.  Brian speaks regularly about his recovery and breaking the male eating disorder stigma.

February is Eating Disorder Awareness Month! Get a signed copy of Shattered Image for only eleven dollars!

Shop

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags:Body dysmorphic disorder screening for plastic surgeonsdo plastic surgeons screen for BDD?do plastic surgeons screen for Body Dysmorphic Disorder?plastic surgey and body dysmorphic disorderShould someone with body dysmorphic disorder have plastic surgery?
  • Share:
bcuban
Want Brian To speak at your law firm, bar association or general recovery event? He can be reached at brian@addictedlawyer.com.

You may also like

Why I Didn’t Ask My Law School For Mental Health Support

  • March 6, 2019
  • by bcuban
  • in Body Dysmorphic Disorder
An important and courageous guest post from Angela Han that touches on eating disorders, sexual trauma and cultural diversity...
Let’s Talk About Eating Disorders
February 21, 2019
What Megyn Kelly Gets Wrong About Fat Shaming
January 17, 2018
Eating Disorders: A Secret In The Legal Profession
April 26, 2017

    Comments

  1. body1mage
    January 27, 2014

    Do you think psychological screening is preferable to emotional support given by a psychotherapist?

  2. bcuban
    January 29, 2014

    I think that in a "perfect world" it would certainly be preferable to have a staff psychologist evaluate anyone who wants plastic surgery. I also believe that while of course, mental health treatment providers would be on board with this, those in the cosmetic/plastic surgery profession would view this as an extremist view on a number of levels not, the least of which is the financial bottom line. I don't see it as a good starting point to get a conversation going as it could immediately shut down dialogue.

  3. Eric Zimmerman
    December 7, 2014

    I think in the blame everyone else for our problems society that we live in today is what your article is stating.
    "Plastic surgeons taking no responsibility for anything but generating revenue at the expense of the psychologically impaired and vulnerable." Yes I think as a pjysiceon they should look for some sort of red flags. But I think in the most part their resposability is to give you the best procedure that you are looking for.

Comments are closed.

Categories

  • Above The Law
  • Addiction
  • Alcoholism
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
  • Bulimia
  • Bullying
  • Depression
  • Eating Disorders
  • Eating Disorders
  • featured
  • Gambling Addiction
  • Holocaust
  • Law Practice Wellness
  • Law School
  • Lawyers
  • Mental Health
  • Opioid
  • Recovery
  • Stories
  • Suicide
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Videos

Recent Posts

As Sick As Our Secrets
08Feb,2021
Sobriety at 60
11Jan,2021
Changing The World With Acts of Kindness
31Dec,2020

Get in touch

brian@briancuban.com

Useful Links

  • Home
  • Meet Brian Cuban
  • Contact
  • Recovery, Wellness and CLE Presentations

Social Links

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube

Brian’s Newsletter

Subscribe to get updates right in your inbox. We promise to not send you spam.

Brian Cuban supported by EBW Technology.