Cosmetics: surely this surgery will fix ALL of my problems. (Will it really though?) This is my view:
I’ve wanted to write about the whole ‘cosmetic’ issue around Jaw problems for a while now. What I mean by this is if you have an under-bite/over-bite/open-bite/an over developed/under developed jaw this is likely to cause some form of self-esteem issues, feeling self conscious appears to be more prevalent for Jaw patients! I know because I felt like that when I was younger. And it’s peculiar because years ago I never knew about this surgery, I never even wondered, I thought this is how I am, this is me, now deal. I have days where I couldn’t give a damn what other people think about me, SO what! No one is perfect right?! And then I have other days where I just don’t want anybody looking at me. Had I known about this surgery it would have been due to cosmetic reasons but I probably WOULDN’T have gone through it due to the extremities and lack of knowledge and bravery, however NOW it is very different. Jaw Disorders are known medical problems although not widely recognised unfortunately, which I will keep on saying and repeating. Just because it’s not on the inside, like a heart problem, does NOT always make it cosmetic, but I am not going to go down THAT road right now.
Two years ago when I decided on having Surgery, I would not have ever thought that I would be starting this blog or even to post portraits of my myself and talking about about my experience. It shows that I have come a long way, for example I would never take a photo of my face front on, no way! NOW I am like yes, front it is! Why because I started to become more comfortable with the way I look to others. It’s a lot better now. I am able to open up and talk about my imperfections and I have found that, the more I do, the more open I feel around others. Whilst others may say my under-bite and asymmetry are not that bad, I have a Class III bite so yeah, it’s bad! Sometimes you cannot always see it in photos but it’s always been like it since birth, structural (growth) problems are very common.
So what’s the point of this post, my point is NO one is perfect. My jaw problem isn’t my only flaw because I have plenty of challenges I face in life and actually this is a fraction in comparison. Whilst this was a battle when I was younger and I had never really told anyone how I felt about myself, I am mostly OK now with the way I look to others now because I have learned to slowly love myself over time, who really cares if you look different, it’s quirky embrace yourself. Saying THAT I won’t lie I am excited cosmetic wise because whilst accepting your circumstances is important, technically the jaw must come together for several reasons, the jaw can only take so much with the abnormality in structure. So from a functional point of view the jaw is meant to sit in the correct position/alignment for a number of reasons… Classic examples, talking, breathing and chewing problems because your bite doesn’t sit correctly.
Back on point:
This surgery for me is not about changing myself and becoming ‘perfect and beautiful’ nor is it a quick fix to my problems. From a cosmetic point of view, it’s about accepting who I am in the first place, because no one is perfect, everyone is somewhat (wonderfully) flawed whether it’s their personality/mental being/physical etc. I feel like people think that they are not beautiful in the first place, that there’s something wrong that needs to be fixed and the truth is beauty is already there, it just needs a little adjustments that’s it!
I hope this post doesn’t seem like a contradiction as it can be hard to explain why having this surgery shouldn’t always be about ‘quick fixes’ even though I am undergoing treatment myself! Having an abnormal profile can lead to psychological, negative thinking about one self which is completely understandable as I can relate. I guess this post is more about our own perspectives in the way that we see ourselves. I feel like before having Jaw Surgery it is really important to love yourself the way you are as it is our society is overly fixated on ‘image’ which causes us a lot of pressure to look a certain way.
Remember that whilst we may perceive ourselves to be unattractive, and yes our jaw might not be in the right place and it may look a little ‘odd’, but that doesn’t make you or I less beautiful. It is NOT all always about looks. We got to remember ourselves why we are having Surgery really think about what this means to us, how it will make us stronger, more brave, more confident than even before. It is merely adjustments to what is already there!
Although, I am talking a lot about my ‘great’ perspective, is this now something that doesn’t play on my mind anymore? NO, I sometimes feel like I fall back into this thinking, because it isn’t always as easy and simple, but introducing this line of thinking helps SO much that I’ve come along way and it’s significantly changed things for me. I feel like my expectations are a lot more real than before and I seem to understand better when my I am more open-minded.
So, I hope this provides some insight into Jaw Surgery from a more meaningful perspective. This is just my own perspective and views expressed.
Lots of love,
N x
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