“I can conquer the world now,” Frances Baker has said. She is one of two women who recently won a makeover contest sponsored by the Orange County Register. “I truly feel like it’s my time for the good,” she said. For both women, the makeovers, including eight weeks of fitness boot camp and visits to a dentist, ophthalmologist and a cosmetic surgeon, were a symbolic beginning to a fresh start. The full body makeover wasn’t just physically transformative; it also gave the women newfound confidence. Laura Kennedy, the other contest winner, is a cancer survivor, mother and recent divorcee. Her experience in fitness boot camp opened her eyes to what she was capable of achieving, and the chemical peels she received from a Newport Beach plastic surgeon helped reverse aging in her face, with Kennedy commenting that “it had to have taken seven years off.” Since her makeover, Kennedy has reported that she has started dating again and is considering pursuing a master’s degree.
This renewed confidence and refreshed outlook on life is not atypical for men and women who receive extensive makeovers. The effect is particularly pronounced in women who have undergone hardship or sacrifice and are ready to begin a new chapter in their lives. Dr. Amy Bandy, a board certified Newport Beach plastic surgeon and reconstructive breast surgery specialist who offers several procedures including liposuction, sees the understated power of cosmetic transformation every day. For breast cancer survivors, feeling feminine and physically whole is an integral part of recovering from the emotional trauma that women face after losing their hair during chemotherapy or their breasts due to mastectomies. Breast reconstruction surgery, which may incorporate breast implants, can help cancer survivors reclaim their femininity and confidence in their bodies. Likewise, women whose bodies have undergone drastic changes due to childbirth, nursing and aging often choose to undergo a “Mommy Makeover” which can help reverse many of those changes and feel more like themselves.
The stories of Frances Baker and Laura Kennedy stand as proof that makeovers can help men and women transform themselves, inside and out.