Would it be okay for a Christian to get cosmetic surgery?

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pantingdeer

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I’ve always been very uncomfortable with my appearance. I don’t look like a normal person and I’ve been bullied before for some aspects of my appearance - even my own Dad called me ugly to my face. This has been very hurtful as I know he meant it and I already believed it about myself. I would not want to do anything that involves restructuring my face, but my hairline has naturally been very high and M-shaped which gives me super low self-confidence as my hair never looks nice and it looks like it belongs to someone 20 years older. If I were to get a hair transplant I know it would completely transform my confidence. This would cost around £5000.

I am very torn about this decision. I don’t like the idea of surgically augmenting appearance, however, as this only involves moving hair from the back of the head to the front of your head, it doesn’t seem very major in my opinion. Also, I do not think I am doing this out of vanity but because of such low self-confidence because of how abnormal my hair looks. I was clothes shopping two weeks ago and saw myself in the mirror in the changing rooms. It made me feel so sad looking at myself that I just went home and was very down. With one simple procedure, I would be able to have a nice hairstyle for the first time in my life and not see myself as ugly every time I see myself in the mirror.

I know I am ugly and so must every other young woman out there. Not one young woman has ever complimented my appearance (apart from clothing).
 

Petros2015

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It seems like it might be worth it to you, though £5000 sounds expensive to me
If it does not to you compared to the self image pain you are experiencing, then I would encourage you to try it.
One of my favorite C.S. Lewis books is "Til We Have Faces", and the main character is born ugly (it never says in
what way, but I would imagine a cleft lip or something of that extreme, they are in ancient times)

I read the book in high school and found it memorable; I read it again as an adult and wept as I could finally understand it deeper.
When you said "even your own dad" it reminded me of it. There's some beauty and strength in these pages for you.

 
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ElCamino

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It sounds like you have body dysmorphia. The problem with having such procedures is that it's never enough. You "fix" one thing and then you'll find something else that needs "fixing".

Take Michael Jackson. His dad basically killed his self-confidence as a kid and then he spent the rest of his life trying to change his appearance. If you're 100% sure that only the hairline needs fixing, I say go for it.

If you're not confident about your overall appearance, I think maybe you should speak with a psychiatrist or try to get in good shape. Lots of girls love guys in good shape, even if they're "ugly".
 
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Paidiske

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Would it be okay? Well, it's not intrinsically wrong.

That might be a different question from, is it the right decision for you? And there are a lot of variables in considering that. It might be worth considering some counselling to unpack all the issues before making a final decision.

As for hair and attractiveness, let me remind you that there are lots of guys out there with very little hair or shaved heads who are considered very attractive. Maybe that might be an option?
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Oh, I thought it was for something noble, such as needing to continue proclaiming the gospel.

The thing is, eventually, someone finds out .. and they tell everybody.

So changing your appearance for a reason such as, "people tell me I'm ugly," may backfire.
 
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Maria Billingsley

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I’ve always been very uncomfortable with my appearance. I don’t look like a normal person and I’ve been bullied before for some aspects of my appearance - even my own Dad called me ugly to my face. This has been very hurtful as I know he meant it and I already believed it about myself. I would not want to do anything that involves restructuring my face, but my hairline has naturally been very high and M-shaped which gives me super low self-confidence as my hair never looks nice and it looks like it belongs to someone 20 years older. If I were to get a hair transplant I know it would completely transform my confidence. This would cost around £5000.

I am very torn about this decision. I don’t like the idea of surgically augmenting appearance, however, as this only involves moving hair from the back of the head to the front of your head, it doesn’t seem very major in my opinion. Also, I do not think I am doing this out of vanity but because of such low self-confidence because of how abnormal my hair looks. I was clothes shopping two weeks ago and saw myself in the mirror in the changing rooms. It made me feel so sad looking at myself that I just went home and was very down. With one simple procedure, I would be able to have a nice hairstyle for the first time in my life and not see myself as ugly every time I see myself in the mirror.

I know I am ugly and so must every other young woman out there. Not one young woman has ever complimented my appearance (apart from clothing).
I was feeling rather ugly myself the other day so I decided to get a more radical haircut and I love it! Adding hair or taking away hair , I see no difference.
So I say go for it!
Be blessed.
 
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pantingdeer

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Do you think God would be disappointed with me for doing something like that? It was only to help me feel better in my own skin and not feel so self conscious all the time. I do understand though that this life is only temporary and so could I put up with my ugliness for this life? I guess so. In this case I would certainly be alone my whole life (partly by choice) because of my past problems and also because of my low esteem physically.
 
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Lost Witness

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Do you think God would be disappointed with me for doing something like that? It was only to help me feel better in my own skin and not feel so self conscious all the time. I do understand though that this life is only temporary and so could I put up with my ugliness for this life? I guess so. In this case I would certainly be alone my whole life (partly by choice) because of my past problems and also because of my low esteem physically.
Don't continue to believe those lies about yourself,
You were created in the LORDS Image,
Why believe the lies the world has told?
He hand crafted you in the womb,
you are fearfully and wonderfully made
hqdefault.jpg
 
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BPPLEE

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I’ve always been very uncomfortable with my appearance. I don’t look like a normal person and I’ve been bullied before for some aspects of my appearance - even my own Dad called me ugly to my face. This has been very hurtful as I know he meant it and I already believed it about myself. I would not want to do anything that involves restructuring my face, but my hairline has naturally been very high and M-shaped which gives me super low self-confidence as my hair never looks nice and it looks like it belongs to someone 20 years older. If I were to get a hair transplant I know it would completely transform my confidence. This would cost around £5000.

I am very torn about this decision. I don’t like the idea of surgically augmenting appearance, however, as this only involves moving hair from the back of the head to the front of your head, it doesn’t seem very major in my opinion. Also, I do not think I am doing this out of vanity but because of such low self-confidence because of how abnormal my hair looks. I was clothes shopping two weeks ago and saw myself in the mirror in the changing rooms. It made me feel so sad looking at myself that I just went home and was very down. With one simple procedure, I would be able to have a nice hairstyle for the first time in my life and not see myself as ugly every time I see myself in the mirror.

I know I am ugly and so must every other young woman out there. Not one young woman has ever complimented my appearance (apart from clothing).
If you can afford it and you think it will make you feel better about your appearance then I would do it. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
 
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Joy

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