You actually have to be very, very good looking yourself in order to go into the cosmetic dermatology field. I suggest you post your picture and let us do a student doctor poll.
Just kidding.
That is almost exactly what I want to do - help people look better. I guess it stems from my parents - doesn't it always? My mom is significantly overweight, doesn't do her hair, wear make-up, etc. She makes plenty of money yet looks like a bag-lady 99% of the time ... I think this is because we come from a culture where women are pretty worthless, once they have children and their husbands' eyes start wandering they let themselves go ...
I think that it would be very satisfying for me to treat patients, esp women, who have sacrified themselves in roles such as mother, wife, sister, daughter, in order to take care of others and have let their own appearance fall by the wayside. Granted, they chose that role but there are plenty of women who wake up one day with an empty nest and wrinkles and would like to do something about it. Diet and exercise only go so far when you're 50 and around menopause where weight loss is difficult.
Regardless of what anyone says ... we are an appearance based society with an extremely shallow value system - basically thin and young = worthy and fat and old = unworthy (esp for women). Fortunately, we have ways to make ourselves healthier through diet and exercise but unfortunately diet and exercise cannot erase sun damage or sagging skin.
I really can't see anything wrong with dedicating my life to helping people look better. Perhaps I'll work on a gentleman who worked outside in the sun doing manual labor all of his life to support his family and now his skin looks like a brown paper bag. If performing a cosmetic procedure makes him feel better about his appearance in old age or retirement then I'm going to do it. If I can give Botox to someone with chronic migraines and it relieves them of their pain, so sue me (or don't!). Giving a patient restylane in their naso-labial fold after a divorce when they are older and back on the market will not make me feel like Dr. Greedy or Demento.
However, the abuses of cosmetic surgery I will not tolerate. I will not blow anyone's lips up to elephant sized proportions or completely freeze their faces with botox. I will also remove moles and skin cancer, treat wounds and ulcers and diagnose systemic diseases.
It just seems like anytime looks and money are involved it pushes buttons. It just makes me laugh because very few of us will go into rural/underserved health and many of us will go on make a very good living in the top 5% of the world.
