Plastic Surgery Post: A Blog Analysis

This analysis is on a blog titled Plastic Surgery Post. This blog is about different aspects of plastic surgery, including surgery procedures, results, and safety precautions. The article that I chose to write about is the article on a surgical procedure called body contouring, titled “Body Contouring Completes Weight Loss Journey.” The choices that the author made in this article includes, first person writing, the message that he is trying to get across, the way he credits himself, and the way he adds background info on the procedure. The message that the author is trying to get across is the process of the surgery, and also the steps that must be taken before and after surgery. There is also a hidden message, which is advertising. He is somewhat trying to lure patients to his office. This is shown when the author writes, “Unfortunately, many bariatric surgeons are trying to provide many of these procedures themselves for financial reasons. This can lead to less than desirable outcomes and even unnecessary deaths because they lack the training and the important principles of body contouring procedures, which can only be learned in a plastic and reconstructive surgical residency.” By describing the other surgeons as “bariatric” he is suggesting that he always does a well and thorough job, which brings me to another choice the author makes of crediting himself. The author concludes his post with, “If you have lost significant weight either from bariatric surgery or from diet and exercise alone and are experiencing the burdens of carrying around excess lose hanging skin that is affecting your quality of life, please contact me – Jay H. Lucas, MD, at the Lucas Center, Plastic Surgery, PLLC – for a consultation to begin your rejuvenation as soon as possible.” Some people may say that he is only providing his services to those who need it and it being helpful, but from reading this post and breaking it down, you can draw the conclusion that he is trying to get more clients into his office.

 The title, “Body Contouring Completes Weight Loss Journey”, is a manifest in itself to try to pull in clients. From this title the audience thinks that if they lose a lot of weight and have excess skin, body contouring is what you have to do in order for you to look your absolute best and complete the weight loss process. In my opinion, the author is trying to convince those who have excessive skin from weight loss to have plastic surgery, I am also convinced that he truly cares about his patient’s well-being. I am drawing this conclusion the author’s own words, “My response to this is as follows: Patients who did not have the motivation to lose weight in the first place are the ones who get surgical weight loss procedures. If their body contouring procedures are covered by someone else, then what is the incentive for the patient to maintain their new lifestyle? If they have had to save their money for several expensive operations, that in summation equal the cost of an expensive car, then the patient is less likely to give up on their lifestyle in order to maintain their costly investment in themselves. I also tell my patients that an expensive new car devalues over time very quickly, but if you take an active interest in your new body it can last a long and meaningful time. People always act differently if they have some skin in the game (pun intended).” This not only shows his deep thoughts and concerns to ward his patients, but also his humor.

The author’s style of writing is very informative and personal. He talks in first person and shares information about his thoughts and ideas like the example given in the first paragraph. This gives off a personal vibe. The way that he writes reminds me exactly of how I would hear from a doctor in person. They are level headed, knowledgeable, personable, and informative. It is interesting that the author chose to write about a background of why someone would need or want body contouring first, followed by the actual procedure. I think it was a wise choice in structuring the article like this because body contouring sounds a bit barbaric and unnecessary, but with the explanation of why someone would want it brings light to the situation.

The audience that this article is geared toward is someone who wants to have body contouring done, or someone who is just simply curious about the process. I know if I was wanting to have this procedure done, I would definitely do some research on the surgery before I saw a doctor. This article would be perfect for someone who would want to do that. The reason why I say that this is also geared toward people who are simply curious is because when I went to the blog, I was trying to pick which procedure I wanted to read up on and one that I thought would be interesting. When I saw body contouring, it sparked my interest and I was immediately interested in what body contouring was and exactly what takes place during the surgery.

Overall, I think the goal of the article was to inform those who are curious about what body contouring is and to provide an overview of what a potential patient could expect from the surgery.