TV Scope: Desperately Seeking Surgery, RTE 2, Tuesdays, 9.30 p.m.
Few people admit to being entirely happy with their looks and it seems that a growing number of Irish people are all too willing to undergo painful and expensive procedures to achieve a new image, as Desperately Seeking Surgery shows.
Take Linda for example. Widowed at a young age, this 41- year-old mother of two looked in pretty good shape. However, she revealed that she had unsightly folds of baggy skin over her abdomen following her pregnancies. She elected to undergo a tummy tuck and by the end of the episode she was happily donning a bikini and sporting a belly ring in her newly located umbilicus. More confident and relaxed about her appearance, she proudly announced that she had met a new partner following her surgery. But at €6,500, the procedure was not a cheap confidence booster.
Then there was Ann Marie, a 21- year-old aspiring model, who opted for breast augmentation for personal and professional reasons. Her reassuringly mature surgeon was refreshingly honest about the limitations of surgery on her bosoms, as he rather charmingly referred to them. Linda was hoping that enhancing her assets would have a positive effect on her career prospects.
Apart from these two women, the programme to date has concentrated on non-surgical procedures. Tony (36) gave micro-dermabrasion a go. This is a form of sandblasting which removes the top layer of skin to reveal more youthful layers underneath. Maybe in real life it made a difference, but the results were difficult to see on screen.
Other women, some barely in their 20s, have opted for injections of Botox, lip implants and fillers such as Restylane in an effort to hold back the hands of time.
Botox, a form of the toxin that causes the deadly botulism, can take up to 10 days to produce the full effect but the recipients pronounced themselves thrilled with the results.
I can only presume that pre-procedural assessments take place for all clients undergoing non-surgical treatments but these were not part of the footage. Without their inclusion it gave the impression that the procedures were without risk or side effects. This omission gave an unbalanced edge to the programme.
Although initially interested in catching this new Irish series, after two episodes, I won't be too upset if I don't see it again. For much like the facial lines of some of the contributors, I found it all just a little too superficial. And for those of you who don't like what you see every time you look in the mirror, can I offer this cheaper and less painful alteration? Stop looking in the mirror!