Abstract:
Cosmetic surgery is a procedure done for the improvement/enhancement of a feature in
one’s body. As stated in statistics, it continues to have an upward trend worldwide especially for
women. Despite this prevalence, there are limited studies regarding the experiences of Filipino
women who had cosmetic surgery for most studies are either foreign or about the actual procedure
itself. This phenomenological study aims to explore the lived experiences of Filipino women who
had cosmetic surgery. The respondents of the study (6) and 2 cosmetic surgeons were gathered
through a non-probability sampling technique – snowball sampling. The research took place in
Metro Manila since cosmetic institutions and surgeons are concentrated in the metropolitan.
Informed consents were first discussed and acquired before proceeding with the one-on-one indepth
interview guided by a semi-structured guide. Analysis of the participants’ stories was done
through thematic analysis while data validation was done through review of literature, interview
with at least 2 cosmetic surgeons, verification of the participants, and co-analyzer. Results show
that the factors that motivate adult Filipino women to undergo cosmetic surgery involves personal,
social, and cultural factors. The process affected them psychologically and physically. Cosmetic
surgery brought about positive effects, negative effects, or no change. Moreover, cosmetic surgery
is implied to be a means for improvement (appearance, treatment, and confidence), gaining power
and control especially over one’s body but it also perpetuates the culture of vanity wherein the
vain becomes vainer. Furthermore, those who had cosmetic surgery were both victors and victims.
