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Business & Tech

'Bridalplasty': Altering for the Altar

Are Laguna Niguel brides opting to go under the knife to be perfect for the wedding?

What do you get when you mix ecstatic brides-to-be and an eager plastic surgeon? Bridalplasty. 

In the E! reality show Bridalplasty, where it's the winner who "gets cut,” 12 brides-to-be competed in a series of contests in order to win the ultimate prize: their dream wedding. 

But the show didn’t stop there. 

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In order to make the big day "perfect," these women could also win a chance to go under the knife before they walked down the aisle. The contestants ranged in age from 21-32. 

Although it has concluded its season, Bridalplasty still raises a lot of concern because it feeds into the belief that "there is always room for improvement," according to some experts.

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“This new show tells women that even after a man has fallen in love with you the way you are, you still need to do more; you still need to be better because you are simply not good enough," behavior expert Dr. Patrick Wanis said in a Fox News interview. He sees such messages as  potentially harmful.

He continued, “Women are bombarded with advertising and messages that there is something wrong with them, something missing—they need to look younger, slimmer and change the shape of their body, they need to be perfect.”

Dr. Tenley Lawton, a Newport Beach plastic surgeon, says brides are spending “anywhere between $200 to $12,000 on procedures to help them feel and look their best on their wedding day.” 

Are L.N. Women Interested?

If it's a trend in Laguna Niguel, it has yet to catch on at Advance Laser and Cosmetics, where, according to office manager Christine Bond,  “there hasn’t been a rise among brides-to-be.”  

But at OC Dermatology, said office manager Joanne August, “there has been a recent rise in brides coming through the doors.” 

The most common procedures that these brides-to-be are choosing include Botox and fillers.  

However, what separates local brides-to-be from those on Bridalplasty is that “they are happy with the way that they look,” August said. 

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