#a therapist is not supposed to be your personal cheerleader they're supposed to help you confront things you can't handle on your own

[angryisokay]

I’ve seen a couple posts saying “well if you don’t need to see a therapist before getting a boob job then...”

You should be getting therapy before any cosmetic procedure. Your surgeon should be asking for a sign off from a therapist that says ‘This person is stable and understands the changes they want made, why they want those changes, and how it will impact their life’. Ideally, you should have the mental skills to do your own introspection on the matter, but it helps to get the opinion of someone trained to walk you through that introspection process and root out any underlying issues that surgery won’t fix.

IIRC cosmetic surgeons used to require all patients to do a few therapy sessions before going ahead with any surgery. That has most likely changed, for the worse, because it’s a highly profitable industry that preys on people with bad self esteem.

Surgery isn’t going to make things better if you haven’t done everything you can to fix the underlying issues beforehand. You’re not going to love yourself more afterwards if you haven’t dug out the poisonous barb that’s turned you against yourself. Cis women and men who get cosmetic surgery very often do not come out the other end happier and more fulfilled. They end up back in the surgeons office  chasing something that cannot be given to them through sub-dermal plastic, bone shaving and botox.