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Comment by johnisgood | Hacker News Reader

A couple of days ago, I heard someone was planning to travel to Turkey for plastic surgery to enhance their abdominal area and make their abs more pronounced, achieving a toned "six-pack" look. Wild to me.

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As hard a getting a six-pack the "classic" way is, I still can't imagine deciding that surgery was the better path.

A lot of the aesthetic of "abs" is determined by factors independent of diet and exercise. Not everyone has the configuration of connective tissue needed for the "six pack" look. Some have extremely stubborn love handles or a "shelf" of lower abdominal fat that remain to some extent even at extremely low body fat levels, for reasons that don't seem to really be understood (everyone I've seen who claims to have an explanation is selling something).

Yeah, that's fair, I've had very low bodyfat and been pretty fit in the past without having a sixpack, so I know it's not something everyone can reasonably achieve.

I guess I would assume that the overlap of people that would be this motivated to get a six pack, people for whom a surgical sixpack would look reasonably convincing, and people who cannot otherwise achieve a sixpack would be relatively small, and it seems I would be wrong to assume that.

The six pack is just the side effect of the fitness. If you could somehow get the six pack without the fitness it'd be pointless.

The level of definition you see in many movies also requires significant dehydration to thin-out your skin.

I expect anyone going through with the plastic surgery wants to look that way.

yeah there is the bodybuilding meme that when you see them at shows looking extra ripped, with bulging biceps and prominent veins, they're actually super dehydrated and starved -- at their physically weakest.

but it looks impressive

Is it actually true that people who look "shredded" are dehydrated and starved?

Apparently Turkey is the place to go for 'hair' transplants. https://youtu.be/VGhcSupkNs8?si=eMwRwpVpDSwu7ndA&t=858

If still possible, please tell them not to do that. Western hospitals are full of healthcare tourists on their return trip. It often ends very, very badly, and we all end up paying for it.

I cannot, as I have no contact with this person and have never had any. All I know is that they are traveling with my mother's co-worker, who is also undergoing a procedure - specifically liposuction - which I personally think is misguided, too, as it does not address the underlying issue and is only a temporary solution, even if done correctly.

It is highly likely that the results of a touristic liposuction will be quite horrible. Also, the probability of grave complication is not that low. People are strange...

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