Even though rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure that is becoming less popular in many Western countries, it is becoming a growing trend amongst Orthodox and Modern Orthodox young women before they begin dating - according to a popular plastic surgeon in the Orthodox communities in New York.
"A lot of younger women in the Orthodox community have been getting their nose done, rhinoplasty, pre shidduch (arranged dating that is intended directly for marriage in Orthodox communities) dating," said celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Ira Savetsky. He is an aesthetic plastic surgeon who has experience in a myriad of surgical disciplines, including cosmetic, reconstructive, microvascular, and craniofacial surgery.
Savetsky has become more public recently as the husband of social media star Lizzy Savetsky, a modern Orthodox woman who was filmed for the Real Housewives of New York tv show but left after a few weeks of filming for what she claimed was antisemitic threats she and her husband were receiving.
"There are many parents who bring in their daughters in the time period before they start dating and they usually want to get their noses done."
“Rhinoplasty is very popular amongst Orthodox women,” Savetsky reiterated. “I remember in high school people got their noses done in their senior year, but nowadays we see it a lot more as something that young Orthodox Jewish women get early in college or right before they begin dating. The interesting thing is that these procedures are totally supported by their parents who come with them.”
Savetsky added that not all plastic surgery is supported by the patient's family in the Orthodox Jewish community: “Many times there are older Orthodox women who are interested in plastic surgery but their husbands try and talk them out of it,” Savetsky explained.
“You would think that a lot of these husbands would very much be in support of their wife's will to get their bodies back, but I see many taking them away from it when they come in.” He shared that it is usually different with clients that aren’t Orthodox. “Other men are more involved, for instance, in the size of breasts in their lives.” He also said that there is another way to look at it, saying that “I guess these husbands are supportive of how their wives currently are,” but added that “if you think that plastic surgery will save your marriage or get you a job promotion, it's important to note that none of those are relevant.”
What other types of plastic surgery are popular among Orthodox women?
Other popular types of plastic surgery amongst Orthodox women, according to Savetsky are “mommy makeover” procedures such as breast lifts and tummy tucks. “Orthodox women are more open to speaking about plastic surgery nowadays as opposed to the past,” Savetsky analyzed. He said that “these women won’t always necessarily post their photos on social media, but will definitely talk about it with their friends, I definitely see this since I get many referrals from existing clients.”
“Plastic surgery has become more normalized in the past few years,”
Celebrity plastic surgeon, Dr. Ira Savetsky
Savetsky shared that as a contrast to Orthodox women when he was practicing, “many [secular] young women would get their breasts done before going to college.” He added that there were barely any Orthodox women who ask to operate on their breasts. In addition, according to Savetsky, “a lot [of Orthodox women] are doing botox, which has become pretty normalized, typically after being married and when they are in their thirties.”
In Israel, around 82,000 Israelis underwent some form of plastic surgery in 2021, with the three most popular procedures being breast augmentation, liposuction and nose surgery, according to data released by the Israeli Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery (ISPAS) has shown. In addition to the estimated 9,000 breast augmentation surgeries, 7,000 liposuction surgeries and 6,000 nose surgeries that were performed, there were 5,900 eyelid lift surgeries, 3,800 breast lifts, and 4,200 abdominoplasties (tummy tuck) performed across the country.
As for Orthodox men, Savetsky said that they aren’t as open about going through a plastic surgery procedure. “I think that the general trend with Orthodox men is surgery or cosmetic procedures that are connected with weight loss such as liposuction or skin removals, I see that more and more.” He added that Orthodox men can be seen without a shirt on many types of occasions and therefore are at times very sensitive about extra skin after they go through a major weight loss.
In Savetsky’s practice, he claimed that 9 out of 10 patients are Jewish and about half are Orthodox. “Plastic surgery has become more normalized in the past few years,” he said. “It was more taboo in the orthodox community and certain types of procedures still are. It’s definitely become much more normalized in our Orthodox community.”