Does Plastic Surgery Increase the Likelihood of Infidelity?

I would like to share with you an email I received from one of my readers:

I hope it is okay to send this question to you, as I have benefited greatly from your website and information over the past 15 months, and I wanted to see if you had ever considered this issue. If it is something you have not looked at, maybe it would be worthy of your consideration.

A friend and I have come to the belief that cosmetic surgery (especially with women) increases the likelihood of infidelity. Our first thoughts were anecdotal, from personal experience and the experiences of women in our circle of friends, but we came to believe that it is not a coincidence. Our initial thoughts centered on women with breast implants, but quickly grew to include those with liposuction, gastric bypass and other forms of surgery. I’m curious of your thoughts.

Our first premise is that all people can be placed on a bell curve designating their propensity/likelihood for infidelity, with one end being “no chance ever” and the other end being “gonna do it no matter what.” Most all fall somewhere in between, and are affected by their situations, environment, interactions, etc…

Second, we know that cosmetic surgery is exactly that — cosmetic. By definition, it will enhance a person’s appearance with regard to society’s standards and what is generally accepted as attractive, or the norm. With this, comes an increased level of confidence and self-esteem, two things that are also associated with attractiveness.

So, with an increased level of physical attractiveness, and increased confidence and self esteem, we think it is a given that a person will receive additional attention from potential affair partners. Whether that attention is in the form of social conversations, romantic overtures, or whatever, every bit of increased attention and opportunity will move a person closer to the “gonna do it” end of the curve. Whether or not physical appearance is the final factor in determining how far a relationship will go, it is certainly an initial factor, affecting most people’s interest in an introduction or a starting point for interaction. With more starting points, with more first steps, there will be more second steps, and more third, and so on and so on. Therefore, when taken as a whole, we think that persons with cosmetic surgery have a greater likelihood for infidelity than for those without surgery.

I’ve scoured the internet, looking for a scientific study that addresses this, and found very little. I’m attaching the one study I found, which does not specifically address infidelity, but does have statistics with regard to significant increases in the number of sexual partners and in alcohol use among women with breast implants. Maybe this is old news to you, but it is something that I have not seen discussed, and I wanted to ask your opinion.

Thank you for your time, and I hope that you will take a moment (or more) to share your thoughts with me.

If you have an opinion on this controversial topic, please feel free to comment below. I greatly appreciate and value your feedback.