I’m thinking of spending around ¥1 million on facial plastic surgery. Should I discuss it with the men I’m seeing? My monthly supporters compliment my current appearance. They say I’m platinum-level, so one of them told me, “Being platinum alone means you’re already attractive enough—that’s amazing!” I do get complimented on my looks by all kinds of people, so I suppose I am cute. Sometimes I even look at my own photos and get carried away thinking I have a cute face. However, my kind of cuteness is only at an ordinary-person level, and there are many things I want to fix, so I’m thinking of having surgery once I become an adult. Surgery on my eyes, nose, and mouth will probably cost around ¥900,000 to ¥1 million in total. Some of my monthly papas compliment my appearance a lot, and there’s even one who tells me hundreds of times during a date that my face is cute and that I’m really cute. I’m wondering whether men like that might be satisfied with how I look now, and whether I should consult them about the surgery. Even if they told me they wanted me not to have it, I still plan to go through with it. Is there a chance they would drop me? Would they be shocked if my face suddenly looked different without me consulting them first?

I’m Osaka, a male member. I can definitely agree with the answers already given, but as for whether the questioner should tell the man she’s dating, it’s an after-the-fact report, so either way is probably fine. The whole “platinum” and saying “cute” hundreds of times was a pretty successful humble brag, but it does come across that she’s cute. She probably really is. I’d think being cute would be enough, but people like that tend to have an especially strong fixation on their appearance—and an endless desire to improve it—which is probably why they’re so cute. Should we keep telling her she’s cute a little longer? Changing the subject, when I used to travel to Korea for work, I enjoyed something called “escort agassi” and got to know a particular girl. As you probably know, Korea is a major hub for cosmetic surgery, and she openly said she’d had some work done herself. Somehow, we met again for the first time in ten years. She was 35 by then and still beautiful, but during the date she kept looking in the mirror constantly. Whenever it seemed like she was checking her phone, she was actually using the front-facing camera to inspect herself. Apparently, she’d developed something like a side effect from the procedures and couldn’t relax without checking whether any part of her face was twitching or out of place. I thought it must be exhausting. Now, changing the subject again, this happened while I was having drinks at a lounge in Japan. The number-one girl gave me a cosmetic-surgery quiz: “What do you think I changed?” I had no idea! I played along harmlessly, saying things like, “You look even cuter,” but then she started looking in the mirror constantly too. Even while maintaining eye contact, her gaze would briefly shift to the glass behind me. It was obvious that she was checking her face far more often. The fact that her behavior had changed along with her appearance made me feel a little sorry for her. I don’t know the deeper reasons or much about advances in cosmetic surgery, but becoming dependent on mirrors seems more pitiful than cute, so please be careful.

I’m in my 60s and feeling a bit lost. Speaking of ¥1 million, that’s what my current bicycle cost when I bought it. With replacement parts and everything else, I’ve probably spent over ¥1.5 million in total by now. Once you start chasing satisfaction, there’s no end to it 😅

I’m Dai, a male member. There’s no bigger waste of time than asking about something when you’ve already made up your mind. It’s fine if you’re just bringing it up for conversation, though… If you’re only making subtle changes rather than drastically altering your face, people probably won’t notice. One of my dating partners once said she was going to get her nose done. Even after seeing her before-and-after photos, I could barely tell the difference.

I’m date◎yume, a male member. One of the women I’m seeing once asked me, “I’m thinking about getting plastic surgery…” Even though I told her she didn’t need it, she went ahead with it anyway. Whether to continue seeing someone after that probably depends on the man she’s dating, but I chose to continue. The result was… when I asked, “Oh! What did you have done?” I honestly couldn’t really tell what had changed. However, recently, a male coworker in his mid-20s asked her, “Did you get your ○○ done?” Since he’d hit the nail on the head, she said, “I don’t like that guy—he’s always picking apart other people’s flaws.” (laughs) I guess people who know what to look for can tell?

I’m a male member who’s always on the losing end. It might be interesting to reach out to people in related fields—for example, ikebana artists, bonsai craftsmen, or someone like Mac, who specializes in architectural design—and ask for their input: “I’m considering this kind of cosmetic surgery…” Getting opinions from people in different industries about the design could be worthwhile. It’s very important to keep a broad perspective.

This is Ayase Nana ♡ What are you going to do about the downtime? If you’re spending a million yen, does that mean you’ll be okay not seeing your papa (a male supporter) for as long as three weeks to a month? Clinics tend to describe the downtime as shorter than it really is. In reality, it’s more painful and takes longer. I know you’re at the age where being told, “Why don’t you think it over once more?” only makes you want to do it even more. Of course, it’s your choice, but I don’t recommend it. Also, you probably shouldn’t tell the men. They may oppose it, and there’s a possibility they’ll cut ties with you. If you’re not an adult yet, what do your parents say? You’ll need someone to accompany you, and you’ll also need to explain where the million yen is coming from and persuade them about the cosmetic surgery. There’s no point in saying anything to someone who’s determined to get cosmetic surgery, so all I can say is: please be careful.

I’m a male member, Paper Airplane. I don’t think most men would notice, so I don’t think you need to bring it up. After having cosmetic surgery, I think it’s best to mention it only if someone happens to ask. Even then, you might be able to play dumb…

I’m Shingo Lee (Shingori), a columnist. I think it’s fine to do it without telling him. Alternatively, rather than asking for his opinion, you could simply inform him of your decision. Of course, it’s up to you, but cosmetic surgery tends to take away from the individuality of your face. Personally, I think being a naturally beautiful, attractive woman is more valuable than getting surgery and moving up one level. Good luck!!

I’m Taro, a male member. You don’t have to tell them. A lot of men would probably object if you did, but your mind is made up, right? In that case, there’s no point wasting time explaining. Keep things simple. It’s best to have the mindset that if some men drift away, then that’s just what happens. More than half of them might not even notice if you quietly got cosmetic surgery. Makeup can change your appearance quite a bit, after all. They’d notice if you suddenly had an extra eye, of course, but otherwise, many probably wouldn’t notice—or might think you looked a little different but say nothing. This is a great opportunity to find out, so by all means, give it a try. By the way, when I first heard “a million yen for cosmetic surgery,” I thought it sounded expensive, but then I remembered spending a million yen on car tuning once myself. If it’s for a hobby, that seems to be within a reasonable range. You only live once, so let’s do what we want.