^ Tiina, that sounds awful, I remember the year when everyone in shops started calling me "ma'am", great shock
had an accident around age 14 that left scars on my chest, I thought I was a monster out of a horror movie, then I could get them fixed surgically and felt better again - then I want to share a weird thing: all my life I thought I was ugly, not in a distant way, but with a vengeance, feeling a cringe any time I thought about my appearance - it did have a lot of impact on my relationships, I always accepted really scary guys with a sense of deep gratitude, as they were so humanitarian to like *me* (in hindsight, I must have sounded crazy as a loon, and that's why normal guys would run away).
Then some years ago because of problems with breathing I looked into rhinoplasty, and I got the operation not just for the breathing problems but also to change the nose's appearance (I remember saying to the mirror on the morning of my 37th birthday: I will not spend another 37 years with you (the nose)) . No one can say it's a great job, it's pinched, looks weird, turns on one side, it hurts when the weather changes, but on the other hand I never had that cringe feeling again, it was like all my self hate was concentrated on my nose (and I breathe much better!). I wish now that I had the nerve to get it done when I was twenty…
Not happy about my weight now (that is also easier to fix) , but the disgust is gone, maybe that is also with age and maturity but it really all disappeared after the nose job.
Not supporting plastic surgery obsession here, but sometimes one needs a little make over, also non surgical, to feel good with oneself.