Anything to hide my Scoliosis??
April 5, 2015 11:06 AM Subscribe
I'm a healthy 30 something year old who has had scoliosis all her life but didnt show until I started developing. As a performer I have to keep in shape and look extremely camera ready. Please help.
I have one thing that keeps me from being happy with my appearance and its the fact that my left looks amazing and curvy, while my right looks collapsed and matronly. I go back and forth asking myself what surgeries can correct this imbalance. I watch countless scoliosis videos and I can't find anyone who has skeletal issues like mine. My back looks great until you view me from the front on my right side and you can clearly see its out of shape and 2 inches shorter than my left side. Are there any doctors in the local NY area who are great with these deformities? Are there ways to hide my scoliosis better and any good surgeons who can operate with health and vanity in mind?
I have one thing that keeps me from being happy with my appearance and its the fact that my left looks amazing and curvy, while my right looks collapsed and matronly. I go back and forth asking myself what surgeries can correct this imbalance. I watch countless scoliosis videos and I can't find anyone who has skeletal issues like mine. My back looks great until you view me from the front on my right side and you can clearly see its out of shape and 2 inches shorter than my left side. Are there any doctors in the local NY area who are great with these deformities? Are there ways to hide my scoliosis better and any good surgeons who can operate with health and vanity in mind?
Best answer: It isn't surgical, but a good tailor can fit and pad things out so that you look more balanced. I have a client who is older than you are, but with the same issue except that she has started to curve forward a bit in her 60s.
With the proper fittings and proper padding and reinforcing, you can go a long way to looking even right/left and front/back. Part of the trick is to have things cut and fitted so that they reflect the difference right/left and compensate for it. This freaks some people out when they see the garment flat as nothing is even and symmetrical, including armholes and necklines, when you are looking at it flat, but when it is on the body all of the sudden it begins to work.
The other thing I'd suggest is that you should be engaging yourself in the mirror and with a camera and tripod setup so that you can compensate visually when you do have a camera around and you'll know how to respond to it. When I take pictures of the client I mentioned, I coach her through a number of poses that in real life that are 100% artificial but on film/video are passable as well, not natural, but as a kind of constructed/projected/intentional physicality.
posted by Tchad at 3:18 PM on April 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
With the proper fittings and proper padding and reinforcing, you can go a long way to looking even right/left and front/back. Part of the trick is to have things cut and fitted so that they reflect the difference right/left and compensate for it. This freaks some people out when they see the garment flat as nothing is even and symmetrical, including armholes and necklines, when you are looking at it flat, but when it is on the body all of the sudden it begins to work.
The other thing I'd suggest is that you should be engaging yourself in the mirror and with a camera and tripod setup so that you can compensate visually when you do have a camera around and you'll know how to respond to it. When I take pictures of the client I mentioned, I coach her through a number of poses that in real life that are 100% artificial but on film/video are passable as well, not natural, but as a kind of constructed/projected/intentional physicality.
posted by Tchad at 3:18 PM on April 5, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had a spinal fusion to correct my scoliosis at the hospital for special surgery in NYC. dr. boachie performed the operation. he is retired now, but I'm sure you can look into HSS and/or whoever took over his practice to weigh your options. if you do decide to go the surgery route, feel free to memail me about my experience/recovery.
posted by sabh at 6:06 PM on April 5, 2015
posted by sabh at 6:06 PM on April 5, 2015
i'm not sure where you live, but you might consider rolfing before attempting to do surgery. it's a series of 10 sessions where the therapist does fascial release and it can make a HUGE difference in your posture and how you are standing. see a rolfer with a lot of experience rather than someone just starting out.
posted by andreapandrea at 6:58 PM on April 5, 2015
posted by andreapandrea at 6:58 PM on April 5, 2015
I had spinal fusion surgery to correct my scoliosis many years ago. My spine is fairly straight now, but my left and right waist curves and rib placement have remained asymmetrical, so surgery may not solve this problem for you.
Unless your degree of curvature is hazardous to your nerve or skeletal health (as mine was), I'd suggest Tchad's suggestions of strategic clothing and practiced poses over spinal fusion. It's not something to undertake lightly, as the process itself is quite painful and has a long recovery time. Feel free to memail me if you'd like more details about my experience.
posted by Owlcat at 5:39 AM on April 6, 2015
Unless your degree of curvature is hazardous to your nerve or skeletal health (as mine was), I'd suggest Tchad's suggestions of strategic clothing and practiced poses over spinal fusion. It's not something to undertake lightly, as the process itself is quite painful and has a long recovery time. Feel free to memail me if you'd like more details about my experience.
posted by Owlcat at 5:39 AM on April 6, 2015
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posted by treehorn+bunny at 11:40 AM on April 5, 2015 [1 favorite]