What would it take for you to feel more self-confident? For many women, the answer to that question isn’t looking younger, it’s looking better. It’s a widely held assumption that people who go under the knife are trying to turn back the clock, but often enhancements like Botox and eyelid surgery have a different purpose. They simply help people look and feel like their best selves.

Every year, it seems more women in their 40s and 50s are opting for plastic surgery to counter some aspects of aging, not because they want to deceive anyone about their date of birth, but because they don’t want to come across as tired or out of touch.

“It’s OK if I age.  It’s OK if I have wrinkles. I just would like to look healthy,” 47-year-old estate agent Suzanne Armstrong told ABC News in a recent piece on this subject. The professional noted that she turns to a board-certified plastic surgeon for dermal fillers and chemical peels to stay refreshed and alert, not because she wants to turn back the clock.

Previously on this blog, we’ve discussed how plastic surgery, far from being a way to alter who you really are, can actually help your outsides better reflect your insides. If you don’t recognize the woman you see in the mirror, why not take steps to get her back? As one plastic surgeon told the U.K. Telegraph earlier this year, plastic surgery patients ultimately undergo these procedures for themselves, not to impress or mislead anyone else.

Are there any physical hangups that you think may be holding you back? Don’t let concerns about your appearance keep you from feeling like yourself. Dr. Christopher Craft is a board-certified Miami plastic surgeon who can help you determine the right course of action for you.