Did you hear about the woman in China who wanted to have plastic surgery to look like Jessica Alba? Or the fan who intended to ask for the Kim Kardashian surgery makeover? Most people who read about these stories were appalled; even the actresses themselves reached out to discourage the copycat surgeries. But others were thinking, “Why not get a little rhinoplasty and end up with Jessica’s cute button nose?” Though there are many, many reasons not to have surgery to look like a celebrity, here are the top five.

1. The celebrity’s facial features may not match yours. The truth is that a lot of people come to a plastic surgeon’s office equipped with pictures of a celebrity facial feature and say, “I want that.” The problem is that what works on Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt may not work on your face or frame. Sure, Angelina Jolie looks great with her pillow lips, but on you, lip augmentation may look more “duck” than “desirable.”
2. Celebrities change their looks. Can you imagine if someone had tried to keep up with Michael Jackson’s face over the years? Or Joan Rivers’? Celebrities pride themselves on their ability to change their look — often through clothes and hairstyles, though just as often with a little nip and tuck — to keep their fans panting for more. If your goal is to look like your favorite celebrity, you’d better keep a plastic surgeon on speed dial because most Hollywood stars fight the aging process with Botox and scalpels.
3. Your partner may move on anyway. The women who made headlines for their desire to look more like Jessica Alba and Kim Kardashian were doing it because — you guessed it — they were trying to hold onto men who were attracted to these celebs. Now that sounds like the basis for a healthy relationship! And years after you’ve split up with the Kim-cravin’ guy, you’ll still be stuck with a permanent reminder of his tastes, rather than your own uniqueness.
4. Even celebrities don’t look like celebrities. We regular folk often forget when we see celebrities on the red carpet or in magazines that they have teams of stylists, makeup artists, trainers and nutritionists — not to mention airbrushers — to make them look flawless. In real life, even they don’t look like the paparazzi-ready versions of themselves. Kate Winslet famously railed against a fashion magazine for airbrushing her so much that she didn’t recognize herself. So if you’re expecting that a facelift will make you look like the hot actress on this month’s Glamour magazine, she might be the first to tell you to save your money.
5. It’s expensive. A trip to the doctor’s office for a surgical procedure may set you back more than you think. For instance, if you want breast implants that mimic Gisele Bundchen’s bust (hers is the most requested), it will cost about $10,000. Want Uma Thurman’s eyes? That’s $4,000. A Kardashian rear end? Another $8,000. Unless you have piles of money sitting around, you’ll find yourself in the poorhouse long before your celebrity makeover is complete.