“I am totally against plastic surgery. A lot of people think I have breast implants because I have the biggest boobs in the business. But I was a 34C when I was 17…They stay up when I wear a push-up bra. But if people could see me when I come home and take off my bra, how could they think these are fake? ”
This is the famed quote from the famed retired supermodel/talk show host, Tyra Banks, an epitome of natural beauty. Harvard Medical School psychologist Nancy Etcoff says in “Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty” that there is something more to human reaction to beauty than a conditioned response to social cues.
She added that looking good has survival value, and that sensitivity to beauty is a biological adaptation governed by brain circuits shaped by natural selection. Is it necessary then to go under the knife just to look good? Not only does beauty lie in the eye of the beholder; its definition varies from country to country as well. For example, Westerners use botox to diminish wrinkles while in Korea, Japan and Taiwan, botox is injected into wide cheeks so the muscle will atrophy and the cheeks will shrink.
Asians have always suffered for beauty since the Chinese foot binding. Regardless of gender, plastic surgery is now becoming more and more widely accepted all over the world. Enhancing beauty used to be a feminine thing but in the modern times, it is now starting to become a part of global norms. Celebrities from Hollywood and local artists in different countries are now openly admitting their beauty transformation from cosmetic surgery. These celebrities play a great role in normalizing cosmetic surgery and making it a necessary procedure to transform one’s personality.
Success cosmetic surgeries from celebrities have encouraged a lot of ordinary people to go under the knife as well. While there are many accounts of successful celebrity cosmetic surgeries, the numerous accounts of disastrous operations cannot be denied. One of the most famous cosmetic surgery disasters so far are those of Hang Mioku and Jocelyn Wildenstein. South Korea is one of the countries where cosmetic surgeries are very common. No wonder one of the most common cosmetic surgery victim in the world is South Korean, Hang Mioku. She had her plastic surgery procedure when she was 28.
Eventually, she became addicted to plastic surgery to the extent of inject cooking oil into her face, making it grotesquely large. That left her unrecognizable. After she gained fame on Korean TV and caught international attention, she received several reconstructive surgeries. However, her natural beauty never came back and it never will. Another plastic surgery addict alive is Jocelyn Wilderstein, commonly known as “The Bride of Wildenstein”. She used to be a beautiful young mother until she caught her filthy rich husband cheating. To win her husbands love back, she resorted to plastic surgery.
However, both of Jocelyn’s marriage and cosmetic surgery procedures failed. Despite these alarming surgery disasters, more and more people are still amenable to go under the knife for the sake of looking good. Diana Zuckerman, Ph. D and Anisha Abraham, M. D. , M. P. H. mentioned in “Teenagers and Cosmetic Surgery: Focus on Breast Augmentation and Liposuction” two of the most popular and controversial cosmetic procedures for adolescents. Needless to say, the bodies of adolescents are still maturing and plastic surgery procedures such as breast augmentation and liposuction pose risks.
Some of the side effects of breast augmentation are infection, hematomas and seromas, capsular contracture, loss of nipple sensation, and hypertrophic scarring. Liposuction also carries potentially serious risks. Primary risks include infection, damage to skin, nerves, or vital organs, fat or blood clots (that can migrate to the lungs, leading to death), and excessive fluid loss that can lead to shock or death. In addition, the different techniques are associated with complications such as skin or deep tissue damage, lidocaine toxicity, and fluid accumulation in the lungs.
Surgeries are supposed to be reconstructive benefiting people with physical irregularities such as cleft lips and palates. Some people argue that these are not different from unattractive facial and body features. What mattes is that we should not allow any other person suffer from these health risks and disasters just because of cosmetic surgery. CITATIONS: Zuckerman, Diana and Abraham, Anisha “Teenagers and Cosmetic Surgery: Focus on Breast Augmentation and Liposuction” Virtual Monitor March 2005. Etcoff, Nancy “Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty” 2000 Cullen, Lisa Takeuchi “Changing Faces” Time Magazine Asia 5 Aug. 2002