Everyone has looked in the mirror and found something they want to fix. Cosmetic surgery can boost self esteem, and give confidence it seems the pain associated is secondary. Many people are willing to take the involved risks even though complications can arise. Cosmetic surgery changes the appearance by altering parts of the body that function normally but do not look the desired way. Cosmetic surgery has been laden with unrealistic demands and sometimes legal action in cases of dissatisfactory results.
This essay will define cosmetic surgery, discuss the complications, and touch on reasons for cosmetic surgery and today’s advances. Cosmetic Surgery has been around for many centuries starting in 800 B. C. in India and later used in European medicine. “The history of cosmetic surgery originates in the early 800 B. C. when surgeons in India restored noses to persons who had them taken off as a form of punishment” (History of Cosmetic Surgery, 2008. This practice moved slowly until 1827, when “Dr. John Peter Mettauer performed the cleft palate operation with his own specially designed tools,” (History, 2009).
Plastic surgery increased during World War I, because physicians were presented with facial wounds and burns, and this changed the history of plastic surgery. Today millions are embracing cosmetic surgery. Surface beauty and staying young are the newest trends among today’s society. The highest percentage of cosmetic surgeries are performed on women raised to believe outer beauty is unsurpassed. The media, via television, advertisements, videos, etc. gravely contributes to the rising rate of plastic surgery with their portrayal of what is beautiful.
Some of the most popular surgeries are: making the breasts larger (augmentation mammoplasty) or smaller (reduction mammoplasty), reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty), and removing pockets of fat from specific spots on the body (liposuction) and facelifts. Cosmetic surgery is not just an option for women but also men. Men with a condition called gynecomastia (excess breast tissue) that does not go away with time or weight loss may opt for reduction surgery. A man or women with a birthmark may turn to laser treatment to lessen its appearance.
Numerous types of cosmetic surgery can be done in the United States, over the years surgeons techniques have improved dramatically. Tens of thousands of cosmetic surgeries are performed each year and the numbers are climbing. To understand how plastic surgery is detrimental, it is necessary to look at the negative impact it can leave on a person. Self-esteem may improve after cosmetic surgery, but surgery is not likely to relieve depression or other mental health conditions. The most obvious of the problems associated within the industry is the unnecessary risk it poses to one’s physical health.
CosmeticSurgeryBible.com asked a number of cosmetic surgery patients how they felt about the results of their surgery. Just 37% of respondents said they were happy with their results with 37% saying they were dissatisfied and 26% stating they had mixed emotions. (cosmeticsurgerybible. com) For example Pete Burns states “”People redecorate their homes every few years, and I see this as no different. “Changing my face is like buying a new sofa. I bored with how I look and want to make alterations. ” Despite previously being left “suicidal” after his lip implant operations went wrong, Burns added: ” It is something I will always do.
” Should we look at our appearance as we do buying a car? Always wanting to upgrade to the latest model every three to four years. A number of pro’s and con’s go along with cosmetic surgery, such as the amount of recovery time and the initial cost of surgery. Medical procedures have side effects, over time the complications have decreased but not diminished. The anesthetics that cause the patient to lose consciousness during surgery can irritate the throat and lungs blocking the air ways (Dangers, 1997). Brain damage and death can occur if there is a lack of oxygen. Under anesthesia it is possible to aspirate.
Aspiration is defined as the act of inhaling fluid or a foreign body into the bronchi and lungs, often after vomiting (dictionary. com). If the fluids are inhaled it can cause infections such as pneumonia. Blood clots may also occur under anesthesia, if it becomes and blocks blood flow by entering a vein. This could lead to a stroke, heart attack, and even death. There are complaints of discomfort after a ,“Too tight” facelift or “Too big” breast implant. Last, medical human error can always occur. Even though surgery has been completed and you have made, to the recovery room; this does not mean that you are in the clear.
Most frequent complaints after surgery are scarring can lead to more surgical procedures. The risk with an open wound is infection setting in, resulting in antibiotics being administered to avoid serious illness. Immediately after cosmetic surgery, some patients may experience temporary paralysis, finding it hard to move or speak. After several hours, when the painkillers wear off, the patient should regain movement and his or her verbal skills (Dangers, 1997). The correction of bad plastic surgery results, costs more than the original surgery particularly when seeking correction elsewhere.
Some results may not be correctable. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Donda West Plastic Surgery Law California, written in response to death of Kanye West’s mother, requires mandatory health checks before cosmetic surgery. The bill was written in response to her death November 10, 2007 due to cosmetic surgery. West’s family reportedly believes that a pre-op physical exam would have uncovered coronary artery disease. West underwent several plastic surgery procedures without medical clearance, and her coronary disease and postoperative factors are believed to have contributed to her death (mtv.com).
Sixty-four year old Clara Scott, went to Dr. Kurt Dangl, a dentist and oral surgeon by training, advertised his services on a Website, complete with testimonials and the magic phrase “board-certified” for surgery, but when her operation lasted almost nine hours instead of the projected five, her daughter Stacy was concerned. Stacy Scott was horrified when Dangl sent her mother home just half an hour after the surgery was completed. “Her head was as big around as a basketball. And her limbs were just jerking around. And she was trying to get up.
I passed out. And when I woke up he was shoving my mom in the passenger side of the car,” Stacy said. Clara, herself, was in agony and she was terrified. “Nothing was getting any better. And it was just getting totally worse,” she said. Clara Scott had a huge black spot on her face and said her “ears hurt so bad. They were so infected that they were just coming loose from my face. ” When Stacy Scott asked Dangl to put her mother in the hospital, she says he told her he could not because he didn’t have admitting privileges anywhere.
So Stacy found a hospital on her own, where Clara was quarantined with E. coli on her face and a staph infection on her belly. The treatment saved her life. But it took six more painful months for her wounds to heal, and Clara says it cost $25,000 that is on top of the $10,000 Dangl charged, and which he demanded before the operation. (abcnews. go. com) The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reports a difference in the reasons teens give for having plastic surgery and the reasons adults do. Teens view plastic surgery as a way to fit in and look acceptable to friends and peers.
Adults, on the other hand, frequently see plastic surgery as a way to stand out from the crowd. Plastic surgery is on the rise for a number of teens. The ASPS reports, more than 333,000 people 18 years and younger had plastic surgery in 2005, up from about 306,000 in 2000. In 2003, teenagers 18 years and younger represented four percent of those receiving cosmetic plastic surgery in 2003. The percentage may seem small, it represents more than 330,000 school-aged youths who had some kind of cosmetic surgery or procedure, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Teens are having cosmetic procedures like otoplasty (surgery to pin back ears that stick out) or dermabrasion (a procedure that can help smooth or camouflage severe acne scars) that is enabling them to feel more comfortable with their appearance. Economy is rising, enabling cosmetic surgery to become widely available, before it was the rich and the famous that could surgically enhance their features. Cosmetic surgery although it has become culturally acceptable, and readily available, has had its problems. Is it justifiable to change appearance? Is it becoming addictive? Is it changing the perspective of beauty?
These questions have been addressed but cosmetic surgery is still on the rise. Cosmetic surgery to have or not to have. Importance should be placed in weighing the good and the bad. Is it worth it? Where the costs count up? Consider the recovery and psychological changes. Teenagers changing their appearance and not having to wait until their bodies have finished developing. Beauty should not be determined by just surface appearance. Is it vanity or necessity? Before proceeding with cosmetic surgery, consider your expectations, expense, risks, recovery, and psychological changes that may occur.