Everyone has seen that picture perfect model on a billboard or in a magazine that seems to be flawless in every way. These types of things convince people that they need to alter their appearance in order to become what is perceived as beautiful. There are approaches to attaining the designated look they are trying to reach; cosmetic surgery is one of them. Cosmetic surgery continues to become a popular trend among young adults in today’s society, but is starting to take over the idea of what people consider “beautiful. ”
People are willing to do just about anything if it will change the way they feel about themselves. Cosmetic surgery is a very popular option for people who might not be happy with their appearance. It can be helpful in some cases, but it is often taken too far and can put a patient at risk for a variety of health issues. Kathryn Morgan asks her readers to “look at the needles and at the knives,” and “imagine them cutting into your skin”(Morgan). This vision of surgery can be terrifying and is not something most patients would be looking forward to.
Also, there are always danger when undergoing a surgery that requires a doctor to cut a patient open. Whether it is liposuction, a breast augmentation, a facelift, or a nose job, there are risks that come along with these types of procedures. Young people in today’s society are becoming more and more aware of new technologies in today’s cosmetic surgery department. Constantly, there are new types of technology being made specifically for cosmetic surgery. Morgan explains how “the era of biotechnology is clearly upon us and is invading even the most private and formerly sequestered domains of human life,”(Morgan).
Ever since all of this new technology has been discovered, young adults are using it to alter their bodies to fit their needs. These changes on someone’s body is not only an outer difference, it can also alter the way people think. Identity is what makes a person unique, but sometimes this can be lost in the media of society. Many people tend to think that a simple face-lift or nose job changes their outer appearance, however, they overlook the relationship they have with their unique human characteristics. Dr.
Vivian Diller, a psychologist and author, told BuzzFeed that after a major cosmetic surgery patients realize that “imperfection is actually part of their identity,”(Diller). When someone alters their body to fit their needs and their perception of what they should look like, they are taking away what defines them as a person. Cosmetic surgery is becoming so much more common that people do not think as much about getting these types of body altering surgeries. The scary part is that without even realizing, they are the ones potentially changing who they are as a person for the rest of their life.
Diller explains how patients “can feel disconnected to their new faces- faces that no longer feel like theirs,”(Diller). This is shocking because even though it is still the face on their bodies, it does not even feel like their own face. As soon as they wake up off that surgery table, they are waking up to their new bodies, their brand new bodies that they have not gotten used to. It is almost as if they have to start all over, not in a literal sense, but in a logical sense. Their old bodies have been taken from them by their own will.
Now they have chosen to completely destroy whatever made them unique to try and fit in with what society qualifies as “beautiful”. Not only is the natural beauty destroyed, it takes tons of money out of patient’s wallets. Cosmetic surgery is not a very easy to pay for, especially when it becomes a more recurring activity. What patients do not realize is that they are paying for a lot more than just the cosmetic surgery itself. For example, in the article The Cost of Surgery: Why is Surgery so Expensive, Jennifer Heisler tells the readers about how each surgery is different.
Also, depending on the surgery, there could be four or more physicians in the operating room at once; “each physician involved in the procedure will usually submit a bill for their services,”(Heisler). These doctors probably do not bill very cheaply considering they have all been through medical school and took their time to get to where they are at now. Their bills are going to be very pricy in order to receive the pay that they deserve, which only seems fair. On top of the individual doctor’s bills, the operating room
“is billed in fifteen minute increments,” which includes sterilizing equipment, setting up machinery, and preparing other items involved in the surgery (Heisler). Depending on the type of cosmetic surgery being preformed, it is more than likely that each procedure will take a good amount of time, adding up to a shocking price. Cosmetic surgery is not only harmful, but also expensive. However, cosmetic surgery can sometimes be a good thing. Surgery is usually done when a patient is in need of a doctor’s help. Cosmetic surgery can be used for many other reasons than only changing someone’s appearance.
A lot of people lack self-confidence, and in order to gain that confidence they feel as if they need to undergo plastic surgery. In the article, How Plastic Surgery can Boost your Confidence, the writer tells how some patients might get plastic surgery to boost their confidence “ after a divorce or break up – or it might be that they just want to feel better within themselves,”(How). A confidence boost is something that all people need every once in a while. To feel good about themselves and to feel as if someone is the best they can be means a lot to them and they are willing to risk a lot to get that feeling.
A common factor playing into the cosmetic surgery field is that people want “to feel as fabulous as the stars in Hollywood often look,”(How). Every day, citizens see photo shopped stars and celebrities that look good so effortlessly without any type of enhancements. However, this is not the case. Celebrities are being electronically “fixed” constantly to be seen as “beautiful” or “handsome”, making everyone else think that’s how everybody should look. Most people are set on the fact of “looking younger”, and that is what will make them beautiful.
Wrinkles, worn out parts, and old looking everything can be a trigger to patients to undergo any kind of cosmetic surgery. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it is helping them achieve their goal of looking the way they want to. In the book, Cosmetic Surgery by Kristen Bailey, it is said, “people get face lifts because they want a rejuvenated look,”(Kevitch). This rejuvenated look can allow them to feel more like themselves than ever before.
It can allow them to become more comfortable in their own skin, become a more confident person in general, and be able to look at themselves in a more positive way. People should be able to look at themselves and not feel so bad about their appearance. Cosmetic surgery can allow people to become the person they have been waiting to become. The thing about cosmetic surgery is that “it cannot give someone a ‘perfect’ face,” but “instead surgery improves features people already have,”(Bailey). This fact about cosmetic surgery is a good thing due to the fact that, surgeons are basing their procedure on the unique characteristics of each patient.
Each surgery is different for every single patient. The surgery is designed individually for each patient, and works around the beauty that they already obtain. A lot of people do not want to completely change their appearance, but rather just enhance it. This way, it doesn’t morph them into something they do not want to become. Dr. Robert Kevitch explains that there are a lot of times where patients will come in wanting a whole new face. Their features at that point are in tact and are perfectly fine, however, the patient is not happy and demands change.
Kevitch tells how “face transplants are a wonderful option for people who are seriously disfigured,”(Kevitch). Meaning, they have either been in an accident or they were born with deformities, only making it obvious that cosmetic surgery is an option. These kinds of situations are when cosmetic surgery is not such a horrible thing. Cosmetic surgery is becoming more popular each day, and it continues to affect our society exceedingly. It is not something that should be taken very lightly. It has the potential to change someone completely; from the inside out.
These types of surgeries are not the safest procedures known to man, and it is always a risk to go under the knife and to become unconscious during the procedure. People tend to think of cosmetic surgery as helping them become more like all the celebrities who look so perfect, when in reality, not even the celebrities look that perfect in real life. These celebrities, whether it is in a magazine or on a billboard, are professionally photographed and are airbrushed. People need to become more comfortable with the body they were given, and learn to except that not everything about them is going to be perfect.
Everyone must learn that their imperfections are what make them unique, and if we keep trying to change them then our personalities could be wiped away from us so quickly. Our identity should be very sacred to us, and some people fail to see that in themselves. It is kind of sad, seeing people who can not even find a single thing they like about themselves, so they are forced to let themselves alter and sculpt their bodies to try and fit the strict mold they have made for themselves. Cosmetic surgery does have its positive side.
It can help people who have suffered their whole life with different deformities, and also people who have suffered through a traumatic injury. These situations are the situations where cosmetic surgery should be looked upon in a positive way. In conclusion, society should not morph the way people view someone as beautiful, and people should learn to love the body they were given. Works Cited Bailey, Kristen and Dr. Robert Kevitch. Cosmetic Surgery. San Diego, California: Thomas Gale, 2005. Print. Fleming, Olivia and Dr. Vivian Diller. “Can too much plastic surgery change your personality?
Excessive cosmetic procedures could lead to identity crisis, warn psychologists. ” Mail Online 9 Apr. 2012: n. pag. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Heisler, Jennifer. “The Costs of Surgery: Why is Surgery so Expensive? ”. 4 Jan. 2009. About. com. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. “How Plastic Surgery can Boost Your Confidence. ” Cosmetic Surgery Guru: Everything you need to know about cosmetic surgery, 16 Aug. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Morgan, Kathryn P. “Woman and the Knife: Cosmetic Surgery and the Colonization of Women’s Bodies. ” Hypatia. Vol. 6, no. 3 (Fall 1991): JSTOR. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.