In today’s society the way we look is everything. There are specific standards for someone to be considered as beautiful. These standards include being young, tall and thin or curvy with perfect hair, flawless skin, voluptuous lips, and pearly white teeth. Society is highly influenced by magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan, which are well known for featuring top fashion models with pretty faces and slim waists. Many people are turning to cosmetic surgery to fit in. Over the course of years cosmetic surgery has quickly become a new trend not just with women, but with men, teenagers, and children.
We have all heard of the saying for beauty you must suffer. But what is exactly meant by the word suffer? Does it mean for the desire to be beautiful one must suffer with irrevocable physical changes such as losing a limb or an arm? Take for example, a young prominent hairstylist sacrifices life for beautification. She is a very well-known hairstylist with a promising future and is described as beautiful by many people. However, she still feels that there is a need for improvement in her appearance. She turns to cosmetic surgery and gets saline butt injections.
She finally feels that she living up to society’s perception of beauty but she later suffers from headaches and nausea and goes into a coma. The doctors tell her family that the butt injections had caused her lungs to be filled with blood clots and in order to survive she must have both of her arms and legs amputated. It is human nature to seek approval from other people or to feel accepted. Although, cosmetic surgery seems give people a new found confidence and acceptance. Cosmetic surgery is only temporary and can cause psychological effects, complications, and physical effects.
To begin, cosmetic surgery can cause psychological effects on the brain. According to the Medical Journal of Australia the demand for cosmetic surgery is rapidly growing in many Western countries, apparently influence by societal perceptions of the ideal body image (Hussian,Schofeild,Loxton). Society has always placed high values on beauty and people opinions. As a child we are taught to value beauty. Little girls are given Barbie dolls and that is where an image of a perfect body begins to form. Every little girl that is given a Barbie doll thinks of the doll as having a perfect body and desires to look like her.
What little girls need to be taught is that Barbie is not humanely realistic. Recent studies showthat women choose to enhance physical appearance because of the similarities between cosmetic surgery and fashion accessorizing (Swami, Mommadova). This a particular concern because the majority of cosmetic surgery patients are young women, who may be experiencing psychological difficulties, associated with negotiating young adulthood (Swami, Mommadova). On television shows such as Nip Tuck and I Want a Famous Face cosmetic surgery is exposed as a quick solution to human flaws.
These television shows are fairytale based and focus only on people who are unhappy with themselves and want to get a nose job, breast induction, and liposuctions. These people are suffering from underlying psychological issues. The most common reason for cosmetic surgery is low self-esteem, eating disorders, and lack of self-confidence. Similarly, a US study has shown that many Americans are dissatisfied with their physical appearances they feel ugly on the inside and outside (Hussian,Schofield,Loxton).
But is cosmetic surgery really the answer to all their desires? However, when people undergo surgery they go in with realistic ideas but when surgery goes wrong that is when psychological issues begin. After paying so much money for cosmetic surgery and being unhappy with the outcome that is when cosmetic surgery becomes emotional. Patients are more likely to get that surgery redone. Cosmetic surgery should never be an option and people should turn to simply dieting and exercising to feel better about their appearances.
Next, cosmetic surgery can cause complications. It is devastating to learn that when someone who is trying to improve their appearance and self-confidence they only end up potentially unhappy or dead. A recent survey on physicians at Florida State hospital reported 31 deaths and 143 procedure related complications (Swami, Mommadova). Liposuctions and Liposuctions with abdominoplasty have resulted in 24 complications and 8 deaths. Eight out of 31 deaths occurred after liposuction performed by plastic surgeons.
Of these 8 cases 7 were performed under general anesthesia and the deaths were attributed to pulmonary emboli. There was 1 death after liposuction with intravenous sedation. (Swami. Mommadova). All 8 deaths have occurred 9days after the liposuction procedure (Swami, Mommadova). Pulmonary embolism is when a sudden blockage develops in the lung artery. The blockage is cause by blood clot traveling through a vein from the leg to lungs. The patient suffers with difficulty of breathing and has to be hospitalized. So is cosmetic surgery really worth it?
According to Medical Journal of Australia people who survived cosmetic procedures after complications feel that getting cosmetic surgery was horrible decision because they had deal with other complications such as drug reaction brain, spinal and nerve damages (Hussian,Schofield,Loxton). Finally, cosmetic surgeries can cause physical effects. There are some positive effects and negative effects of cosmetic surgery. The positive effects are quite obvious: look younger, feel younger and correct undesirable features.
However, the negative effects of cosmetic surgery are pain, scarring, and swelling ( Calogero, Young, Diraddo). However, shortly after cosmetic procedures the patient suffers from nerve damages. Take for example a lady in mid-thirties go to a Plastic Surgeon to get an eyebrow lift. She is now happy with her physical facial features but after ten years the eyebrow lift is droopy. A recent analysis of 37 studies on patients before and after physical appearance proves that a patient is satisfied having surgeries such as butt injection and eyebrow lift.
However, after years of the cosmetic procedure the patient returns for repeated surgeries and is dissatisfied because the procedure did not last (Park, Calogero, Young, Diraddo). Cosmetic surgery can cause scar tissues, inflammation, and organ failure. Shortly after, person undergoes cosmetic surgery such as liposuctions and facelifts. They can experience pain up to 6 months and also due to drug reactions they can also experience lung and kidney. Recent headline news reported a young female that had a tummy tuck done skin died. She return to a Plastic Surgeon to have the tummy tuck revised to remove the dead skin.
The Plastic Surgeon left the dead skin on her stomach and it turned into a hole. The patient described the pain from the scar tissue as feeling like she was carrying 20lbs on her stomach. In conclusion, cosmetic surgery is an instant gratification but should not be taken lightly. Cosmetic surgery can affect a person psychologically and physically along with other complications. Cosmetic Surgery is responsible for almost 200 deaths among Americans. Instead of worrying about what people say we need to embrace our differences, love our human flaws and stop trying to perfect them.
The greatest love of all is when we love ourselves. A wise man once said that beauty is only skin deep. Work Cited Von Soest, I. L Kvalem, I. L. , L. Wichstrom “Psychological Issue” Mar 2012, Vol 42:3 617-626. A. Park, David Calogero, M. Young, and E. Dirrado, “Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology” May 2012, Vol 29:5 489-509. Rafat Hussian, Margot Schofield,and Deborah Loxton. “Cosmetic Surgery History and Health Service Use in Midlife: Women’s Health Australia” in Medical Journal Australia Web. August 2002.