Are you planning to have a cosmetic procedure? There are many things that a person considering having a procedure should know. Cosmetic surgery has been practiced for many years however, it is dangerous and many people face addiction. Before having a cosmetic procedure it is important to know all the facts. Cosmetic surgery being so popular, many people are not aware that there are two types of plastic surgery: Cosmetic plastic surgery and Reconstructive plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery is the improvement of a person’s natural features on a purely aesthetic level with the absence of trauma or physical deformity.
The most popular cosmetic surgeries today include the removal of blemishes with a lasers, breast augmentation, rhinoplasty (remolding of the nose), blepharoplasty (removing of excess skin from the eye lids), face lifts, and botox. Reconstructive surgery is the correction of a physical feature which may be disformed or abnormal due to a birth defect, congenital disease, illness, or trauma. Reconstructive surgery involves the restoration or function due to a damaged body part and the rebuilding of normal physical contours when parts of the body such as the nose, ears, or fingers are missing or disfigured.
Although many people think of plastic surgery as a relatively recent innovation, the practice of surgically enhancing or restoring parts of the body has its beginnings more than 4000 years ago. The oldest cosmetic surgery practices may date back to Egypt in the Third Millennium B. C… Where the early accounts described surgical procedures preformed to repair facial trauma and nasal fractures. Advancements continued into the 20th century. As in the Ancient Egypt and India war surgeons was presented the opportunity to prefect their techniques as they repaired the bodies of injured soldiers.
In the 1950’s the technique of tissue expansion was discovered and then later refined by Radoven in the 1970’s. Tissue expansion is a technique that takes advantage of the skin’s elasticity. The result is a gradual stretching of the overlying tissues which may be used to correct areas of deficiency. Tissue expansion is commonly used in breast augmentation after a mastectomy, scalp restoration in patients with alopecia, or the smallness of ears. In the 1960’s there was advancement in Microsurgery which is the transfer of tissue for example free tissue transfer.
In the 1970’s and the 1980’s ushered in the use of muscle flaps which is the ability to use tissues from all over the body for surgery. In the 1970’s women insisted that the personal be political; they defined appearance and beauty as a social issue rather than individual problems. In the 1990’s it was said that 30 percent of patients come from families that earn under the amount of 25,000 and another 35 percent that earn between 25,000 and 50,000 a year. Now surgeries are more expensive, take less time, and the surgery is so advanced surgery is preformed through small incisions with little to no scarring. Cosmetic surgery is very popular.
Today, many movie stars get procedure’s to look young in the spot light. The reason a person would want to get a cosmetic procedure varies from person to person. Some have procedures to gain physical benefits such as better appearance, to become more active, and to be healthier. There is a drive inside humans that makes them want to be beautiful. Plastic surgery affects people on a physical level and psychological level. We all make ourselves more physically beautiful with clothes, hairstyles, and cosmetics; plastic surgery, or changing features of the body to make it more appealing is taking it to the next level.
People want attention; they want to be looked at and leave favorable impressions. The human brain is attracted to beauty, and automatically adjusts based on physical beauty. The prettiest people have more friends, and are able to experience more relationships. By getting plastic surgery, a person can open new doors and windows to a new life. They usually experience more from the people around them, and enjoy the roller coaster of emotions stronger than others. The reasons why people get plastic surgery are sometimes deep and sometimes shallow, but in the end people are people regardless of the choices that they make.
However, every person that is considering having plastic surgery should be aware of the possible risks and dangers. Complications from plastic surgery can range anywhere from scarring to fatalities. The effects of surgery can at times traumatize the patient both physically and psychologically. One of the most common risks of plastic surgery is scarring. Most surgeries will end with permanent scarring. Infections, hematomas, and bleeding are all possible after surgery. These complications are usually treatable if they are caught early enough.
Patients should also be aware of nerve damage to the area of operation. Some patients have also had trouble with muscle movement in the area of operation. One out of every 54,000 surgeries ends in death. Before having a cosmetic procedure the patient must have blood test and a physical to make sure the patient meets all the requirements before having surgery. Plastic surgery can go bad no matter what your status in life is or how much money you make. It’s hard for people to live through the nightmare of a bad plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery can end in death, a patient’s nose can turn black and fall off, some patient’s are left with the feeling of permanent pain or paralysis something has gone wrong. When a patient asks for the impossible there will always be a doctor that will perform the procedure even if the patient has visited more than one doctor that will not do it. Sometimes it is not the patient or the doctor’s fault, when getting a plastic procedure done many people play a part in the surgery. Every bad surgery is not a blotched surgery.
It sometimes depends on the patient’s body as well as the doctor’s technique. A patient’s education is the key to having a procedure. A person can minimize there risks by doing homework and taking responsibility for there own care. The most important thing to know before having cosmetic surgery is having the knowledge of the physician doing the surgery and knowing that he/she will be performing the cosmetic surgery. When having the procedure it is also important knowing if your physician is a board certified plastic surgeon or a board certified dermatologist.
The patient should always know how long the procedure will take, the risk and complications of the surgery, and how long the healing time is going to take. The patient should always be comfortable with surgeon and the procedure before having the surgery. Cosmetic surgery can be addictive. Two thirds of the people who have had plastic surgery will have another procedure done. 20 percent of those people will have more than eight surgeries. Every year the number of cosmetic surgeries will increase and so will the number of patients who are addicted to cosmetic surgery.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder also known as BDD is a mental disorder in which a person is continually preoccupied with a minor flaw in themselves, or a flaw that does not even exist. It is an abnormal dissatisfaction with ones physical appearance (3-8) hours out of the day. Body Dysmorphic Disorder affects men and women equally. BDD usually begins in a person in his/her teenage years or early adulthood years. It has similar characteristics to those who have obsessive compulsive disorders. A person who has BDD will eventually become obsessed with their perceived flaw that will affect every part of their life.
BDD symptoms include enterprising in obsessive grooming rituals, examining and picking of the skin, staring at self reflections continuously, Avoiding social gatherings due to feeling ugly, and undergoing multiple plastic surgeries. Someone with BDD will not grow out of the disorder BDD will effect the person their whole life. About five million American’s suffer from this disorder. People with BDD who have plastic surgery will not be satisfied with their results and will continue having surgeries and never be satisfied with any results even if they are perfect.
Any person who is considering having a cosmetic procedure done it is very important that the person is aware of all the risks and complications due to having a cosmetic surgery. It can cost a person their life if they are unaware of the risks due to surgery. With knowing all the facts about cosmetic surgery ask yourself if it is really important or if it effects your life to the point that its necessary to have a cosmetic procedure done. References Coleman, Angela (2007, Nov) Plastic Surgery Tragedies: Are Women Dying to Be.
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