“I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I’d look like without cosmetic surgery” a quote by Joan Rivers. She is an American famous person who has done so many cosmetic surgeries. Rivers most likely said this quote because she regretted about all of the cosmetic surgeries that she had. Cosmetic Surgery is a phenomenon that has increased over the past few years and became popular in everywhere on the world. Moreover, many people have been thinking of doing it because it sounds interesting that people can change how they look likes or to improve a normal part of their body appearance.
One of the biggest reasons of why cosmetic surgery is so popular is that people are striving to become physically perfect. However, those people are not aware of the risks that can result from these kinds of surgeries. Cosmetic surgeries affect the emotions of people who go under the knife and make them addicted to it. Also, it is dangerous and isn’t worth the risk. Patients will possibly suffer from depression, and encounter emotional difficulties that are hard to overcome after cosmetic surgery. This psychological pressure lasts for a long time and sometimes forever.
For example, Olesen mentions that one of the disadvantages of cosmetic surgery is including depression (3). Also, Iverson says that there are studies that say cosmetic surgery cause undesirable feeling for patient (1). As for my own experience, a year and half ago my sister have done a cosmetic surgery in her nose. She didn’t like how she looks like, so she felt so bad about herself and didn’t want to see anyone of her friends. So, my father had to take her to psychiatrist to make her feel better.
Thus, these examples indicate that cosmetic surgeries cause the patient so much depression and that is really a big problem that might affect the patient life. Because the patient unused to the new look or difference, the patient might stay secluded and stop socializing with friends and people for long time. Also, the bandaging wouldn’t take off before three months. Furthermore, the patient cannot judge the result before six months until it takes its natural form. So, between the periods after the surgery until the result takes its natural form the patient would stay long time without knowing how the result looks like.
And that is going to let the patient in a state of depression because prevent the patient to communicate with people . In some cases the result fails to improve and the appearance looks worse than before the surgery. Under this circumstance, the patient goes to another level of emotional effects of depression to the feeling of isolation forever. Thus, it would be hard for the patient to adjust whether he/she likes the result or not because the patient has to undergo days or months of healing process. Sometimes, that wound take forever to heal.
In sum, cosmetic surgeries certainly let the patients feel depressed and affect their emotions. Although cosmetic surgery causes a lot of emotional depression, this is not the only reason. One very serious addiction that is often overlooked is cosmetic surgery addiction. Unlike drug addicts who suffer from chemical addiction, cosmetic surgery addicts experience mental obsession to alter their bodies and faces. For instance, Sciarretto says Michael Jackson’s mother admitted that he was addicted to cosmetic surgery (1). Another example, Dr.
Samuels states, “After one surgery, addicts will find a reason to have a second, then a third and so on in their quest for ‘perfection’. The results they are after are unattainable”(4). In addition, Frankr states, “plastic surgery shouldn’t be undergone because it can lead to addiction”(3). Hence, these three examples show cosmetic surgery is a serious problem that can really make patient to become addicted to it. Many of patients begin their journey simply wanting to correct a few specific anatomical issues, but progress to addiction after completing their initial surgical desires.
When the patient does one cosmetic surgery and like the result of it, he or she would find a reason to do it again to look better. Similarly, if the patient doesn’t like the surgery result also would do it again until to get satisfied with the results of the surgery. Thus, in both cases whether the patient like the result or not would get addicted. In addition, once the first surgical operation was already done, second, third, fourth, and even more is easy to follow. The patients are always looking for perfection and would never satisfy with their looks because this is the nature of human.
As has been noted, Michael Jackson is an evidence to prove this theory. Michael got addicted and he transforms his appearance hundred and eighty degrees. So, cosmetic surgery is grave problem that patient should be aware of before doing it because it have the ability to let the patient obsessed about it. As the case with any kind of surgery, cosmetic surgery does involve risk that in some cases death. In addition, isn’t worth the risk because it could take person’s life forever for unnecessarily reason. For example, Frankr says, “Just like any surgery, plastic surgery can be dangerous.
They involve anesthesia, wound healing and other risks”(2). Another example, John writes an article about a woman named Kathleen Kelly Cregan who died while she was having a cosmetic surgery. So, these two examples show that cosmetic surgeries are not easy and carry risks that might lead to death. A risk that should be taken into consideration is that when cosmetic surgery is undergone and uses anesthesia. Anesthesia is put on a patient to sleep, and to numb the body so the patient won’t feel pain during the surgery. Even though anesthesia prevents pain during the surgery, it has its risks.
There is no guarantee that the patient will wake up from the anesthesia, patient can fall into a coma, if not given the right amount of it and if not put in the right place. Furthermore, there is no surgeon who can guarantee that the surgery would succeed. There are always risks of things going amiss. I guarantee that if Cregan knew she would die because of a cosmetic surgery she wouldn’t do it because she could live without it. Doing cosmetic surgery isn’t worth the risk because it’s unimportant surgery that many people could live a happy life without it.
Also, it carries risks that could take patient life forever. Cosmetic surgery being so popular and the idea of it sound good. However, many people are not aware of the side affects that can bring into their life. Additionally, it could turn patients life into depressed. Patients always want to perfect in their appearance, which is impossible to reach because this is the nature of human. Cosmetic surgeries have so many disadvantages and I just mentioned few of them.
References Joan Rivers taken from www. allgreatquotes.com (2008). Dr. Howard Samuels, cosmetic Surgery Addiction. © 2011. Ronald E. Iverson, Emotional Changes After Plastic Surgery: What You Need to Know, @ 2005. Frankr, Why Plastic Surgery Isn’t Worth Undergoing. Aug 5, 2010. Amy Sciarretto, Michael Jackson was addicted to plastic surgery, The Sydney morning herald ,November 10, 2010. WARREN ST. JOHN, The Irish Patient and Dr. The New York times, April 24, 2005. Marie Olesen, How to Prepare for the Emotional and Psychological Effects of Plastic Surgery, May 31, 2011.