Plastic Surgery

Victoria Filimonchuk

Professor Walter Lowe

December 10, 2014

English 101

Society has always valued beauty. From foot-binding in China to dangerously constricting corsets in Victorian times, people of every race and culture have gone to extremes in the name of beauty. These along with other many methods have attempted to make a woman beautiful no matter what the consequences. Now, a development in something called cosmetic surgery has surfaced and is now becoming extremely popular, not only in women but also in men. Cosmetic surgery is an alteration to parts of the body through surgical procedures. Some procedures include Botox, breast enlargement, facelifts, hair replacement, and liposuction. This trend spread quickly mostly because of media like television. Reality television programs like “I Want a Famous Face” and “Nip/Tuck” embrace this topic, allowing the public to become more aware and accustomed to the idea of this surgery. 

This beauty enhancement surgery attracts those who are searching for the purpose of enhancing or redoing their features in hope of a better appearance and self-confidence afterwards. Sometime during the process of beautifying average humans, surgeons have implanted something besides silicone: the belief that cosmetic surgery will improve lives. Now, not only do people accept plastic surgery, they embrace it as a solution to personal problems. While appearance has always been important, mainstream acceptance of plastic surgery has created a society that values appearance above almost everything else. After the procedure; the patient may sense a newly found confidence that comes from a new nose, fake breasts, or liposuction. This feeling is temporary though. Marketing cosmetic surgery as a confidence-booster increases profits, but it also gives people unrealistic expectations. They believe that their life will change and are disappointed when it actually doesn’t. One will most likely never be fully satisfied with their looks. Along with physiological damage of false expectation, there are many complications of the surgery as well. That’s why one should definitely not get this procedure done. 

On the occasion of getting this surgery, patients are informed beforehand about the risks. There are complications and threats of failure in any surgery so some might be skeptical. Nonetheless, if this is something that one truly desires, then it will be done no matter what the cost or repercussion afterwards. The person might be blindsided to the apparently visible chance that something awful may happen to them after the surgery is finished, whether it’s done well or not. In an online article on Cosmetic surgery, its states “patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, lung disease, or obesity are at higher than average risk of developing pneumonia or having a stroke, a heart attack, or blood clots in the legs or lungs after surgery. Other risks include bleeding, infection obvious scarring or skin breakdown, which occurs when healing skin separates from healthy skin and must be removed surgically. ” In preforming this procedure, one would hope to improve their appearance. Scarring or skin breakdown on the contrary, is diminishing ones appearance and such deadly risks of heart attacks, strokes, or pneumonia should weaken the so called “need” of plastic surgery. As this article indicates, there are risks in any surgery, but why would one get a surgery with so many complications and a chance of receiving such distressing, harsh results? All for just a better appearance which isn’t even a hundred percent guaranteed.