The Issues With Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is a controversial issue, mainly in the current year, 2019. It has brought up multiple health issues and some of which have even caused some to die during or after their procedure of plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is mainly used to change the disliked features of oneself. Therefore, demonstrating how plastic surgery has no true positive effect to an individual. In fact, it instead brings negative risks and outcomes, such as, health issues, lower self esteem and an increased amount of money being spent.

The use of plastic surgery first began to ensue in the world around the year of 1800 in India. Since the beginning of time, humans have been insecure about certain aspects of their physical features. Considering that, the doctors from these ancient times took it upon themselves to help people feel greater about themselves by taking the effort to finding out methods in order to make these procedures a reality. As stated in an article by Verywell Health, “People used specialized techniques to change their looks in a better way, such as injection, ripping, snipping and stitching to make body parts look beautiful and smooth,” demonstrating what procedures were first used at early stages of this new idea of plastic surgery (“History of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.” Verywell Health).

Later on in the period a Roman medical writer, Aulus Cornelius Celsus wrote a book about surgical procedures and methods called “De Medicina” which involved and talked about the reshaping for body parts such as noses, lips, and ears. Furthermore, during the Byzantine period, a writer named Oribasius, wrote out an encyclopedia called “Synagogue Medicare” which consisted of medical techniques on the repair of facial defect (“The History of Cosmetic Surgery – How It All Began.” Robinson Cosmetic Surgery).

There are many issues and risks when it comes to going under the process of plastic surgery, one of which are the health issues that are initiated because of it. After receiving plastic surgery many get pneumonia or blood clots due to the anesthesia that is given before the procedure. This also includes the possibility of nerve damage occurring, which causes your nerves to tingle or become numb. Nerve damage could occur if the surgeon simply cuts, stretches out, or singes the patients nerve (“Cosmetic Surgery.” Mayo Clinic).

In addition, there is a probability for a patient to receive a serious infection of where the surgical incision is at. Furthermore, some of the symptoms that a patient may experience if their incision site is infected are a fever greater than 101.5° F, an outrageous feeling of pain, increased redness, increased warmth, foul odor coming from the surgical cut, and discharge draining from the incision. As stated by the article, “Infection is the most common complication patients face in the days and weeks following surgery,” proving how plastic surgery most of the time has the patients that undergo this procedure actually have a possibility of going through a complication. (“Signs of an Infection After Surgery.” Verywell Health).

Plastic surgery could increase the suicidal thoughts of a human being, in fact, it has even caused a plethora amount of people to perish. The probability of the long-term risk of suicide is tripled for women who undergo the surgery of breast implants. Additionally, studies have shown that women who receive breast augmentation may feel the need and have the risk factors of committing suicide. To further prove this, Cosmetic Surgery stated that, “there is a history record of psychiatric hospitalization, seven higher rates of alcohol and tobacco use, fifteen through seventeen higher rates of divorce and a higher rate of receiving antidepressant medication” for women that go through the process of breast implants or augmentation (‘People Who Seek Plastic Surgery Should Have Mental Health Screenings.’ Cosmetic Surgery).

The issues of people in America is that it seems that plastic surgery is now being done to fit in with society. In Korea, we don’t care what you think about yourself. Other people’s evaluations of you matter more. (‘South Koreans Are Obsessed With Plastic Surgery, But Are Americans Any Better?’ Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection). It should be noted that, in Korea plastic surgery is done to meet people’s standards, and sadly that is what seems to be happening now in the United States. The issue with surgery being done to meet people’s standards is not something we should be accustomed to. Plastic surgery should only be done if you’re doing it for your own pleasure and not for someone else’s needs. More importantly though, plastic surgery should only be done for ones beneficial health needs or deformities.

Plastic surgery is becoming a grand thing amongst teenagers, many are becoming interested in the thought of botox, injections, liposuction, breast, and buttocks implants. As a matter of fact, many teenagers do make their interests in these a reality. For this age group, the most popular surgery that they encounter are rhinoplasty, nose jobs. This procedure could be hazardous for some, depending their age and how much they are developed, due to the fact that if they are not completely developed, complications could occur if their features try to change and further evolve, but are not really possible because of the plastic procedure they went through (‘Preface to ‘Should People Strive for Beauty?’.’ The Culture of Beauty).

Not only this, but many teenagers who undergo these processes do not always necessarily feel better about themselves due to the fact that they do it because they want to fill their significant others needs, or to fit into a specific posey. Moreover, the parents of a teenager actually had their daughter go through liposuction in the hope of her being able to make friends and receive a higher self-esteem if she got skinnier. The article states how, “Parents should have their teens go through surgery only if they want it for themselves, not because their friends or boyfriend wants them to” (‘Cosmetic Surgery Can Benefit Some Teens.’ Cosmetic Surgery). As a result, the parent’s eighteen year old daughter sadly died during this procedure.

Plastic surgery has always been a dangerous procedure since the beginning, even now with the right medical materials needed. Many undergo plastic surgery with the mindset that it will make them feel better about themselves and that there is no danger to it. In reality, it causes a lower self esteem, more hatred for themselves and a high risk of health issues. Nevertheless, it changes an individual’s identity and make them who they are not in reality. The procedure of plastic surgery just creates more problems than solving any problems; creates more of a negative effect and no positive ones.

Cite this page