As much as the world advocates for “loving yourself” and being happy with who you are, just as you are, realistically speaking, the society we live in, puts great importance on looks and physical appearance. Cosmetic surgery wouldn't exist if that weren't the case. In ethics, it is agreed that based on a society's belief system, we, as people have decided what is to be accepted and what is not. Naturally, in order to survive such a system, you either have to adapt or accept. This is a reason why people care about how others perceive them and are always trying to better themselves based on their society's standard of what is beautiful, even as far as undergoing surgical procedures. There are many objections as to why people feel cosmetic surgery should not be done but regardless of other people's opinions, people have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies.
So what might be the reasons for doing cosmetic surgery? To answer that question, we need to first know what cosmetic surgery is and how it differs from regular surgeries. So what exactly is Cosmetic Surgery? According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, “Cosmetic surgery is a unique discipline of medicine focused on enhancing appearance through surgical and medical techniques” (AAAA) Unlike regular surgeries, these procedures mainly focus on treating areas that function but are being treated because they lack nice aesthetics. This is actually one of the more obvious reasons why people decide to get these surgeries done. Everyone is insecure about something and some people find that cosmetic surgery is just the answer they have been looking for to combat their insecurities. Some will argue stating that cosmetic surgery has no psychological benefit, that people- those who let their physical outward form affect their mental state of mind– will get cosmetic surgery, but the only thing that has changed is their outside appearance not their issues with self-image which is why it should be deemed as bad. In more cases than not, those who decide to do the surgery know the risks they are putting themselves into and go in having realistic expectations. Also, the fact that cosmetic surgery's sole purpose is not to deal with the problem of self-image but to change how a person's physical appearance looks, so whether or not a person's confidence grows or shrinks is really up to that person. But there have been cases where after undergoing the surgery the patient was left feeling a hundred times better. Take Rebbeca Clark for example, who after a car accident was left with difficulty breathing, scarring, and facial disfigurement but after receiving,”... reconstruction on the left side of her nose and dermabrasion on some of the deep scars on her chin and forehead, followed by fat injections into the scars, an eye lift, facelift and chin lift. She even stated that later the surgery she felt that, “...everyone I came into contact within the department treated me like a person and not like an injury or deformity.” This goes to show that, in some cases, cosmetic surgery not only can improve someone's mental well-being but can also improve a person's health. This isn't the only example of cosmetic surgery improving someone's health. There have been cases where women who have large breasts experience lower back pain, and after having a breast reduction their pain has been alleviated. Other examples include botox, which has been, “...shown to help with conditions such as chronic migraines, excessive sweating, etc..”
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But that's not to say that there haven’t been cases where people were left feeling dissatisfied with their service and were left feeling like they looked a lot better than when they came in. In those cases, though you have to take into consideration who they had their procedures done with and where. In other words, you get what you paid for. This brings up the reason why many feel that cosmetic surgery should be banned or at least limited. This feels like it could lead to more “botched” surgeries because at the end of the day if people really want something they're going to find a way to obtain it whether or not it's safe. Wouldn't it be better and a lot less dangerous if we kept cosmetic procedures under safer precautions as well as with better equipment and trained professionals?
Another reason why people might disagree with cosmetic surgery is that it can be potentially dangerous and they can have complications during and succeeding the surgery, even with trained hands. There have been cases where silicone in breast implants has leaked, gluteoplasty (also known as a butt lift) has caused skin or fat necrosis, and other complications such as, “...hematoma and bruises, seroma formation, nerve damage causing sensory or motor loss, infection, scarring, and blood loss.” have occurred. You can take medicine that can have those same risks as side effects but since surgeries like these are considered more of a want and not a need the risks can't be justified. However, in life, there's risk in literally anything you do, regardless of whether the reason can or can not be justified. In addition, cosmetic surgeries are not what they used to be, there have been many technological medical advances that have caused surgeries, in general, to be safer. Furthermore, those who decide to get whatever procedures are done are aware of the risks, they are not going in blind, so to speak, so it goes to show they are ready to take on that risk if such an occurrence were to happen.
So what are creating these standards that so many people want to adhere to?
Well, in the society we live in being thought of as attractive creates more opportunities for someone, these can be personal and professional. In animals, those who fit societal standards have a higher chance of mating. This goes for humans as well, the more attractive you seem to be perceived as the higher your chance of being in a relationship. In the professional aspect of it, it has been shown by a study conducted by Applied Financial Economics, “ ...attractive real estate agents were able to sell properties at a higher price than agents who were perceived as not attractive.”
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