Cosmetic surgery in the contemporary society

In the contemporary society, surgeons have the capacity to reshape or alter the appearance of an individuals’ body through the use of cosmetic surgery. There are continued advancements in the field and also increased interest among individuals for the procedure. Cosmetic surgery is also referred to as the aesthetic surgery and may be defined as a type of surgery that is used to change an individual’s appearance to achieve what they think is the more desirable or target look. It may include the surgical and nonsurgical procedures that end up reshaping or altering the normal structure of the person’s body to perk up their appearance (Gilman, 56). Some of the body parts that are primarily improved today include the breasts, eyes, face, tummy, ears, hair, and even the buttocks. It was a practice for certain reserves a few decades ago but today there are more and more individuals that take up cosmetic surgery to enhance how they look. It is further emphasized in the era of the internet, entertainment and a lot of media consumption that advocate for it and also that indicate the ideal body shapes, sizes, and looks which in turn prompts some individuals to what to enhance their looks and also maintained or uplift their self-esteem (Gilman, 57). Plastic surgery is also a personal choice apart from cases where a health specialist recommends it. It is functional for some reasons such as the need to reduce the breast size in a direct effort to relieve back or even neck pains. Considering cosmetic surgery is a personal choice, but it does not have the guarantees to give the desired results especially if the individual did not consider the outcome and also may not have examined the possible challenges and consequences of the procedure.

No legal age limit is set for the cosmetic surgeries. However, there is a need, and it is also mandatory that all the minors that are all the children below 18 years have written consent from their parents so as to get such a procedure done on them. The only exception is when such a child has undergone emancipation of which they need to have proved to that effect. It is the lack of ideal age limits that some surgeons have argued that some of the patients end up acquiring some procedures when it is either too late or too early (Papel, 202). For example, a woman who is already old and with a sagging face wanting to have a facelift so as to eliminate the wrinkle, it may not be very efficient. On the other hand, there are young people as young as 19 or even below who request for alterations of their lips and majority of them are still growing and have not yet fully grown to make the surgery unnecessary. There are others that have argued that there is a need to have an age limit for the cosmetic surgery since it is a very tricky and lifelong decision to have the surgery performed on an individual. The young boys and girls may be subjected to an idealistic look from Theory parents or even from peer pressure without considering their long-term and the life-long effects of such surgery. They, therefore, may carry a burden of having to engage in other operations to try correct what they should have never done in the first place (Papel, 203).

Addiction to surgery is real I society today especially with the continued ease and continued affordability of the surgeries.  For the majority of individuals, the word addiction makes us think of alcohol and drug abuse which are the most common habits (Gilman, 66). Surgery addictions especially the plastic and cosmetic surgery addictions are, however, overlooked yet they are a real issue to many individuals. They fall into the category of behavioral or the process addictions. It is because; the person is addicted to particular behavior despite the obvious consequences and risks that such action poses to them. The surgery addicts experience strong mental obsession to alter their appearance. The majority of specialists assert that the addiction is primarily caused by the presence of underlying insecurities and desires to look in a certain way so as to fit in the ideal and the socially demarcated aspects of beauty (Miller, 8). The addicts to the surgeries are never satisfied with the outcome of a single surgery but always find more to do with their bodies. Such individuals suffer from some form of underlying mental and emotional issues and therefore use the operation as a coping mechanism and also a defense mechanism against the fears and insecurities they may hold (Miller, 8). Just like the majority of other addicts even to chemical products that individuals do not realize that they are addicted to surgeries. There is also the absence of regulations on some surgeries that a person may receive and therefore, they continue to seek the operations to their satisfaction. The root of cosmetic surgery disorder is the Body Dysmorphic Disorder (Miller, 8). Individual with such a disorder are more obsessed with any form of imagined or real defect on their bodies and want to correct it. They focus on such a perceived defect from what they term as desired or what society terms as an ideal and hence become obsessed with making a change to it with the obsession disrupting the individual’s daily activities and also responsibilities.

The demand for beauty in society is a real issue that is leading to the many problems associated with the cosmetic surgeries and even plastic surgeries. It is such requirements that lead to the conditions such as surgery addiction that may fundamentally hinder the normal functioning and also impede the individual from engaging in activities in a productive manner. The demand for beauty in society is enhanced by the presence of cultures such as the pop-culture. The culture that is fundamentally present among the young people is the one that promotes and also encourages individuals in the way that they ought to look so as to be socially accepted as beautiful (Gilman, 59-60). Individuals are always seeking to make themselves look better in the way they dress, speak and ultimately in the way they look so as to fit in and also stay ahead of the rest. Appearance is like a form f competition among most individuals in society, and it is also the selling point of some careers and hence the need to engage in surgeries to enhance their beauty and conform to the socially accepted standards.

The dangers of breast implants for teens are significant and life threatening in some cases on birth long-term and short-term. The popularity of breast implants and other procedures has also nearly tripled since 1997 indicating an existent issue with the practice. There are serious indications that there are local complications that may result in the breast area following such a procedure. Having an implant or surgery may lead to issues such as infections, chronic breast pain, nipple numbness, breakage and leakage in some extreme cases and even the need for further cosmetic and surgical surgeries due to complications. Research indicates that at least every three out of four reconstruction patients experience local complications within three years of such procedures (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). They may experience the pain, hardening or the need for further surgery. Moreover, the majority of the implants have to break at pony in the life of the individual. In some cases, the silicone gel implant may break and is then transported to the rest of the body in liquid form without the knowledge of the patient (Stone, 17). The migration of such a silicon gel to the lungs liver or other organs may lead to some serious issues or even later their normal functioning. There are also indications that the breast implants among the teens may lead to the increased risk of cancers and even death as a result of the disease since they are known for delaying detection of breast cancer. Research indicates that up to 55% of breast tumors are hidden and cannot be detected by a mammogram for the women with implants which furthers the risk of cancer advancing without detection subsequently leading to death (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

The cost of cosmetic surgery may vary from pace to place, the nature of the procedure and also on the anesthetic administered to the patient. However, since it is considered as an elective surgery, it is not covered by the majority of health insurances and hence means that the individual needs to shoulder the expenses (Papel, 210). The only cases that the insurances pay the costs of such a procedure are if it is a matter of necessity and is directed by a doctor. The procedures may be quite expensive in some cases and are mostly not affordable to everyone.

Plastic surgery is a kind of operation involving the individual’s appearance and also the ability to function. The procedure aims at improving the appearance of a person and subsequently improves their self-image. It may take place through cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. The reconstructive procedures are majorly used to correct defects on the human body. The defects may include physical birth defects such as cleft lips and palates (Papel, 220). It may also take place following a serious accident that may result in deformities of some parts of the human body or even following some diseases that involves surgeries such as breast cancer. The cosmetic surgery, on the other hand, is the aesthetic procedure that includes the alteration of the body parts that an individual may be dissatisfied with at a given time (Stone, 17). It is mostly a case of personal choice and preference and does not require the prescription by a doctor or specialist.

A weight loss surgery is also called Bariatric Surgery and is used to treat the patients that have chronic obesity. It is essential for individuals that have life-threatening obesity (Freitas & Sweeney, 327). It is considered when other modes of treatment have proven to be inefficient on such an individual such as the lifestyle changes. It is even required if the individual, has another or is at risk of getting another condition that is attached to their body weight (329). There are also individuals that may be diagnosed with other illnesses such as diabetes and are found to have more than the standard body mass index hence requiring the surgery. The four primary weight loss surgeries are the Gastric Bypass, Adjustable Gastric Band, Sleeve Gastrectomy and the Biliopancreatic Diversion couple with Duodenal Switch (BPD/DS) Gastric Bypass (Freitas & Sweeney, 341-342).

The body image of an individual is the way that they perceive themselves regarding their appearance and also the way that the individual imagines they look. The body image of a person may be positive or negative. Having a positive body image may lead to an individual, being comfortable in their appearance and outlook and they also see themselves more accurately (Papel, 241). It may give rise to a person having a higher self-esteem. Having a negative body image means that the individual is not comfortable in the way they look, the way they imagine they look and hence may feel a need to alter their looks. They have a distorted perception of their appearance and may lead to other severe disorders including the surgery addiction.

Today there are more surgeons that are getting scissor happy. Conducting unnecessary surgeries has become the norm in majority of cities in the United States alone and also around the world. The plastic surgeons especially the cosmetic surgeons have made the surgeries a booming business for themselves taking advantage of the wave for look enhancements around the globe among the young and old people alike (Janis, 55). The absence of regulations on the number and also the gauging of the need for such surgeries in majority of cases have left the patients at the mercy of the surgeons whom in most cases have no limit. There are individuals that are surgery addicts and even with the knowledge of such surgeons, they still continue to operate on them without minding the outcome and also the risks that such surgeries present to the individual.