Example Of Cosmetic Surgery Essay

While cosmetic surgery is a wonderful therapeutic method of dealing with the problematic issues of body image, it has become an addiction in the recent times due to pressures from the society. Adults and teens are turning towards cosmetic surgeries at a greater rate than ever before. In the past, cosmetic surgery was accessible only to the wealthy; however, the advances in technology have brought latest methods and techniques of surgery, which are affordable by everyone. The cosmetic surgeries vary by age, gender and ethnicity of the patient. The most common surgeries undergone by women are breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, liposuction, abdominoplasty and breast reduction . On the other hand, most of the men undergo surgeries, which include rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast reduction, hair transplantation and eyelid surgery. Women have cosmetic procedures in order to appear younger and more attractive. While there are many positive aspects to the availability of cosmetic surgical procedures, people are often suffering from an addiction to the procedures.
The psychological condition of individuals due to an addiction to cosmetic surgeries can become a huge drain on their finances and a real risk to their general health and aesthetic appearance. There are various reasons responsible for the addiction to cosmetic surgeries. Most of the people satisfied by the results of their first procedure decide to fix other body image issues with subsequent procedures, thereby developing addiction to the surgeries. While it is not a harmful scenario, addicted patients do not know when to stop. They begin to search for issues in the body simply to fix them, which goes against the very healing nature of plastic surgery to fix existing and deeply troubling issues. Addicted individuals lose the sense of differentiating between the actual areas, which might need surgeries and anatomical regions, which are completely normal and more beautiful even without the surgery .
There are various other addicted patients who undergo surgery merely to attract the attention of others or to feel important among a group of people. Such individuals develop addiction to surgery as they feed off the attention every time they undergo a new surgery. They crave to become the center of attraction and do not care if the attention they are receiving is positive or negative as long as people notice them. A few individuals develop a psychological addiction to the pain medication prescribed post cosmetic surgeries. Such legal drug addicts consider the subsequent surgeries as a great way to insure a constant flow of pain medications until they exhaust their finances in their attempt to get access to more drugs. Most of the individuals addicted to cosmetic surgeries do not actually suffer from specific body issues instead undergo an overall feeling of self-loathing, lack of worth and self-deprecation . They look to surgeries as a cure for their inadequacies.
Most of the individuals feel the need for cosmetic surgeries due to pressures from the society. Media images on television and magazines show constant images of beautiful people, which provoke the individuals to become more self-conscious about their looks in the presence of beautiful people. The definition of beauty changes according to the society an individual belongs to. The society’s devotion to physical looks makes it difficult for regular people who feel that they do not measure up with the standards of beauty defined by the society. The society always judges the people on the way they look, which renders fewer opportunities to people who are fat, ugly or unattractive. Movies, television and advertising have increased the role of the media in increasing its demands pertaining to beauty, such as perfect body, hair and clothing styles. The society’s demand for beauty contributes to the negative self-images of the individuals, such as racism, sexism and classism.
The demand for breast implants by the teenagers has been increasing drastically. Twice as many teenagers are undergoing implants in the recent times when compared to the past. Teenagers have a false belief about the implants as they are a way to enhance their quality of life. However, they fail to understand that the implants in turn reduce the quality of life and thrust them with several complications and consequences. Serious health consequences of breast implants result in an increase in certain types of cancer, respiratory illness, autoimmune diseases as well as difficulties diagnosing breast cancer . Even though the implants are successful, they do not last forever as replacement is compulsory every fifteen years. The common dangers of breast implants include rupture, inflammation and hardening of breasts.
Dangerous complications of breast implants also include adversities in terms of pregnancy and breast-feeding. Teenagers have the risks of undergoing multiple surgeries in order to overcome the existing complications. Medical consequences include sagging, seroma, skin rash, infection and many others. Breast implants also have adverse affects on the children in the future as they contain certain chemicals, which might enter into the children upon breast feeding. The longer the breast implants, the higher are the adverse outcomes and complications. The teenagers should monitor their breasts for any abnormalities for the rest of their life. Adverse health effects, such as lupus erythematosus and scleroderma are also common in teenagers with breast implants . The risk of one of the major cancers called ALCL (Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma), which occurs in the breast tissues, is prevalent in teenagers with breast implants. breast tissue surrounding the implant.
Age plays an important role in obtaining fruitful results in various cosmetic surgeries. Some countries have a legal age limit for certain kinds of cosmetic surgeries. Survey shows that over 35 percent of individuals undergoing cosmetic surgeries are under the age of 20. Although there is no age limit for cosmetic surgeries, certain procedures are safe and attractive at a particular age only. As the body changes with age, age becomes an influential factor in various cosmetic surgeries. Due to lack of emotional stability, a huge number of teenagers find the cosmetic surgeries as the best alternatives to enhance their self-esteem. The parents of the teenagers also show equal interest in encouraging the interest of their children. Procedures such as acne, scarring, overly large breasts, improper nose shape and protruding years are suitable between the ages of 13 and 19 as it helps the teenagers to gain confidence and self-esteem .
Rhinoplasty is suitable to individuals of all ages but the nose should be well-developed in order to achieve better results. In the case of liposuction or any cosmetic surgeries related to the stomach, an age of 18 years and above is advisable as it would ensure a better laxity of the skin. The preferred age for laser eye surgery is 21 years as the prescription of the glasses would be stable at that age. Furthermore, the eyes stop changing during the early adulthood at the age of 20 years. In the case of breast augmentation, individuals between the ages of 19 and 34 are recommendable as surgeries under the age of 19 might face complications. Moreover, in the United States, the FDA does not allow any kind of breast implantation in individuals under the age of 18 years . The recommended age for laser hair removal is 20 years as the best age as the system of hair growth develops completely. Thus, it is important for the individuals to follow certain age limitations in order to obtain the best results of cosmetic surgeries as well as face lesser complications.

Works Cited

Bruning, Nancy. Breast Implants: Everything You Need to Know. Alameda: Hunter House, 2002.
Lusted, Marcia Amidon. Cosmetic Surgery. Edina: ABDO Publishing Company, 2010.
"Risks of Breast Implants." US Food and Drug Administration. 13 Apr 2015 <http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/BreastImplants/ucm064106.htm#Effects_on_Children>.