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Fabiana Andrade
Annotated Bibliography
English 1010/Kilpatrick
Plastic Surgery: Good or Bad?
The debate between plastic surgery has been going on for a while. Some argue that
it is beneficial and that it helps not only physically but emotionally as well, and that is the
biggest reward. Others would argue that the outcome is worse and does irreparable damage.
Along with any other type of surgery, there are risks and side effects. It is not limited only to
cosmetic surgery. Apart from physical risks, there are emotional ups and downs when it comes
to altering your appearance. Spending your whole life up until that point where you undergo
cosmetic surgery looking at yourself in the mirror, then realizing that you don’t recognize who
you are looking at when you look at yourself, brings very strong emotions. In other cases, the
result may be favorable. They may enjoy who they’re looking at and feel like a better person.
Dittman, Melissa. “Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast?” American Psychological
Association Sep. 2005 Web. 29 Oct. 2011
In this article, psychologists are studying to see the affects of plastic surgery on people,
mostly emotional. They are also studying to see the affects of those who don’t get plastic surgery
and feel inadequate. They mention that studies show that people who receive cosmetic surgery
of some type have reported increased satisfaction, boosted self-esteem, and a better quality of
life. It also says that people who are unsatisfied with their overall look have been linked to
suicide.
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This article is based off of Logos. There are a lot of facts and statistics. There was a
Study of thirty-seven patient’s psychological and psychosocial functioning before and after
cosmetic surgery. There are many more studies included in this article. The sources in this article
are credible. It is written by a psychologist and has many inputs, views, and professional opinions
of many psychologists who have dedicated their time and careers to these studies.
Dittman says that there are more questions than answers when it comes to the
psychological effects of cosmetic surgery. This article is a good source to use for a
paper and also as a personal reference for anyone who is thinking of getting any kind
of plastic surgery so that they know the emotional and social effects of cosmetic surgery.
Ellin, Abby. “The Golden Years, Polished with Surgery” New York Times
08 Aug. 2011 Web. 24 Oct. 2011
“The Golden Years Polished with Surgery” is about people of an older age who decide to
get plastic surgery to alter their looks. It uses several examples. One being Ms. Kolstad, a widow
who underwent breast implant surgery. Kolstad says, “Physically, I’m in good health, and I just
feel like, why not take advantage of it?”
This article is based off of Kairos, it specifies an age group and a specific concept. It
targets an age group of sixty-five and older and the concept is embracing the golden years. Many
women interviewed in this article say that they want to look as young as they feel. It also has
Logos. There are a lot of statistics, for example, in the year 2010, there were 84,685 surgical
procedures among patients age sixty-five and older. It says that the numbers have been rising
as the baby boomers begin to pass age sixty-five.
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Ellin focuses on the reason behind getting plastic surgery at an older age. She goes
through the numbers and statistics to find out what types of cosmetic surgery are being done
by people past retirement age. In descending order, the most common surgeries are; face-lifts,
cosmetic eyelid operations, liposuction, breast reductions, forehead lifts, breast lifts, and breast
augmentation. This is a good source to use for writing a research paper, there is a lot of
interesting and helpful information.
Harris, Gardiner. “F.D.A Affirms Safety of Breast Implants.” New York Times
31 Aug. 2011 Web. 24 Oct. 2011
The article, “F.D.A. Affirms Safety of Breast Implants” is about whether silicone breast
implants are safe or not. In this article they are claiming it is completely safe, although there are
side effects including ruptures. But along with every surgery there are some kind of negative side
effects. It also mentions the studies they are performing to know as much as they can about it.
This article uses Logos and Pathos. The most common would be Pathos because they
are using fear. They go into detail about what could go wrong with breast implants, the most
common being ruptures. Women are upset because of the constant need to get M.R.I.’s in order
to see whether their implants have ruptured and how it is expensive and thought to be
unnecessary. Logos is being used because doctors and the F.D.A. are saying that it is something
necessary and important. They are expressing their beliefs and professional opinions about taking
the necessary steps after surgery to insure that everything is well.
Harris explains that the F.D.A. believes that silicone breast implants are safe.
There are risks that include, ruptures, hardening of area around implant, need to remove the
implant, scarring, pain, infection, and asymmetry. The president of the National Research Center
for Women and Families says that the two companies that manufacture silicone breast implants
did a poor job of studying patients who got the implants as they were supposed to. This source
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is great for someone who is thinking of getting breast implants. It is good for them to know the
negative side effects. It’s also a good source for anyone researching the F.D.A.
Kitta, Natalie. “Bad Plastic Surgery.” About Plastic Surgery 09 Mar. 2009
Web. 29 Oct. 2011
This article uses a specific case as an example. The example of a woman named Tracey
Jordan who went in for a tummy tuck, liposuction, and a breast reduction. The surgery went well
but the woman died while in recovery because a drug was accidentally administered during
surgery instead of the Lidocaine that was supposed to be used. This article goes over multiple
scenarios and stories of negative things that have happened to other people.
“Bad Plastic Surgery” uses Ethos and Pathos. It uses Ethos because this information is
credible. It has been reviewed by the Medical Review Board. It is based on Pathos because it
uses fear. It goes over multiple stories of people who have had their cosmetic surgery gone bad.
Although they mentions that death rates in plastic surgery are relatively low compared to death
rates in surgery overall, they still go through all of the worst possible outcomes.
This is a good article for someone who wants to know the negative side of getting
plastic surgery of any sort. They go through different cosmetic surgeries and are not limited to a
specific kind of surgery. It would also be useful for anyone who is against plastic surgery and
would want to use this source in order to support their statement.
LaFraniere, Sharon. “For many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face.” New York
Times 23 Apr. 2011 Web. 24 Oct. 2011
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“For many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face” talks about how the most common
surgery done in China is adding a crease to their eyelids in order to make them appear larger.
The second most common surgery raises the bridge of the nose to appear more prominent. Many
people are against how much plastic surgery is going on and especially at such a young age.
This article uses Logos, it has many statistics and facts. An example would be that in
2009 China ranked third behind the United States and Brazil with over two-million operations
annually, and the number of operations are doubling every year. This article is credible because
it interviews many surgeons and the secretary general of the government-run Chinese
Association of Plastics and Aesthetics. It is said that there are patients as young as middle school
and high school students receiving eye jobs.
This would be a good source for a research paper and also to look at in a cultural view.
Learning that is is accepted in society to get surgery at a young age and that cosmetic surgery is
accepted in almost every household. This can be looked at by an economical, cultural, and social
point of view. It is good to learn what some people need to go through in order to feel accepted
by themselves and others. It interviews many people and inquires the reason behind their
surgery.
Romero, Simon. “Chavez Tries to Rally Venezuela Against a New Enemy: Breast Lifts.”
New York Times 14 Mar. 2011 Web. 24 Oct. 2011
This article is about how Venezuela is one of the world’s leading market for breast
augmentation. Many people ask for bank loans in order to get their surgery done. Some skip
paying their bills in order to do so. Women in Venezuela feel a lot of pressure to get some
type of breast plastic surgery done.
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This article uses Logos and Pathos. It uses Pathos because it expresses the pressure that
women feel in Venezuela to get breast lifts and breast implants, and it makes you feel very
sympathetic towards those women. Every woman knows how it feels to feel inadequate or to not
feel beautiful for whatever reason. It uses Logos because it of the many facts included in this
article. An example being that Venezuela is one of the world’s leading market for breast
augmentation, between 30,000 and 40,000 women undergo the procedure each year.
This would be another source to look at economically and culturally. Many women go
into debt so that they can get their surgery. Also for anyone wanting to know about the
pressures associated with feeling insufficient and the psychological benefits for those who get the
surgery, and the negative affects for those who cannot get it but want it.
From what I have learned and observed from reading these articles is that the risks that
come with plastic surgery can be deadly and permanent. The benefits are good emotionally
socially, psychologically, and physically appeasing. The question is not whether plastic surgery
is good or bad, but whether it is worth it knowing the risks that come out of it. I am interested
in the psychological benefits caused by cosmetic surgery, it is interesting to me how it can affect
someone and completely change their life, whether it be good or bad.