Nelson 1 The downside to the rise of cosmetic surgery Kiara Nelson 3 March 2021 BIO4835 Nelson 2 Cosmetic plastic surgery is utilized to change one’s appearance; the top five procedures performed are liposuction, nose job, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, and fillers. The history of cosmetic plastic surgery dates all the way back to 3000-2500 BC during the time of Egyptians and has since progressed both professionally and scientifically. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, approximately 16.2 million procedures were performed in the United States in 2019, with 92% being female and 8% being male. The issue with this is that cosmetic plastic surgery is at an all-time high, and it seems to be nowhere near slowing down. The cosmetic surgery industry is seemingly aiming more towards teens and young adults, who are not fully developed physically or mentally, which causes massive, long-term issues. The controversy is that many population members are becoming more open to doing what they believe will “make them happy.” But still, many do not understand the potential risks or complications with this way of thinking. The issue is that with cosmetic surgery rates being so high, the percentage of complications and overall dissatisfaction are beginning to soar. There are two major viewpoints regarding whether plastic surgery will have beneficial or negative effects. One side of the argument says that “Plastic surgery will help individuals be able to have confidence, it will alleviate mental illness, or allow someone to express themselves freely.” Studies show that most who choose to have a procedure done are happier with their appearance initially and, overall, more comfortable with that enhancement, but they question if it truly helped change their lives for the better. The other argument says that “Cosmetic plastic surgery is a bad thing because it can cause a spiral effect, where the individual will get to a point where they cannot stop getting procedures done, or they cannot stop finding something they hate on their body.” According to a study on 37 individuals, “results were mixed on whether plastic Nelson 3 surgery boosts an individual’s self-esteem, quality of life, self-confidence and interpersonal relationships in the long term” (Dittman, 2005). Personally, I believe the positive effects of cosmetic surgery could not possibly override the negative, and I believe that everyone should be happy in the body God gave them. We were created to glorify God, not the world, and not ourselves. He put us on Earth to do His work and share the gospel with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The world has become a place filled with evil, made to glorify celebrities, and body types, while not appreciating our own. We were each made beautifully and uniquely and in His perfect image, and I wish it could be appreciated and understood. For the Lord said, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). According to NBC News, cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly popular in teens because they feel pressured to fit society’s standards. The downside is that most teens seek cosmetic procedures because of things going on in their lives, like a divorce, not being a part of the popular crowd, or new financial issues. It is not easy to understand why these teens seek procedures or their motives. Professionals speculate that their top motives are because of a relationship, hormonal or psychological issues, or just not fully developed, which can cause even more issues if a procedure were completed. For example, if an undeveloped teen had a breast augmentation, they could develop breast deformities after becoming fully developed. With such a deformity, it can cause more scars, necessary treatment, and lowered self-esteem. Many professionals also argue that a teen's brain is incapable of making such a lifealtering decision. According to The University of Rochester Medical School, “The rational part Nelson 4 of a teen’s brain is not fully developed and will not be until age 25 or so... Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala. This is the emotional part” (University of Rochester, 2020). Studies show that social media also plays a major role in this decision, teens have a higher chance of desiring to have a procedure or have hatred towards a part or parts of their body. Social media depicts unrealistic body types, photoshop, and filters that many teens are unaware of. This influence has been one of the major reasons that over 230,000 teens went through a cosmetic procedure in 2017, all ranging from the ages of 13-19. Studies show that even though these teens go through a cosmetic procedure, it does not alleviate their harsh mentality against themselves. It is shown to increase their awareness about the other parts of their body, making them prone to receiving more procedures. With the increase and popularity of various social media platforms, teens and young adults are expected to be of high standards and obtain the “perfect” body. Many individuals are unaware of the intense side effects that may come with surgical and minimally invasive procedures. In minimally invasive procedures, potential side effects include persistent granulomas, infections, or even permanent blindness from a simple procedure like lip injections. The side effects of invasive surgical procedures include hematomas and bruises, seroma formation, nerve damage causing sensory or motor loss, infection, scarring, blood loss, and anesthesia complications. More serious complications include deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, which may ultimately lead to death. In 447 patients who received various surgical procedures, 42.72% had some form of complication. Even in the healthiest individuals Nelson 5 and the best surgeons, there can always be complications that could potentially cause death or a life-altering condition. Many surgeons only discuss or publish their best results and outcomes without highlighting the complications in other procedures previously performed. It is typical to see this in almost every office and is the reason that research is so important. No surgeon wants to have a bad reputation, so it is safer for them to utilize their best results or falsely advertise. Studies show that most individuals are unaware of a surgeon having a bad reputation. After doing my own research on an office in Miami, their Instagram page was full of successful and beautiful results. It was only after doing some deeper digging that I saw a patient had died two days prior in their office after receiving a BBL from their “best” surgeon. Of course, there was no trace of such an incident on any of their pages. Psychosocial outcomes play a huge role in the mentality of a patient and the outcome of a procedure. It is shown that a patient may be happy with their appearance after having cosmetic surgery, but no change in the status of their psychological wellbeing. Most individuals who undergo surgery seem to appear psychologically healthy but are entirely different after completing a procedure. This leads to issues for both the patient and the surgeon. “Problems encountered by the patient can lead to requests for repeated procedures, depression and adjustment problems, social isolation, familial dysfunction, self-destructive behaviors, and anger toward the surgeon and his or her staff” (D. Castle, R. Honigman, K. Phillips, 2007). It is important to understand the patient’s mental health before pursuing the procedure, which can be difficult. Many patients believe that changing their appearance will positively affect and save their mental health when it can ultimately destroy their mentality or lead to long-term consequences for both patient and surgeon. Nelson 6 Some predictors of a bad outcome are being male because society says that males should depict masculinity and plastic surgery is “something for women.” Being of younger age, since the brain is not fully developed. Having a history of depression, anxiety, or personality disorder because individuals may believe this will fix their issues. Having body dysmorphia is difficult for the individual to accept themselves, so changing their body may have the opposite effect. An individual with relationship issues and believes that changing their appearance will fix the relationship or make themselves more desirable for their partner. And finally, having unrealistic expectations regarding the outcome, like expecting to look like Kim Kardashian with one procedure when multiple is needed. Another issue with cosmetic surgery is the effect it has on women in relationships. As a Christian, I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is sacred. They are life partners who should respect and accept each other 100%. There has been an increase in unnecessary procedures in married women due to their husbands not being physically attracted to them, and it is heartbreaking to me. “It seems that one of the factors that the married cosmetic surgery applicants follow is enhancing physical attractiveness (this probably justifies the demand for women cosmetic surgeries including breast surgery and the like) and promoting marital satisfaction” (Abbaszadeh-Kasbi, Davai, Ganji, Kalantar-Hormozi, 2018). The study identified that most married women who went through an unnecessary procedure did it to please their husbands and increase physical attraction. The study also supports the idea that if we do not meet society’s standards, there is a high chance of obtaining marital dissatisfaction. I believe that spouses should be comfortable in their bodies, although it is easier said than done, I do not believe it should be for the approval of a spouse. Nelson 7 Currently, cosmetic surgery is becoming a strategy that women have been utilizing to keep their husbands from infidelity. With the influence of technology, celebrities, and unrealistic body types, infidelity has become a growing issue in current marriages and relationships. It has been proven that a woman’s mate value depends more on physical appearance, and for men, it depends more on personality. Many women pursue cosmetic surgery to fix their relationship issues, spiraling into deeper mental issues and a lack of self-confidence. Women typically get cosmetic surgery to prove themselves better to their partner; many women fear being abandoned by their partner, so they feel to meet society’s needs. It is necessary to go under the knife and enhance themselves. “In tactic-level analyses, results suggested that women’s consideration of cosmetic surgery is associated with six mate retention tactics (i.e., vigilance, monopolization of time, punish mate’s infidelity threat, derogation of competitors, physical possession signals, and possessive ornamentation)” (Frontiers in Psychology, 2017). Many surgeons attempt to see if relationship issues are a reason for committing to a procedure. It is noted that many women assure this is not the reason, but deep down, it is known that this is a leading reason to receive a procedure. Additionally, many studies prove that even after cosmetic-enhancement, it may not be enough to save a relationship. This depicts that this is typically an invalid reason to undergo surgery. Unfortunately, women feel the need to prove themselves to their partners after dedicating themselves, having children, and even decades together. The increase in cosmetic surgery has only boosted that mind-set. Undergoing cosmetic plastic surgery offers the additional risk of having a “botched surgery,” which is a bad surgery with unnatural results and may have excruciating complications. Botched surgery is usually performed by an individual who is not board-certified, does not have Nelson 8 proper training, or is looking for quick, easy cash. Since cosmetic surgery is a profitable business, many uncertified individuals portray themselves as someone with the proper qualifications. Individuals who perform these procedures do not typically care about a patient’s mental health, age, or risk factors. Cosmetic surgery is costly, especially at board-certified institutions, so it is common for patients to travel for procedures. Common travel areas include Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, South Korea, and Columbia, and areas in the United States like Miami. Fixing botched procedures can be timely, costly, and sometimes impossible. Some patients have had butt implants filled with concrete or breast implants that are toxic and cause major, lifethreatening infections. The legal battle for those who have a botched procedure and for the individual who performed the procedure are typically extremely difficult. Fixing these issues typically costs more than $10,000 and can be even more depending on which body part and how badly the area was botched. According to HG legal resources, some locations do not offer legal recourse, especially to individuals outside of the country. Some situations lead to the physician or individual disappearing, which is extremely costly and a battle. It typically depends on if the individual has enough money to hire a private investigator, which most of the time they do not. Some countries do not provide litigation to American citizens, so they cannot do much about their situation. Finally, some physicians will refuse to correct any mistakes, leaving the patient with inevitable and unnatural problems. The whole legal situation is typically extremely costly, and most individuals do not have funds to move forward with legal action. Additionally, cosmetic surgery is costly, and there is a constant argument regarding whether cosmetic procedures are worthy of healthcare funding. The issue with this is that many individuals attempt to fight insurance companies and find loopholes to “prove” that their Nelson 9 enhancements are necessary. Worthy procedures include reconstructions after trauma, burns, cancer, and congenital malformations. In my opinion, I do not believe that cosmetic procedures need to be funded by the government unless there is a valid argument towards why the procedure should be paid for. I have read many stories of individuals lying about back pain from their breasts to receive new breast implants. Patients stated that they could not breathe correctly, resulting in a complete nasal reconstruction. Many surgeons will also state to insurance companies that these are “valid” problems because it provides them with financial gain. Ultimately, I think it is an absolute waste of resources when there are much more deserving patients of such procedures. To conclude, I believe my evidence has proven that the bad outweighs the good when it comes to cosmetic plastic surgery. It completely changes our viewpoints on ourselves and makes it almost impossible to view ourselves as beautiful or deserving. From a Christian standpoint, I think it is important that we understand our worth and stop idolizing the world and our appearance. God created us to be in His perfect image, to worship Him, and to build a heart that glorifies Him. Our world has become so surrounded by how we appear to others when our focus should be on how we appear to God. Although it is doubtful that the cosmetic plastic surgery industry will ever slow down, I believe we should do our best to focus on ourselves instead of comparing ourselves to unrealistic body types, photoshop, filters, and celebrities. “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious” (1 Peter 3:3-4). Nelson 10 Sources Atari, M., Barbaro, N., Sela, Y., Shackelford, T., & Chegeni, R. (2017, August 14). Consideration of cosmetic surgery as part of women's benefit-provisioning mate retention strategy. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5557785/ Davai, N., Kalantar-Hormozi, A., Ganji, K., & Abbaszadeh-Kasbi, A. (2018, September). The impact of cosmetic surgery on Women's marital satisfaction and Self-Concept. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290309/ Dittmann, M. (2005, September). Plastic surgery: Beauty or beast? Retrieved March 04, 2021, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery ESV study Bible: English Standard Version. (2011). Wheaton, IL: Crossway. H. (n.d.). Botched Plastic Surgery and Legal Problems. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/botched-plastic-surgery-overseas-and-legal-problems46509 Honigman, R. J., Phillips, K. A., & Castle, D. J. (2004, April 1). A review of psychosocial outcomes for patients seeking cosmetic surgery. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1762095/ Sandman, L., & Hansson, E. (2020, October 2). An ethics analysis of the rationale for publicly funded plastic surgery. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7531084/ The University of Rochester Medical School. (2020). Understanding the teen brain. Retrieved March 04, 2021, from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID =3051#:~:text=The%20rational%20part%20of%20a,cortex%2C%20the%20brain's%20rati onal%20part.
