Plastic And Cosmetic Surgery An Ethical Dilemma
Plastic surgery is the process of reconstructing or repairing parts of the body by the transfer of tissue, either in the treatment of injury or for cosmetic reasons. There are two forms of reconstructive surgery, Cosmetic surgery and Plastic surgery. Although commonly thought similar, cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery fall under different categories. Plastic surgery is commonly used for repairing defects or deformities and achieving common functionality and appearance, whereas cosmetic surgery is commonly used for enhancing outward appearance.
Some examples of plastic surgery operations are: Breast reconstruction, skin grafts and burn repair, cleft palate and facial deformity reconstruction, septoplasty. Some examples of cosmetic surgery operations are Rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, lift, reduction, facial contouring, botox, tummy tuck and liposuction. Although technically these are two different types of reconstruction they are both commonly used for the change of appearance, whether that be functional or aesthetic reasons.
Plastic surgery is not a heavily debated topic in the 21st century, however, it is considered taboo to many people. Most people who support cosmetic and plastic surgery stand behind one idea, the idea that plastic surgery is a good thing because it can boost the patients' confidence and quality of life. Arguments against plastic surgery span from, the high dissatisfaction rates associated with repetitive plastic and cosmetic surgery, The risk of addiction and the fact patients are usually seeking psychological reassurance and stability and that doesn't always come with surgery. The debate between right and wrong surrounding plastic and cosmetic surgery stems largely from peoples morals and religious views, with many people viewing plastic surgery patients as vain and conceded. My opinions on plastic and cosmetic surgeries. One of the most common reasons people get plastic and cosmetic surgery is to gain confidence. However, it is proven that obtaining these procedures does not make patients more confident, if anything it can make symptoms of depression, anxiety and self-consciousness more prominent. Rather than making permanent changes to one's physical appearance, A person who is struggling with the way they feel about their appearance should try and build confidence and self-love from within. Choosing plastic/ cosmetic surgery (A permanent choice) rather than learning to appreciate their own unique features. The idea that beauty comes from within is very common, that your personality is what makes you attractive and not your looks. Although many people say they feel this way the reality is visual looks are a key factor in relationships to most people. The idea that women and men would rather be put through pain and spend thousands of dollars to make themselves more attractive to other people is disturbing. The idea of people changing their appearance ie. a hair cut or new clothes to feel better about their appearance is understandable because these things are semipermanent changes however the idea that people would make unnecessary changes to themselves based off of a feeling or insecurity that can be treated with therapy or coaching is a poorly thought out.
I believe that the act of reciving plastic and cosmetic surgery sends a very bad message to kids/teens and overall younger generations. When someone makes the choice to get aesthetic surgery, they are activating acknowledging something they don't like about themselves like a facial feature for example and getting rid of it/ permanently changing it. This is teaching adolescents that if there is something that they are unhappy with they should just get rid of it or change it, this mindset could possibly result in these teens and kids having low tolerance and patients for others because they have an ideology that things they may not like or agree with are disposable and easily removable. Having a mindset like this could result in the future being more violent and possibly resulting in far more easily agitated people. Rather than reciving plastic surgery for an undesired physical attribute, a more informed choice could be trying first to learn and accept it. Receiving therapy or openly talking about undesired features has the possibility of providing support or advice on how to develop acceptance. Learning to accept or even appreciate things that you were once resentful of is a far more beneficial message to send to you compared to the message that unwanted things are easily removable.
Social normals make people feel like there is an ideal image of beauty and if they have not met that standard they are not beautiful. An example of a social norm in western culture is someone having blonde hair and blue eyes, and because these are considered normal some people may feel the need to change their appearance to align with these things. Social pressures are the things around us that make us feel like we must do something in fear of missing out or fear of not being accepted. Social pressures may make people feel like if they don't get plastic surgery, they are an outsider when in reality this should be the opposite. There is a widely identified or socially acknowledged idea that is being beautiful/ handsome will make your chances of success and wealth much higher “attractive people earn an average of 3 or 4 percent more than people with below-average looks” according to professor of economics at University of Texas at Austin, Daniel Hamermesh ; This benighted statistic has a very real possibility of socially pressuring people into feeling as if they need cosmetic surgery.
Philosophical analysis
Ayn Rand and the philosophical framework ethical egoism support the idea that we need to pursue our own self-interest and act selfishly in a way that will benefit ourselves. A deeper development into this theory would allow you to realize that acting selfishly does not mean impulsively, It is acting in a way that will always keep your best interest in mind including projecting forward into possible future circumstances and scenarios. Through research, plastic surgery has been proven to leave the possibility of patients developing post-surgical anxiety and depression. These symptoms and disorders can stem from several different places, including dissatisfaction with the procedure, a want for further cosmetic reconstruction and a feeling of uncertainty surrounding the indeviduals new features post reconstruction. An ethical egoist knows that although the procedure may bring you momentary post operation satisfaction, in the long run, the likelihood of developing anxiety, depression, addiction and insecurities are very high. In severe cases, someone who receives cosmetic surgery can even develop a self-loating, which is contrary to the beliefs of an ethical egoist, who will only act on things that will truly benefit themselves. `
Most teenagers and young people look up to a famous person as a role model but nowadays most celebrities and social influencers have gone under the knife and changed their natural appearance. When we consider the number of people who wish to look like or be like a celebrity we run into an issue; if most female celebrities have had plastic or cosmetic surgery the ‘ideal beauty’ standard is unrealistic. When we permanently change our face we change our outwards appeal, and examples of this would be a woman gaining sex appeal after a breast augmentation. When a celebrity gets botox, lip fillers, facelift or a tummy tuck they are automatically considered more attractive or the definition of ‘femininity’ or ‘beauty’. When we idolize people for their unnatural features we are creating a roadblock for people who wish to be beautiful but do not or can not have plastic or cosmetic surgery. A utilitarian is someone who believes that when making choices we should do two things, make sure the good outweighs the bad and make sure that the result will benefit the most amount of people. When looking at the number of people who idolize an unrealistic beauty standard the assessment can be made that the greatest amount of people are not benefited, they are harmed.
