Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast

Her thin, fine lipped smile transformed into an “Angelina Jolie” like pout. Rosy, red, round, cheekbones as high as the Himalayans stick out on her face. Her jaw line is sharp and defined. Everywhere she walks she turns heads, people stare. What are people thinking? Beauty or beast? A girl as described above would be the typical face of a cover girl, that would be plastered on the front page of magazines everywhere. These magazines call out to teenagers and woman, brainwashing them to think that if you want to be beautiful, you have to look a certain way.

Plastic surgery is a harmful way to convert yourself into society’s unrealistic depiction of beauty. Having cosmetic procedures done can have many health risks, can create a false idea of beauty, as well as an addiction to this unhealthy habit. There are many health concerns associated with cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgery can cause excessive bleeding, scarring, necrosis which is the death of tissues, as well as more serious effects such as nerve damage which can eventually lead to muscle paralysis. In some extremely rare cases, uncontrolled bleeding can even lead to death.

In 2007, hip-hop superstar Kanye West’s mother, Donda West, passed away at the age of 58 after receiving a breast reduction and tummy tuck. She suffered extreme bleeding after going home to recover from the operation. According to the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, one of 51,459 patients dies from cosmetic operations. Plastic surgery can be terribly dangerous to your body, but it can also be equally dangerous to your mental health aswell. Media and society have raised the bar for every teenager and woman.

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Ordinary people are constantly being bombarded with ads on how they should look, and what society believes is beautiful. Plastic surgery creates a false idea of beauty, which is impossible to live up to. According to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, from 1997 to 2010, the increase in cosmetic procedures has increased by over 115 percent. Due to the increase of plastic surgery, teens and women are more exposed to it, which is making them be more critical toward their bodies. Being unhappy with your physical appearance leads women to get cosmetic procedures.

Women go into the operating room with high expectations, thinking that once they look a certain way it will change their life, fix their problems and open up doors for them. It is important to understand that there is no such thing as physical “perfection”. Plastic surgery is only a mask that women use to hide their flaws and insecurities. Most woman do not understand this, and if their results do not turn out the way they desired it to be, it can be very devastating for some patients and lead them into depression.

The Aesthetic Surgery Journal states that 13 percent of plastic surgery patients are unhappy with the outcome of their procedures. If women continue to be unhappy with their physical appearance it can be followed by a serious addiction to cosmetic operations. Cosmetic surgery addiction is the ongoing desire to receive plastic surgery to the point of excess. Addicts are usually physically distinguishable because of their fake, unnatural appearance. Nearly half of plastic surgery patients have had more than one cosmetic procedure.

The percent of patients in 2008, returning for another surgery after their first procedure has increased from 37 to 44 percent since 2002. It most cases, people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) suffer from plastic surgery addiction. Symptoms of BDD are constant low self esteem, obsessive thoughts about body defects, and envying the physical appearance of others. Unfortunately, most people suffering from BDD will not seek psychiatric help, and will continue to receive cosmetic procedures even if advised not to by their surgeon. Cosmetic surgery addiction can be very dangerous to ones physical and mental health.

In conclusion, plastic surgery can be incredibly risky for your health, can create a completely unrealistic idea of beauty and can lead to a serious uncontrollable addiction. It is not worth to lose your life just because of the desire for high cheek bones and plump lips. It is important to remember that the idea of physical perfection does not exist and that looking a certain way will not change your life for the better. Most of us are so focused on comparing our body to others and obsessing over our physical appearance that we often forget beauty comes from within.

So with all this being said, how do you define true beauty?

Works Cited

1. "Cosmetic Surgery Addiction. " - AllTreatment. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www. alltreatment. com/cosmetic-surgery-addiction>.
2. Flinn, Mary. "Negative Psychological Effects of Cosmetic Surgery. " EHow. Demand Media, 18 Mar. 2009. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www. ehow. com/facts_4855098_negative-psychological-effects-cosmetic-surgery. html>.
3. "Health Risks of Cosmetic Surgery. " Health Risks of Cosmetic Surgery. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www. onlymyhealth. om/health-risks-cosmetic-surgery-1301554772>.
4. "Kanye West's Mom Dies after Cosmetic Surgery. " NY Daily News. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www. nydailynews. com/entertainment/gossip/kanye-west-mom-dies-cosmetic-surgery-article-1. 260506>.
5. "Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast? " Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast? N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www. apa. org/monitor/sep05/surgery. aspx>.
6. "Plastic Surgery Demographics. " : Who's Getting Cosmetic Surgery? N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www. plasticsurgeryportal. com/articles/plastic-surgery-demographics/87>.

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