Cutting Down On Plastic Surgery

1177 Words5 Pages
Determining the Limits of Plastic Surgery Plastic surgery is becoming a very common method of improving self-image, disabilities, and even health. It began as an advantage for the celebrities and the rich, but now everyday people are receiving procedures to make them happy in their body. Cosmetic surgery is great if it raises self-esteem, but what about the people who are obsessed? Are some people receiving too much plastic surgery? Should there be a limit to how many times someone goes under the knife just to improve themselves? Cosmetic surgery addiction is related to an “obsessive compulsive disorder” known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It causes people to see themselves in a “distorted view” and cosmetic surgery is an answer for these people (Petrosky). Ethics begin to play into the mix when surgeons are faced with patients with BDD, extreme transformations, and the age of the patient. The decision is left in the sterile hands of the surgeon and ethically he should stop when a procedure is too extreme or not needed for whatever reason. Cosmetic surgery is one of the quickest solutions for a person to improve their body image and self-esteem. Plastic surgery is any procedure “that repairs, reshapes, or reconstructs skin and the underlying tissues” (Kinchen 53). Modernized surgery began when “surgeons [repaired] the wounds and disfigurements of World War II soldiers” (Kinchen 53). Most patients come in for plastic surgery to “[enhance] beauty” which is known as an “elective cosmetic surgery,” according to Libal (103). Now more and more young people, under 18, are going in for beauty enhancements and this leads us to believe that in a few years, cosmetic surgery will be as common as dieting or exercising. Some “TV shows such as MTV’s “I Want a Famous Face” are” a huge factor in “teen[‘]s unrealistic” views of plastic surgery (Petrosky). In a report
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