For and Against Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery has always been taboo among people. It’s considered a controversial topic that spans divided opinions among the society but essentially an individual chooses to have an operation, or an invasive medical procedure, to change their physical appearance for cosmetic rather than medical reasons; mostly to restore or improve their physical appearance. Yet, others believe that the effects of this type of procedure come at a cost and that the costs associated with it are unnecessarily high; risk of death being at the top of the lingering list, as well as the actual monetary costs, etc. Meanwhile, some people believe that cosmetic surgery produces self-confidence and adds to one's sense of well-being. In addition, studies, conducted by the University of Surrey in Guildford, have shown that about 240, 682 cosmetic procedures were performed on teenage patients of 18 years old or younger, and the most common surgical procedures were nose reshaping, breast lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction and tummy tucks. The first and main benefit of cosmetic surgery is that it enhances your physical appearance; it helps to align your natural image with your desired look. For some, modifying a specific physical feature can improve their confidence levels and self￾image. The link between positive body image and high self-esteem is well known; people who love the way they look will feel better about themselves and experience an increase in confidence. Improving a person’s physical appearance can be the boost he or she needs to see themselves differently, change the attitudes that govern their lives and feel more accepted by the public. Though cosmetic procedures will not automatically solve all of a patient's important life issues, studies such as the one from the University of Basel found that the vast majority of patients who undergo procedures report that they "felt healthier, were less anxious, had developed more self-esteem and felt more attractive. " Another advantage of cosmetic surgery procedure is that in some cases it can enhance your physical health. For example, a rhinoplasty surgery, not only will enhance the look and shape of your nose but may also help with respiratory issues that you may have. The same goes with liposuction – allowing patients who undergo this surgery to be more physically active after its completion. This, therefore, reduces the chances of developing issues such as increased blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. With cosmetic surgery, skin cancer can be removed and open wounds can be closed. Burn victims can begin to heal. However, considering the benefits associated with this procedure. It’s not a secret that cosmetic surgeries are expensive. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Cosmetic Surgery, it costs an average of $7, 976 for a lower body lift which is the least expensive surgery procedure listed to date. Considering the costs, this makes cosmetic surgery not so easily accessible to everyone, as not everyone can obtain such funds unless your parents own Tesla and SpaceX, and can buy Twitter for $44bn. It can be difficult to save up money for cosmetic surgeries and people often take loans, which can lead to bad debt, and give up everyday possessions and experiences to afford the steep cost. Despite this type of lifestyle which is not ideal, is unsustainable, especially for newly unemployed graduates. In addition, cosmetic surgery is a Band-Aid solution – it changes an aspect of a person’s appearance that has been harming their mental wellbeing. However, cosmetic surgery deals solely with aesthetics. It does not solve the problem at its root, at its source. One survey carried out by the ASCC found that most teenagers who suffer from a body-related anxiety disorder - that causes them to have a distorted view of how they look - consequently continue to experience negative body image and negative self-perception, even after the offending body part has been reconstructed. A person can be left feeling even more lost following surgery than he or she did before going under the knife. Famous examples include Michael Jackson and Joan Rivers, who according to her daughter “had a staggering 348 cosmetic operations over her life and was never happy with the way she looked. ” In conclusion, it is clear that one of the major benefits associated with cosmetic surgery is the type of enhancement it can have on individuals and as we have seen, this change fosters a positive self-imagine, higher confidence, and healtself-esteemeem which links to an increased level of happiness and life satisfaction, however, it is, by no means a stretch to suggest that high-quality cosmetic procedures can improve someone's life. perhaps psychological counselling would be more beneficial - less physically risky. It may well be that cosmetic surgery does not deal with self-image issues at their source, it may pander to society’s image obsession. Nevertheless, as a new generation emerges