Cosmetic Surgery : A Powerful Entity

Did you know more than 16 billion dollars was spent on Cosmetic Surgery in 2016? (ASPS 2017) Throughout the many decades, cosmetic surgery had become widely known method to enhance an appearance. In recent years, this procedure has become prominent not only among adults but also among adolescents however, popularity does not mean it is safe and the best option. There are numerous negative effects of cosmetic surgery that people, especially adolescents should consider before undergoing such procedures. Some negative effects of cosmetic surgery are high expenses, high medical risks, promotion of unhealthy body image and adverse psychological conditions.

The article Cosmetic Surgery and the Cultural Construction of Beauty by Lorrie Blair and Maya Shalmon uncover the never ending popularity of cosmetic surgery. They base their sayings on many articles and researches presented in the March

Chang, K. (2014). The Business of Cosmetic Surgery. New York City, New York: The New York Times. Retrieved April 09, 2016, from

In a society so consumed by the ideology of beauty, it makes sense as to why so many women these days undergo cosmetic surgery. The definition of beauty has long been obstructed and changed. In the past, if you look at the woman, you will see they are curvy, during this era being thin meant you were poor where as a beautiful and wealthy woman would be plump because she could afford fine dining. As society has changed, being slender has become the new trend, creating the idea that in order to be truly beautiful one must be thin. The movie stars in Hollywood, although most people realize the beautifying changes that are made to the pictures, this idea of 'beauty ' and 'desire ' still lingers in the mind of whoever comes across it. Our society is bombarded with several different ideologies of beauty but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The beauty standards that have been set should not be what are shaping people around the world and influencing them to go through with plastic surgery. The use of plastic surgery has changed from a medical procedure used to reconstruct the wounded or people with birth defects to reconstructing something people do not like about themselves. Plastic surgery was used during WWI in 1910 and after the war, skin grafting grew. The first training program in the United States was in 1924 thanks to Dr. John Davis. In 1950-1959, plastic surgery was used broadly to repair cleft pallet. It wasn’t until about

Thesis: The cosmetic, issues, and beauty. We need to understand every possible outcome while considering plastic surgery

Plastic Surgery has become a worldwide epidemic in today’s world. The number of plastic surgeries continues to increase since 2010. In today’s day and age, plastic surgery is one of the most popular and requested procedures. Females are opting to have plastic surgery because they dislike their body image. Society has impacted many people by brain washing them to believe that a person’s body has to be perfect. In order for one to be considered beautiful, television and media influence people’s perceptions of beauty.

If one is considering cosmetic surgery I suggest reconsidering. Research shows cosmetic surgery can be a risky and costly procedure. Society is pressuring people to look more attractive. Media shows actors to be flawless and the public feels that one should be compared to these actors. Cosmetic surgery is becoming more popular is today’s culture. People are turning to cosmetic surgery for many reasons, some of them are not healthy.

With the reputation of having some of the most beautiful women in the world, South Korea is also a country widely known for its excessive execution of plastic surgery procedures. According to Zara Stone, based on data from a 2010 Survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, she addresses that one out of every five women of all age groups in South Korea undergoes some sort of surgery procedure, making South Korea the leading country of plastic surgery (2). Plastic surgery is popular among many women in South Korea today because of one reason, to escape the reality of being non-compliant with the cultural standard of beauty, which is having small eyes, a flat nose, or a round face. Like many countries, women in South Korea solely believe that beauty correlates with the way they physically look rather than the beauty that comes within (Stone 3). Many South Korean women are unhappy with their appearance, especially when they compare themselves to attractive models, celebrities, and westernized women who meet and satisfy the standards of beauty portrayed by the media (Stone 2). But what is beauty, and what is it that makes plastic surgery so widely accepted in South Korea? In order to be compliant to the cultural beauty standard, South Korean women view plastic surgery as their definite solution to be validated as a beautiful woman. Influenced by the idolization of having a westernized look portrayed by media, South Korean women

We live in a society where people worship beauty. As far as recorded history people have gone to extremes to seek beauty. From foot binding in China to wearing strangulating corsets in Victorian era. People from different race and culture have experimented in every way possible way to look beautiful prior to this popular age of plastic surgery. It’s very common to hear people complain about their appearance, whether it’s their crocked nose, thin lips or flat chest. Remarkably, plastic surgery has been the solution for people who complain. Most people tend to think of plastic surgery as only cosmetic surgery and not as reconstructive surgeries. Plastic surgeries seems to be an invention of modern technology; however its roots lie in the ancient history of India. An Indian surgeon contributed towards the establishment of plastic surgery, it was intended to correct physical deformities acquired during birth, accident, disease or war. These surgeries did not gain the popularity it has today until the First World War. It was during the late 60’s, when doctors started realizing the endless possibilities of plastic surgeries. With the help of this surgery a trained surgeon can replace an amputate body part, remove skin cancer, get rid of unattractive scars and visible birthmarks or rescaling a nose or enhance body parts. Today more and more people from different age groups opt for plastic surgeries to obtain dramatic physical changes. These surgeries were envisioned to restore

For many years, the appearance of one’s body has been one of the most concerning features a person may have in life. Mainly because being attractive can help with almost anything. People look more highly at you and even respect you more than a person who isn’t attractive. One of the main emphases on a person’s attractiveness is their face. “Facial attractiveness provides honest cues to health and mate value” (Barber, 1994). This is a major reason as to why many are turning to cosmetic surgery for assistance with their appearance. In the recent decades, cosmetic surgery has seen an explosion of popularity. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), in the year 2012, there were a total of 15.1 million cosmetic surgery procedures performed in America. This has increased by over 3500% from the year 1992, in which only a mere 400,000 cosmetic surgery procedures were performed. This massive increase in desire for these procedures is due to multiple different factors. One of those is that the procedures themselves have changed, resulting in a major benefit on the patient’s behalf. They have become minimally invasive and much safer than in the past. The minimally invasive procedures have increased the satisfaction rates of cosmetic surgery. Additionally, the increase in mass media attention on celebrities that have undergone several cosmetic surgeries has opened the public’s eyes, making them realize that they can look like a celebrity by undergoing a simple,

Plastic surgery is defined as the process of reconstructing or repairing parts of the body, especially by the transfer of tissue, either in the treatment of injury or for cosmetic reasons. With appearance becoming the number one factor in today’s society, plastic surgery is becoming more popular every year. Some may call it the “Kardashian Effect” or “Selfie Mania,” either way, social media and celebrities, have greatly influenced cosmetic procedures (“Statistics,” 2016). With this high social standard, many people are afraid of being judged by others, and resort to cosmetic surgery to fix their “imperfections.” The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) (2016), issued its annual plastic surgery procedural statistics, reporting that “15.6 million cosmetic procedures, including both minimally-invasive and surgical, were performed in the United States in 2014, an increase of 3 percent since 2013.”

It’s no secret how much South Korea has invested in the plastic surgery industry. In fact, you might have heard or read about South Korea’s rise as one of the top countries involved with plastic surgery. In 2014, South Korea contributed approximately 24% to the world’s plastic surgery market, with just under 300,000 medical tourists. Younger and younger demographics have been more prone to go under the knife at least once, as double eyelid surgery (eye surgery in which a crease is added to the eyelid) has now become a typical high school graduation gift.

“Don’t like the way you look? Ready for a quick and easy change? We can help you with one simple cosmetic surgery.” We have all heard or seen advertisements like this on television or in magazines, but why is cosmetic surgery so appealing to people, especially women? Cosmetic surgery is used all over the world to enhance one’s features and make people “happy,” but is it worth it? Is it beauty or is it a beast having cosmetic surgery done? There are many options and things to consider when thinking about getting any kind of surgery. Body image is a huge aspect especially when there is a demand for beauty by society. The cost of cosmetic surgery and the dangers are also something to take into consideration, but there are many positives in getting this type of surgery.

Valeria Lukyanova, a Romanian young woman had more than a hundred surgeries in order to look like Barbie. She decided to have a huge number of plastic surgeries, regardless of the price, just to reach her ideal physical appearance. As shocking as it can be, these examples make people realize that looks are very important in our society and that plastic surgery is therefore becoming a little too common. Today a real addiction to plastic surgery might be threatening our world.

In recent years, it has become very popular to have cosmetic surgery. Over of 120,000 surgical procedures it was estimated that were performed in the UK during 2011. Cosmetic surgery procedures are carried out in women more that men about 9 in every 10 ,and the cosmetic treatments non-surgical, such as Botox, accounting for over 90% of all cosmetic procedures it is even more popular than surgical procedures.(6)