The Cosmetic Surgery - Term Paper Example

Cosmetic Surgery on the Black Market Introduction In a desire to have a more attractive appearance without having to shell out huge amounts of cash, more and more individuals, especially women, in the U.S. are turning to the black market for cheaper cosmetic surgery services. Unfortunately, these low-cost alternatives usually do not generate the outcomes an individual asks for or desires, but instead leads to severe, even fatal, health problems. There have already been reports of death in the black market because of these cheap plastic surgery procedures. One of the reasons for these deaths is the incompetence or lack of proper training of those who perform the procedures. This paper therefore looks at the major reasons why a large number of individuals resort to the black market for cosmetic surgical procedures, including affordable procedures on the black market and more important given to cost than quality of the procedures. This paper will include a brief discussion of feminist view of cosmetic surgery. Beating Costs: The Growth of the Black Market for Cosmetic Surgeries Recently, the demand for cosmetic surgery of all sorts has risen considerably. A larger number of people are demanding cosmetic surgery, and they are pursuing it more openly and to a greater extent. The dramatic growth in cosmetic surgery has brought about a major reaction. Laws were made to make it more difficult to acquire cosmetic surgery, laws which negative affected those who actually required cosmetic surgery (Holliday & Taylor 181). It has also encouraged cosmetic surgery procedures underground, which implies that a huge number of people come to urban areas trying to acquire cosmetic surgery on the black market. The growth in cosmetic surgery in the past decades can be attributed to two reasons (Mohr A17): (1) cosmetic surgical technologies have become more affordable, more secure, more flexible and more easily accessible on the black market; and, (2) cosmetic surgery has given people the chance to experience having another body or a drastically improved appearance. Americans spend huge amounts of money on cosmetic surgery. As reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, “Americans spent nearly $10.7 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2010” (Palser 27). This involves cosmetic surgical procedures, like liposuction to get rid of undesirable fat, nose reconstruction, facelifts, and breast augmentation. It also involves nonsurgical cosmetic procedures, like laser hair removal and facial cleaning. The vast majority of all procedures were done on women. Some individuals pay for reconstructive plastic surgery. This procedure is performed to repair birth imperfections or to reconstruct body parts that have been ruined or injured by illnesses or accidents (Palser 27). In the U.S. many more look for painful and costly procedures so as to enhance their appearance. They think that altering a body part will enhance not just their appearance, but their happiness and self-worth as well. As explained by Jones and Heyes (2012), whether one thinks cosmetic surgery is useless and self-centered or merely a means for individuals to become pleased with themselves, cosmetic surgery includes risks or dangers. With numerous nonsurgical and surgical services, patients can suffer from severe infections, side-effects, or injuries. They may become scarred, disfigured, or mutilated if the procedures fail. As with other forms of surgical procedure, there is little possibility of fatality with cosmetic surgery. The previous Miss Argentina, Solange Magnano, died in 2009 after a surgical procedure to improve her buttocks (Palser 29). However, the biggest dangers are taken by those who seek black market practitioners for more affordable and unlawful procedures. The media frequently expose those who have been damaged or killed by ‘underground’ procedures carried out in unauthorized locations. It can be very hard to accept a deteriorating appearance. Proper diet and consistent exercise can help one feel hale and hearty and full of energy. However, reversing the effects of ageing is much trickier. More and more individuals are resorting to cosmetic specialists for assistance. Sadly, not everybody who seeks out cosmetic surgery has the capacity to pay for prestigious, reliable clinics. In the United States, there has been an explosion in illicit underground surgery. Government officials in Miami are financially supporting the world’s first group of committed detectives to find and imprison fake practitioners (Herring 30). Women all over the United States are endangering their lives for illegal procedures to alter certain body parts, usually requiring home-enhancement substances like silicone administered by those with little or no medical expertise (Korman 55). Whatever the motive, these people are looking for more affordable options to cosmetic surgery, at times with fatal or damaging outcomes. Fatalities from buttocks injections on the black market have been found out in New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Alabama (Mohr A17). An interior designer in Mississippi is prosecuted for the demise of two females who received illegal cosmetic procedures at her own house (Mohr A17). Even though there is not much information on the procedures or damages they bring about, law enforces and medical practitioners admit they are witnessing them more frequently. Online channels exploited to organize the illicit procedures have drawn the attention of numerous people. Some males also look for buttocks improvements, yet the procedures are far more sought by females (Mohr A17). Cosmetic surgery is regarded as one of the largest industries in the twenty-first century. In a matter of years it evolved from being the privilege of the affluent and famous to an industry where anybody with enough money or a credit card can have a liposuction. A reconstructed nose, fuller lips, or larger breasts appear to be the greatest desires of numerous young girls, whereas middle-aged women are obsessed with cosmetic surgical procedures, especially liposuction (Goodwin 87). According to recent figures, “43,069 cosmetic procedures were carried out in 2011. Massive pounds 2.3 billion was spent on cosmetic surgery in 2010” (The Mirror 32) and, despite the economic slump, it is increasing annually. However the boom of this industry was accompanied by several issues. Paul Banwell, a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon, claims: “Non-surgeons are now getting involved in the industry and because financial rewards in the cosmetic surgery field are potentially so great, practices are being abused” (The Mirror 32). The organizer of professional standards at the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) argues: “We have very under-regulated surgical practice in the UK, and you can just have a simple medical degree and be able to practice surgical procedures. It’s quite different from being a vet—it would be strictly illegal for me to perform surgery on an animal, yet we have relaxed regulations about surgical operations” (The Mirror 32). This implies that general practitioners (GPs) can carry out cosmetic surgical procedures using local anesthesia although they have not had the needed education or training. And numerous of these inadequately trained or incompetent surgeons and non-surgeons are the ones who cause the biggest damage to patients (Korman 51). Being tempted by cheap rates in these black markets implies greater danger and ineffective post-operative care. A very distressing finding was the fact that numerous individuals place greater importance on cost than quality and safety. For the numerous individuals left devastated by incompetent surgical procedures and aftercare on the black market, there is one more consequence. As stated by Antonia Mariconda, “Apart from the obvious medical implications, the psychological impact of dealing with life after surgery takes their toll. People in the UK are not screened psychologically before, during or after surgery and it should be mandatory. So many have paid the price to an industry that needs shaping up” (The Mirror 32). With the application of materials like industrial silicone, which is exclusively sold at home improvement shops, a huge number of individuals in some states have been killed after practitioners lacking appropriate medical education injected the silicone into their buttocks. Those who managed to survive the extremely risky procedure suffer from disfiguration and severe medical problems (Holliday & Taylor 185). Even though reliable cosmetic surgeons carry out buttocks injections utilizing the own fat cells of their patients, and carrying out implant surgeries and lifts, physicians do not administer silicone, as the substance was by no means designed to be directly inserted into the body (Holliday & Taylor 183). In essence, the problem is when cosmetic surgical procedures on the black market are the sole cosmetic surgery an individual can pay for many choose to put their health in danger in expectations that they will achieve the appearance or body that they desire. Because cosmetic surgeries on the black market are illegal, the precise number of individuals in the United States who have gone through the illicit procedures is not yet certain. Successful black market cosmetic surgeries are not common, but as an increasing number of people resort to the black market, physicians claim they are witnessing increasing cases of plastic surgeries that have resulted in severe medical problems, like infections (Korman 70). Some of the materials used in cosmetic procedures can bring about blood clots and infections. Hence cosmetic surgery is a perfect illustration of a topic over which advocates of feminism have diverged. To some feminists, as stated by Jones and Heyes (2012), plastic surgery embodies the demands that males place on females to comply with a specific type of look. The value that is given to the appearance of women, and the degree to which they are evaluated by it, is shown by the reality that women are eager to turn to surgical procedures. The reality that certain women do underwent surgery raises pressures placed on other women to take on the surgical procedure. It could be assumed that (Bartky 72): In contemporary patriarchal culture, a panoptical male connoisseur resides within the consciousness of most women: they stand perpetually before his gaze and under his judgment. Woman lives her body as seen by another, by an anonymous patriarchal Other. These issues have pushed some feminists to demand the criminalization of cosmetic surgery due to the dangers it pose for women. In contrast, other feminists argue that such claims do not take into consideration the agency or free will that women possess (Bartky 72-73). There could be a certain extent of pressure on women to acquire a specific look, but to think that the pressure is sufficient to imply that women are caged or do not have the freedom to choose or make their own decisions is to imply that women are gullible, irrational, and weak. Latham presents another argument stressing (Herring 32): … the importance of fully informed consent, counseling, a two-way constructive dialogue between a cosmetic surgeon and his patient, self-awareness by professionals of the impact of cultural ideals of beauty and, ultimately, an institutional recognition of a responsibility to combat negative social and cultural expectations. Such would allow cosmetic surgery, yet aim to fight the demands or pressures to comply with pigeonholed principles of beauty. Conclusions It is well-documented that cosmetic surgery is one of the industries that dramatically flourished in the 21st century. Because of this continuous growth of cosmetic surgery the black market has started to flourish as well. In the past, cosmetic surgery is limited to the rich and famous, but now anybody who has sufficient cash can undergo cosmetic procedures, surgical or nonsurgical. The growth of the black market for cosmetic surgical procedures is brought about by several specific factors: the willingness of some to undergo painful, yet cheaper, cosmetic surgeries; the greater value placed on cost than on quality; the increase in the number of practitioners who have little or no medical training; the lack of other more affordable options; and, the continuous pressure to conform to a specific acceptable appearance. Works Cited Bartky, Sandra. Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression. UK: Psychology Press, 1990. Print. Goodwin, Michele. Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print. Herring, Jonathan. Medical Law and Ethics. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print. Holliday, Ruth & Jacqueline Taylor. “Aesthetic Surgery as False Beauty.” Feminist Theory 7.2 (2006): 179-195. Jones, Meredith & Cressida Heyes. Cosmetic Surgery: A Feminist Primer. UK: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2012. Print. Korman, Joshua. The Business of Plastic Surgery: Navigating a Successful Career. New York: World Scientific, 2010. Print. Mohr, Holbrook. “Illegal Cosmetic Injections Kill, Maim Women; Patients are Seeking a Cheap Alternative to Plastic Surgery.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (2013): A17. Palser, Barb. Selling Ourselves: Marketing Body Images. New York: Compass Point Books, 2012. Print. The Mirror. “Cosmetic Surgery Ruined our Lives—the Industry Needs to be Clean.” The Mirror (2012): 32. Read More