Cosmetic Surgical Procedures on Patients Eighteen Years Old and Below - Assignment Example

What are the most probable causes for a certain type of plastic surgery for a particular group such as teenage girls? In the past years, the numbers of people seeking plastic surgery has skyrocketed. This practice has evoked increasingly uncritical acceptance. Plastic surgery is subdivided into two major categories reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery aims at restoring function and formof a defect in the body; therefore it is a positive moral good that curbs or reduces the effects of the shortcoming. Cosmetic surgery differs in that it seeks to alter by adding or reducing otherwise healthy body tissues to enhance appearance and self-esteem. This paper will look on whether the goal for plastic surgery is normalizing how we appear or how plastic surgery enhances our bodies to at least reach or come close to a perfect ideal. In 2005, 10.2 million cosmeticsurgery procedureswere carried out in USA.This was an increase of 11% from 2004 and that of 38% compared with 2000.This number included 3,839,387 Botox treatments, 837,711 microdermabrasions, 1,033,581 chemical peels, 782,732 laser hair removals, 323,605 liposuctions, 589,768 vein sclerotherapies (strippings), 298,413 rhinoplasties (nose jobs), 291,350 breast augmentations, 134,746 abdominoplasties, 230,697 blepharoplasties (eyelid reconstructions),114,250 breast reductions, 337 calf augmentations, 793 vaginal rejuvenation procedures, and 206 pectoral implants. The percentage of patients going through repeat procedure was 40% while 34% had multiple procedures at the same time. In the US 51% of cosmetic surgery patients and 69% of those getting minimally invasive procedures were 51 years of age or older. 84% of patients undergoing cosmetic procedures last year were white; 90% female 10%male. The top 5 most common minimally invasive procedures among women were chemical peel, Botox injection, laser hair removal, sclerotherapyand microdermabrasion. The top 5 surgical procedures were tummy tuck, liposuction, eyelid surgery, breast augmentation and nose reshaping. It is undisputable that cosmetic surgery has being targeting particularly women and teenage girls as years pass by; the number of women in wanting breast augmentation hasactually gone up more than 800% in the past fifteen years as per ASPS, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics. Let alonethe fact that most cosmetic procedures are not under medical insurance cover programs, Americans spent over ten billion dollars in 2008 on cosmetic surgery.This increase in cosmetic surgery popularity was not limited to adult patients. The rate at which younger people are thinking about undergoing cosmetic surgery is also alarming. Cosmetic surgical procedures on patients eighteen years old and below in fact tripled between the ten year period of 1997 and 2007. Controversial procedures in this age bracket, such as breast augmentations increased more than six-fold and liposuction, increased greater than three times. When it comes to considering the ethics inCosmetic surgery, we have to keep in mind that there is usually no restoration of ailing or damaged body tissues, but just an augmentation of the healthy tissue. The motivations behind undergoing a cosmetic surgery procedure impact on the ethics of this act on its own. There are important questions to consider when looking into the ethics of cosmetic surgery. Is cosmetic surgery really done to get the particular body part in desired shape or is it done to please the mind and give it comfort? Sander Gilman made an observation that, “Over the past years, people have more often turned to their surgeons instead of their psychotherapists in search of the ‘body beautiful’ so as to achieve a positive attitude towards themselves. The roleof the surgeon is not to rectify deformities, or even reshape normal healthy and functional tissue into something more pleasing to the eye. This whole idea has wrought changes in the doctor-patient relationship changes that were not intended. Cosmetic surgeons do not have “patients” for whom they diagnose and treat illnessanymore; rather they have “clients” that demand happiness from the reformation of their otherwise healthy bodies (Heyes, 95). At times, even when a patient does not have a particular complaint, many surgeons are always very willing to proposeideas on how their skills can help improve their patients appearance. Second:Has the rise in number cosmetic surgery that there have been in these past years brought about an increase in personal happiness? No. Not according to the all theseavailable research evidence. For example, a recent study in Clinical Psychology Review, which compared college students from 1939 and 2009. The study showed a six-time rise in the number of students depicting symptoms of depression, unrealistic optimism and anxiety in 2009 as compared to those during the Great Depression era. Eventhough there are a number of other issues that may contribute to such a large increase in depression other than cosmetic surgery, anyargumentruling out cosmetic surgery is not weighty enough to make me believe otherwise. A review study conducted in 2004 which aimed atlooking at psychological expectations for patients who wanted to undertake cosmetic surgery procedure.They found that young patients, had very high unrealistic expectations, were experiencing a minimal deformity, had had previous cosmetic surgeries procedure, who relationship issues had take in it,or had a history of anxiety disorders or depression were at a higher chance of feelingworse after having cosmetic surgery. Some patients reported to have been satisfied with their surgery. But the patients that were most in pursuit of “happiness infusion” reported the most disappointment from cosmetic surgery results regardless of the overall success of their operation procedure. Because making someone prettier does not necessarily make them happier. Happiness is found within oneself. Mostpatients feel more damaged than they did prior to the procedure due to dissatisfaction they get from the procedure. This makes them continue looking for more operations in order to heal their destroyed mentality and esteem about themselves and not necessarily heal their body. (Heyes, 60) Unfortunately,other cosmetic surgeons encourage this practice by promising to “fix” the mistakes caused by the other surgeon. This probably sets up another unrealistic expectation is also not met. Another aspect we need to consider whileanalysing the ethics of cosmetic surgery is this: Take this case for instance,a Cosmetic procedures carried out for the removal of a small benign “birthmark” on an infant’s forehead, case 2 Michael Jackson’s many procedures he is purported to have done for instance the many nose surgeries. In examining the motivation behind these two surgical interventions, it will be helpful to note the differencebetween thesetwo types of cosmetic surgery. The first procedure that is the removal of a visible,an un-aesthetic birthmark is aimed at changing that physical “abnormality” into a more normal situation. when it comes to Michel’s case, someone going back multiple times to different surgeons to fix their nose “just right” is attempting to improve their “normal” anatomy to some perfect ideal. A question arises from this previous example: who decides the characteristics that make us “normal” and what are these characteristics? If culture was to be used to determine normal, then, then the numbers of individuals getting cosmetic surgery and the rate at which they are doing it has already raised the standards too high.Culturally the standard of “pretty” was always pliable to some extent, but these days, we are forced to deal with the greater number of surgically modified bodies to change that standard more(Benatar, 80). Regardless, there isdelineation between patients who seek cosmetic surgery not for the purpose of drawing attention to their appearance, and those who do it for the reason increase attention to their appearance. Motivations for cosmetic surgery that have any other purpose besides “normalizing” one’s appearance can be disputed for some reason. First, God creator of human being in his word gives us guidelines on the principle of modesty. For example, biblical modesty according to Michelle Brock is “an attitude of humility which aims atpleasing God rather than oneself or fellow human beings.” Cosmetic surgery in order to make one’s body fit some perfect ideal is therefore an attempt to draw more attention to ourselves going against Gods definition of modesty. As stated earlier,91% of cosmetic surgery is carried out on women, chance are that the motivebehind this kind of beautification often entails increasing ones sexual attractiveness to men. Contrary to this, the scripture description of a woman’s beauty is “that hidden individual of the heart who has aneverlasting imperishable beauty of a calm and gentle spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). Since we cannot choose the people whose attention we draw, one may end up causing others to fall into the temptation of lusting after our sensual bodies. This is not to say that the desire to look and feel our best is wrong, however we should take caution when our desire turns into that of seek more attention approval or worth through our enhanced physical bodies. The second one is the on going debate in bioethics about the concept of human enhancement. The quick development and popularity of “beautification” cosmetic surgery is being used as a basis to analysehow people may opt to augment their bodies in other waysyears to come. This provides a starting point for investigations on the future of medical enhancement. If this is the case, in future, medical enhancement will entirely be based on our subjective standards of what makes us happy or what we desire; well until we get another enhancement that will get us to “ideal” standard of perfection. Medical as a profession may cease to exist as one meant to cure patient’s disease. Medical professions will instead use their skills and knowledge to makepatients more enhanced. The value of success will be gauged on the subjective feelings of the good and comfortswe receive when letting a physician modify us. If the futuretrends of medical enhancement trail the current trend of cosmetic surgery, then people will voluntarily give up their resources to receive treatments that promise happiness without a second thought.Our attempts to achieve a“superhuman”modification may actually remove or change characteristics define our shared humanity. If we are headed for this kind of future with cosmetic surgery then this is a future worth getting concern about. It goes without saying that many people consider themselves unattractive, based on aeither a disfiguring pathology or just because they don’t “fit in” in this modern beauty-obsessed culture (Papel, 70). Surgically enhancing the outward form of one’s bodyor face in many cases increase self-esteem, but this just lasts only for a time. Without a doubt, we can get a change in attitude and an emotional lift the moment we believe we look and feel attractive on a certain day. However, difficulties start when we get dependent on this emotional lift from just physical attractiveness as opposed to our individual character, spiritual and human value. Furthermore, if we get convinced that cosmetic surgery is essential for self-esteem, the message we will be passing out is thatour value is predominantly based on our outward appearance. Conclusion Cosmetic surgery is now widespread and it includes quite a number of techniques meant to enhance an individual’s appearance “beauty”.The world today unquestionably equates physical appeal with inner happiness and self worth. But the fact remains;we will never achieve“ideal” from cosmetic surgery’s scalpel and needle procedure. The short-lived happiness we may receive from getting our face or body surgically augmented can never satisfy the great longing for perfection deeply held in our heart. The one possible way to satisfaction,true happiness or perfection is to grow as Christ the Creator of all beauty and life desires us to. Developmentswe are having in the field of cosmetic surgery raise a number of ethical questions concerning modification. However one can only trust that with education andincreases in enlightened discussion from preschool years to Golden years society will become egalitarian and less superficial defining beauty and worth. Works Cited Benatar, David. Cutting to the Core: Exploring the Ethics of Contested Surgeries. Lanham, Md. [u.a.: Rowman& Littlefield, 2006. Print. Heyes, Cressida J. Self-transformations: Foucault, Ethics, and Normalized Bodies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Internet resource. Papel, Ira D. Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. New York: Thieme, 2009. Print. Read More