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Is Cosmetic Surgery Good or Bad?

Cosmetic surgery is getting more and more popular for modern people. Some people believe that it is a science to increase the beauty of a person. The basic aim of this surgery is to enhance the appearance of the individual that is done by altering the parts of the body. On the other hand, other people disagree with it. They say that cosmetic surgery involves risks which may cause serious diseases such as heart attack. Can we trust the surgeons? Can we change our appearance to whatever we want by getting cosmetic surgery?

All the Yes points:

  1. It can alleviate mental illnesses
  2. People have freedom of expression. .
  3. Wealthy people need to spend their money some how
  4. If the person had a car crash or was burned in fire, the might have a cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance

All the No points:

  1. it depends
  2. It shows us for the spoilt race we are
  3. People go into debt copying celebrities
  4. People take what can be good to the extreme.
  5. There will be a severe case of side effects
  6. Good and Bad
  7. We live in a world that is image obsessed, and this kind of procedure panders to that.
  8. There are dangers involved in any kind of surgery.
  9. To attempt to dress cosmetic surgery in the flag of feminism is absurd.
  10. The pressures of appearance apply particularly to women.
  11. Doctors should heal, not waste their talent on appearance.
  12. The black market argument applies to everything illegal.
  13. Cosmetic surgery is addictive.
  14. It’s intention is to make money.

It can alleviate mental illnesses

Yes because…

Some people are so consumed with their appearance that they let it affect their mental well being. There are even some mental illnesses which are based solely on the body’s appearance, things like anorexia and body dismorphia. These are illnesses whereby people harm themselves through worry about their appearance. If we have people who have the ability to change what these people do not like about their bodies then why should we not use it to help these people with their mental well being?

No because…

This is not solving the problem at route. The problem is the perception that the mind has on what is important. All cosmetic surgery is doing is changing the appearance but not the mental state. Someone who has such a mental disposition to these illnesses will have their offending limb changed, but they will ultimately always find something they are not happy with. Instead of cosmetic surgery, these people should be offered psychological help. Cosmetic surgery only masks the inner problem.

People have freedom of expression. .

Yes because…

A legal argument can be made for cosmetic surgery. Under the Human Rights Act which enshrines the European Convention on Human Rights, we have the freedom to express ourselves, Article 10 ECHR. If we feel that our body does not reflect who we are as people, then we have the right to change it. If we can dye our hair, change our clothes and have piercings, why should we not be able to express ourselves via cosmetic surgery. Now, this right would not extend to NHS payment for the cosmetic surgery, but if someone can afford to spend money on their own appearance, there is no reason why they should not be able to, and there is a legal reason why they should be able to

No because…

It is laughable to think that having larger breasts or lips can be classified as the use of ‘freedom of expression’. How low has our society gone if we think the most valuable use of our right to freedom of expression is the right to have cosmetic surgery and dye our hair? The availability of cosmetic surgery and the making it more acceptable only lets the idea infiltrate society that it is ok to want physical perfection, and that appearance is important. Surely we would want our young to grow up with higher hopes and aspirations.

Wealthy people need to spend their money some how

Yes because…

Currently, we are in a recession. But even in a healthy economy it is never good to have vast amounts of stagnant cash remaining in one family. This money is economically redundant. If people have money, and they wish to spend it they should be implored to do so. The money would be paid to surgeons who have their own surgeries. Those surgeries would pay for receptionists, cleaners, repairmen. These are all jobs created out of money which would otherwise be left sitting in the banks of the rich. Cosmetic surgery is a way of prising money out of the hands of the rich and vain, which is most certainly a good thing.

No because…

Whilst money changing hands is always good in an economy, the reality is the money is going from the hands of the rich back into the hands of the rich. Surgeons are already among the upper middle class stratum. Then you have to take into consideration that rich people will use the most experienced and popular surgeons. These surgeons will be of a higher income than the other surgeons (who would still have a hefty salary). The wages paid to cleaners and the other menial workers would pale insignificant to what the surgeons were earning. The surgeon would then keep the money and they would save it, so the money would still be redundant in our failing economy.

If the person had a car crash or was burned in fire, the might have a cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance

Yes because…

If a person did get into an terriable accident,and in thier unfortunate case their body was severly damaged .Then (I think) they would not only suffer physical dismay but mential dismay as well. Can you imagine having the same appearence for most of your life and then suddenlly you look in the miorror and you see,not you but someone/something (there have been cases where these poeple refer to themselvs as something instead of someone) else? If most people we under these circumstances then they would not be able to handle the emotional warfare between what they see and what they know, and the only way SOME might find out of hell, is to plastic surgery…(unfortunatly)

hi my name is santhosh my trunk was burned i want surgury to get my first look

No because…

You need to show your true colours and not hide behind a mask. (Or plastic…)

it depends

No because…

someone said that : ” i love the artificial beauty rather than the natural ugliness”.that point of view is right, in some extent. comestic surgery is not bad, itself.we cant deny that enhance the apperance is the demand of people coz everyone always want to be more good-looking in others’ eyes. The point here is the way you make it. If you take too much advantage of comestic surgery, it’s really dangerous and you can face unforeseen consequences. then it’s too late for u to regret. Donatella Versace is a typical example.(i’m sure you guys know her- famous fashion designer ).Her face changes drastically due to some unfortunate plastic surgery. so think carefully before you make any comestic surgery .

Yes because…

It shows us for the spoilt race we are

No because…

Cosmetic surgery only serves to show everyone how spoilt we are. What we want we can get, even if we pay thousands and go under the knife for it. When people feel that there is something that they cannot possibly achieve, it humbles them. The feeling of not being able to get something reiterates to us how we are merely mortal and not Gods. However, cosmetic surgery changes this perception. We feel we can achieve all we want to in life, and that only feeds our vanity and our spoilt natures. We would not want this for our children, so why do we want it for grown adults?

Yes because…

Spoilt is surely not the term to describe the phenomenon you are describing. With the availability of cosmetic surgery these days, at a pretty price, people are realising that they can achieve anything they want if they work hard to achieve it. If anything this raises people’s aspirations. People want to work hard, save their money instead of squandering it and pay for what they really want. This is the working of a Protestant work ethic, the harder you work the more you can achieve. Spoilt is when you attain what you want with no work. But the vast amount of money and the days of recuperation required is a large price to pay for cosmetic surgery and people weigh up their options of whether cosmetic surgery means that much to them.

People go into debt copying celebrities

No because…

Surgery is becoming more and more common, and contrary to popular belief, it is not among the rich. Poorer people now are considering cosmetic surgery as a viable option for them. These people will save and save, sacrificing their ordinary day lives in order to look like celebrities; whether that be extreme fanaticism or just having the “perfect body”. This is not healthy, if these people did not have the option to have cosmetic surgery they would live better lives. They would spend their money on things that are more important that their appearance. A case can also be made that cosmetic surgery helped create our recession. People filled their heads with ambitions of looking good, and took on debt in order to cover the cost. This was debt on credit cards and mortgages which ultimately led to the credit crunch.

Yes because…

People take what can be good to the extreme.

No because…

In some cases, cosmetic surgery does help individuals. Things like skin grafts on burn victims, or the correcting of an abnormal feature on the human body. These things help people feel more normal. This is how cosmetic surgery was first used. Then people started to use cosmetic surgery, not to look merely normal, but to look perfect. They wanted their bodies to look like the airbrushed girl/boy in the magazines. However, we have now been taken one step further into the nightmare by people using surgery to look abnormal. People having their features changed in order to look like animals or serpents. This freaky use of cosmetic surgery is not healthy. What was once medical and good is now nothing more than a freaky side show.

Yes because…

There will be a severe case of side effects

No because…

1. experts(even the pro-cosmetics) warn that the physical pain is quite severe. This includes back pain, bruises, and so on. This is so serious that you may have to wear head bandages after a surgery.

2. Also, years after you have surgery, you will have to face the later side effects: that is, the effects which will disfigure you. a very funny example of this is South Korea: you often see people who suffer because of those effects. You will know if you ever surf in the Korean Internet.

Yes because…

Good and Bad

No because…




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I believe that cosmetic surgery is a personal option but in some cases it becomes a bad addiction. In the case of the personal option, i don’t think that plastic surgery is necessarily a bad thing. All human beings have some sense of insecurity and for some people that insecurity is their appearance. I think that plastic surgery is a self esteem booster, which a little boost is not a problem. For example, my mother’s friend Valerie was self conscious about the size of her breast for twenty four years of her life. She would not go out in public with a bathing suit on, she would be very selective on the type of blouses she would wear, and she felt that men would not date her because of her breast size. She finally decided to pursue a breast augmentation. Afterwards, she says that she felt like a different woman. No longer was her self esteem low, but she actually felt good about herself. As Valerie describes, “This minor cosmetic surgery drastically changed my life.” These circumstances where plastic surgery is minor but creates a positive change in a person’s life are not bad. Also cosmetic surgery, in many cases, helps save people’s lives. For example, a burn victim needs new skin on their face so that they will not bleed to death or a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and has to remove her breasts in order to survive. Cosmetic surgery is changing their appearance just like someone were to change their hair color, or get an ear piercing. If the changes are made moderately to make someone happy than ultimately I believe there is nothing wrong with it unless it becomes excessive.

Secondly, I believe when cosmetic surgery becomes an obsession is when it turns into a bad situation. People start changing their perception from a physical to a mental problem. That is why I believe that cosmetic surgery should have limitations. If someone is coming in weekly for a different procedure, than i classify that as a problem. At this point people get surgery not because it makes them happy but because it has become a norm to their lifestyle. This is why doctors should come up with a test to evaluate the mental state of their patient before they undergo procedures. The test should ask specific questions so that doctors can tell if their patient is at a point where the surgery is going to make them happy or the surgery is just another form of an addiction. I don’t believe it would be difficult to tell this distinction because in my opinion there is a fine line between the two types of people. Overall, this is the reason that I chose to argue it depends. Each individual person truly contributes to cosmetic surgery to be both good and bad.

Yes because…

We live in a world that is image obsessed, and this kind of procedure panders to that.

No because…

We live in a world that is image obsessed, and this kind of procedure panders to that. We should promote the idea that appearance is not as important as character. People should be content with themselves and not be so hung up on their looks.

Yes because…

That’s nice. But given that the reality is that we’re judged on our appearance all the time, it’s perfectly rational to want to look good. Nobody’s forcing anyone to have cosmetic surgery – the market is driven by demand.

There are dangers involved in any kind of surgery.

No because…

There are dangers involved in any kind of surgery. Sometimes we must accept those dangers, as they come in the course of necessary medical procedures. But with elective surgery – procedures people don’t need, but rather merely want – the risks can’t be justified. These risks apply both to the surgery itself, and to the long term. For example, leaking silicone breast implants have been a widespread problem and can lead to death. Once, paraffin was often injected into the face to smooth wrinkles, with disastrous effects. Silicon often finds its way into other parts of the body, such as the lymph glands, and can prevent the early detection of breast cancer as doctors often think real lumps are silicon leakage. Who today knows the full future implications of injecting the highly dangerous poison Botox into one’s face?

Yes because…

We should not restrict freedom of choice. Certainly there’s an element of danger involved. But we let people box. We let people bungee jump. They undertake these dangers for fun or for money. Why shouldn’t we let people undertake dangers in the pursuit of beauty, and higher self esteem?

Furthermore, cosmetic surgery is becoming safer and safer. It is increasingly strictly policed and sky-high legal pay-outs by bad surgeons have ensured that practitioners take more and more care. Technology in surgery and in implants and so forth is forever improving. The scare stories the proposition talk about are the worst examples of thirty years ago – they’re nothing to do with cosmetic surgery today.

To attempt to dress cosmetic surgery in the flag of feminism is absurd.

No because…

To attempt to dress cosmetic surgery in the flag of feminism is absurd. If anything, cosmetic surgery is the latest phenomenon in the long history of the objectification of women in society. Women are driven to meet male standards of beauty, exaggerating their shape and seeking to remain youthful lest their partner leave them for (often literally) a younger model. Today many operations are arranged by male partners rather than by the women themselves. Cosmetically-enhanced celebrities are redefining definitions of attractiveness for new generations, leading young girls who would have been considered naturally beautiful in past decades to see themselves as plain and to seek their own surgical remedies.

Yes because…

This freedom issue is particularly important to women, who have historically been subjugated by men, their bodies regarded as owned and for the use of men. Cosmetic surgery – the ultimate control over one’s body, perhaps – is the latest stage in the emancipation of women and their ability to decide what happens to their bodies. Cosmetic surgery is empowering.

The pressures of appearance apply particularly to women.

No because…

The pressures of appearance apply particularly to women. Pregnancy and ageing have predictable effects: they should be accepted with grace, not fought against. The messages sent when some women have procedures are firstly that the prejudices some have about appearance are valid, and secondly that those women secure enough not to contemplate going under the knife are “letting themselves go.”

Yes because…

If women or anyone else are secure enough not to bother with cosmetic surgery, then fine. But there are many who find that their appearance truly troubles them and that improving it would greatly enhance their quality of life. If they can afford it, let them.

Doctors should heal, not waste their talent on appearance.

No because…

Doctors should heal, not waste their talent on appearance. Precious talent and resources are spent on this frivolous activity. Surgeons should do medical operations that are needed, not cosmetic procedures that are desired.

Yes because…

People pay handsomely for cosmetic surgery. It costs the state nothing, except in situations in which the operation is necessary medically. Cosmetic surgery can turn a profit for hospitals that is put towards more general medical areas. And doctors receive training and practice in difficult techniques which can then be used to help patients in genuine need.

The black market argument applies to everything illegal.

No because…

The black market argument applies to everything illegal. Of course that risk exists, but the number of those undertaking the activity will be smaller, as you concede. Lack of legal safeguards and medical accountability, and the probability that only badly qualified doctors will offer illegal operations will deter almost everyone from risking black market surgery. Fewer operations must be desirable if it is agreed that the activity concerned should be banned. Black market activity will be vigorously policed – and after all, its usually pretty obvious if someone has had surgery.

Yes because…

Cosmetic surgery happens because people want it – often, desperately. If banned, cosmetic surgery will flourish on a black market. It will still happen, but it will be very expensive (and therefore only available to the very rich) and it will be much more dangerous as it will be done by unscrupulous doctors and outside all the safety precautions the legal environment provides.

Cosmetic surgery is addictive.

No because…

Cosmetic surgery is addictive: look at Michael Jackson, or Lolo Ferrarri, who got breast implant after breast implant despite the harm it did her body. The compulsion to change one’s body is often a symptom of a deeper mental instability. It should be treated as a problem, not indulged and encouraged with surgery. It’s only a plaster patched over a much deeper problem.

Yes because…

This is patronising, insulting and wrong. The vast majority of people who have cosmetic surgery have one procedure and never look back. They’re made happier and more secure in themselves because of it. It’s fine to oppose cosmetic surgery, but don’t falsely portray those that have it as being mentally unstable.

It’s intention is to make money.

No because…

Pointing to accidental side-benefits of cosmetic surgery will not cover up the fact that its intention is to make money, not make people better. If a fraction of the efforts pumped into it went into proper medicine, the medical world would be much more advanced than it is today. And the fact that the benefits arise from chance merely serves to highlight the greed that constitutes the essential nature of cosmetic surgery: those benefits ought to be all of medicine’s aim, not an accident resulting from it. Certainly people make money and careers in normal medicine, but they are giving treatments that aim to make people well, not look different.

Yes because…

The development of cosmetic surgery over the years has been intertwined with that of reconstructive and more general medical surgery. Cosmetic surgery has greatly aided reconstructive surgery. For example, maxillofacial surgery, or surgery of the jaw, has developed with insights from both plastic surgeons and oral surgeons. It’s impossible to say in some areas who contributed the greatest advances, the cosmetic or the mainstream. To shut down cosmetic surgery would be to cut off a valuable outlet for research and discovery. The market can sometimes create great benefits: people work hard in pursuit of profits and often their work can help us all. Plenty of people make a good living from normal medicine and they are not criticised, the same should be true for privately provided medicine: there’s nothing wrong with turning a profit.

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Razel
3 years ago

At some point yeah some of us needed it but Is It worth to take a risk?.but when your hesitant and you wanted to know about it, you are in need of an expert.

Johan
6 years ago

Cosmetic surgery is a symptom of larger problems — such as objectification and oppression.

JohanaNdj
6 years ago

Dear, you are saying you ugly based on society perspective, but hey, you are the first person who has to out some worth, respect, admiration on yourself first, then the world will see you as you see yourself.
I am not in favor neither against cosmetic surgery. But I urged those who feel that they not fit in because of their appearance to change their mind and love themselves. Changing your haircut, make up, exercise, i don’t know.. I believe there are natural or non-surgical ways to achieve the look you want. Nevertheless if cosmetic surgery the only thing that can help you do that, go ahead and do it. Everyone has his/her own choice.
But diversity is beautiful, and with cosmetic surgery, I think that it has to be done really well so that people don’t notice the jobs.

ChangeMyOuterMe
9 years ago

I think having the option to love a yourself is GREAT. I’ve never had plastic surgery but I look forward to it in my future. People who are against cosmetic surgery are typically very attractive already. I’m not. I can’t wait until I can be looked at for a beauty I bought and not stared at for an ugly I was born with.

brittany ingram
10 years ago

people are crazy they should appreciate what they have and what god gave them and not what money can buy if u do that to just impress people or to become known here’s a tip if they didnt like you when u was you and their just now realizing you just cause you had cosmetic surgery you need to go to the person that loved you the most an saw you for you.

haybae1023
9 years ago

that is so true i believe that god made you exactly the way he wanted and if he wanted you to be made of plastic then he would have made you that way.

Devante Buford
3 years ago

Except there is no God. So why base these decisions off of an imaginary friend.

musette1
10 years ago

Cosmetic surgery is a symptom of larger problems — such as objectification and oppression.

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