Essay on Cosmetic Surgery

Human beings have gone to great lengths in order to make themselves appear more “attractive” to society for thousands of years. Tribes in Africa have extended their earlobes, or elongated their necks. Women in China used to bind their feet - crippling themselves in the process - for the sake of beauty. European women poured themselves into corsets, often causing damage to their internal organs, only to achieve the well sought after slight, dainty waist that was deemed appealing at the time. High heels are now known to be linked to back problems as well as foot problems. Yet, the search for absolute beauty and eternal youth continues, and today, modern technology has brought an even newer and more innovative idea to tackle the issue - Cosmetic Surgery.

Fat can literally be sucked out of the body; certain body parts can be reduced or enlarged through surgery; and wrinkles can be erased in a matter of hours. Cosmetic surgery has very quickly become the “easy way out” for many hopeful clients. However, there are costs to such modifications, and these costs extend well beyond financial. This also brings another question to light - is it ever totally necessary? This feature article researches and argues against the indiscriminate use of cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic surgery has been found to be a dangerous as well as superfluous activity. Cutting into a healthy body is only ever going to make it function worse. However small an operation may seem, there is always a chance that something will go wrong. In fact, the numbers are very alarming: one in four individuals have had some bad surgical reaction or experience resulting from the cosmetic surgery, such as, infections, asymmetry, marks, bruises and too much skin being removed as well as fatal outcomes such as death depending on the type of surgery performed. Alas, the “easy way out” has caused numerous victims to die due to operations that were far from crucial. One example is: 36-year-old housewife, Lorraine Batt, mother of three young children, who came to an untimely death as a result of a surgical procedure that promised her a flatter and “more appealing” belly. Such tragic events prove that cosmetic surgery, the “easy way out” of beauty flaws, is not always beneficial.

In addition, long-term consequences are often not taken into account. In fact, it is almost useless to go through a facelift. This surgical procedure might make one seem “younger-looking” for a few petty years, nevertheless life goes on and the wrinkles will, in time, come back. Silicone implants must be replaced within fifteen years. This feels like a long time, but the fact that it implies yet another surgery, another risk, is often forgotten.

Moreover, is there ever a good reason take the easy way out? If the goal is to lose weight, to rid yourself of that flabby stomach that you’ve hated forever, then a solution as simple as doing 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day will solve your problem - the effects even longer-lasting, healthier and more gratifying compared to the knife of cosmetic surgery. 

Another option is to dress yourself in flattering clothes. This is much less expensive than undergoing unnecessary surgical procedures. Proper makeup use can define your best features while disguising your flaws, such as wrinkles, spots etc. There are infinite ways to look better that don’t insist on going under the knife - so why invest in expensive and unnecessary surgery?

A common ground to decide to go through cosmetic surgery is in hope of making oneself more confident, comfortable and stronger. Some see surgery as a quick fix for their physical, and consequently emotional, problems. On the contrary, cosmetic surgery produces no miracles, and if we keep thinking this way (connecting what the media perceives as “beauty” to emotional health and happiness), then our society is in for an unhealthy future as perceived beauty and ideals change just as fashion changes over time. We, human beings, must learn to accept ourselves for who we are, and remain constant and true to ourselves. Cosmetic surgery should not be seen as the first and only option, and it can never be taken lightly. It will change a patients life in unwanted and unexpected ways.

As wonderful as this piece of modern technology may sound, cosmetic surgery is not all that advantageous. Taking the “easy way out” is never as great as it seems at first glance - this is even explored in the classic short story, “The Truth About Pyecraft”, by H. G. Wells - and can only condone in negative life behaviour from not learning the life skill of slow and gradual success.

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