Ever since plastic surgery rose to popularity in the 1980’s, it has been a controversial matter. People have spent many hours debating on how ethical, safe and worthwhile plastic surgery is. On one hand, it can do a lot of good for people who have low self esteem over their appearance. On the other hand, it is the practice of altering one’s body, which can be considered harmful and unnatural. Ultimately, the jury is still out, but plastic surgery is a discussion item that everyone seems to have an opinion about.
Plastic surgery is certainly not without benefits. There are some people born with disproportionate features or unwanted physical aberrations. For example, if someone’s nose is excessively large and plastic surgery has given them the option of re-sizing it to suit their face without damaging its function, there is hardly an argument against that. People can suffer immensely due to humiliation over an unsightly physical feature. Similarly, if someone is born with a mole or a birthmark that serves no bodily function, there is nothing unethical about having it removed. This scenario is responsible for no physical change to a person other than a minor aesthetic alteration.
This is not to say that plastic surgery is not without its drawbacks. There are still plastic surgeries that go badly wrong and jeopardize people’s health and safety. A poor plastic surgeon may use the wrong substance, or a substance may be contaminated, which causes people to have an adverse physical reaction. Or, the surgeon may just be untalented, and make the person look unnatural. Another major drawback to plastic surgery is that it is addictive. There are people who have literally spent millions of dollars on cosmetic operations. The worst part of this is, the more plastic surgery you receive, the more potential for error you subject yourself to, and the more unnatural your appearance begins to look. Those who have become addicted to plastic surgery usually serve as the cautionary tales to anyone considering plastic surgery. In conclusion, those considering plastic surgery should take their time and meditate upon the gravity and the permanency of their decision.