Final Reflection On Cosmetic Surgery

Through creating this blog, I had to ask myself what topic I thought would be genuinely interesting and out of the ordinary. I really wanted to pick a topic that was different and at first glance, may have not seemed like a significant issue in today’s society. I chose the topic of cosmetic plastic surgery because I am extremely interested in this field of medicine and I think that acceptance and the different perceptions of beauty are very prominent in our world. I have found through my own life experiences that I am my own worst critic towards my self-image. It is hard at times to not be over-obsessive about our flaws. Our flaws can affect our inner confidence which may ultimately affect overall happiness. I understand that our happiness and contentment is somewhat related to our self-image, but to what extreme should we go to try and correct this? Do we need intense surgical procedures to make ourselves happier or can we obtain this through a more natural and less-costly process such as physical fitness? Through this blog, the answers to these questions have appeared to me more clearly. I have been able to distinguish this argument as a binary, with two sides, each with its own players. Through understanding both positions of this argument and their history, I have realized that by condemning one, the problem would ultimately not be solved and a bigger battle would arise. I have taken “authority” over this argument by researching cosmetic surgery and the controversy that lies within this issue. I have been able to understand it in an unbiased way, which has allowed me to see both sides of the argument as significant. Although at the beginning of the blog, I had my own opinion and bias regarding this topic, I have reached the conclusion that both sides of the argument are valid. I no longer see this topic through only my personal experiences and beliefs, but through the perspective evident on the other end of the argument as well. In fact, each side displays its own problems and bias, but by researching and staying open-minded about the topic, these can be attacked and corrected. I think that this topic is encompassed by an even bigger problem and by solving this problem the issue itself may be fully able to disappear. In conclusion of my blog I would like to leave you, the reader, with one final question. Is beauty something that has to be seen to be perceived? I believe that when this question can be fully answered, the controversy over cosmetic surgery may in fact be answered as well.

The Binary

When introducing and executing an effective argument, two sides must be established. A binary must exist with defined limitations that are demonstrated competently without jumps in logic. The argument must exist in a specific world or instance. The issue of cosmetic surgery subsides in a moment of acceptance. The ethos, in this scene of controversy, is defined unbiasedly through the fact that each side of the argument is seeking to understand acceptance and how outer beauty relates to acceptance in today’s society. In the argument for cosmetic plastic surgery, main “players” are evident. The players are the factions, camps, and schools of thought which take a position in this argument. The main players are the portion of society against cosmetic surgery and the portion of society that supports cosmetic surgery. The portion of society against cosmetic surgery includes many general physicians who are getting paid the worst because of the increasing amount of specializing doctors and naturalists who believe that beauty comes from within rather than from surgical procedures. Many athletes have a tendency to frown upon cosmetic surgery because of their understanding that fitness can easily help one attain a better self-image and sleeker body. The portion of society who supports plastic surgery consists mainly of plastic surgeons, because they support their field of study and believe that cosmetic surgery can help people achieve more self confidence. In addition, many in the upper class lifestyle support this evolving field of medicine because they have to money to afford the procedures. Both sides recognize this issue as a growing trend, especially in America. They also recognize that beauty exists through the eyes of our society today and the way that this beauty is perceived may significantly change through the growth and advancement of cosmetic surgery. In closing, the issue of cosmetic surgery and the perception of beauty is continuing to split and through this binary and the recognition of each player active in this topic, an effective argument can be established.

The History Of Cosmetic Surgery

The history of surgery reaches back in history to 800 B.C. in India where skin grafts and fine suturing were performed to correct facial disfigurements and tumors. Surgery has advanced tremendously since then and new procedures and ideas of beauty have been established. In America, cosmetic surgery started to play a huge role after World War I. There were a high number of shattered faces that needed to be rebuilt and reconstructive surgery gave many of these soldiers hope. After the war era, surgeons began to recognize the capabilities of reconstructive procedures and the potential it offered. The purpose of plastic surgery has changed a great deal from altering facial deformities to achieving the ideal self-image. There was an early struggle for cosmetic surgeons to gain recognition. Dr. Charles Miller, seen by many as the originator of cosmetic surgery, was considered an impostor by countless general surgeons. His book, The Correction of Featural Imperfections, did not gain any respect in the medical world and was ahead of its time in many aspects. Many early cosmetic surgeons devoted their life and practices to plastics and consistently faced hostility and opposition from other fields of medicine. It wasn’t until later in the 20th century that plastic surgery emerged as a recognized specialty. There has been a constant shift in views concerning the validness of cosmetic surgery and there is a higher openness and acceptance than in early history. More procedures and techniques are being developed as more people seek to undergo the knife to correct areas they are not completely satisfied with. It is beginning to be defined as a positive experience for many people.

The history of plastic surgery was very informative and interesting to me because I was unaware at how much opposition there was to it at the beginning of history. I was very surprised to see how much cosmetic surgery has changed over the course of the 20th century and I suspect that it will continue to transform. I have discovered that although plastic surgery may be a positive experience, many still find through the history, that it is a negative tool in our society. Throughout the years, there continues to remain a controversy on whether plastic surgery should be recognized as a specialty and be practiced by many surgeons.

Bias Evident in my Perception About Cosmetic Surgery

Growing up in a middle-class family, I have been raised to believe that cosmetic surgery is costly, unnecessary, and morally degrading. My parents have made known to me that they believe that your success and happiness comes from the inside, rather then from your self-image. They have had an extreme influence over me, but as I have gotten older and branched away from their beliefs and started to form my own, I have noticed many of my peers showing an interest in plastic surgery and a desire to take on a procedure in the future. This was puzzling to me at first, thinking only on what my parents had instilled in me as a child, but I have grown to realize that their may be many more positive aspects to cosmetic surgery than I at first noticed. There is bias evident in my pursuit through the fact that I have grown up in an environment thinking that people are supposed to be judged and appraised for their inner-self. Also, through studying the concept of plastic surgery for my senior project, I was able to discover many new concepts about it and the project revealed to me that my upbringing and the opinions of my parents might not have been as valid and truthful as I had first thought. Bias is also revealed through seeing in the eye of my mentor who was a plastic surgeon himself. Professionals are required to support their own field. I have been in constant exposure to the bias of cosmetic surgery and I am seeking to eliminate it through this blog and my investigation.

Understanding the Different Perspectives on Cosmetic Surgery

Plastic surgery is defined as surgery concerned with the repair, restoration, or improvement of lost, injured, defective, or misshapen body parts. Is it necessary to undergo such surgery for discontentment with one’s self-image? This question is challenging to answer and a divide would quickly form between believers and nonbelievers in cosmetic plastic surgery. Cosmetic plastic surgery focuses on the enhancement of one’s appearance and seeks to restore or enhance normal appearance to an ideal. The main purpose when undergoing this form of surgery is to obtain confidence and comfort with one’s self. This can be a difficult concept to grasp through the fact that a 100 percent confidence level appears nearly impossible. Many times people find when one thing is right, another is wrong. People have a tendency to have an ongoing cycle of dissatisfaction with themselves. Therefore, how could people be genuinely happy after surgery when almost immediately another problem surfaces? Surgeons and supporters of this field of surgery have a clear answer. Cosmetic surgery is an efficient way to help people change in an idealistic way. Surgery can make people feel new and improved, which can evoke a content lifestyle. Although realistically, not every surgery can give the desired results, cosmetic plastic surgery may provide the change and confidence needed to make anyone happier. Happiness plays an important role in our everyday lives. Without it, we are lost and are unable to grasp the pleasure and excitement of life itself. With it, we feel free and willing to take on everything and anything that is thrown down our path. The most important thing in life is to be happy. If surgery can create this happiness is anyone’s life, maybe it is detrimental to our society. Cosmetic surgery reveals many positive and negative aspects that can both be addressed and play an important role in the values, efficiency, and creativity of today’s society.

http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=553
This website offers a good debate about the pros and cons of cosmetic plastic surgery and seeks to answer the question of whether or not cosmetic surgery should be banned.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=667
This website debates whether or not christians should seek plastic surgery and proposes a religion-based arguement.

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/beauty/community/surgery/articles/0,,598844_612625,00.html?dst=rssukbea
This website reveals how cosmetic surgery is becoming more accessible, but may not always be the answer.

http://www.cosmeticsurgerytimes.com/
This site contains articles about cosmetic surgery and offers a pro-surgery perception.

Posits

What is the causal relationship between cosmetic surgery and inner happiness?

What is the causal relationship between cosmetic surgery and the increasing loss of health care coverage?

What is the causal relationship between cosmetic surgery and the values of our society today?

What is the causal relationship between cosmetic surgery and the necessity to stay physically active?

Some wounds we carry with us everywhere and though the cut's long gone, the pain still lingers: Reflection on Plastic Surgery

As a first-year college student, I am constantly searching for a purpose. I have interests and goals just like any other person, and I am extremely driven to succeed. During my senior year I was required to devote a large amount of time and energy into producing a research project of my choice and creating a physical product that displayed the understanding I gained from my research. At first glance, the project seemed pointless and time-consuming, but through finishing the assignment, I realized that this project had an incredible impact on my life and helped me better understand the goals I wanted to set and achieve for myself. I chose to research cleft lip and palate, which are two of the most common birth defects effecting children today. Cleft lip and palate both require plastic surgery in order to help the child gain better ability to breathe, speak, and eat. The surgery would also allow the child to maintain normal facial features, a better self-image, and a more “average” life as a whole. Through this project, I was required to use a mentor to better my understanding and knowledge of the topic. Not thinking too much about it, I chose a local plastic surgeon. I thought that a mentor in this field would have valuable information regarding cleft lip and palate although I never realized how valuable the information would turn out to be. My mentor gave me a different perspective on the field of plastic surgery, and better yet helped me discover part of my purpose: to help people, and to make people happy. Plastic surgery is not simply a way to gain a better self-image and the confidence that comes hand-in-hand with this, but an escape, an escape from the past and an outlet to change. People have inward problems that they have a tendency to associate with their outward appearance. Looking in the mirror, the only way for the pain and the history to go away, is to see something different, to see someone different. This may be a new nose, a facelift, or a breast augmentation: Anything that helps a person feel new, improved, and ready for change in their life. But this raises many controversies. Why can’t we just be content with who we are? How it is possible for a simple and almost unnoticeable surgery to evoke inner happiness? The answer to me is challenging. Both arguments are valid and in my mind, and deserve to be challenged. I will seek to answer in my blog the question of the effectiveness and usefulness of cosmetic surgery in our society today.