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.
