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Axia College UOP

Cosmetic Surgery: Worth the Risk?

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In today's society the picture of beauty is a rail thin super model with the body of a goddess

posted on billboards all around the world. Children are brought up playing with Barbie dolls with

the body measurements of would be 39, 18, 38. Because of these pictures and other figures of

beauties projected all over, a person is convinced to believe that to be beautiful and happy, one

must look like these images. To most, the easiest way to achieve this is my having cosmetic

surgery performed. With the change of times, also has come the advancement of medical

procedures, yet how safe can a person be who is having cosmetic surgery performed on their

body. No matter how good the technological advancements may be, there is always the risk of

not only the surgery resulting in unwanted outcomes, but in some cases even death.

Society today has brain washed not only today's women, but also the men to believe that in

order for a person to look beautiful they must look like the images seen on television, in movies

and on the cover of magazines. These images portray grotesquely thin women and muscular men

with the infamous six-pack abs. The Hollywood figures that are so famous for their looks and

bodies also encourage the belief that thin is beautiful. These images are plastered all over

billboards, television show and commercials and magazine advertisements. With all these visions

of beauty seen everywhere in a person's every day life, a person feels compelled to look just like

those images.

Busy lifestyles of many people keep most of exercising daily in order to receive the fit and

trim bodies to look beautiful. This then leads many to resort to cosmetic surgery. This however,

can be a dangerous choice. Many fatalities have been reported as a result of surgical procedures.

One report stated that over an 18-month period, 69 fatal outcomes of surgery were reported.

(Foreman, 2) Yet, many who are looking into having a surgical procedure performed do not take

this risk into account.

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Although the technological advancements of today may seem to have improved the results of

cosmetic surgery today, more complications can also arise from improper training of the surgeon.

(Hilton) Many "discount" price plastic surgeons that claim to offer professional service for a low

price have begun to show up all over the country. Most of these doctors not even properly trained

to perform such drastic cosmetic surgeries. A doctor can attend a seminar at a hotel and in a few

hours, learn how to perform liposuction. (Davis)

With the increase of untrained surgeons performing these procedures, the risk of death and

improper results also increases greatly. Low-income people that are attracted to the visions of

beauty on the magazines are caught in the lure of these "fake" surgeons. These doctors promise

perfect results at half the price of experienced surgeons. Some of these doctors may even

produce fake credentials, such as fake PhDs, for customers to view. Customers see these and

without doing any research on the doctor, pay the money for the surgery to be performed. Any

doctor can perform procedures such as liposuction; even dentists have been doing it. (Davis)

Many fatalities of cosmetic surgeries in recent years have been as a result of unlicensed doctors

performing highly technical surgeries. "It's especially risky if it's done in a doctor's office, if the

doctor is not properly trained and certified..." (Foreman, 1)

A current issue in Miami, Florida involves a plastic surgery "doctor" named Reinaldo

Silvestre who is believed to have fled the country as a result of the charges of aggravated battery

and practicing medicine without a license. Silvestre, practicing out of a small office, is accused

of using a kitchen-type spatula to force female breast implants in to a male bodybuilder's chest.

In two other surgeries, Silvestre performed breast augmentation on two females that resulted in

the deformation of both women's chests. (Qureshi, 1-3)

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Most of these doctors also perform their surgeries in unsanitary conditions such as office-based

procedures. As a result of this, infections can occur after the surgery has been performed.

Mycobacterium can cause skin or wound infection to the patient after the surgery. (Hilton) Since

many doctors performing cosmetic surgery are not all licensed by the American Board of Plastic

and Reconstructive Surgeons and mandatory testing is not performed on their surgical tools and

area, many infections can occur as a result. Dirty tools can cause bacteria to be present in the

body after the surgery, resulting in infection and sometimes death. To many doctors, the patient is

not a person; they are merely money in the doctors' pocket. (Need to get source)

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons acknowledged in a 1998 press release that there

have been five reported deaths of patients who had lipoplasty. (Liposuction, 1) In 1997, a 47-

year-old California woman died after a 10-1/2 hour liposuction surgery. An administrative law

judge ruled that her plastic surgeon gave her too much tumescent fluid. In a second surgery, a 43-

year-old women went in for a "lunchtime lipo" and was dead soon after. An obstetrician-

gynecologist who hadn't even completed a two-weekend course had performed her surgery. A

third death occurred to a 51-year-old Florida man who died as a result of vavular heart disease

due to diet drugs and complications of plastic surgery. (Foreman, 2)

(NOTE: People Magazine- Special Report: A Body to Die for...) Because mandatory

reporting of cosmetic procedures is not in existence, the actual number of deaths and

unsatisfactory results is unknown. With the increasing number of untrained doctors also

performing cosmetic surgery, data reporting may also be inconsistent, as these surgeries are not

reported to the Board. 172,000 liposuction surgeries are performed each year by Board-certified

plastic surgeons. Yet since unlicensed doctors can perform the operation, the total number could

be more than double that. (Davis)

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Many cases have been reported of deaths as a result of cosmetic surgical procedures. (Find

examples) Yet, many people are still drawn into the lure of looking beautiful. They don't care

about the price they have to pay, which could ultimately be their own life. People are only

concerned with the fact of being beautiful. Most importantly, society accepts this desire; even

producing television shows dedicated to the televising of plastic surgery procedures. The

Learning Channel has recently produced a television series aptly titled "A Personal Story" in

which people voluntary appear on the show. They are followed by cameras a couple of days

before the procedure and then appear again several days or even months later to let the world

view the results of the surgery.

However, the series has never shown a surgery that has produced negative results. This fact

encourages people to have procedures performed on themselves. If they are never informed of

the fact that serious complications can occur, then they will never know to worry about checking

out the doctors and procedures before the surgery is performed.

Other factors must also be taken into account when viewing risks of a cosmetic procedure.

Smoking for instance can greatly increase the risk of complications for anyone having surgery.

(State why... find source) Another complication can occur from the local anesthetic given to the

patients while undergoing the surgery. People allergic to the local anesthetic can have very

severe reactions to the drug. One example is a person waking up during surgery. This can cause

the person to feel every pock and prick performed during the surgery yet the person is not able to

speak or move. Therefore, the patient has no way of informing the doctors or nurses that they are

not "asleep" for the procedure.

Many people believe that to be happy in life and be beautiful to all that see them, they must

have the beautiful bodies of runway super models or the muscles of Mr. America. With the
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advertisement of products today and the idolization of actors and actresses also comes the

repercussions. Not only will older generations begin to have a distorted view of what a person

should look like, the new generations of tomorrow will also be more likely to have more

problems as a result of low self-esteem and poor body image. We should not only cut back on the

use of cosmetic surgery for safety reasons but also because it is destroying the simple beauty of a

person being who they are. The American society will change its view of people in the years to

come. Generations to come will grow up feeling that they are being judged on not who they are

as a person, but how they look. If they don't look like the super model they have come to believe

as perfect beauty, then they will not believe in themselves, causing psychological problems.

People considering plastic surgery should be informed of all the risks. They should not be

concerned with trying to live up to society's standards and the price of the operations. True self

respect comes from within, and no amount of plastic surgery can change that. They should most

be concerned with the real price, which could end up being their lives.
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References:

MSN Encarta. (2009). Cosmetic Surgery. Retrieved February 15, 2009 from

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761577922/Plastic_Surgery.html#p3

Smart Plastic Surgery. (2009). Cosmetic plastic surgery basics: risks. Retrieved February 15,

2009 from http://www.smartplasticsurgery.com/surgery/risks.html

MayoClinic.com. (2009). Women’s Health. Cosmetic Surgery: What to know beforehand.

Retrieved February 16, 2009 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cosmetic-surgery/sn00006