How does cosmetic surgery

impact the physical and

mental health of humans in
our society?
Abbey He
9496
Word Count: 1860
30th March 2015
Mrs Raychel Smith
TurnitIN:

Abstract
The research question How does cosmetic surgery impact the
physical and mental health of humans in our society? was
answered by identifying the positive and negative effects plastic
surgery brings to our society. Internet research was conducted
using different online articles and journals, books and newspaper
articles. This research paper has identified a number of benefits and
risks of aesthetic cosmetic surgery including a little background on
the evolution of these procedures. These pros and cons relate to
body image, the media and its impact, probability of health
complications and many more. A conclusion has been given to some
extent regarding whether or not plastic surgery is a suitable solution
to whatever reason the possible patient is trying to resolve.

Table of Contents
Abstract...........................................................................2
Introduction...................................................................... 4
History.............................................................................4
Positive Points..................................................................5

Safety....................................................................................5
Perks of being attractive.........................................................5
Self-confidence and body-image..............................................5
Health Physical Impairments...................................................6

Negative Points................................................................6

The Media..............................................................................6
Body Dissatisfaction...............................................................6
Eating Disorders.....................................................................7
Misrepresentation of women...................................................7

Conclusion........................................................................7
Reference.........................................................................9

Websites................................................................................9
Newspaper Articles.................................................................9
Journals and research papers..................................................9
Books...................................................................................10

Introduction
In todays society, the number of people who chose to undergo
cosmetic surgery is increasing by the minute. It has already
become a social norm in cities such as Seoul, Korea, where it is
suspected that one in every five women has gone under the knife
for cosmetic surgery reasons. With the prices becoming cheaper,
procedures becoming safer and the overall idea gaining more social
acceptance less and less are considering the dangers of changing
the natural appearance of ones body. With all the hype that
surrounds this massive leap forward in human technology and
science, what are the consequences for being physically on par with
the beauty standards set by our demanding social media platforms?
Through research done using a variety of sources, this research
paper will compare the positive and negative points of undergoing
aesthetic plastic surgery procedures.

History
Cosmetic surgery has progressed remarkably as more and more
people are choosing to undergo these procedures. Medical
technology research has reached new limits and therefore making
surgery safer and cheaper than ever before. When in comes to
progress in the cosmetic surgery sector, one cannot discuss the
topic without mentioning the evolution of breast augmentation. With
the first ever-documented breast augmentation surgery taking place
in 1895, this procedure has come a long way. Back then surgery
was conducted using materials such as glass, ivory, metal and
rubber. Later, American Surgeon Charles miller introduced the use of
"braided silk, bits of silk floss, particles of celluloid, vegetable ivory,
and several other foreign materials."(Henig RM. The price of
perfection. Civilization. 1996(May/June):56-61)Needless to say,
these materials were dangerous and lead to various health
complications that caused the patients much pain. Fast-forward to
world war one where the technique of skin grafting was utilized to
correct the damaged facial features and structures of injured
soldiers. From then on, plastic surgery slowly spread and began to
be more widely known for commercial reasons.

Positive Points
Safety
Due to the major advances in surgery technology and techniques
has lowered any risks dramatically. According to statistics from
international cosmetics surgery association, when it comes to breast
augmentation surgery, the likelihood of an infection is 0.25% and
1% for bleeding. The highest probability of occurrence for a fatality
during a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure is: one out of
13,000.Furthermore, these risks are only likely when the patient has
not strictly followed instructions of the surgeon after leaving the
hospital. Another possibility is personal health problems passed
down the family tree however any type of surgery is a major risk for
these patients. The safety of aesthetic surgery can also be a
negative factor. This will be explored and discussed in the negative
points section of the report.

Perks of being attractive

There are numerous advantages to meeting the criteria for beauty
in our society. Firstly, beautiful people are viewed as being healthier
and they generally are. In a study of 17 year olds conducted by the
University of Western Australia, it was proven that those considered
less attractive with distinctive facial deautures were more prone to
various types of diseases and illnesses. Whilst on the other hand
the more average looking was less likely to experience poor health.
One explanation for this is that facial distinctiveness is linked to
chromosomal disorders due to evolution. (Rhodesa,G, 2000)
Additionally, it is scientifically proven that attractive people have it
easier. A study showed that when in a job interview with 2
interviewees and all other factors except for physical attractiveness
are the same, it is almost certain that the one with a more appealing
face will be chosen. (Hamermesh, D.S, 2011) As predicted, this
biasness when it comes to looks also leads to economic disparity
between the good looking and the not so good looking.

Self-confidence and body-image

Cosmetic surgery patients can expect to see a dramatic increase in
self-confidence and self-worth after their procedures. This statement
was provided from research conducted by Professor Laurence
Kirwan. A study done by the The Aesthetic Surgery Education and
Research Foundation (ASERF) found that within 12 months of
surgery (more commonly straight after surgery) patients are found
to have significant increases in their self-confidence.Patients
experience a significant and lasting improvement in appearance and
body image following surgery, said Professor Kirwan. Professor
Kirwan also found that 98 per cent (87 per cent in the ASERF study)
of his patients reported satisfaction with postoperative outcomes.
One year after surgery, 97 per cent (97 per cent in the ASERF study)
continued to report they would recommend surgery to others and 97
per cent (93 per cent in the ASERF study) indicated they would have
surgery again. Professor Kirwan says: Patients who invest their time
and money in cosmetic procedures without doubt experience lasting
improvement in body image. There is certainly no worsening of
depressive symptoms or other negative emotional outcomes.

Health Physical Impairments

Health Is one of the reasons many people go through plastic surgery.
The most popular and common health related body augumentation
is breast reduction surgery. A large number of women experience
regular back pain due to having breats too large for their frames to
uphold. This can lead to many spinal problems in their later years.
For people who were born with natural body deformities or have
physical impairments due to accidents, plastic surgery can really
make a huge impact on their lives. Common deformities such as a
cleft lips and crooked nose bumps can be easily fixed with aesthetic
surgery. Regardless of the reason, these minor deformities could
lead to a decrease in self-confidence, psychological stress and/or
trauma. These small surgical acts can dramatically change the
persons future opportunities and chances due to the high standards
set by our society. This applies especially to young children who may
be ridiculed in school for these problems that are out of their
control.

Negative Points
The Media
Many teenagers are bullied due to not fitting in with societys image
of beautiful, which in the 21st century is skinny, tall and busty with
long flowing hair. The media is especially to blame when it comes to
these impossible standards. However instead of tabloids and
celebrity gossip magazines, the main culprits for the rapid spread of
self-depreciating images or messages these days are online social
platforms Tumblr, and Instagram. These websites make it easy for

users to spread harmful messages relating to self-esteem and body

satisfaction in large amounts and also at an impossibly fast rate.
They start up trends such as thinspiration, a term which combines
the word thin and inspiration to describe images that inspire other
to be thin and thigh gap which is the space between the thighs of a
woman that is evidence of someone being thin and basically one of
the characteristics for a perfect body. With 420 million users and a
total of 99 billion posts, it is impossible to stop the spread of
unhealthy messages that could spark various eating disorders or
mental health issues. An interview with 4 American high school
juniors on ABCs Good Morning America proved that teenagers do in
fact feel pressured to reach the impossible body standards set by
the media.

Body Dissatisfaction
Body dissatisfaction is arguably the most common problem
experienced by patients of cosmetic surgery After having gone
through any type of plastic surgery, most patients expect to see
some kind of rise in self-confidence due to the augmentation of their
supposed flaw. Low self-esteem and body disproval is the prime
reason for patients who chose to go under the knife therefore after
their imperfection has been corrected, shouldnt there be an up rise
in body satisfaction? Even though this is the expected outcome,
most cases do not turn out to be this way. After surgery, the patient
tends to focus a lot more on that corrected area than they did
before. This is especially evident in breast augmentation patients
when being asked 12 months after the initial surgery whether or not
they would like to further upsize, more than half said they would be
happy to go up another cup size. A study conducted by Doctor David
Sarwer- professor of phycology at the University of Pennsylvaniadebunked many of the medias body-image myths. Firstly.

Eating Disorders
Although body image and self-esteem does not directly correspond
with physical health issues, poor self-confidence is shown to be
related to many serious mental disorders such as: anorexia nervosa,
These disorders could then lead to severe health and diet issues or
in the worst case scenario, suicide. This is especially likely when in
comes to teenagers who are not as emotionally stable as adults.
They tend to be easily influenced by the environment around them
more specifically their peers and therefore are more likely to follow
unhealthy eating habits under peer or media pressure. New statistic
from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)
recorded 2560 patients with eating disorders being administered
into the hospital in the 12 months to October (2014) which is 8%
more than the 2,370 cases in 2013. Plastic surgery could further
worsen these numbers since there are increasing in numbers in
cosmetic surgery patients there are also more people who look like
societys unnatural perfect human being. By making what is highly

unlikely and impossible the social norm, those who are unable to
achieve these standards (most commonly teenagers) due to
whatever means, could be negatively affected. One of the possible
negative effects being an eating disorder.

Misrepresentation of women
One of many reasons women choose to undergo breast implant
surgery is to attract the opposite sex. Although a far stretch, having
this be the main reason for going under the knife can encourage
misogynistic thinking. Not to mention how this is not aiding the
progress of female empowerment that is one of the millennium
development goals. But of course, as mentioned earlier, this is a
rather dubious side effect.

Conclusion
Whether or not plastic surgery is the right choice depends purely on
the situation and reason for choosing this as the solution to a
problem. If you plan on going through aesthetic surgery for reasons
other than health, it is advisable that you reconsider. As already
stated in the negative points section of this research paper, altering
your physical features to satisfy the standards of others and the
public may not make you as happy as you think it would. Especially
considering beatu standards have constantly evolved over the
years-what is considered beautiful now may not be disireable in a
few years time. Instead of improving the situation, the alteration of
your natural features could be sending yourself through a neverending hole of self-loathe and body dissatisfaction. The post-surgery
effects are different for everyone and the whether or not it is worth
the risks is up to the patient. In conclusion, there are liable and
legitimate arguments for both sides of the argument therefore a
winner cannot be decided. However regardless of these points, if
you believe going under the knife is the right choice for you, by all
means do as your wish. That is one of the most liberating freedoms
we have in todays society, the ability to make our own choices
about our own bodies.

Reference
Websites
Plastic Surgery and the Media - Body Image: What Effect the
Media Has On People. [INTERNET] Available at:
http://bodyimagetroubles.weebly.com/plastic-surgery-and-themedia.html. [Accessed 17 March 2015].
American Society of Plastic Surgeons- 2014 Cosmetic Plastic
Surgery Statistics. [INTERNET] Available at:
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Documents/newsresources/statistics/2014-statistics/cosmetic-procedure-trends2014.pdf. [Accessed 17 March 2015].
Business Insider. 2015. Attractive People Are Simply More Successful
| Business Insider. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/attractive-people-are-moresuccessful-2012-9. [Accessed 29 March 2015].

Eating Disorders Explained - Body Image. 2015. Eating Disorders

Explained - Body Image. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.nedc.com.au/body-image. [Accessed 29 March 2015].
'Plastic surgery dramatically improves self esteem and body image'.
[ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/health/Cosmetic+Surgery-231186.html.
[Accessed 29 March 2015].
Eating disorder increase among young people - Telegraph. 2015.
Eating disorder increase among young people - Telegraph. [ONLINE]
Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/10607237/Eatingdisorder-increase-among-young-people.html. [Accessed 29 March
2015].
American Psychological Association-Plastic surgery: Beauty or
beast? . 2015. Plastic surgery: Beauty or beast? . [ONLINE] Available
at: http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.aspx. [Accessed 29
March 2015].

Newspaper Articles
Sieghart, M.A.(2013) Cosmetic surgery is bad. That women feel the
need for it is worse. The Independent, 2 January, p.07.

Journals and research papers

Gillian Rhodesa, *, Leslie A. Zebrowitzb, Alison Clarka , S. Michael
Kalickc , Amy Hightowera , Ryan McKaya a Department of
Psychology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, WA
6907, Australia b Department of Psychology, Brandeis University,
Waltham, MA, USA c Department of Psychology, University of
Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA Received 7 July 2000; received in
revised form 29 August 2000; accepted 5 September 2000
Sadick, Neil S. (2008) The impact of cosmetic interventions on
quality of life Dermatology Online Journal 14 (8): 2

Books
Hamermesh, D.S. (2011) Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are
More Successful. New Jersey: Princeton University Press

More info:
A. After cosmetic surgical procedures, patients do experience improvements in
body image.[1] The primary catalyst for a cosmetic procedure is dissatisfaction
with a part of their appearance -- with their nose in the case of rhinoplasty, their

love handles in the case of liposuction, or their breasts in the case of breast
augmentation. After surgery, the vast majority report improvements in their
physical appearance and their body image. In some cases, however, patients may
be dissatisfied because of complications or scarring. In other cases, it may be they
had unrealistic expectations about what the surgery was going to do. Somewhere
between 5 and 15 percent of patients suffer from body dysmorphic disorder.
They're preoccupied with a relatively slight defect in their appearance. Those
patients typically don't report improvements in their body image after undergoing
cosmetic surgery.
Myth 5: Breast implants boost body image.
A. Seven studies throughout the world have shown an increased rate of suicide
two to three times greater among women who have undergone cosmetic breast
augmentation. (These studies were looking at women who get breast implants for
cosmetic purposes, not for cancer.) The reasons are not particularly wellarticulated, but it's likely that these women have preexisting [mental illness] that
is not picked up by the plastic surgeon or not even recognized by the patient
herself. One of the strongest predictors of a subsequent suicide is a history of
psychiatric hospitalization. These women already have a history of significant
mental illness that is returning some time within years after the cosmetic
procedure.