Cosmetic Surgery: Why Do People put their Life in Danger so They Can Look Better?

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In 1999, a series by the Sun Sentinel found that “34 deaths in the preceding 12 years had been caused by plastic surgery” (LaMendola and Kestin). Which sparks a question, why do people put their lives in danger so they can look more attractive? Today we see the media proclaims that beauty is being skinny, having a thigh gap, having a pretty face, perfect teeth, or even big breasts. These factors push many young women as well as men to put their lives in danger just so they can be accepted by society because it puts too much emphasis on physical attractiveness. Now the real question comes to mind: is it really worth to risk our lives just to be able to be accepted by the people around us, or should we as well as others accept ourselves as we are? Plastic surgery dates all the way back to the early civilization. It is believed that nose reconstructions were performed in India as early as 2000 BCE (Borak). However, most of the modern procedures that we see today date back to 1880s and 1890s. During the 16th century plastic surgery became very popular mostly because plastic surgery was used to rebuild noses of syphilitics, which were victims of a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It was during this time that an Italian surgeon Gasparo Tagliacozzi began experimenting with the early Indian ideas dealing with the use of local and distant tissue to reconstruct complex wounds (Borak). Significant growth and innovation in the field took place during the first World War. Most of the soldiers coming home from the war have suffered “disfiguring injuries and needed skin grafting, and facial reconstruction from gunshot, blast and burn wounds” (Borak). In total around 11,000 operations were performed betwe... ... middle of paper ... ...me a reality, ever since he became know as “the real life Ken”. Justin Jedlica confesses to have spent $150,000 on 125 plastic surgeries, and he is still not finished. He describes his addiction with plastic surgeries as “an art form” (Juzwiak) believing that his perfect body will stay with him longer than money and other accessories. For those people who are determined to find beauty by doing cosmetic surgeries to alter their appearance do not care about the cost of the surgeries as long as they get their desired look. After looking at both sides of cosmetic surgeries controversy, it’s easy to see why many people have mixed feelings about it. For some people plastic surgery can change their lives, and makes them feel more confident with their bodies. However some people become addicted and do not know where to stop as a result they end up dying or being injured.

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