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That is not to say that individuals who are attractive do not enjoy many social advantages over those who are very unattractive. However, the individuals with the healthiest self-esteem are typically those who are neither extremely attractive nor extremely unattractive but closer to being average looking (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008). That is because both highly attractive and unattractive people are often judged prematurely by the way that they look: good looking people, in particular, may come to believe that their primary value is their looks (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008).
The connection between self-esteem and desire for physical enhancement through cosmetic surgery pertains to all ages but is especially significant for teenagers by virtue of the extreme importance of self-esteem issues that normally are part of adolescent development (Pitts-Taylor, 2007). Therefore, if distinguishing between psychologically healthy and psychologically unhealthy reasons for desiring cosmetic surgical procedures is important in the general prospective patient population, it is only that much more important an issue in connection with teenagers.
The Influence of Modern Media on Teen Perceptions and Values
Naturally, the modern media are strong influences on adolescent values and perceptions of reality. Today, teenagers are bombarded with images of physical perfection in the air-brushed pictures in advertisements and in the carefully managed appearance of their favorite musical and motion picture artists. Similarly, the advertisement of so many cosmetic surgery procedures and clinics on television and in other forms of media promote the perception that cosmetic surgery is necessary or that it is a normal solution to any aspect of non-contentment with one's physical appearance. At a more fundamental level, the popularity and increasingly common resort to surgery to correct minor physical imperfections also promotes the belief that physical perfection is the baseline for everyone.
Appropriate Parental Positions on the Issues
Parents whose children express the desire for cosmetic surgery should first consider whether or not the procedure at issue is an understandable source of unnecessary anxiety. Certainly, a harmless mole...
Generally, those types of cosmetic procedures should be considered in a different manner than the types of enhancements that are genuinely superficial, such as breast augmentation for teenagers. Generally, parents of all teenagers should emphasize that looks are superficial but parents of teenagers who wish to ameliorate a conspicuous (albeit cosmetic) source of understandable social anxiety might be well advised to pursue a cosmetic fix. Conversely, parents of teenagers who desire to enhance their looks in the pursuit of perfection might be best advised to deny those requests. At the very least, they might condition any consideration of such desires upon consultation with psychological experts capable of evaluating and addressing potential underlying self-esteem and other psychological factors that might be issues responsible for the desire for truly superficial cosmetic enhancements.
Reference
Gerrig, R. And Zimbardo, P. (2008). Psychology and Life. New Jersey: Pearson.
Levine, C. (2008). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Bioethical Issues. 12th Ed. Dubuque
Iowa: McGraw Hill.
Lite, J. And Dillon, N. (2007). "Kanye West's mom dies after cosmetic surgery" The New
York Daily News, November 13, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from:
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/11/13/2007-11-13_kanye_wests_mom_dies_after_cosmetic_surg.html
News Medical.Net. (2007). "Risks of cosmetic surgery under the spotlight again"
Retrieved June 26, 2011, from:
http://www.news-medical.net/print_article.asp?id=32545
Pitts-Taylor, V. (2007). Surgery Junkies: Wellness and Pathology in Cosmetic Culture.
New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
Tong, R. (2007). New Perspectives in Health Care Ethics: An Interdisciplinary and Cultural Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Zuckerman, D. And Abraham, A. "Teenagers and Cosmetic Surgery: Focus on Breast
Augmentation and Liposuction." Journal of Adolescent Health (April 2, 2008).
Reference
Gerrig, R. And Zimbardo, P. (2008). Psychology and Life. New Jersey: Pearson.
Levine, C. (2008). Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Bioethical Issues. 12th Ed. Dubuque
Iowa: McGraw Hill.
Lite, J. And Dillon, N. (2007). "Kanye West's mom dies after cosmetic surgery" The New
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/11/13/2007-11-13_kanye_wests_mom_dies_after_cosmetic_surg.html
http://www.news-medical.net/print_article.asp?id=32545
The patients have traces of "Body Dysmorphic Disorder repeatedly change or examine the offending body part to the point that the obsession interferes with other aspects of their life, several studies show that seven to twelve percent of plastic surgery patients have some form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and the majority of Body Dysmorphic Disorder patients who have cosmetic surgery do not experience improvement in their Body Dysmorphic Disorder
While it may seem our culture is concerned only with capitalism and the gain of economic surplus (Bell, 1975) there are many real reasons young teenagers ask for surgery. Parents, unlike children, may often offer a more objective vantage from which surgery, even elective surgery, can be scrutinized (Adams, 1996). Parents have the ability to ask the cosmetic surgeon whether they think a procedure will be necessary or whether a
Social Acceptance of Elective Cosmetic Surgery: A dangerous addiction to perfection Reconstructive surgery has its uses, such as restoring the face or body of someone disfigured in a car crash or other accident, or helping someone with genuine physical limitations (such as a harelip) which can have major negative medical and social consequences. However, the majority of reconstructive or plastic surgery is performed for purely cosmetic purposes in the United States.
North American Women Continue to be the Primary Targets and Consumers of Cosmetic Surgery? In a world in which we are judged by how we appear, the belief that we can change our appearance through cosmetic surgery is liberating to a lot of women. The growing popularity of cosmetic surgery is a testament to society's overrated fixation with appearance. For women living in North America, their appearance is in fact
Obesity, Prevention and Control in Teens Obesity refers to accumulation of harmful body fat levels, with excessive loose connective adipose tissues relative to lean body mass (Donatelle, 2002). One of the causes of obesity is high calorie consumption and the individual's inability to burn up the consumed calories. Obesity is said to be the outcome of imbalance of food consumed with energy expended (Venes, 2005). However, there are also considerable studies
Plastic Surgery Teen Plastic Surgery: A Controversial Medical Practice According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, in 2007, more than 87,000 teenagers had cosmetic surgery; and that number has grown exponentially since. Although aesthetic cosmetic surgery is popular amongst United States teens, physicians and plastic surgeons worry that such invasive surgery on teens' still growing bodies can be dangerous. Other developed countries, including Germany and Australia, are considering banning all but