Importance of Plastic Surgery in Our Society

Plastic Surgery in America

When people hear the term "plastic surgery," they almost immediately think of the negative connotations of that phrase. While it is certainly true that many Americans have had elective plastic surgery, there are far more types of medical procedures that fall under this category than the stereotypical nose jobs or breast enhancements. There are pros and cons to the debate about plastic surgery and its importance in this society. Most of the arguments against plastic surgery focus on the cosmetic aspects of this field and thus overlook some of the real world positive applications. Plastic surgery is overused in this country in terms of people who have unnecessary operations in order to alter their physical appearance to create some perceived ideal or to better match what the media portrays as beautiful. It is definitely true that this branch of plastic surgeries has had negative side effects in this country, coercing young men and women to go under the knife when the procedures are unnecessary. However, plastic surgery can also help in the healing process of people who have had serious diseases like cancer or who have been severely injured in fires, car accidents, or assaults. There is a difference between unneeded, cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. What differentiates the two is the purpose for the surgery. In elective plastic surgery, the patient is unhappy with their appearance and desires surgery. There is nothing physically wrong with the individual. It is all about superficiality. For those who get reconstructive surgery, they are literally and metaphorically rebuilding their lives. This latter type of surgery is important to the continuation and betterment of the life of the patient (Reconstructive Surgery). In America, it would be best if the more popular, cosmetic and unneeded medical procedures were limited so that funds, time, energy, and research could be better utilized by being applied to cases of plastic surgery which help people rebuild their lives after tragedy.

The practice that is known as plastic surgery has been performed throughout known history. Plastic surgery as it is known today gained popularity at the beginning of the Second World War (Erhardt). After the First World War, soldiers around the world who had lost limbs and had been severely damaged physically and emotionally during their time in Europe, began looking for ways to treat their injuries and disabilities. By the time of the Second World War, it became evident that weaponry had become sophisticated beyond the ability of modern medicine to treat and heal injuries. New technologies and treatments were researched and investigated by medical scientists around the world in order to provide aid for the new war's casualties. Soon, the practice became advanced enough to the point where the surgeries can be performed at hospitals outside of the jurisdiction of the military. By the middle of the century, plastic surgery had become a specialty and the only people certified would have to show expertise in general surgery.

As stated, there are some negative sides to the concept of plastic surgery which must first be addressed. In the article "The Empire of Images in our World of Bodies," author Susan Bordo illustrates the ways in which our lives are saturated by the visual iconography of our consumerist society. Specifically, Bordo is concerned with the ways in which perceptions of the human body tend to conform to the saturation of body types in the visual culture. Everything in society is valued by comparing it to some visual ideal which no one can achieve through natural means. "Aging beautifully' used to mean wearing one's years with style, confidence, and vitality. Today, it means not appearing to age at all. And -- like breasts that defy gravity -- it's becoming a new bodily norm" (Bordo 1). The modern sense of the word beauty is defined by massive amounts of cosmetic plastic surgery which alter an otherwise naturally beautiful woman into a homogenous countenance where those considered beautiful all have to look like they came out of the same mold. Anything that ventures outside this modern normative, such as remaining a natural look are unnatural beings to the public mindset and thus undesirable. Bordo's thesis is that the celebrity iconography of the popular culture dictates the self-perception of the population. Although the authors point is a pertinent one, she seems to leave out the implications of choice and the culpability of the parents in the destruction of self-perception and understanding. Bordo derides psychologist Sheryl Lamb and her theories about young children. Lamb tells mothers to allow their little girls to wear "thick blue eye shadow, spaghetti straps and bra straps intertwined, long and leggy with short black dresses" because they are "silly and adorable, sexy and marvelous all at once" (Bordo 1). The author is visibly disgusted by Sheryl Lamb's writing and yet Bordo makes no remark about the culpability of the parents of these children. It is after all the responsibility of the parent to secure the self-esteem of their children, particularly their daughters.

Now, although there are some definitive downsides to advancements in the technology of plastic surgeries, there are also a plethora of benefits which aid people with physical deformities which were either caused by birth or by some lifetime trauma (Erhardt). For researchers investigating this branch of plastic surgery, they are not interested in finding new procedures for altering a person's natural features into some socially-dictated ideal. These medical procedures are called reconstructive surgeries because they rebuild the person to a state that they were physically before their accident or illness. They are also used to fix or prevent deformities or physical abnormalities in the individual. Because this country is so obsessed with superficiality and a person's looks, people who have physical features which are not considered part of the norm are made the object of ridicule. A physical condition can lead to severe emotional illnesses because of the pressure that is involved in living every single day outside the boundaries of what American media says is beautiful.

Tumor removals are the most common reason for reconstructive plastic surgery in the United States (Erhardt). Among the list of reconstructive surgeries which are performed for patients in need are: breast reconstruction, breast reduction, cleft lip and palate repair, hand surgery, scar revision, skin cancer repair, and for treatment of burn victims (Reconstructive). All of these procedures are designed to provide physical and emotional healing to an individual through medical intervention.

Breast reconstruction is a medical procedure wherein a woman's breast is rebuilt following a mastectomy. A mastectomy is a medical treatment for breast cancer. Often when the tumor within the breast is too large or if the patient's tumor does not respond to either radiation or other forms of treatment, the patient will need to have the tissue in the breast removed. Many times this requires the removal of the entire breast. After the patient has recovered from her surgery, the doctor may advise or encourage her to have breast reconstructive surgery (What). There are several forms by which breast reconstruction can be performed but it most often involves expansion of the skin and the insertion of a breast implant, such as one would have if undergoing the more routine cosmetic breast enhancement surgery.

Breast reduction is a surgical procedure which reduces the size of the breast which can solve some medical difficulties which arise as the result of overly large breasts. There are many dangers to a woman who has macromastia, the medical term for a woman who has breasts that are too large for her body. Among the medical problems that can occur in a woman with macromastia include chronic pain in the head, neck, shoulder, and the back. There can also be secondary health difficulties including poor blood circulation, difficulty breathing, and can lead to severe chafing and abrasions of the skin of the chest and lower breast. In addition to the medical considerations, women who have macromastia can have hindrances in their daily activities which limit mobility and can lead to anxiety and depression.

Males can sometimes require breast reduction as well. There is a rare medical condition called gynecomastia. This causes the male to produce excessive tissue within the chest. Often the condition appears in adolescence, a time when males are already going through massive physical and emotional changes. At the same time as the males are turning from boys into adults, they are especially psychologically sensitive to differences between themselves and others (Gary). When a young man has a chest which is overly large, it can lead to ridicule from others within the same age group. For these young men, breast reduction surgery can not only alleviate a medical condition, it can cause a cessation in the amount of teasing and bullying that the boy receives.

Cleft lip and palate repair is one of the most common forms of reconstructive plastic surgery that is performed. A cleft palate can result in a cleft lip also, but can occur without continuation to the lower part of the faced. A cleft lip occurs when the skin of the upper lip does not completely connect while the person is still inside the uterus of its mother. The cleft begins in the skull of the individual. Since the medical procedures to remedy the issue of cleft lip and palette have become so common, infants with the condition usually have reconstructive surgery soon after their birth. This allows for the scars that result from surgery to heal before the child has developed enough to be psychologically damaged by the birth defect.

The treatment for cleft lip or palate is a surgery wherein the tissue of the face is trimmed by the surgeon and the lip is sewn together with sutures. The stitches are always very smile to ensure that the scar is as invisible as possible (Cleft). In most cases, the medical experts will insist that the surgery is performed approximately a year after the baby is born. The reason that the repair is not made immediately after birth is to allow for the development and growth of the child's mouth and palate. Researchers have been able to determine that if the surgery is performed too soon, then the child may likely have speech, respiration, or difficulties swallowing later on in life.

Before the modern research had been conducted into appropriate treatments for the condition, many people had to live with a cleft lip or palate. This created in these affected individuals some severe psychological trauma including anxiety and depression. They knew that they did not look like everyone else and were constantly reminded of this difference whenever they saw themselves or another person (Pope 351). Although the problem has been alleviated in the modern period in the United States, the situation is still a problem around the world. In many developing countries, the parents of infants do not have enough financial support or medical aid to repair the condition. Thus, cleft lip and palate, though easily remedied in the United States is still a problem on a universal level.

Craniofacial deformities can include other things than just a cleft palate and/or cleft lip. The term can also be applied to other deformities of the facial feature (Erhardt). Some nasal passages and passageways for breathing can be affected by physical deformities. These can lead to medical conditions such as sleep apnea. This condition leads to the patient having periods during their sleep where they stop breathing. It can lead directly to heart disease, stroke, and other medical conditions as well. Rhinoplasty, which is the medical procedure more commonly known as a "nose job" can be an effective means of treating these types of craniofacial deformities. This is interesting in that it is evidence that a plastic surgery treatment which is often associated with cosmetics and appearances can have more medically sound applications as well.

The hands are a very important part of the human anatomy. Quite often, the hands can be severely damaged through various injuries, congenital birth defects, or medical conditions and diseases. Some hand deformities which can be cured by surgery include syndactyl fingers, otherwise known as webbed fingers. Other medical conditions include carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve damage, and rheumatoid arthritis. There are also plastic surgeries which can alleviate problems like reattachment of limbs and fingers and also the removal of either malignant or benign tumors of the hands. These conditions can prevent the patient afflicted from using their hands via limited mobility or other issues (Reconstructive Hand). During reconstructive hand surgery, doctors will perform medical treatments which will return functionality to the appendage. Among the most frequent plastic surgery procedures which deal with reconstructive hand surgery include "resetting and repairing dislocations and fractures, repairing nerves and tendons, caring for burns, and reattaching missing digits" (Reconstructive Hand). This type of surgery is intricate and is sometimes unsuccessful in completely restoring function to the hand, but medical procedures are at least able to provide some relief to the patient who is suffering from a debilitating injury to the hand.

Scar revision is the process by which a person who has scars on various parts of their body can have these marks removed through plastic surgical procedures. A scar is a mass of fibrous tissue which appears on the body when it is healing from an injury (Scar). Scars can fade naturally over time but, depending on the severity of the scar, they can be permanent marks on the person's body. Because scar tissue is developed when the body is injured, the resulting mark will be stiffer and sometimes harder material than the natural skin. Many smaller scars can be removed with topical creams or lotions. However, if a scar is large or if the scar is internal, the material can be removed surgically.

Internal scar tissue can be very dangerous to the human body depending on where the material is located within the body. Scar tissue from within the body is usually the result of surgery that has been performed on the patient. After the surgery, whatever portion of the body that has been operated upon can develop scar matter around the areas of the procedure. The dangers of scar tissue are that the material can create "tethers, barriers, and adhesions to internal body structures pulling them out of place" (What is). When this occurs, the scar tissue creates bonds between parts of the body which had been unconnected up to that point. Whenever unnatural connections or ties are made in the body, there can be adverse affects to the rest of the patient. There is a difference between the tethering effect and the barrier effect of the formulation of scar tissue. When tethering occurs, body parts are unnaturally contracted and this can cause pain throughout the patient's body. The barrier effect of scar tissue can be far more dangerous to the patient than tethering. Scar tissue that forms a barrier creates a mass inside the body that does not heal properly. This can create a host of potential problems, including unnatural pressure on organs and other internal portions of the body and can make it very difficult to perform additional surgeries. Barrier scar tissue can become so severe that it could even cause reproductive difficulties in women preventing them from birthing children through vaginal delivery.

Plastic surgery can be used to treat skin cancer. Any malignant growths that occur on the scene can potentially be removed via the skills of trained dermatological surgeons. Cases of severe skin cancer can require more than one surgical procedure. When skin cancer treatment involves plastic surgery, it can be very difficult for the patient. Such specific procedures that can be conducted include the using of skin flaps or grafts from other portions of the body (Erhardt). In some cases of skin cancer which affect facial features such as the nose or lips, defects can become so large as to affect the respiratory and digestive systems. These cases would make plastic surgery not only beneficial, but necessary for the patient to have any hope of attaining normalcy in their lives.

Burn victims are one of the groups who most often benefit from reconstructive plastic surgery. Skin damage from burns, particularly damage to the face, can be almost as psychologically damaging as it is physically. For people who have had these kinds of traumas, the chance of potentially reclaiming a semblance of their old lives can be the difference between a life spent in despair and hope for the future. Treatment of burn victims is a three-step process. It requires recovery, reconstruction, and restoration (Reconstructive Burn). In the recovery stage, patients are prepared for physical recovery by undergoing some counseling or psychiatric treatment. The next step is reconstruction which involves the actual surgery on the patient. Burn surgery includes skin grafts and flaps such as in skin cancer treatments. After this, the final step is restoration which is wherein the patient is restored to what would have been his or her normal life.