Plastic Surgery With the Increase

Plastic Surgery

With the increase in media coverage, cosmetic surgery has become a prominent issue in society today. Statistics show a growing popularity in surgery as a choice of physical enhancement. According to BBC News Online, for example, the number of cosmetic surgeries have increased from 10,738 in 2003 to 16,367 in 2004. This does not only apply to surgery, but also to cosmetic non-surgical procedures. Statistics from the American Academy of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) show an increase of 300 per cent in such procedures from 1997 (Williamson), amounting to 8.3 million surgical and non-surgical procedures. For some, this is indicative of society's media-driven tendency to be increasingly superficial, while others feel that plastic surgery is merely another means of looking and feeling better about oneself. A third, minor group use plastic surgery for medical reasons, to relieve pain, discomfort, or deformity. Human life and psychology is extremely complex. Certainly there are many factors influencing the decision to opt for cosmetic surgery.

The media plays a major role in popularizing cosmetic surgery. Reality shows such as "Extreme Makeover," "I Want a Famous Face" and "Extreme Makeover" for example tend to glamorize plastic surgery for its ability to provide instant physical enhancement. These shows make the surgery option more desirable than it might otherwise have been. The shows also do not issue particular warnings regarding the possible dangers of the procedure. The glamorization of surgical success, combined with diminishing the dangers, provide the illusion that any cosmetic procedures are simple, straightforward and relatively safe (BBC News Online).

In addition to television, popular print publications such as Vogue, as well as the Internet, focus very much on physical image. Indeed, film stars and other popular personalities are under continuous scrutiny, setting the trend in cosmetic procedures. Indeed, some publications even feature sections on the most popular and trendy procedures favored by the stars and society in general.

Fashion trends also shape the popularity of specific cosmetic procedures. The popularity of the cleavage for example popularized breast augmentations, while the trends in hip- and tummy-revealing outfits brought about an increase in liposuction in the lower body. Popular personalities undergoing cosmetic procedures also advertise the industry for its enhancing properties rather than for its dangers. Hence the basis for the show "I Want a Famous Face."

The popularity of cosmetic procedures is also a social phenomenon. Once again, the increasing amount of popular personalities who attempt to enhance and maintain their appearance for as long as possible, makes it increasingly acceptable in society as a whole (BBC News Online). This, along with the desire to look better, drives the increase of patients visiting cosmetic surgeons. Image consciousness and social acceptability combine with the personal desire for empowerment to further this trend. According to Williamson, people who wish to make a professional impression in the workplace tend to opt for Botox injections. A smooth brow gives the impression of a calm and relaxed inner personality.

The media has therefore increased the physically conscious nature of society. In addition to wanting to look, feel and appear better, the media has been driving the notion of what "better" means. Super-thin models and actresses have increased the female desire not only to follow self-destructive diets, but to use cosmetic surgery to enhance the effect of these. Beautiful, cosmetically enhanced faces have become increasingly desirable. Furthermore, the general image projected by these stars is one of perfect health, happiness and wealth. In the social mind, outer beauty has become associated with perfection in other areas of life as well.

Another factor playing an important role is aging and medical science. Medical science has improved not only the quality, but also the length of human life. Indeed, according to the BBC News Online Web site, people who retire no longer do so to die, but rather to begin a new section of their lives. These people feel younger than their counterparts from decades ago. To compliment the feeling, many older people then also opt for cosmetic surgery. It is a way to enhance the quality of prolonged retirement. All the above factors of social acceptability and media influence also play a role at this stage.

The increasing popularity of cosmetic procedures are also related to the general wealth of society today. Many more people are able to afford cosmetic surgery because of greater wealth, wiser investment and greater ease of obtaining loans (Williamson). Cosmetic surgery is therefore available to a much larger sector of society than just the rich and famous. Furthermore, because of the increased level of social acceptability, the decision to have a procedure is much easier. The almost instant gratification projected by those who undergo procedures such as liposuction furthermore drive this decision in favor of a strict diet and exercise regimen. Cosmetic surgery and non-surgical procedures are therefore much more accessible to a larger sector of society.

Medical advances have also resulted in more than a tendency to live longer. Many cosmetic procedures have become safer and less invasive as a result (Brown). Along with easier payment plans, this then makes the decision somewhat easier. Furthermore, according to Williamson, the media not only serves a glamorizing function, but also an educational one relating to cosmetic surgery procedures. Indeed, people tend to no longer plunge headlong into cosmetic surgery without consulting a physician first.

Surgical enhancement is therefore no longer a question merely of looking better, but also of being healthier and making wiser choices. Some proponents of the phenomenon indeed report that looking better has a great psychological impact upon their emotions and everyday performance. One surgeon goes as far as claiming that people choose cosmetic surgery as a means of self-improvement, to "make the most of themselves" (Williamson). This reasoning suggests that cosmetic surgery is a means of reaching one's potential as a human being, even though this is accomplished by artificial means.

There are also deeper psychological factors involved in cosmetic surgery, as suggested above with the workplace issue. Some people choose cosmetic surgery, for example, to maintain their competitive edge in the workplace, especially in image-conscious industries. Ros Taylor, a psychologist interviewed by BBC, holds that choosing cosmetic surgery and its increasing popularity suggests the increasingly superficial values in current society. As mentioned above, physical beauty has been popularized by the media as being the gateway to every other success in life, including wealth and happiness. Taylor suggests that the psychological impact and dangers of cosmetic surgery should be considered thoroughly before choosing such procedures. She also suggests that the deeper-seated psychological insecurities of the patient should be addressed before surgery is recommended.