Should Cosmetic Surgery be Offered to Everyone?

Millions of people go through cosmetic surgery a year.  Modern plastic surgery can alter almost any physical aspect from liposuction to rhinoplasty. Although cosmetic surgery can be implemented for medical purposes like facial reconstruction after a car accident, many people use it voluntarily. This voluntary form of cosmetic surgery questions the morality of the procedures and sparks a debate over the medical consequences of physical alteration.

            Cosmetic surgery after a traumatic accident may save a person’s life.  However, voluntarily wanting to alter your own appearance may increase the risk of complications, rather than prolonging your life.  Surgery, in general, is followed by risks and side effects, regardless of the purpose.  Anyone willing to risk their life for the sole purpose of improving his or her appearance is drowning in insecurities and false hope, which can easily be cured by a few therapy sessions or just a self-esteem boost.  

            Sometimes, people who choose to undergo cosmetic surgery find themselves displeased with the outcome due to unrealistically high hopes prior to the surgery.  This can lead to emotional stress and financial instability because of the raging costs of treatment.  Unless a medical condition requires surgery, most medical insurances do not cover the cost of cosmetic procedures and people are forced to pay out of pocket.   

            Doctors should save their time and resources on people who truly need the procedures.  With people trying to buy their way into obtaining a cosmetic procedure, healthcare providers are faced with a dilemma: should they treat a patient who medically needs cosmetic surgery and is covered by health insurance, or treat a patient who is willing to pay out of their pockets for an unnecessary procedure?  Clearly, doctors would benefit treating those who are paying up front, but this would also question the morality of it all.

            The society we live in puts enormous importance on one’s appearance, which is why so many people are turning to cosmetic procedures.  Instead of correcting this false pretense, we are perpetuating it by providing cosmetic surgery for everyone. It reinforces everyone’s belief that in order to fit in to society, you have to look a certain way.

Some people argue that cosmetic surgery is a freedom of expression that should be provided as an option to everyone, but do we really want to live in a society that looks at breast enhancements and nose jobs as a form of expression? Should children be raised in a society that tells them to change the way they look if they don’t fit in with the ideal body type?