Why Now May Be the Time to Reconsider Cosmetic Surgery
People who get cosmetic surgery do so for all kinds of different bodily issues, and with as many different motivations as there are patients in the world. http://www.nwih.co.uk/ has a more complete list of common cosmetic surgery practices than you’ll commonly see, but most of the additions should not surprise you. We’re talking about routine procedures which you know either from a friend, or TV, or movies. While not everybody goes around talking about the cosmetic procedure they had performed, it’s very likely that you know someone personally who has had one or more of these procedures performed.
Tummy tucks, nose-reshaping, liposuction, reconstructive facial surgery, the list could go on and on. Many people have considered surgical options like these before, if only to think, “If I would ever to get plastic surgery, I would have ______ done”. Everyone has some aspect of their physique with which they are less than satisfied. Other people have had major injuries, deformities, or disfiguring event in their lives, prompting them to consider cosmetic surgery. But for a number of reasons, many people still don’t feel completely comfortable seeking about this kind of medical intervention.
Many people blame TV and popular culture. We’ve all been exposed to shows like Nip/Tuck (thankfully, now off the air) and portrayals of celebrity plastic surgery “addicts”. Cases like these are portrayed as creepy, unnatural. People who portray plastic surgery in this light are not necessarily wrong, but this stereotype represents a tiny fraction of cosmetic surgeries. If a sound-minded adult person wishes to have cosmetic surgery performed, who are we to judge. But in most cases, people have these procedures performed for reasons that no one would find unreasonable.
First of all, everyone on the planet does something to alter their appearance at some point in their lives, usually many times a day. Combing hair, plucking eyebrows, shaving, working out, trying to maintain a strong tan: each of these is an everyday example of how we alter our appearances for various advantages. In many ways, common procedures like braces for a more aesthetic smile could be considered even more extreme than those habits just mentioned! When we worry that cosmetic surgery is somehow materialistic or unnatural, we’re forgetting that humans always try to make themselves look and feel their best. It’s part of life, and society at large is more accepting of it than at any other point in history.
Cosmetic surgery can result in many social advantages for people who get these procedures performed. Just as braces result in a better smile which will definitely make the patient be seen in a different (often more positive) light by people they meet, cosmetic procedures can lead to job advancement, social opportunities, and romantic interest. They also have a lot of bearing on personal confidence. When we feel that we look our best, we tend to feel our best. This influences how we present ourselves in terms of native confidence. It’s just the way things work. It’s 2016. If you want to have cosmetic surgery, don’t deprive of the many benefits. It’s your decision and an increasingly normal part of the way we live.
