Kavita Ambu
Mrs. Lloyd-Henry
ENG3U0I-G
Monday, February 13, 2012
Ethics of Experimental/Cosmetic Surgery
How far do you think someone would go to change their physical appearance? Would they exercise more? Practice a healthier diet? Or would they not care at all, accept how they look and just move on with their lives? To those who look past their physical appearances I applaud their courage and self-confidence, admire their intelligence, and cheer on their bravery by ignoring a society that judges based on first impressions. However, what I cannot stand is when people, “go under the knife,” to obtain an ideal body in order to be accepted by their peers. It makes me want to shake them until they understand that no matter how much cosmetic surgery they have, people will always like them more for their wit, than they will for the Botox injected into their face. If anything I find outer beauty is what draws people to you, but it is your personality is that captivates and intrigues them, keeping their attention on you. Yet, none of this seems to matter when people cut away their flaws and suck away their fat. When this happens, intellect of any kind seems to fly out the window and the raw power of social acceptance based on image takes over. Unfortunately, a new window is then opened in where ethical concerns arise, such as: are the surgeons preforming the surgery doing it for the well-being of their patients, what qualifies someone to change how they look like and above all what happens when the individual doesn’t accept their new look?
First of all, I would love to believe that people love those around them no matter what their appearance may be, but if I were to look at life like that it would make me ignorant. According to Medicard Finance the first Canadian resource for plastic surgery statistics, “there were over 302,000 surgical and non-surgical cosmetic enhancements performed in Canada in 2003” (“Plastic Surgery Information”). I think many people who make the choice to change their body surgically, believe they are are doing it for all the right reasons: to look better, to feel better, to satisfy their ego, etc. However, a common misconception would be that not all cosmetic surgeons are honest, and in fact are in it for the money. An unfortunate example of this would be, Krista Stryland, who died in 2007 after undergoing liposuction at a Toronto clinic. Her physician Dr. Behnaz Yazdanfar had, “removed more than six litres of fat from Stryland, even though Ontario guidelines say five litres is the maximum that can be removed, according to evidence heard at the hearings... Stryland was later found unresponsive an hour after she was left in a recovery area. The clinic didn't call 911 until 40 minutes after she became unstable, according to evidence, and paramedics.” (“Botched liposuction victim’s son cried for dead mom.”) Nevertheless, because “money makes the world go” surgeons in this particular field of medicine tend to coax their patients into undergoing cosmetic surgery, despite their health conditions to turn a profit. By doing so they then begin to encourage a lifestyle of addiction, based on appearances. Now don’t get me wrong I am sure these doctors don’t intentionally want to put their patients at risk, after all the more credibility a doctor has the more clients he/she gets. This then allows them to charge their clients more because of their high recommendations, thereby allowing them to make more money. With that being said, I think cosmetic surgeons have become so interested in boosting their reputations, that they’ve forgotten that they’re in control of someone’s life. Not just the money that is in their bank account.
Another factor which plays into the ethics of cosmetic/ facial transplantation is that its availability is limited by those who can afford it. It infuriates me that not only does this surgery con people into believing that if they get the surgery their lives will be better, but it continues on the path of destruction by discriminating based on wealth. By making it so only the rich an afford beauty while the poor are left dream of what they can never have. What makes matters worse is that no financial aid can be provided to these individual from their health insurance, because facial transplantation is considered to be cosmetic surgery. So, if the patient were to undergo the surgery to merely improve their appearance, they would not be covered. An exception to this rule would be if the transplant was to be done under reconstruction purposes. This now puts the individual in an awkward position of either acquiring more jobs, whatever they may be, in order to fund for a facial transplant, or worse to get into an accident that is so in which they then require a facial transplant. I mean it’s crazy how some people have decided to raise money for their surgeries. According to Yahoo Answers, a Canadian forum which is used to find on share information suggests, “…a pay plan with the plastic surgeon… Going abroad…. and In-House Financing,” to just some of the individuals who wish to undergo cosmetic surgery ("How do people pay for plastic surgery?"). Nonetheless, what scares me the most is that some people have become so desperate with improving their appearance that they have turned to illegitimate/ fraud surgeons in order to get what they want. I think that if people are willing to take such drastic and insane measures to get this surgery, what stopped them from working this hard during a workout or sticking to a diet in order to achieve the same result? I find it to be ridiculous how much these people are risking to look a certain way. According to healthsearchonline.com a medical database, “…a San Jose couple were accused of performing at least nine botched surgeries without a license. Their surgeries were mostly performed in secrecy and in the couple’s kitchen, which was considered filthy even by non-surgical standards. More horrifyingly, the couple used everyday kitchen utensils and instruments to perform some of the most complicated cosmetic surgery procedure, including tummy tucks, liposuction and breast augmentation.”("Cosmetic Surgery And Fraud."). I am also greatly concerned by the amount of people who travel abroad to get work done, seeing as developing countries, such as, India have a wide array of facilities at their disposal, but the sanitation of these places is questionable. To say the least I think people should just cosmetic surgery, because sometimes the price just isn’t worth what you’re paying for, assuming you can afford it in the first place.
Finally, my last argument against the ethics of facial transplantation/ experimental surgery involves whether the person will accept the changes made to their body. I mean after all the nipping, tucking and saving, was it even worth it? Was putting your life on the line to look a certain way worth that slight change? Assuming the answer is yes. I think that this now put’s the individual in the position of complete body reconstruction. That once they have realized they have the power and ability to change how they look for the better, in their opinion, they will begin to pick at every imperfection. The scariest part of this operation however, is what if after all that work they don’t approve of the changes that were made to their body? That if after that scalpel was put down, and operation lights fade away that they just can’t take who they have become. As my science teacher once said, “ Be careful what you cut, because it can’t be uncut.”. I think that the shock of not accepting this new body that they’ve worked so hard to achieve then forces the individual into a fragile emotional state. If they were to gain nothing from the time and money spent towards this supposed, life changing surgery it annihilate their self-confidence. It would force these individuals to question their appearance in greater detail, because even surgery could not correct their imperfections. According to Dr. Eda Gorbis an assistant clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine, this condition is known as Body Dimorphic Disorder (BDD), in where, “Some people with BDD use plastic surgery as an answer to their never ending dissatisfaction with their physical appearance.”(Gorbis). In the end, it is up to the individual to choose whether or not accept the changes they have made to their body, but it comes at the steep cost of their self-worth.
In conclusion if it were up to me I would ban cosmetic surgery. I believe that if a person ever wants to change how they look that they should change what their lifestyle. If they spent half the amount of time they did looking for ways to change themselves surgically versus ACTUALLY improving themselves by taking the initiative, they would get what they want. On the other hand the choice these people make involves little physical work on their part and a simply slice of the knife. What’s worse is that these people don’t care who cuts them open, or where the surgery takes place so long as they get rid of their flaws. In my mind, the ethical views of these people aren’t right to begin with so don’t blame the procedure; look at the individual who is changing how they look in order to be accepted by society’s constrained and conformed views of beauty. Look at how they could care less about their health, life savings and sanity all for the sake of looking good on the outside. I guess what I’m trying to say is that no matter how much you cut away or wish to change, the only opinion you can hope to change is your own. You can’t change what others think about you, so just learn to live your life and accept who you are.
Works Cited
"Botched liposuction victim's son cried for dead mom." CBC News Toronto. N.p., 29 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/08/29/tor-lyposuction.html>.
"Cosmetic Surgery And Fraud." Health Search Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.healthsearchonline.com/cosmetic-surgery-and-fraud/>.
Gorbis, Eda. "Addiction to Plastic Surgery." Hope 4 OCD. Westwood Institute For Anxiety Disorders, Inc., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <www.hope4ocd.com/downloads/gorbis_plastic0703.pdf>.
"How do people pay for plastic surgery?." Yahoo! Canada Answers. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100305222922AA0N8dZ>.
"Plastic Surgery Information - QUICK FACTS." Canadian Plastic Surgery Statistics page. Medicard Finance, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://www.plasticsurgerystatistics.com/quick_facts_03.html>.
