Plastic surgery: Introduction
Plastic surgery can be defined as the surgical specialty involving the reconstruction, restoration or alteration of a human body. Plastic surgery can be divided into two categories: reconstructive surgery which includes hand surgery, craniofacial surgery, microsurgery as well as the treatment of burns. The second one is the aesthetic or cosmetic surgery which mainly aims at improving the appearance of an individual. This paper aims at discussing different issues related to plastic surgery including when the surgery is too much, whether or not plastic surgery is healthy as well as what the doctors feel about the whole process.
Discussion
It is evident that plastic surgery has improved the lives of many people. For instance, reconstructive plastic surgery helps children born with cleft palates as well as people disfigured during accidents to maintain normal appearances thus reducing the chances of people staring at them. However, different research works have indicated that there are people who expect more from plastic surgery than it can possibly offer them. This brings up the question of how much is too much as well as the dilemma of the point in which someone goes too far when it comes to plastic surgery (Kelley et al., 156).
Plastic surgery and body dimorphic disorder
Plastic surgery can be said to be too much when a person undergoes two or three surgeries at the same time. This comes as a result of a mental health condition known as body dimorphic disorder where a person is extremely critical of his or her own body. This group of people can have their body operated more than one time because even if they are beautiful they never consider themselves beautiful. In most cases, they obsess more about their perceived flaw. People with this condition are not good candidates for plastic surgery and should always be given counseling since the condition is a mental disorder (Mathes, Stephen & Vincent Rod Hentz, 44).
Health risks of multiple plastic surgeries
However, it is worth noting that there are not many health risks associated with more than one plastic surgery mainly when the surgeries are spaced out and on different body parts. For example, it is possible to have more than one liposuction when only a certain amount of fat is being taken out. The risk only increases when the amount is excessive. After having multiple plastic surgeries, there are high chances that the scar tissues and tissues that die during the healing process will end up being unhealthy tissues (Kelley et al., 157). Additionally after multiple nose surgeries, one can have breathing problems. The main indicator of too much plastic surgery is failing health which brings about problems when people are trying to change their lives by altering the way they look.
Wrong reasons for plastic surgery
Moreover, when the surgery is done for the wrong reason, it can be considered to be too much. Having a cosmetic surgery for the wrong reason results in excessive plastic surgery which is taken to be too much (Martelli et al., 74). For instance, some people have tried to have cosmetic with aims of solving some life problem solution which cannot be solved through a surgery. Some of them believe that cosmetic surgery will solve domestic issues, heal grief from the loss of jobs and sometimes increase employment opportunity. What they fail to understand is that the procedures are only designed to enhance the appearance of certain body areas, not life's problems.
Determining how much is too much
Some researchers have also indicated that the only best method of determining how much is too much when it comes to plastic surgery is looking at the reasons as to why one wants a surgery. If a person is doing it with aims of addressing a specific problem then the procedure is good. On the other hand when one is doing it to solve a problem that has nothing to do with the way they look then the surgery is considered to be too much (Healy et al., 824). Additionally, when the surgery cannot correct the problem affecting the patient, the procedure is also considered to be too much.
Cost of plastic surgery
It also goes without saying that plastic surgery is costly financially as well as in terms of the time off from work and other social activities. When the benefits of the surgery are outweighed by the costs, the procedure is also considered to be too much. For instance, when a patient is forced to empty his or her saving accounts to have a surgery that is not of much importance, the cost of the procedure is taken to be inordinately high meaning that it is too much.
Health benefits of plastic surgery
People seek plastic surgeries for different reasons. For instance, some people desire reconstructive surgery for skin cancer while others want just a correction of a deformity or an accident. The main focus of plastic surgery is to enhance a person's appearance by either increasing the size of their breast, minimizing signs of aging, minimizing the circumference of their waist among other reasons (Toriumi et al., 49). Apart from helping people feel better about themselves and improving appearances, there are numerous health benefits of plastic surgery that most of us are not aware of. For example, it can improve vision, breathing, self-confidence, and self-esteem, reduce neck and back pain and in some cases, it can increase one's income.
Health benefits of specific plastic surgeries
Doctors have indicated that basal plastic surgery helps in correcting deviated nasal septum and can also open nasal passages. After having nasal surgeries, patients have confessed that they sleep better, enjoy improved breathing while some snore less. When a person's droopy eyelid affects his or her vision, having plastic surgery can improve the vision. It has also been proved that plastic surgery improves one's physical appearance, mainly when it comes to a feature that is bothering the person. When people improve something that they don't like about themselves, they always feel better (Toriumi et al., 59). This boosts the self-esteem and the brighter attitude spills over into other life aspects with positive attitudes as well as improved outlooks. Breast reduction surgeries offer women with large breasts an enhanced sense of well-being. It helps in reducing back pain, neck pain as well as shoulder pains from bra strap indentations.
Body sculpting and overall health
Body sculpting benefits the patient's general health in a roundabout way. Removing the excess skin after losing weight with a body lift helps patients to maintain a healthy weight as well as to avoid the numerous risks associated with being obese. Enjoying the results of such surgeries is a motivation to work out and to stick to a healthy diet. Additionally, different research works have indicated that many people suffer psychological disorders as a result of long-term struggles with perceived physical flaws, for instance, a young girl with oversized breasts may feel depressed due to the unwanted attention she gets for her chest. Resolving the physical imperfections through plastic surgery gives the patient a better quality of life, great self-confidence, and reduces the levels of stress and anxiety.
Risks associated with plastic surgery
However, for any person planning to have plastic surgery, it is always important to be aware of the benefits and risks associated with the procedure. Some of the common complications include:
- Nerve damages with signs such as tingling and numbness
- Infections such as cellulitis in breast surgeries
- Blood loss which can lead to a drop in blood pressure
- Scarring such as hypertrophic scarring
Choosing the right surgeon
Plastic surgeons have always advised people to seek plastic surgery for the right reasons. Very few people seek plastic surgery with reasonable expectations. The desires of this group of people come from a healthy place and most of them aim at dealing with something that has bothered them for a long period of time. However, many people are seeking plastic surgeries for other reasons apart from health purposes. For instance, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has indicated that most people want to have plastic surgeries for the wrong reasons. Young adults who are on the front line to have plastic surgeries are taking lessons from celebrities which contribute to body dimorphic disorder. The disorder makes the young adults obsess over slight imperfections and this pressure leads them to have plastic surgeries.
The risks of uncertified doctors
While cosmetic surgery to get a flatter tummy, a cuter nose or bigger breasts may look like no big deal to most of us, patients face numerous medical risks when undergoing the surgical procedures. However, there has been another growing risk to the people wanting to have cosmetic operations which is the influx of opportunistic doctors who are not even certified as plastic surgery surgeons. The main aim of these doctors is to get a slice of the lucrative business. Cosmetic surgery is obviously a cash business and health insurance companies do not cover elective beauty makeovers. Different research works have also indicated that demand is higher than supply in America as the business is glamorized and publicized by different television shows such as "Dr. 90210" and "extreme makeover". For instance, in 2006, approximately 1.8 million surgical cosmetic procedures were conducted in America with breast segmentation leading with a total number of 329, 00 procedures (Mathes, Stephen & Vincent Rod Hentz, 54).
Risks of untrained surgeons
The high demand has led to a crossover of doctors into the field of cosmetic surgery that is not even certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. These doctors are attracted by the allure of money as well as freedom from insurance companies. This field is currently flooded by untrained family doctors, gynecologists, and surgeons who have no expertise when it comes to plastic surgery while others only survive with weakened training courses (Martelli et al., 84). The untrained surgeons and doctors who are after money engage in the extensive procedure of plastic surgery and send patients home without any form of monitoring leading to the numerous problems and complications associated with plastic surgery.
Choosing the right surgeon
When planning to have plastic surgery, it is always advisable to choose a surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The board maintains that the surgeons must be graduate doctors from accredited medical school, should have passed comprehensive exams and should be a holder of a plastic surgery certificate. When the procedure is carried out outside a hospital, it is always good to choose a properly licensed facility and patients should be thoroughly evaluated to make sure that they are healthy enough to undergo the operation. The evaluation should involve checks for heart issues, diabetes among others. Additionally, it is the role of plastic surgery surgeons to assist patients when making decisions related to the specific bothersome feature (Healy et al., 826). This helps in the reduction of future needs for any surgery. Patients, on the other hand, should help surgeons to get it right the first time by having a clear understanding of the purposes of having cosmetic surgery. They should also be prepared for the recovery process and should try to understand the possible side effects of the whole process.
Conclusion
It is evident from the above discussion that for any person willing to undergo plastic surgery to enhance certain aspects of the body, there is a need to conduct thorough research to gather information concerning the whole procedure before visiting a plastic surgeon. People should also understand that the procedure is an elective, not an emergency one which means there is no reason to make hasty decisions concerning the doctor to perform the procedure as well as the intervention. Decisions to undergo the procedure should be carefully weighed and studied and the person should be aware of all the complications and risks involved. Plastic surgery has numerous benefits as well as disadvantages. However, it is worth noting that overlooking one in favor of the other prevents one from attaining the best results after the whole procedure.
Work Cited
Healy, Mark A., et al. "Hospital and payer costs associated with surgical complications." JAMA surgery 151.9 (2016): 823-830.
Kelley, Brian P., et al. "Ibuprofen Does Not Increase Bleeding in Plastic Surgery Patients." Plastic and reconstructive surgery136.4S (2015): 156-157.
Mathes, Stephen J., and Vincent Rod Hentz. "Plastic Surgery (8 volume set)." Philadelphia PA: Saunders Elsevier (2006).
Martelli, Nicolas, et al. "Advantages and disadvantages of 3-dimensional printing in surgery: a systematic review." Surgery159.6 (2016): 1485-1500.
Toriumi, Dean M., Victor K. Chung, and Quintin M. Cappelle. "Surgical adhesives in facial plastic surgery." Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America 49.3 (2016): 585-599.
