Plastic Surgery | Yay or Nay?

Plastic surgery and whether it's right or wrong has sparked up a massive amount of debate over the years, and is something that, with the more modern and image obsessed times, is becoming more common and discussed. I used to be under the opinion that plastic surgery was bad and a complete no, but in recent months I have actually been considering it myself.

But what do I mean by plastic surgery? Well, that's where things delve a little deeper and my opinions split. Plastic surgery coins two specialities in the medical field; one being cosmetic surgery where a person chooses to alter a part of their body not considered medically damaged or deformed in any way and reconstructive surgery, which, as it says, is to reconstruct a part of someone's body that is medically considered to have decreased functionality, with the asthetic element not being the primary function.

Cosmetic surgery is the term which I have been considering, but then again, this can also be broken down into different terms. For example, if I said I was opposed to cosmetic surgery, that wouldn't be true, because I am opposed to some kinds of cosmetic surgery, and not others. And even then, we must delve deeper into the kinds of cosmetic surgery I'm opposed to to find another opinion of mine which is completely against one things and slightly favouring another. Have I confused you yet? Let me explain...

In terms of what I consider to be cosmetic surgery, it is the physical changing of the asthetic of your body, without the intent to improve functionality. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with and support reconstructive surgery in all forms. Cosmetic surgery is where it gets complicated. Whilst cosmetic surgery as a term does include anything asthetic, it can also be medically improving something, not just improving the way it looks in the eyes of the person having the surgery. For example, the cosmetic surgery I have recently been considering is a breast reduction, due to the size and weight of my chest being to the point of causing me medical problems. Granted, I will probably like the way I look better if and when I ever had the surgery done, but the main functionality behind the surgery would be to help myself medically to stop the aches and pains in my back and chest.

Cosmetic surgery in this sense, to improve how a person feels, not in themselves as a person, but physically, is something I am strongly in agreement with. It is the surgeries which are purely for asthetics that I'm not a fan of. Women and men who feel that they need to make themselves look like something they aren't, which is a major issue in the fashion and celebrity worlds, I just can't understand. But then again, who am I to say that someone shouldn't get their nose made smaller if just the asthetic of that will make them feel for confident and happy within themselves, improving their psychological view of themselves. I can't be opposed to people making themselves feel better about themselves because I know what it's like to hate myself and want to change who I am in the past. This is where the debate gets complicated!

The cosmetic surgery I am opposed to is extreme cosmetic surgery - the women who get their breasts enlarged from a healthy size (one which won't cause them back pains or other health issues) to ridiculous proportions, and those who take cosmetic surgery to the extreme of not being 'natural' looking (and I'm not discussing anything other than cosmetic surgery here - tattoos and piercings are a whole other ball park!). But then again, who am I to say that this is the asthetic that they find pleasing and that makes them feel psychologically better about themselves. I's an incredibly complex debate, and something that I think I will never be able to give a straight answer to, as on one hand I am opposed to people messing with their bodies to the point of being stupid looking (but then again that's in my opinion) and on the other hand I will be pleased that they are psychologically feeling better in themselves and can relate to how not liking the way you look can have a massively detrimental affect on who you are as a person.

So, I guess this post was more of a rant than anything else, and hopefully one which will spark discussion and debate (you know we all love a healthy friendly debate). Let me know in the comments your views and opinions on plastic surgery (both cosmetic and reconstructive if you wish!) - play nice and respect others opinions.