Views on plastic surgery essays

Views on plastic surgery essays A Sociological View on Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery The human desire to appear attractive is universal; its permeating throughout history and in all parts of the world. Both men and women have gone to great lengths to beautify themselves. Although the desire to be beautiful may well be universal, what is considered beautiful is not. Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it depends on ones culture and socialization. The progress in plastic surgery, like in most of the medical discoveries, moved glacially for hundreds of years. It was not until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that the specialty forged ahead both scientifically and within the medical establishment in both Europe and the United States. Because of the awful injuries it often inflicted on its participants, war was the driving force behind most plastic surgery developments during the late 1800s and early 1900s. In fact it was the war that catapulted plastic surgery into a new and higher realm. Cosmetic plastic surgery is performed in order to change ones appearance. For some, it may mean redesigning the bodys contour and shape, the elimination of wrinkles, or eliminating balding areas. Others may choose varicose vein treatment or breast augmentation. There are a number of cosmetic surgery procedures that men and women can choose from in order to create an image that makes them feel more confident and comfortable with their appearance. Although health insurance rarely covers the cost of cosmetic procedures, the number of individuals deciding to undergo cosmetic plastic surgery continues to grow. The top three cosmetic surgeries for 1999 included liposuction, breast augmentation, and eyelid surgery. About 500,000 women had one or more of these surgeries in 1999. This is a 26 percent increase from 1998. Further, it is not just women who are opting to enhance their appearance through surgery. Statistics show t...