The Dangers Of Plastic Surgery

When a patient is interested in getting plastic surgery, they go into it expecting themselves to look ten times better and significantly improve their self-esteem however that is not always the result. In many cases that is not the result and the patient is left disappointed because they had unrealistic expectations. Whether or not it improves a patient’s self-esteem depends on who looks at what studies. The proponents of plastic surgery argue that it will lead to better self-esteem and well-being while critics argue that it will lead to more distress and even worsen their self-esteem. The growth in popularity of teens getting plastic surgery over the years have significantly increased from the years 1997 to 2007. One study from the …show more content…
One potential danger is seen in a recent study that showed liposuction can solve one problem but later create another. When women who get liposuction on their lower abdomen and thighs destroy the fat cells from those spots so later when they start gaining more weight their fat will distribute unevenly to less flattering areas including upper abdomen, back, and arms. Another potential danger is being botched, for example Marilyn Leisz was getting a normal procedure on her eyes, but the procedure left her with not being able to close her eyes. Even after thirty surgeries trying to fix it, she is still unable to close her eyes (Goudreau). There are many other cases where a botch happens and can affect a patient’s physical and mental well-being. The third potential danger is suggested by Joseph Hullett a psychiatrist and senior medical director of OptumHealth says that patients won’t be completely prepared for the mental and emotional costs of the procedure because of the stress of surgery, lack of sleep, pain, and swelling may cause depression. Someone with body dysmorphic disorder can exaggerate a flaw to the point of delusion. After they had surgery on one flaw they may focus on another flaw after another until it becomes an obsession (Goudreau). All of these potential dangers can also be factors of the patient having worse self-esteem as a cause of the …show more content…
A research had doctors ask 59 patients that were planning to get face-lifts to answer ten questions to determine their feelings and self-worth. Some of the statements were “I take a positive attitude toward myself”, “I feel I do not have much to be proud of”, and “at times, I think I am no good at all” (qtd. in Kaplan). The patients answered these kinds of statements on how strongly they agreed and disagreed with them. The test ranged from 0 to 30 with 15 to 25 being normal and 0-15 being low self-esteem. In this study 48 women and 2 men completed the questions before the procedure and six months after. All of the face-lift procedures were done by the same surgeon in New York. Before their face lifts the average of the patient 's’ self-esteem was 24.3 and after six months it slightly increased to 24.6. The researchers published the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Another questionnaire asked how much younger they thought they looked with patients ages from 37 to 73 and the average was 8.9 years younger. After this, the researchers separated the patients into three groups based on their scores before the surgery. The patients in the lower self-esteem average score of 18.3 increased to 22 six months after. The patients with higher self-esteem averaged 29.7 before and decreased to 26.6. The patients in the middle group the average before and after increased by half a