Cosmetic Surgery Free Essays

Cosmetic Surgery Have you ever thought about how much cosmetic surgery has progressed and all the different types of surgeries? Cosmetic surgery is the practice of reshaping body tissues. It is also known as plastic surgery. Plastic is derived from the Greek word Plastikos meaning â€Å"to mold. We will write a custom essay sample on Cosmetic Surgery or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Plastic surgery dates all the way back 3000 years ago, to the Ancient Egyptians, Indians, and Greeks. We may not recognize that people back then used a form of plastic surgery, but they did. Centuries ago tribes used plastics surgery methods by disking their lips, stretching their earlobes, binding their feet, filing their teeth, and tattooing and scaring their skin. (Random History) Those were plastic surgery procedures back than. Now there is liposuction, nose jobs, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, breast augmentation and reductions, Botox, microdermabrasion, collagen injections, laser hair removal, and chemical pads. Plastic surgery has advanced over several thousands of years and will continue. The history of plastic surgery goes back to ancient Egypt (1279-1212 BC). The Egyptians did not practice surgeries on the living, but they did practice on the dead. The surgeries they did are not what we think of when we hear the word cosmetic surgery, but the way they prepared the dead were part of the principles of cosmetic surgery today. Egyptians called it mummification. Pharaohs were mummified using special techniques that would enhance the features that were prominent to them. One step with mummification was to take the deceased to the â€Å"per nefer,† otherwise known as the House of Beauty, and add â€Å"cosmetics† to give the body a life-like appearance. The Egyptians used materials that we do not think of using. For example, Ramesses II had a small piece of bone and several seeds placed in his nose to hold the shape. His nose was surgically altered to make sure it looked be recognizable in the afterlife. Another example is the mummy of Queen Nunjmet. She had bandages stuck in her cheek and belly. (Random History) This represents how surgeons now will implant silicone into the body of a person. It is the same idea. Even though there are only records of Egyptians practicing on the dead, they had the skills and techniques to perform surgeries on the living as well. Jen) Ancient India (approximately 300 BC) is the birthplace of plastic surgery. Ancient India is the time that there were records of reconstructive surgery performed on the living. Punishment for a crime may have been cutting off ones nose if guilty. (Jen) This form of punishment led to the birth of rhinoplasty. Rhinoplasty is commonly known as a nose-job. During this era th e method Rhinoplasty was also described as the â€Å"attached flap,† or what we know today as the skin graft. A skin graft is where the epidermis is removed from one part of the body and used on another. Surgeons reconstructed the nose by cutting skin from either the cheek or forehead. Than that piece of skin, skin side out, was twisted over a leaf of the right size. After that the skin was sewed into place, and in order to keep the nostrils open during the healing process two polished wooden tubes were put in them. (Random History) During this time there was no anesthesia so the pain of this procedure was brutal and the risk of infections was high. Not only were there a large number of nose jobs in India, but the surgeons also worked on ears. The Indians were fashionable people and as a result of this both adults and children wore earrings. These earrings were constructed out of heavy materials that caused the earlobe to often spilt open. To repair the earlobe the doctors used a skin graft from the cheek. Surgery of the ear is known as Otoplasty. Not only did surgeons develop procedures for the nose and ears, they also did for lips too. The main reason why so many people had their nose, ears, and lips cut was because that is how people were punished for criminal, religious, and military crimes. Ancient India is where plastic surgery official became introduced. There are hundreds of surgeries performed on people daily. Surgeries are performed on every part of the body, from head to toe. There are well over 100 different surgeries done. Over 50 of those surgeries are done on the face. A few of the popular face surgeries are botox, rhytidectomy, and lip augmentation. A few of other surgeries done on the rest of the body are liposuction, breast surgery, and abdominoplasty. How Many Types) Botox is a nonsurgical cosmetic procedure that was introduced in the late 1980’s and it is one of the top five procedures. This procedure is used to help decrease glabellar lines. Glabellar lines are vertical lines on the face between the eye brows and when someone frowns. Botox is a shot the essentially paralyzes the muscles that produce lines. This procedure can last anywhere between a few minutes to 30 minutes. Numbing cream or anesthesia is usually used with botox, but the needles a re so small that there is hardly any pain at all. Botox can ause headaches, nausea, flu-like symptoms, and redness around injection site. Botox has become very popular within the last 10 years. Rhytidectomy is known as a face lift. (Village pointe) Face lift is a surgical procedure that helps improve appearance of the face. Face lift is a common procedure. There are positive and negative side effects of getting a face lift. The positives are that a face lift can correct sagging skin, tighten facial muscles, and improve your facial contour. The negative side effects are that it can cause nerve damage, visible scarring, swelling, bruising, and pain. There are many different types of face lifts that can be done, such as mini face lift, lower face lift, mid face lift, etc. It just depends on the person getting the surgery what area they want to have improved. Lip augmentation is to give fuller lips. Hylauronic acid is what is usually injected into the lip. This acid is a natural substance found in the body and it improves the lips volume, structure, and shape. The effects of a lip augmentation last around six months, so in order to keep the volume wanted; treatments are needed about every six months. Fat injections used to be used on the lips to make them fuller, but the results vary and the side effects are at a greater risk so that method is not used as much. (Lip augmentation) Liposuction is a simple surgical procedure that removes excess fat between the skin and muscle. A small stainless steel tube is attached to a suction pump, than the tube is inserted into fat through small incisions made on the skin. There are many different techniques that are used to perform liposuction. A common technique of liposuction is laser liposuction. Laser and Ultrasound) Laser liposuction is used to target specific body parts and it is designed to only target fat cells, so it protects the muscle and nerve tissues. Laser liposuction causes less pain, faster healing, and a smaller amount of bruising after. (Village pointe) There are three different types of breast surgery that are common. They are breast augmentations, reduction mammoplasty, and mastopexy. Breast augmentation is better known as breast implant. (What is Breast Augmentation? Reduction mammoplasty also known as breast reduction is where skin and glandular tissue is removed to reduce the breast size. Mastopexy is a breast lift. It is where the breasts are lifted or reshaped to make them less saggy. (Village Pointe) Cosmetic surgery has become more advanced within the last couple thousand years. The world of cosmetic surgery grew from the narrow field of rhinoplasty to over a 150 different types of surgeries. As we become more advanced in the cosmetic field, new technology makes the procedures faster and the risk factors involved are not as high. How to cite Cosmetic Surgery, Papers Cosmetic Surgery Free Essays The way a woman handles herself is important, according to most Americans. Furthermore, the way a woman looks on the outside surpasses all other qualities. Most women do not realize this, but this is the way in which they place their importance. We will write a custom essay sample on Cosmetic Surgery or any similar topic only for you Order Now In a world filled with superficiality, it is not astonishing to think that most women are un-satisfied with their outward appearance. Unhappiness with one’s outward appearance has lead to cosmetic surgery being the only solution. Cosmetic surgery has lead to more than one problem for our country and for the lives of people involved. Modifying one’s body from cosmetic surgery is not only harmful physically; it is also highly expensive, a â€Å"quick† fix for one’s deeper rooted issues, and may become highly addictive. The expansion on plastic surgery during World War One shined light upon different techniques and medical advances within this field. Originally, plastic surgery was only by means of reconstruction due to the horrific injuries of war. Doctors were required to facilitate soldiers back to health, and with the new advances of surgery they were able to give soldiers back their life in a new way. Facial reconstruction began as a new practice for plastic surgeons. Particularly this is because of the modern day weapons causing soldiers to have more bodily injuries. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated, â€Å"Never before had physicians been required to treat so many and such extensive facial and head injuries. Shattered jaws, blown-off noses, and lips gaping skull wounds caused by modern weapons inquired innovative restorative procedures. † (â€Å"American Society of Plastic Surgeons†)The war was completely divesting, but the surgical procedures gave hope to the soldiers. These new advancements held a purpose, but with the knowledge of surgical procedures people began to take advantage and used it for non-practical ways. With the rising awareness of plastic surgery, people became astonished with the fact that one can change his/her looks with no effort at all. What was thought of as a procedure that benefited someone took a completely different turn in the 1980’s. During this time persons had a heightened awareness of plastic surgery, and desired to find more information about this technique. Information was able to reach home with the help of â€Å"brochures†. (â€Å"American Society of Plastic Surgeons†) However, it was not until the 1990’s that the media and internet became involved. With the ability of having an at home computer, surgeons were able to provide a surgical conference for their potential clients. This advancement gave more light to cosmetic surgeries such as rhinoplasty. As a consequence of this heightened awareness, people began to â€Å"fix† every flaw by means of surgery. However, this type of surgery is different due to the fact that it is not a reconstruction of the abnormity it is purely cosmetic. The growing obsession with cosmetic surgery led to unrealistic views of what beauty should be. The view of beauty has changed significantly over the past hundred years. Beauty use to be the way a lady holds herself with her morals and her attitude which reflected outwardly. In the twenty-first century, beauty is viewed only as the means of perfection. Women have significantly lost self-esteem over the past years because of the constant pressure to always look a certain way. In particular, teenagers and young woman are affected most by the way one is viewed by other people because they place such a high importance on impressing and their appearance. These women and teenagers see one self as being un-fit for normal interactions with people. This is a contributing factor to the millions of dollars that is spent by people to change their imperfections. According to Alex Kuczynski, in America the cosmetic industry makes up to $15 billion. â€Å"Kuczynski† 4) With average pricing of laser treatments being $6,000 and liposuction being $11,000 it is very easy to see why the economy is in such turmoil today. The media has influenced most of the billions of dollars that are placed into cosmetic surgery. Commercials, billboards, brochures, testimonies, and telemarketers are the a few of the ways in which the media drags a person into believing that one is not suited enough for their own well-being. As a culture, we have feed into these uncomforting lies about our looks which have made us more prone to see our flaws. In 2003, more than half of Americans- 51 percent- said that they were not quite comfortable to not at all comfortable with their appearance, according to Roper study. † (â€Å"Kuczynski† 5) Perhaps, if the media was not involved so heavily in pursing surgery, people would not be willing to spend thousands of dollars on one procedure. Lastly, cosmetic surgery may become highly addictive. It has been said that once one starts pursuing surgery, it is hard to quit. The reasoning behind may be because of a disorder called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This disorder perceives one’s self completely different than it actually is, and persons that are affected by this disorder become fixated with a slight â€Å"imperfection† that leads to obsessive behavior. â€Å"The obsessions can consume a person’s thoughts, harming every aspect of their life. † (â€Å"James† Web) This obsession is also seen more frequently in adolescents. This obsession takes complete control over their life. The person no longer feels useful to the world, and feels that the only way to survive is through cosmetic surgery. It is tragic to see one’s life be affected so deeply by their appearance, but it is seen by almost everyone in America. In order to make one feel less conscious about their appearance, we as a society need to shift our priorities in a colossal way. Not only should a teenager or young woman feel less appreciated because of their looks, but no one should feel this way. As a society we need to practice the use of inner beauty instead of outer beauty. It is our duty to make America feel united and not separate by our appearance. Therefore, our society would benefit economically, socially, and morally by changing our views on appearance. How to cite Cosmetic Surgery, Papers