THIS HOUSE WOULD BAN COSMETIC SURGERY The distinction distinction between cosmetic cosmetic surgery surgery and other types of surgery surgery such as reconstructive surgery is that cosmetic surgery involves techniques intended for the 'enhancement' of appearance. Cosmetic surgery involves both surgical and medical techniques and it is specically concerned with maintaining normal appearance, restoring restoring it, or enhancing it beyond the average level toward some aesthetic ideal. Cosmetic procedures have grown in popularity dramatically, in 200, nearly !! million cosmetic procedures were performed in the "nited #tates alone. The number of cosmetic procedures performed in the "nited #tates has increased over $0 percent since the start of the century. %early !2 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 200&. n (urope, the second largest mar)et for cosmetic procedures, cosmetic surgery is a *2.2 billion business. Cosmetic surgery is now very common in countries such as the "nited +ingdom, rance, and -ermany. n sia, cosmetic surgery has become an accepted practice/ currently most widely prevalent and normal in China where it is currently sia's biggest cosmetic surgery mar)et !. roponents argue that the ris)s inherent in surgery that is not medically necessary are too great and that women are merely succumbing to the pressures of men. 1pponents, in contrast, argue argue women have a right to choose both how they loo) and what methods they choose to get to how they loo). This debate will eamine whether cosmetic surgery should be banned. !
-overnment3
Cosmetic surgery ca !e "syc#o$ogica$$y %amagig T#e %agers i&o$&e% i e$ecti&e surgery are ot 'ort# t#e ris( Cosmetic surgery is u)air* )or o$y t#ose '#o ca a+or% it #a&e access to it A outrig#t !a 'ou$% !e easier t#a t#e "artia$ !as t#at #a&e !ee eacte% i some "$aces, T#e a&ai$a!i$ity o) cosmetic surgery icreases "ressures o 'ome t#at t#ey must $oo( !eauti)u$,
Cosmetic surgery ca !e "syc#o$ogica$$y %amagig -OINT The compulsion to change one's body is often often a symptom of a deeper mental mental instability. t should be treated as a problem, not encouraged with surgery. 4esearch 4esearch indicating that breast augmentation patients are four times more li)ely to commit suicide compared to other plastic surgery patients raises questions about the mental health of women who choose implants!. t's only
a plaster patched over a much deeper problem. There are also studies that show negative psychological e5ects on patients after their surgery has been completed. or eample, a recent analysis 6& studies on patients' psychological and psychosocial functioning before and after cosmetic surgery by social wor)er 4oberta 7onigman and psychiatrists +atherine hillips, 89, and 9avid Castle, 89, found several predictors of poor outcomes, especially for those who hold unrealistic epectations or have a history of depression and aniety. The researchers found that patients who are dissatised with surgery may request repeat procedures or eperience depression and ad:ustment problems, social isolation, family problems, self;destructive behaviours and anger towards the surgeon and his or her sta5 2. ! merican sychiatric ssociation. 9iagnostic and #tatistical 8anual of 8ental 9isorders <=th ed.>. rlington, ?a3 merican sychiatric ssociation ress/ 2000. available
COUNTER-OINT 7owever, the vast ma:ority of people who have cosmetic surgery have one procedure and never loo) bac). They're made happier and more secure in themselves because of it. n fact, the same study by social wor)er 4oberta 7onigman and psychiatrists +atherine hillips, 89, and 9avid Castle, 89, also suggested positive outcomes in some patients, including improvements in body image and possibly a boost in their quality of life as well!. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that cosmetic surgery can be psychologically damaging as a rule. 8any studies have shown that patients have higher self; esteem after surgery. or eample, in a recent study by #arwer found that a year after receiving cosmetic surgery, @& per cent of patients reported satisfaction following their surgery, including improvements in their overall body image and the body feature altered. They also eperienced less negative body image emotions in social situations 2. ! lastic and 4econstructive #urgery
T#e %agers i&o$&e% i e$ecti&e surgery are ot 'ort# t#e ris( -OINT #ometimes we must accept those dangers, as they come in the course of necessary medical procedures. ut with elective surgeryD procedures people donEt need, but rather merely want D the ris)s canEt be :ustied. These ris)s
apply both to the surgery itself, and to the long term. or eample, lea)ing silicone breast implants have been a widespread problem and can lead to death. #ilicone gel can lea) from the implant into healthy breast tissue and go other parts of your body, such as the lungs and lymph nodes, where it could be impossible to remove. #tudies published in 200! by scientists at the %ational Cancer nstitute raised questions about the long;term safety of breast implants. 1ne study found that women who had breast implants for at least eight years were twice as li)ely to die from brain cancer, three times as li)ely to die from lung cancer or other respiratory diseases, and four times as li)ely to commit suicide, compared to other plastic surgery patients second study found that women with breast implants for at least eight years were 2!F more li)ely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to other women their age.G!H There is also the ris) that the person having the surgery will be dissatised with the results.
COUNTER-OINT The ris)s of cosmetic surgery are negligible.n actual fact, the merican #ociety of lastic #urgery estimates that there is ! death in $&,000 procedures, while a study in the medical :ournal lastic and 4econstructive #urgery put the mortality rate slightly higher, at about one in $!,=$A operations.G!H To put this in perspective, your chances of being in:ured in a motor vehicle accident are about ! in !,000 in any given year and there is about ! maternal death for every &A2 live births.G2H Therefore cosmetic surgery is a lot safer than people perceive. urthermore, cosmetic surgery is becoming safer and safer. t is increasingly strictly policed and s)y;high legal pay;outs by bad surgeons have ensured that practitioners ta)e more and more care.G6H Technology in surgery and in implants and so forth is forever improving. or eample, new non;invasive procedures are being developed such as Iiposoni and "ltra#hape Contour. These procedures use focused ultrasound devices which aim to achieve targeted reduction of fat tissue by focusing ultrasound energy that causes permanent disruption of fat cells without damage to the epidermis, dermis or underlying tissues and organs. G=Hrocedures such as this would decrease the ris) of infection.
Cosmetic surgery is u)air* )or o$y t#ose '#o ca a+or% it #a&e access to it -OINT 1nly those that can pay for it get it. The most popular surgeries include breast augmentation, liposuction, nasal surgery, eyelid surgery and abdominoplasty.G!H There surgeries cost between J6,000 and J$000, between J2,$00 and J,000, between J6,$00 and J=,000 and between J2,000 to J,000 respectively. G2H #o if it has the advantages the opposition claims, the rich will loo) good, and the poor will not.
COUNTER-OINT Kou can spend your money how you li)e. Lhy shouldn't people be allowed to ma)e the personal choice to change their appearance with their own cashM urthermore, the appearance division the proposition see)s to suggest between rich and poor is much more dependent on quality of diet. 9iet is a universal factor that a5ects compleion, height, etc. !, while cosmetic surgery is a relatively insignicant factor in statistical terms and one that only a5ects the particular thing on which surgery is conducted.
A outrig#t !a 'ou$% !e easier t#a t#e "artia$ !as t#at #a&e !ee eacte% i some "$aces, -OINT The state of Nueensland in ustralia has a ban on teenagers having plastic surgery. This prevents anyone under !@ having cosmetic surgery unless it is
to correct deformities or disguring in:uries, as well as allowing for procedures to improve medical, psychological or social well;being. This potentially leaves diOculty drawing the line for what is allowed!. much more comprehensive ban would avoid this. Cosmetic surgery is already to some etent regulated. n the "+ it is regulated by the -8C and practising surgeons have to be enrolled on its specialist register. t the same time all invasive cosmetic surgery and laser treatments are regulated. healthcare commission inspects all registered establishments and can revo)e licences. s such it would not be diOcult to epand these regulating bodies to be ma)ing sure that cosmetic surgery is only performed when as in Nueensland it is to correct deformities and disguring in:uries.
COUNTER-OINT The desire for cosmetic surgery is driven not by eternal pressure to see) the acceptance of men, but the internal desire to loo) and feel better about oneself. There are many who nd that their appearance truly troubles them and that improving it would greatly enhance their quality of life. 1peration #mile, which es oral and facial deformities found in poor children across the world, is doing Pcosmetic surgery.PG!H Kou can survive with a hare lip or a cleft palate. ut your quality of life D your self;esteem, employability, acceptance in a traditional society, etc D is much better without one. ollowing this principle, breast reduction or augmentation or the removal of acne scars can be :ust as important. or eample, Carole Lrigglesworth's breasts shran) after breastfeeding baby girls and as her breasts shran) so did her self;condence. s a result she opted to have a breast enlargement surgery and reQecting on the eperience, Carole has absolutely no regrets R S feel seier, more condent and etremely proud of my body. G2H
T#e a&ai$a!i$ity o) cosmetic surgery icreases "ressures o 'ome t#at t#ey must $oo( !eauti)u$,
1%T There is considerable evidence that women's attractiveness is :udged more harshly than men's. or eample, in a study by dams and 7uston, !A&$, participants were as)ed to rate the attractiveness of photographs of people of varying ages. They found that although attractiveness ratings of both men and women declined with age, the rate of decline for women was greater. G!H 4esearchers report that womenEs magaines have ten and one;half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than menEs magaines do, and over three;quarters of the covers of womenEs magaines include at least one message about how to change a womanEs bodily appearanceRby diet, eercise or cosmetic surgery.G2H These views about appearance are damaging because it leads to seriously unhealthy lifestyles that women thin) they need to loo) beautiful. or eample, in 2006, Teen magaine reported that 6$ per cent of girls to !2 years old have been on at least one diet, and that $0 to &0 per cent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight. G6H Cosmetic surgery sends the message that the pre:udices some have about appearance are valid.
1pposition3
Baig cosmetic surgery 'ou$% ot "re&et it occurrig* !etter )or it to !e $ega$ a% "er)orme% "ro"er$y T#e %e&e$o"met o) cosmetic surgery o&er t#e years #as !ee itert'ie% 'it# t#at o) recostructi&e a% more geera$ me%ica$ surgery, Wome #a&e t#e rig#t a% )ree%om to c#oose #o' t#ey $oo( Gi&e t#at t#e rea$ity is t#at 'e.re /u%ge% o our a""earace a$$ t#e time* it.s "er)ect$y ratioa$ to 'at to $oo( goo%,
Baig cosmetic surgery 'ou$% ot "re&et it occurrig* !etter )or it to !e $ega$ a% "er)orme% "ro"er$y -OINT f banned, cosmetic surgery will Qourish on a blac) mar)et. 1f course cosmetic surgery is already available on the blac) mar)et but if banned then potentially all the customers who have legal cosmetic surgery will become customers for blac) mar)et cosmetic surgery. This will drive the prices up
and it will be much more dangerous as it will be done by unscrupulous doctors and outside all the safety precautions the legal environment provides. (amples such as that of = year old 8aria 1livia guirre;Castillo died as a result of a blac) mar)et cosmetic procedure in which coo)ing oil was in:ected into her buttoc)s by an unlicensed practitioner who promised a cheap alternative to legitimate procedures. fter spending a wee) in a coma following the procedure, 8s. guirre;Castillo succumbed to multiple organ failure due to fat emboliation, as the oil in:ected into her buttoc)s attac)ed her body functions!. (amples such as this would become much more of a common occurrence if cosmetic surgery was banned due to the increase in blac) mar)et surgeries.
COUNTER-OINT The blac) mar)et argument applies to everything illegal. 1f course that ris) eists, but the number of those underta)ing the activity will be smaller, as the opposition suggests by saying that operations will increase in price. Iac) of legal safeguards and medical accountability, and the probability that only badly qualied doctors will o5er illegal operations will deter almost everyone from ris)ing blac) mar)et surgery. ewer operations must be desirable if it is agreed that the activity concerned should be banned. #ince discussing the e5ects of banning cosmetic surgery is at the present time a hypothetical tas), this argument will cite the prohibition of drugs as an eample. 200! ustralian study of !@;2A year olds by the %#L ureau of Crime #tatistics and 4esearch suggests that prohibition deters illicit drug use. 2AF of those who had never used cannabis cited the illegality of the substance as their reason for never using the drug, while !AF of those who had ceased use of cannabis cited its illegality as their reason !.
T#e %e&e$o"met o) cosmetic surgery o&er t#e years #as !ee itert'ie% 'it# t#at o) recostructi&e a% more geera$ me%ica$ surgery, -OINT Cosmetic surgery has greatly aided reconstructive surgery. or eample, maillofacial surgery, or surgery of the :aw, has developed with insights from
both plastic surgeons and oral surgeons. The roots of oral and maillofacial surgery lie in the Lorld Lars, when service personnel sustained devastating facial in:uries!. These grave in:uries necessitated new innovations in reconstructive surgical procedures. t was around this time that aesthetic surgery began to ta)e its place as a somewhat more respected aspect of plastic surgery. This progress also brought with it a greater understanding of anaesthesia and infection prevention, allowing surgeons to perform a wider variety of increasingly comple procedures 2. To shut down cosmetic surgery would be to cut o5 a valuable outlet for research and discovery. The mar)et can sometimes create great benets3 people wor) hard in pursuit of prots and often their wor) can help us all. lenty of people ma)e a good living from normal medicine and they are not criticised, the same should be true for privately provided medicine3 there's nothing wrong with turning a prot.
COUNTER-OINT t could however be argued that commercialied medicine will harm society, yet produce little in the way of benets. %on;prot hospitals underta)e costly, but needed, research and maintain services which are not economically viable but which provide doctors with the training eperiences necessary to medical education. Lhere prots rule, however, such necessary, but unprotable, research and services important to medical education will be neglected. urthermore, as for;prots come to dominate the health care sector, society will su5er a severe shortage of unprotable, but critical, services, such as emergency rooms. 8eanwhile, scarce resources will be squandered to produce and aggressively mar)et lucrative, but unnecessary, services, such as cosmetic surgery!.
Wome #a&e t#e rig#t a% )ree%om to c#oose #o' t#ey $oo( Gi&e t#at t#e rea$ity is t#at 'e.re /u%ge% o our a""earace a$$ t#e time* it.s "er)ect$y ratioa$ to 'at to $oo( goo%, -OINT %obody's forcing anyone to have cosmetic surgeryD the mar)et is driven by demand. ttractiveness is greatly a5ects rst impressions and later
interpersonal relationships. n a classic study entitled 'Lhat is eautiful is good', psychologists +enneth 9ion, (llen erscheid and (laine 7ateld as)ed college students to rate photographs of strangers on a variety of personal characteristics. Those who were :udged to be attractive were also more li)ely to be rated intelligent, )ind, happy, Qeible, interesting, condent, friendly, modest, and successful than those :udged unattractive G!H. Teachers rate attractive children more highly on a variety of positive characteristics including N and sociability, and attractive babies are cuddled and )issed more often than unattractive babiesG2H.
COUNTER-OINT 1n the other hand, it could be argued that instead of giving into this reality we should be ghting against the culture of unrealistic beauty ideals. llen -insburg, a radical writer of the !A0s, said, PLhoever controls the media; the images; controls the cultureP !. The media constantly conveys unrealistic images of the ideal female body. (very woman has a unique build and ma)e; up, yet the media always tries to perpetuate what they believe the universal standard of women should be2. These convince an individual that something is terribly wrong with his physical appearance and that it needs to be mended. The growth in cosmetic surgery enhances people's perception that there is something wrong with their body if they don't conform to the ideal beautiful form. t could also be argued that the lengths that women go to to try and loo) good are indeed not rational. Cosmetic surgery with its high cost and ris)s certainly does not seem li)e a rational option6.
