Plastic Surgery

Proposal

Plastic surgery defines a surgical procedure aimed at restoring, reconstructing and altering parts of the human body either for medical uses or for cosmetic purposes. It is important to note that plastic surgery specializes in reconstruction and repair of missing or damaged tissues and skin. The damages either may occur during surgery, illness, injury or from abnormalities caused during birth. The surgery is aimed at restoring the functions of tissues and skin as close to normal as possible. Improving body parts is a secondary essence and sometimes is a good thing as it helps improve the self-esteem of individuals. On its introduction, plastic surgery was solely intended to restore a part of the body to its previous form that could have been distorted due to an accident or any other pathological incident. (Goodman 1) The use of plastic surgery for cosmetic purpose should be terminated because of its potential health risk and unnecessary wastage of financial resources. 

Background

Plastic surgery goes as far back as 2000 B.C. Romans are believed to perform surgical alterations of some of their body parts. Nose and skins grafts started being experimented upon in late 14th century. Cosmetic surgery emerged in early 20th century in various news articles. Today plastic surgery is a multi-billion dollar industry. 15.6 million Cosmetic procedures, including both minimally invasive and surgical, were performed in the United States in 2014, an increase of 3% since 2013, which reflects a total cost of $12.9 billion.

Plastic surgery is a bit expensive and requires experts to carry on with the procedures. Availability of the procedure actually does differ from country to country with some countries offering reconstruction services free. Plastic surgery has been there for years and was used to help soldiers from the world war reconstruct their injured body parts with the first people to discover the skill being Egyptians as it was mentioned in the Edward Smith Papyrus where he first mentioned repair of a broken nose (Oelschlegel et al., FF). The art spread to other parts of the world and thus this branch of surgery was born.

With time, plastic surgery techniques have evolved as in the early 18th century surgeries were merely to hide scars and adopted the use of anesthesia in surgeries to help in the full reconstruction of the patients. Some of the techniques used include skin grafts where healthy skin parts are used to cover or reconstruct damaged tissues or body parts (Oelschlegel et al., FF). The technique replaces lost or damaged skin. Another technique is the skin flap surgery where a healthy tissue is transferred with its blood vessels and this keeps it alive. It is called a flap surgery because the tissue that is alive is partially attached to the body where it is being replaced. Tissue expansion is another technique used where the surgeon stretches the tissue around the afflicted area to give it allowance to grow so it can be used for reconstruction.

Opposition 

Opponents of plastic surgery assert that the practice should be shunned because it is unnecessarily expensive (diverts useful medical resources towards the field) and unnecessarily risky (Edmonds 56). It also potentially ruins the standards of medical institutions that are attracted by the moneymaking venture. Lastly, the practice encourages wrong notions on the standards of beauty. There are risks involved in the surgery and the surgeon should inform one before taking a procedure. The first risk could be an infection could be got during the surgery. This could cause complications for a person who has undergone the procedure. Some procedures have scaring, as they cannot rely rectify some injuries. Finally, the area repaired may fail because of restricted blood supply in the area.

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My Claim

Plastic surgery should not be shunned or rebuke in any way for several reasons. Ultimately, it is fundamental for victims of accidents or conditions that leave people’s faces and other body parts disfigured. Cosmetic surgery on the other hand is an individual choice. Every person is provided an explanation of the associated risks (Momeni 708). Lastly, since it is an individual choice, the money spent on it is an individual’s own, not the hospitals. However, plastic surgery represents a major decision by the individuals that choose to undergo the procedure. Some procedures in plastic surgery are irreversible, consequently, it is important to seek advice and carry out research before making the decision to employ a certain procedure. 

One should always seek a professional’s opinion before undergoing any kind of surgery. Plastic surgery is sometimes important while other times it is not necessary, one should always appreciate the way they are. It has been seen to be of importance as it has rectified abnormalities such as cleft lips and webbed hands and helped people regain their self-esteem. It is a personal decision and no one should judge anyone who has gone through the procedure.

Common Ground

Plastic surgery is a necessary field due to its potential to enable a person that might have undergone a disastrous medical condition or accident to go back to his/her physical state to live his/her life. Plastic surgery is important as it helps in body repairs like abnormalities that have existed from birth. For example birth marks, cleft lips and palate, webbed fingers and birthmarks. It also does help victims who have had cancerous diseases such as the breast one and require repairs. Those with injuries that leave scars such as burns or those from accidents benefit from plastic surgery. Plastic surgery does help in repairs of the body and is important for aesthetic purposes. Ultimately, it improves a person’s satisfaction of his image, which brings forth happiness.