Plastic surgery at times comes under criticism, based largely on its failures rather than its accomplishments. Underlying competitive market motives may be at play here that fuel some of the negative publicity. If more people are choosing plastic surgery, for some reason that’s a bad thing, according to the naysayers.
Much of the criticism ignores the fact that the vast majority of people who have cosmetic surgery are generally satisfied with the results.Granted, there are some genuinely bad examples of plastic surgery gone wrong. In most of these cases, however, the surgeon wasn’t qualified or board certified, or wasn’t even a trained plastic surgeon.
Studies support the claim that plastic surgery improves people’s self-esteem and body image. In one study of 808 subjects, 544 who had a cosmetic procedure showed an improvement in overall appearance. Other intangible benefits of plastic surgery included a sense of goal attainment and well-being, enhanced quality of life, less anxiety and self-consciousness with regard to an undesirable body trait, and a general improvement in inner confidence.
Important points to add are that these positive psychological changes remained stable a year after the procedures were done. That speaks both to the skill of the plastic surgeon as well as the physical and emotional value of the surgical procedure.
Personal appearance matters. That’s a fact of life. In our society, we place a great deal of importance on how a person looks. For those of us not quite as blessed with the body symmetry and balance of features that are the hallmark of physical attractiveness, plastic surgery can help to level the playing field with a variety of advanced techniques at its disposal.
The goal of plastic surgery is the consistent achievement of optimal results encompassing people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, body types, and levels of physical attraction.Perhaps of greater importance, patients who have achieved their cosmetic surgery goals benefit from feeling less stress, less anxiety, and less dissatisfaction with the way they look. It’s a win-win no matter how you look at it.