On My Mind: Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

Greetings, Travelers!

Today, cosmetic plastic surgery for teens is on my mind. I had to research it for science. Cosmetic plastic surgery alters one's physical features to look more desirable. This does not include plastic surgery used to fix a medical issue (like a cleft palate). Sometimes, this improves self-esteem and reduces stress. However, cosmetic plastic surgery can have serious consequences. People sometimes don't realize the risks, and if they do, they sometimes disregard them.

Also, many scientists and psychologists believe there is a void of long-term studies on cosmetic plastic surgery. Because of this, people are not fully aware of the risks and benefits of cosmetic plastic surgery.

Furthermore, what I find most interesting is people believe teenagers who undergo cosmetic plastic surgery have an increase in self-esteem, but studies show teenagers' self-esteem increases over time even without cosmetic plastic surgery. So, with a little patience, teens can be confident their self-esteem will improve without medical procedures.

Here's another thing: our society loves perfection. Society tells us: “If you're not perfect, you aren't worth anything. If you're not perfect, you don't matter.” This bothers me because it is a complete lie. Have any of you read the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer? Especially Winter, the last in the series? If you have, you'll understand why being perfect is not essential to society, given Lunar society. (If you haven't read the books, go read them. They're amazing.) Why is being “perfect” so essential in our society?

Being perfect only makes us untouchable to those who really matter.

Spruce Nogard

Attributions:

Some of this research came from a paper I did for Honors Anatomy and Physiology in 2016. 

https://pixabay.com/en/flower-red-weed-lonely-imperfect-765921/

Resources:

http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.aspx

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/teen-plastic-surgery-peaks-heading-back-school-rticle-1.2335968

http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/teens-cosmetic-surgery/