Plastic Surgery Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Plastic Surgery Research - Essay Example procedures include making the breasts larger (augmentation mammoplasty) or smaller (reduction mammoplasty), removing pockets of fat from specific areas of the body (liposuction), reshaping the nose (rhinoplasty), and others. On the other hand, the purpose of reconstructive plastic surgery is to correct defects on the face or body such as birth defects like cleft lips and palates and ear deformities and traumatic injuries like those from dog bites and burns. Although the number of people choosing to have plastic surgery has increased in recent years, plastic surgery especially cosmetic surgery should be banned because it causes people to have unrealistic and unattainable expectations, it is risky, addictive, expensive and According to statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 19.3 million plastic surgeries were performed in the United States in 2011 (Statistics - The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery). Of this, cosmetic plastic surgery procedures accounted for 13.8 procedures while reconstructive plastic surgery procedures accounted for 5.5 million procedures. Both cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery procedures showed a 5 percent increase when compared to 2010. This information is pertinent as it reveals two interesting facts. The first is that plastic surgery procedures are spiraling at an alarming rate and the second interesting observation is that cosmetic plastic surgery procedures accounted for 71.5 percent of the total. As we all know, cosmetic plastic surgery is performed for aesthetic improvement only and not to treat physical ailments. Medicine’s social mandate is to improve health. Thus, cosmetic plastic surgery contradicts this mandate as it only improves people’s appearances but not their health. It is not necessary from a medical standpoint and no one will die without this procedure. Since it does not improve our health, cosmetic plastic surgery should be banned. Plastic surgery, as we know it today, has