Taylor Burks

Comp I
November 22, 2015
Mrs. Scaife

Price of Beauty
Have you ever desired to have a smaller nose, fuller lips, larger breasts or simply to get
rid of some of your imperfections ? As humans we can easily look in a mirror and find things that
we dislike about our appearance, it's human nature. If I were asked to point out one
imperfection about myself , I would be able to point out several. My undesirable features never
bothered me to where I wanted to do something drastic to change it, but I've always wondered
how far someone would go to perfect what they see as an imperfection.The solution to
correcting a feature or features that I see most commonly is getting plastic surgery. Plastic
surgery is a risky procedure that I think should only be used in emergency situations , such as
an accident or a medical birth defect that cause health issues. Not only can plastic surgery
become a life or death situation for the patient , it is extremely expensive,and can cause
addiction and depression.

All surgeries including cosmetic surgeries carry possible risks. Patients who have
multiple procedures at the same time risks are significantly higher. For example, having a breast
reduction, a tummy tuck and facelift in combination increases the risk of lung infection or major
blood loss. Liposuction rarely results in death, but liposuction is one of the highest risk practices
because it involves large volumes of fat . Buttock implants is one of the most common
procedure in this generation. Solid silicone implants in the buttocks sometimes harden which
can be painful, visible when the patient moves and difficult to sit on. Buttock implants carries an
extremely higher risk of infection(Tutton).
Patients can face possible complications such as pneumonia, stroke, heart attack or
blood clots in the legs or lungs. Patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, lung disease,
diabetes or obesity are more likely to have a higher risk of those complications. The anesthesia
given to the patient during the procedure carry possible complications including pneumonia ,

Fig. I. Tummy tuck scar after 12 months. Photograph from Youtube.

blood clots and very rarely death.Cigarette smokers seeking to get cosmetic surgery
need to also be aware of the risks during the procedure that they might face.The nicotine,
carbon monoxide, and other toxins from cigarettes can decrease blood flow to the skin.
Smoking increases complications with anesthesia and wound scarring and healing (Cosmetic
Surgery). Infections at the incision site can cause pain and may worsen scarring and require
additional surgery (fig. 1). Other complications reported from plastic surgery include; fluid
buildup under skin, bleeding which may lead to additional surgical procedures or blood
transfusions,numbness and tingling from nerve damage can also be a complication which may

Fig. 2. Patient with cheek implants. Photograph from womenrepublic.co.uk

become permanent.Business woman, Penny Johnson sued her cosmetic surgeon for 54 million
francs after she claimed her multiple facelifts in 2003 left her with a twitch, pain around her right
eye and grimacing. Penny claims her business career was dramatically affected because of the
surgery. Solange Magnano, former Miss Argentina and mother of two died at the age of 38.
Magnano died in Buenos Aires after an operation involving buttock implants and injections. Her
friend, the fashion designer Roberto Piazza, said: A woman who had everything lost her life to
have a slightly firmer behind (Campbell).

Cosmetic surgery prices can range from $1,200 being the cheapest to $50,000. A full
body lift which includes a tummy tuck,thigh lift, butt lift, breast lift and abdomen lift can run you
about $40,000 or more. Depending on the doctor a patient might get away with paying $10,000
to $20,000. Surprisingly a lot of women go in for cheek implants ( fig. 2). There are many
different cheek implant styles. A CT or CAT scan of the skull which is used to create a casting of
the head is needed for this surgery. After the cast is made the surgeon mold clay into the shape
of the cheeks the patient desires and the clay is sent off to a lab where they create the implants.
The price of cheek implant varies because it includes lab fees from blood tests, x-rays and other
costs associated with the surgery, but before the fees it can range from $2,000 to $3,000. A full
facelift can cost between the prices of $15,000 to $25,000 (How expensive is Cosmetic
Surgery?"), the average cost of a breast lift is $4,174, nose surgery costs $4,352, liposuction
can cost $2,815, an average tummy tuck costs $5,391 and vaginal rejuvenation costs $2,286.
(Plastic Surgery Addiction: How common Is It?)

Fig. 3. Korean model after an excessive amount of cosmetic surgery. Photograph from Youtube.
Theyre many cases of patients being addicted to cosmetic surgery. This addiction cause
patients to change their appearance through numerous surgical procedures such as face lifts,
liposuction, breast implants and cheek and chin implants (fig. 3.) (Stresing). Laura Pillarella
went in for her first cosmetic surgery to remove bags under her eyes and insert a chin implant,
the insecure woman thought the surgery would not only change her looks but her life. Pillarella

said; when the bandages came off, I was disappointed. I wasnt beautiful, just different . It

text should be around the image. Too much white space.

Fig. 4. Laura Pillerella after her cosmetic surgery. Photograph by beautifulmagazine.com

wasnt enough. For the next decade she began to have operation after operation. After the
fifteenth procedure a plastic surgeon told her that the problem with her looks was that she had
excessive amounts of surgery done. According to Everyday Health when a patient's plastic
surgery becomes extreme, it typically stems from psychological issues.BDD or body dysmorphic
disorder is a condition that can lead to addiction of plastic surgery. People with BDD focus on
small or imagined flaws, usually in the face.
This addiction can affect a persons everyday life, someone suffering from this disorder can
spend hours obsessing about their outer appearance. They typically have unrealistic

expectations about their life after the surgery , they might think the surgery will make
relationships and job opportunities better or they suddenly realize another feature they dont
like after a procedure has been done(Stressing).
After undergoing a cosmetic surgery there is a possibility that the patient may not like the
outcome. There have been cases where the patients became depressed and suicidal because
of a failed cosmetic procedure. A study shown by says 8 of 10 former patients of cosmetic
procedures developed post-traumatic stress. Laura Pillarella was so depressed and upset about
her failed cosmetic procedures that she planned to rent a hotel room and take sleeping pills
washing them downe with red wine. Laura said she would not leave a suicide note because
people would have known why she killed herself. One look at my face says it all, Id made
myself look hideously ugly. My face was lopsided, my nose was too skinny, my lips were
distorted and my chin was crooked, claimed Laura (fig.4.).Phillips,a retired managing director,
was obsessed with his looks and had gone under two facial cosmetic surgeries. After a decline
from his first surgeon to do another procedure, Phillips sought out to find a surgeon who would.
The third procedure left Phillips depressed and he refused to step foot out of his mansion. Soon
after he went to have a maxi-facelift but after the operation his wife claimed he would look in the
mirror horrified and shaking. A month later , Mr. Phillips, now a grandfather, was admitted to the
hospital for an overdose on drugs. After he was released from being discharged from the

hospital he made two more failed attempts. Eight months after the procedure Mr. Phillips finally
killed himself(Naish).
Eruptingmind.com says getting plastic surgery can help with bad genes, reversing the
signs of aging, aiming to be perfect, getting rid of fat, career boosts and fitting in or being liked.
I was taught since elementary school that how you look and who you are makes you unique
and individuality sets you apart from being typical. Courtney Cobbs, a UALR student wrote to
the editor of the student newspaper titled Love Your Body. In the letter she wrote about body
acceptance. Although her letter was focused on weight issues she made a great point about
how body acceptance is the radical idea of loving your body despite what is shown in the media
or your, age, race, gender and beliefs. Meaghan Ramsey did a Ted talk titled Why thinking
youre ugly is bad for you. In the first few minutes of the talk she told her audience that 10,000
people a month google why am I ugly. The need to know if the world thinks they are beautiful
or not has gone as far as posting short videos on Youtube asking if they are pretty or ugly.
Ramsey began to express how teens value the number of likes and positive comments because
to them it validates if someone thinks they are attractive or not. People began to get so wrapped
up in the social media world that they stop separating whats real and whats not. They began to
compare themselves to size zero models and actresses with professionally done makeup.
Ramsey pointed out that we live in an image obsessed culture and that children are being

taught to put looks and beauty before any of their other qualities. It is obvious that there is a
problem that is becoming larger as media and social media grows with realism and self
esteem.Everyday people are beginning to compare themselves to supermodels, actors and
actresses and other entertainers. Ive learned that comparing yourself to someone else can
make an innocent idea something so depressing, obsessive and unrealistic because no matter
how much you try or how much money you have to offer , you cant be anyone but yourself.