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COSMETIC SURGERY – ITS PROS AND CONS
Marian Baltazar
Class of 1980 University of the Philippines Manila
AB Political Science
Cosmetic or Aesthetic Surgery is a highly sophisticated specialty that is dedicated not only to the return of the
face and body to normal but to improvements that surpass the normal. Nowadays, cosmetic surgery has
become more popular for modern people. There is a growing awareness that the role o...f modern medicine
should not be limited only to the treatment of diseases but that it should alleviate human sufferings in all its
forms. Survival is no longer the only principal effort; improvement of the quality of life is also important. It is
impossible to measure human suffering because some people are so consumed with their appearance that
they let it affect their well-being. A flat nose may be unimportant to one individual; however, in another it can
produce emotional discomfort. Cosmetic or aesthetic surgery can truly satisfy many needs and more than
often will provide the extra measure of inner measure, which we all know is difficult to achieve. It is however
not the answer to all of life’s problems. The sole purpose is to improve or enhance one’s appearance as much
as possible.
We can not deny the fact that enhancing one’s appearance is the demand of the people because everyone
always wants to be good-looking in other’s eyes. The point is if you take too much advantage of cosmetic
surgery, it can be dangerous and eventually face unforeseen consequences, then it will probably be too late for
you to regret. Take the case of Donatela Versace (famous fashion designer), her face changes drastically due to
some unfortunate plastic surgery. Therefore, one has to think carefully before making any cosmetic surgery. On
the other hand, other people disagree with it. They say that cosmetic surgery involves risk which may cause
heart attack or it can even have side effects that can be detrimental to an individual’s health. In reality, it only
masks the inner problem, for what cosmetic surgery does is only to change or alter the appearance but not the
mental state of an individual. In some cases, cosmetic surgery does help individuals. For instance, things like
skin grafts on burnt victims or the correcting of an abnormal feature on the human body. These things help
people feel more normal and this is how cosmetic surgery was first used. But now, people started to use
cosmetic surgery, not to look merely normal but perfect.
I believe that cosmetic surgery is a personal option but in some cases it becomes a bad addiction. In the case of
personal option, it is not necessarily a bad thing for it serves as a self esteem booster, that is circumstances
where cosmetic surgery is minor but it creates a positive change in a person’ s life and in many cases too helps
save people’s lives. When cosmetic surgery becomes an obsession, it turns to be a bad situation because
people start changing their perception from a physical to a mental problem. Overall, it really depends on the
person who would undergo this procedure for I believe that each individual person truly contributes to
cosmetic surgery to be both good and bad.
Questions for discussion:
1. Is Cosmetic Surgery good or bad?
2. Does Cosmetic Surgery have more advantages or disadvantages?
3. If you were asked to choose, would you rather have Cosmetic Surgery or prefer not to? Why?
4. Is Cosmetic Surgery changing or affecting the inner self of a person?
5. Is Cosmetic Surgery one and the same thing as aesthetic surgery?