Plastic Surgery and Self-Esteem

It would take nothing less than total isolation in today's world to avoid being bombarded with images of what "attractive" people look like. On television, billboards, magazine covers and even the sides of public buses, slim, youthful, and often air-brushed, figures hawk products and, more harmfully, packaged conceptions of "true beauty." As our society interacts with these images, and our culture comes to represent our acceptance of them as legitimate standards of attractiveness, individuals who can't manage to look smoothly tanned, air-brushed and always-smiling may find their self-esteem negatively effective. Those suffering from low self-esteem may be attracted to plastic surgery because they long to look more like someone they admire, to fix imperfections or to combat the natural process of aging. In any case, results vary.

Body Image

It is no secret that plastic surgeries are utilized to bolster specific body parts that may not be big enough, round enough or firm enough, in an individual's view. Men and women both use surgical implants of varying materials to revamp their rear-ends, calf muscles and breasts. Studies show that these surgeries sometimes succeed in increasing self-esteem over the short-term and even carry positive benefits in the workplaces, love lives and social circles of the individuals who receive them.

However, there is always a risk involved in any surgery, especially ones that introduce foreign materials, or implants into the body. For every happy success story, there is a horror-story case, involving permanent scarring, disfigurement or multiple reconstructive procedures. If an individual decides on plastic surgery as the best option for combating self-esteem issues, it is imperative that they do their research on the procedure they are receiving, the surgeon and clinic providing it, and the aspects of recovery that may provide obstacles for work or family obligations. In-short, plastic surgery is a gamble, and can't guarantee the emotional, or even physical, benefits that a patient seeks.

Distaste for Aging

While the body-bolstering plastic surgeries are more prevalent in younger people, for older men, and women especially, surgeries that are employed to combat the aging process are incredibly popular. It is an extraordinary modern phenomenon that something as natural as aging has become an object of scorn, a fate to be avoided at all costs. No one has ever enjoyed becoming wrinkled, atrophied, or age-spotted, but in our current cultural climate, there is a certain desperation in avoiding normal human costs, and plastic surgery provides an attractive option for avoiding payment. Botox injections and face-lifts have become so normalized that an eye is rarely batted when someone admits to receiving them. However, these procedures still carry risks and should be well-researched before a decision is made.

Successful plastic surgery may provide a quick fix for body-issues, but self-esteem, as we all know, goes far deeper than the flesh. Self-esteem entails a person's entire self-image, the way they view their decision-making, relationships, intellectual and professional abilities. Plastic surgery can't reach the issues that lie nearest the core, even if it can improve the image seen in the mirror. It's important to use patience, judgment and consultation before diving into the deep end of surgical procedure.