The Impact of Media on the Rising Popularity of Cosmetic Surgery

Why are women willing to put themselves under the knives? There are many women who have undergone a cosmetic surgery as they feel the need to meet society’s expectations of beauty. Cosmetic surgery is an operation which enhances a person’s physical appearances. As science and technology are developing, the surgical techniques are evolving. As a result, micro-surgical methods have been discovered; these methods are used to overcome the presence of scars after the surgery. These surgeries are eligible for individuals who are over the age of sixteen, according to the UK laws. However, my stand on the issue of the age restrictions to twenty-five or over is something which should be taken into consideration. This is due to the lack of adequate amount of maturity present in teenagers which will not enable them to come to a wise conclusion regarding an elective cosmetic surgery.

Advertisements featuring admiring actresses or models have encouraged many young people, in particular girls, to undergo cosmetic surgery to have slender bodies or plump lips like them, these are the common procedures. According to the BBC news, forty percent of teenagers would like to have a cosmetic surgery. This clearly shows how actresses are promoting these risky operations by emphasising the beauty they acquired post the surgery. Furthermore, the Telegraph has highlighted that girls below the age of eight are being ‘groomed’ by cosmetic surgery games. It was found that an inquiry had led to the discovery of how children and teenagers were being aimed by online games, including cosmetic surgery simulators by showing them how their bodies can be transformed. In addition to this, they have also specified the overwhelming of advertisements through social media which promotes the idea of, how girls should look. From this we can deduce that online games and media are affecting young children’s thoughts to enhance their appearance, they are easily influenced. As a result, individuals who are over the age of twenty-five will not be stimulated by these bombardments of information and will make a decision accordingly and wisely. Whereas, the younger individuals will only consider the positives and neglect the negatives, as they are mainly concerned about their physical attributes.

Selfies are becoming a trend; there are so many younger individuals who take selfies with the applied filters to enhance their appearance. These filters are the essential need for teenagers to undergo a cosmetic surgery as they can make their skin appear smoother, lashes look longer, makes their face look thinner, changes the eye colour and many more fascinating changes. As with the social media, it has become very easy to post selfies of oneself, see the selfies of others, and compare one’s physical attributes. Therefore, today’s generation of adolescents is more exposed to appearance-related feedback from social media use. From this we can establish that physical appearance is strongly associated with self-esteem and physiological functioning. The adolescents in the younger people are more vulnerable to being bullied or teased, which are critical factors in desiring a cosmetic surgery.

Regardless of these publicities, some of the potential risks associated with these surgeries should be contemplated: infection, sever bleeding and nerve damage and many more lethal risks to name. So, why would you risk your life? The surgery could be a failure and you might end up looking worse than before. Statistics shows us that a fifth of patients are unsatisfied with the end results. Consequently, some people encounter knives on their faces again to make corrections. According to the BBC news, Dawn Knight, 48, had eye lift surgery to remove surplus skin from her lids. However, the surgeon removed too much skin, which caused her permanently unable to close her eyes and had problems with her vision. Since then, she had undergone treatments to correct it. Thus, these problems have to be taken into consideration whilst making a decision. The teens’ brains are not mature enough yet to come to a serious and important conclusion.

Furthermore, the cost is another issue which has to be taken into account. According to the Daily Mail, the price ranges from three thousand to seven thousand pounds. From this we can clearly deduce that cosmetic surgery can only be affordable by certain number of people. However, from the prices we can determine the surgeons’ level of expertise, how well are they trained in their jobs. So, low prices may define that the surgeon may not be fully developed in their job. Also, there are possibilities that he or she could still be a trainee. In the contrary, if the prices are reasonably high, then we could presume that the surgeon is very qualified and thus he or she may provide quality work. According to the BBC news, Dr Furtado, cosmetic surgeon from Brazil was charged with murder. Due to his lack of experience, he had given his patient an overdose of a chemical which lead to her death. These are serious issues which have to be given a thorough thought to. As a result, individuals who are over the age of twenty-five will consider the cost and will be rethink their decision. On the other hand, the younger individuals may give little consideration to the prices and will still cling onto pursue a surgery in the future. Nevertheless, this money could be used for their chosen future education.

In conclusion, cosmetic surgery should only be eligible for individuals over the age of twenty-five. This will give them the opportunity to consolidate all the opinions expressed by previous patients who have undergone a cosmetic surgery. It will also enable them to study some of the side effects of the surgery which can sometimes lead to death or more operations being carried out. As teenagers are growing and their brains are not mature enough, they may neglect some of the negative perspectives as they are more concerned about their physical appearances.