Abstract
This paper presents a clear argument against elective cosmetic surgery. The paper discusses the various costs involved in cosmetic surgery, including financial, unknown long-term outcomes and the risks of the invasive surgery.

From the Paper
"Human beings have gone to great lengths to make themselves attractive to members of the opposite sex for thousands of years. Tribes in Africa have extended their ear lobes or elongated their necks. Women in China..."

Tags:cosmetic, surgery

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that in today's contemporary society, cosmetic surgery is more popular than ever. Studies including those by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons suggest that an increasing number of teenagers and young adults are seeking cosmetic surgery to enhance or change their figure or parts of their body. The writer points out that many are opposed to the concept, suggesting teenagers should not have the choice to utilize cosmetic surgery. This paper argues that teenagers should have access to elective cosmetic surgery when they have their parents' permission, as parents are more likely to be able to understand the potential side effects of surgery and help the patient make a secure and well-thought out decision. The writer maintains that patients that do not have parental consent should not have the option of cosmetic surgery.

From the Paper
"Undoubtedly cosmetic surgery may benefit patients' interpersonal relationships and self-esteem, which ultimately leads to a better quality of life. This is more so the case when the patient suffers from a birth defect or other abnormality that affects their appearance. However, cosmetic surgery is not something to be taken lightly, as for many it can prove very damaging and have long-lasting side effects. Adults undergoing surgery are more likely to make wise decisions because their brains are fully matured and because their bodies have stopped growing."

Tags:plastic, surgery, patient, parent, side, effects

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that while the concept of cosmetic surgery remains a controversial topic amongst many people today, the practice of cosmetic surgery has become a common procedure for many North Americans. The writer points out that despite growing popularity, there is an increase in social debate over the accessibility and utilization of cosmetic surgery for teenagers. This paper seeks to explore how cosmetic surgery can be damaging, both physically and emotionally, for teenagers. The writer discusses that teenagers struggle to express themselves, yet disdain for their appearance may be deep-seeded and may have more to do with personal dissatisfaction than how they actually appear. The writer maintains that teenagers considering cosmetic surgery should have to undergo certain levels of counselling, both to determine whether they are making a wise decisions and to teach teenagers to look inwards for answers and not assume that purchasing a new body will solve all of their social and emotional problems.

From the Paper
" We are not helping teenagers by offering singular and evasive surgeries as solutions to their social woes. Understandably there may be cause for argument that some procedures are acceptable, but cosmetic surgery should never be seen as a necessary solution to the difficult pubescent years. If parents are going to allow their teenagers to undergo cosmetic surgery, they should remain part of the process and not distance themselves from the decisions their teen will have to make. Becoming involved and asking questions a teenager may not have thought of may in fact deter a teenager from making a decision they ultimately may live to regret. Teenagers have yet to develop a sense of mortality and permanency in their train of thinking. Cosmetic surgery is permanent and rarely reversible. A teenager may be enchanted by the idea of a perfect quick fix, but should the procedure go awry, as they may, teenagers are not emotionally equipped with the tools that will allow them to deal with such trauma."

Tags:body, apeparance, growing, up, adolescent, change

Abstract
This paper argues that, for most women, cosmetic surgery is a foolish option because the potential risks and complications outweigh any possible cosmetic benefits. The paper argues that the results of many procedures are temporary and affected by aging and changes in lifestyle. The paper also shows that cosmetic surgery skews the public's perception of how a woman's body should be.

From the Paper
"We currently live in a society that is utterly obsessed with the concept of youth. Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with airbrushed images of scantily clad women advertising everything from cosmetics to cars. We flip on our televisions and are shown a perpetual reel of synthetic beauty that is forever touted as "natural" and "healthy", and sadly, many Americans have been persuaded to accept this notion. Rather than concern ourselves with expanding our minds and appreciating life's changes as they are bestowed upon us, thousands of people throw away billions of dollars each year in an attempt to fight the inevitable. Many continue to finance these costly procedures that result in a lengthy healing process, a great deal of pain, and in many cases only marginal results. Yet, this is the current popular trend and it only appears to be gaining speed as time goes on. Will there eventually come a day where women are expected to undergo cosmetic surgery because a natural physique is no longer deemed as attractive?"

Tags:aesthetic, vanity

Abstract
Throughout history, women have been fed the notion that beauty is all that matters in life. Today, in the 21st century, women are the primary targets of the media industry. The paper shows that media manipulation of women's perspectives related to their appearance routinely occurs, as media moguls persist to work hand in hand with the cosmetic industry, feeding society with unattainable ideals, encouraging women to mutilate themselves for psychological reasons, often with lethal consequences usually hidden in fine print.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Thesis
History and Ideals of Beauty
Modern Day Cosmetic Surgery as a "Panacea", the Cure All for Life's
Problems
Beauty and Unattainable Ideals
Beauty as a Business Industry
Media and Manipulation
Wrong Reasons for Undergoing Plastic Surgery
Lethal Consequences
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Initially, "cosmetic surgery" was intended and typically reserved as a repair mechanism to assist wounded and deformed soldiers in war. Soldiers returning from WWI with missing limbs and shrapnel torn faces entrusted their appearance to the hands of skilled surgeons of the time. The development of cosmetic surgery received a push for movement from the need to repair gross deformities sustained in WWI to the need to change normal and typical physical appearances. Early surgeons intended cosmetic surgery for surgical repair of congenital or acquired deformities and the restoration of contour to improve the appearance and function of tissue defects (Kazanjian, 250). Today however, cosmetic surgery takes on a whole new meaning, and the players are participating in a totally different ball game. Though many plastic surgeons are still touted and well received for their remarkable abilities to restore dignity to the deformed, cosmetic surgery has also taken on a new meaning. Cosmetic surgery has become a mechanism women have turned to in hopes of changing not just their appearance, but also their life."

Tags:weight, malpractice

Abstract
The paper aims to show that while stigmas still exist, more men are opting for cosmetic surgery because of the availability of new, less invasive procedures. The paper also attributes the rise in cosmetic surgeries to cultural changes and better access to information.

Outline:
Introduction
Body
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The past decade has seen the dramatic rise of cosmetic surgery performed on men and women. According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) the numbers grew by 457% from 1997-2007. The cause of this has been attributed to many factors such as television, magazines, and the Internet. In the past, cosmetic surgery has been associated with women who are thought to be more conscious of the way they look. This time, however, it is men who are becoming more aware of their appearance and the need to improve it. As of 2007, men comprise 9% of those undergoing cosmetic procedures. This increased by 17% since 2006 (ASAPS, 2007)."

Tags:stigma, aging, appearance, beauty, culture

Abstract
Doctors and patients alike are faced with ethical dilemmas with regard to several aspects of the cosmetic surgery industry. This paper explores several of these ethical issues, namely, factors in the decision to have elective surgery, deceptive marketing strategies, and bartering professional services for publicity. The analysis for each topic includes research from the professional societies, the general public, and the author's own subjective opinion.

From the Paper
"Plastic surgery has a very long history. As early as 1000 B.C.E., the first plastic surgery was reported in India, where a person's nose might be cut off as a form of punishment or, in the case of an adulterous Hindu wife, bitten off by the wronged husband. Procedures, which displayed remarkable similarity to present rhinoplasties, were developed to reconstruct the noses of such errant individuals (Davis 14). Plastic surgery appeared much later on the European continent. In the early fifteenth century, physicians began doing nose surgeries, by using skin flaps taken from the arm. Other forms of plastic surgery began to appear around the early sixteenth century. With the invention of ether and antisepsis, plastic surgery was able to emerge as a full-fledged medical specialty (Davis 15). In the first part of the century, nearly all plastic surgeries were done to alleviate deformities due to disease, birth or mishap; however, in the second half of the century this was no longer the case."

Tags:medical, doctor, elective

Abstract
The paper discusses how cosmetic surgery is increasing more because it presents an apparent shortcut to happiness for many people who suffer from psychological inadequacies. The paper addresses the safety concerns with these procedures and reveals that it is inadequately regulated by medical associations and there is no uniform standard for technical expertise or criteria of patient selection. The paper further reveals that many forms of cosmetic procedures are associated with significant risks. The paper concludes with the assertion that the increasing trend toward cosmetic procedures to enhance physical attractiveness may itself be little more than a symptom of superficiality in American society.

Outline:
Introduction
Ethical Concerns
Safety Concerns
Social Issues
Conclusion

From the Paper
"In the last two decades, cosmetic surgery, which was previously once affordable by the wealthy, has become widely available throughout the United States. In 2006 alone, American surgeons performed more than 11 million cosmetic procedures (News-Medcal.Net, 2007). Some of the most common procedures include liposuction, gastric bypass, and gastric banding to enable the obese to lose weight; breast enhancement for women and plastic implants designed to reshape the physique for both genders; muscle sculpting to increase the visibility of abdominal muscles; and face lifts, lip augmentation, and Botox injections to maintain a youthful appearance."

Tags:gastric, bypass, breast, enhancement, superficiality, self, esteem

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that it is common knowledge that many people find it desirable to undergo surgery for facelifts and other kinds of "corrective" surgery. However, the writer points out that what is not perhaps as well known is that many people have "cosmetic" surgery for reasons that go well beyond vanity. Some have plastic surgery to eliminate severe facial deformities; some go under the knife to deal with the erosion of their self-esteem, while others get plastic surgery to repair a bothersome physical feature. This paper takes the position that while there are definitely risks involved in plastic surgery proceedings, in most cases the potential good that came come from the surgery is well worth the medical risk. And further, the writer maintains that the science of corrective surgery has reached the point where the risks are minimized and the results are very worth the risks. Still, it is very important for the patient to do his or her homework prior to going into cosmetic surgery. The material presented in this paper explains why advance research is vital.

From the Paper
"There have been instances in which people undergoing plastic surgery have been injured or killed. Two women died in New York in the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital after undergoing plastic surgery in 2003, Shute explains; the hospital was fined $20,000 for "egregious violations" of safety procedures because of those deaths. In Florida there were eight deaths of plastic surgery patients over an 18-month period in 2003-2004; as a result, Shute continues, the health officials in Florida imposed a three-month ban on surgeries that combine liposuction and tummy tucks. What happens during cosmetic surgery that can cause death? According to this article people can and do get infections, especially when they go abroad to places like the Dominican Republic or Mexico for "cut-rate" surgery; in some foreign countries the attention to sterile, clean surgical conditions is perhaps not as great as it should be."

Tags:physician, patient, hospital, surgeon

Abstract
This paper discusses the background of plastic surgery. It looks into both genres of plastic surgery - reconstructive surgery and cosmetic or aesthetic surgery. The paper discusses the pros of plastic surgery, particularly in the realm of reconstructive surgery and then discusses its cons, particularly the medical risks and uncertainties that are associated with it.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Background of Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgery Cons
Plastic Surgery Pros

From the Paper
"Plastic surgery also has several advantages, especially in the area of reconstructive surgery. Reconstructive surgery is used to correct deficiencies that would otherwise have no means of treatment. Reconstructive surgery has made some of the most notable advancements in the area of microsurgery, and can be used to repair birth defects, such as cleft pallets, and internal forms of function. It can also be used to repair injuries suffered in accidents, and has led to saving limbs and restoring joints that otherwise would be irreparable. Burns can be repaired by skin grafting, and facial injuries involving extensive dental repair are common procedures for plastic surgery, that can improve an individual's self esteem as well as their ability to perform usual and normal functions. Additionally, the field of plastic surgery has widely grown, increasing the accuracy of procedures. Finally, as innovations in this area allow plastic surgery to flourish, the restoration of normal human form and function will become safer."

Tags:aesthetic, grafts, pallet