When people hear the term "plastic surgery," they almost immediately think of the negative connotations of that phrase. While it is certainly true that many Americans have had elective plastic surgery, there are far more types of medical procedures that fall under this category than the stereotypical nose jobs or breast enhancements. There are pros and cons to the debate about plastic surgery and its importance in this society. Most of the arguments against plastic surgery focus on the cosmetic aspects of this field and thus overlook some of the real world positive applications. .
Plastic surgery is overused in this country in terms of people who have unnecessary operations in order to alter their physical appearance to create some perceived ideal or to better match what the media portrays as beautiful. It is definitely true that this branch of plastic surgeries has had negative side effects in this country, coercing young men and women to go under the knife when the procedures are unnecessary. However, plastic surgery can also help in the healing process of people who have had serious diseases like cancer or who have been severely injured in fires, car accidents, or assaults. There is a difference between unneeded, cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. .
What differentiates the two is the purpose for the surgery. In elective plastic surgery, the patient is unhappy with their appearance and desires surgery. There is nothing physically wrong with the individual. It is all about superficiality. For those who get reconstructive surgery, they are literally and metaphorically rebuilding their lives. This latter type of surgery is important to the continuation and betterment of the life of the patient (Reconstructive Surgery). In America, it would be best if the more popular, cosmetic and unneeded medical procedures were limited so that funds, time, energy, and research could be better utilized by being applied to cases of plastic surgery which help people rebuild their lives after tragedy.
