Is Cosmetic Surgery Ethical?
“Ethics is a
personal expression of what one believes is right and one’s capacity to give meaning to that
belief. It often is associated with honesty and truthfulness. In a simplistic way, ethics can
be thought of as doing what is right” (D. Chatham). And perhaps the first ethical tragedy, the
Greek poet Pindar (474 BC) wrote of Askleptios, an illustrious mythical physician: “those who
came to him with flesh devouring sores, with limbs gored by gray bronze or crushed stones, all
those with bodies broken, sun struck or frost bitten, he freed their misery… some with
medications… others he set right through surgery”. However, “even wisdom feels the lure of gain:
gold glittered in this hand and he was hired to retrieve from death a man whose life was already
forfeit; Zeus hurled flashing lightning and drove the breath, smoking from the breasts of savior
and saved alike”. The esteemed doctor was lured by greed to perform a forbidden medical service
(of their time), and thus tragically suffered the consequences.
The purpose of
Medicine is to promote health – this is its ethics. The “reconstructive” part of Plastic Surgery
enables to remedy the many problems of tissue deficiencies, thereby restoring form and function.
A
maxillofacial procedure restores a traumatic face from a vehicular crash. A
breast flap
surgery restores the lost breast after mastectomy because of cancer.
Cleft lip and
palate surgery restores the anatomy of individuals with in-born deformities. A
skin graft
heals the burn victim. Reconstructive-Plastic Surgery promotes health. However, the
“aesthetic-cosmetic” part of Plastic Surgery does not necessarily promote health, but rather
enhances human function and form.
Liposuction
removes the stubborn bulges.
Nose job recreates the nose. Eyelid surgery restores the aging face. Cosmetic Surgery aims
to make patients happy and satisfied with the operative changes. If anything less than promoting
health is not right, and surgery performed for beautification is deemed unethical, then a lot of
issues arise! For what difference does it make between hair transplantation and having a
hair-cut;
face lift and, facial scrubs and treatments; jaw enhancement surgery and teeth-whitening;
liposuction and rigorous gym exercises; or between
breast augmentation and the use of a padded bra (no offense please)? There are interventions
carried out to achieve beauty, in one way or the other – non-invasive or surgical. Cosmetic
Surgery simply utilizes the discipline of surgery.
Perhaps the
sensitive issue is not on the ethics of Cosmetic Surgery, but rather on one’s motivation to
undergo the procedure. Cosmetic Surgery is not equivalent to vanity, as many people might be
quick to think. While it is true that for others there can be a thin line between the desire for
self improvement and too much self preoccupation; to some individuals, however, it is a clear
attitude to simply improve one’s self. Psychology shows the benefits of an improved self-image,
whether brought about by just a change of perspective or a change of attitude after achieving
some physical changes - by diet and exercise, or by cosmetic surgery.
For the modern cosmetic surgeon, what is
forbidden or unethical is to compromise the safety of the patient just to
cut on costs or to gain profit; forcing patients on procedures they do not
want; concealing from the patient the possible complications of surgery;
using sub-standard prosthetics or implants; performing a procedure that one
is not competent in doing; or promising patients astonishing results. Let us
watch ourselves lest a flashing lightning like the one that struck Askleptios hit us too!
Is it alright to undergo Cosmetic Surgery? “If we consider physical beauty in its Christian
light and if we respect the conditions set by our moral teachings, aesthetic surgery is not in
contradiction to the will of God, in that it restores the perfection of the greatest work of
creation, man” (Pope Pius XII).
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