Secondly, I think that we should not restrict freedom of choice. Certainly there’s an element of danger involved. But we let people box. We let people bungee jump. They undertake these dangers for fun or for money. Why shouldn’t we let people undertake dangers in the pursuit of beauty, and higher self esteem? Nobody’s forcing anyone to have cosmetic surgery – the market is driven by demand. Furthermore, cosmetic surgery is becoming safer and safer. It is increasingly strictly policed and surgeons have ensured that practitioners take more and more care. Technology in surgery and in implants and so forth is forever improving. The worst examples of cosmetic surgery were thirty years ago – however they’re nothing to do with cosmetic surgery today. In addition, this freedom issue is particularly important to women, the ultimate control over one’s body, perhaps – is the latest stage in the emancipation of women and their ability to decide what happens to their bodies. Cosmetic surgery is empowering.
Thirdly, people pay handsomely for cosmetic surgery. It costs the state nothing, except in situations in which the operation is necessary medically. For example, if you have a severe wound or scar from an injury that limits your mobility, causes a loss of sensation, or is cosmetically unappealing, you may be considering wound treatments that involve plastic surgery. Additionally, the market can sometimes create great benefits: people work hard in pursuit of profits and often their work can help us all. Plenty of people make a good living from normal medicine and they are not criticised, the same should be true for privately provided medicine: there’s nothing wrong with turning a profit.
Fourthly, one of the contributions to the popularity of plastic surgery has been the advancements in technology and procedures. Douglas McGeorge, a consultant plastic surgeon and BAAPS president-elect, said advances in technology had contributed to the growing popularity of plastic surgery. Also people can get an idea of the results of their cosmetic surgery even before undergoing a procedure. Some surgeons offer computer imaging at their practice and some offer before and after photographs to show how much change they have provided for their patients in the past. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons recorded 16,367 cosmetic procedures in 2004 - up from a total of 10,738 in 2003. This shows that the popularity of plastic surgery is increasing every year.
Overall, I think plastic surgery should be open as it is now common and normal in a society. If someone wants to have plastic surgery then they should be allowed and no-one else should have a say in it.