Is Cosmetic Surgery worth it?

Over 10 million plastic surgeries are performed in the United States every year. Of course, not all of these surgeries are a success, but the definition of successful surgery in cosmetic procedures is not as simple as defining success in a medical health procedure.

If a patient is suffering due to health problems caused by blocked arteries, cardiologists have little choice over the treatment method - they KNOW their job is to unblock the arteries to allow blood through to the cardiovascular system efficiently and both the patients and heart surgeon must take preventative measures to ensure the problem does not reoccur.


Plastic surgeries to reconstruct the body after trauma are not subject to much controversy - nobody is going to deny a woman who has undergone a mastectomy the right to reconstruct her breasts to feel feminine again.
But what about the woman who simply looks in the mirror and dislikes what she sees?

Mental health problems such as depression and eating disorders are all connected to a low feeling of self worth. Mental illness affects more than 450 million people and costs governments around the world billions of dollars in treatment.

If only 10% of those 10 million cosmetic surgeries performed yearly improve the patient’s mental state by improving their self esteem, the effect will be drastic. With therapy costing $200 plus a one hour session, the provisions for mental health treatment on national health services being inadequate, and therapists recommending at least one hour of therapy a week (52 hours of therapy a year) many patients suffer in silence as they are unable to fund the $10,000 costs.

For patients whose mental problems are caused by body image, surgeries to improve their looks not only raises confidence but improves metal health. This issue is largely missed by those who argue against state funded plastic surgery procedures.

Patients have to fund cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures themselves. Breast augmentation surgery can cost as much as $6000. For many people this is out of their financial league, hence the massive rise in cosmetic procedures abroad.

The high cost of plastic surgery is one of the leading causes of medical tourism. Medical tourism is a growing industry that helps thousands of people achieve treatments they desire.