Well known rap star, Kanye West’s mother died from complications related to her recent plastic surgery. Given the star’s reknown, this brings the issue of plastic surgery back onto the limelight, and along with it, a host of moral andethical issues that our society needs to face.
What is the value of plastic surgery in our society?
How are patients and surgeons benfitting, and what is the societal value placed on plastic surgery?
Clearly, there is a high degree of both monetary and "class" value placed on those who undergo enhancement of their physical appearance. These procedures include breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, genital procedures, botox and many many more.
The field has clearly grown exponentially in recent years, and continues to gain popularity among bothe wealthy and elite as well as the wannabe elite socialites and Hollywood stars. But more than that , it has spread more and more to include your next door neighbor as an industry has grown around plastic surgery "financing."
With the recent credit crunch in financial markets highlighting the soft and rather unreliable nature of credit, this type of expansion of plastic surgery into middle class America should give us pause.
Moreso, where are we headed as a nation, as we continue to monetarily reward cosmetic plastic surgeons beyond their wildest dreams, and we continue to reard patients who go on to gain more lucrative positions in media, and Hollywood, and the business world after "improving" their physical appearance.
This is yet another instance where Americans have chosen style over substance. And once again, it is undoubtedly going to comeb back to haunt us.
This is how we chose George W. Bush, after all. The guy everyone wanted to drink a beer with. Now, once again, we see how our society seems to be only skin deep.
Issues of safety and idiosyncratic allergic reactions are part and parcel of the medical profession, But, surely, this will give potential patients pause before they sign themselves up for a completely elective procedure.